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Equity Method Investments | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2017
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract] |
Equity Method Investments | Equity Method Investments The Company holds a 25% equity interest in Constitution Pipeline Company, LLC (Constitution) and a 20% equity interest in Meade Pipeline Co LLC (Meade). Activity related to these equity method investments is as follows:
|  | Constitution |  | Meade |  | Total
|  | Three Months Ended March 31, |  | Three Months Ended March 31, |  | Three Months Ended March 31,
(In thousands) |  | 2017 |  | 2016 |  | 2017 |  | 2016 |  | 2017 |  | 2016
Balance at beginning of period |  | $ | 96,850 |  |  | $ | 90,345 |  |  | $ | 32,674 |  |  | $ | 13,172 |  |  | $ | 129,524 |  |  | $ | 103,517 |
Contributions |  | 1,125 |  |  | 6,250 |  |  | 6,617 |  |  | 5,402 |  |  | 7,742 |  |  | 11,652 |
Earnings (loss) on equity method investments |  | (1,282 | ) |  | 2,011 |  |  | (1 | ) |  | (2 | ) |  | (1,283 | ) |  | 2,009 |
Balance at end of period |  | $ | 96,693 |  |  | $ | 98,606 |  |  | $ | 39,290 |  |  | $ | 18,572 |  |  | $ | 135,983 |  |  | $ | 117,178 |
During 2017, the Company expects to contribute approximately $70.0 million to its equity method investments. For further information regarding the Company’s equity method investments, refer to Note 4 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in the Form 10-K. Constitution On April 22, 2016, Constitution announced that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) denied Constitution's application for a Section 401 Water Quality Certification (Certification) for the New York State portion of its proposed 124-mile route. During second quarter of 2016, Constitution filed legal actions in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York challenging the legality and appropriateness of the NYSDEC’s decision. Both courts have granted Constitution's motions to expedite the schedules for the legal actions. On March 16, 2017, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York issued an order ruling, without prejudice, that it lacked subject matter jurisdiction to hear Constitution’s complaint. The U.S. Court of Appeals has heard oral arguments but has not yet ruled on Constitution's appeal. Constitution stated that it remains committed to pursuing the project and that it intends to pursue all available options to challenge the NYSDEC’s decision. In light of the denial of the Certification and ongoing litigation, Constitution has revised its target in-service date to the second half of 2018, assuming that the U.S. Court of Appeals challenge process is satisfactorily and promptly concluded. In light of the NYSDEC’s denial and resulting litigation, the Company evaluated its investment in Constitution for other-than-temporary impairment (OTTI) and, as of March 31, 2017, does not believe there is an indication of an OTTI. The Company’s evaluation considered various factors, including but not limited to prior Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approval and the related economic viability of the project, the pending appeal filed by Constitution and the other members’ commitment to the project. To the extent that the legal and regulatory proceedings have unfavorable outcomes, or if Constitution concludes that the project is no longer viable or elects to not go forward as legal and regulatory actions progress, the Company will reevaluate the facts and circumstances relative to its conclusions with respect to OTTI. In the event that facts and circumstances change, the Company may be required to recognize an impairment charge up to its investment value at such time, net of any cash and working capital held by Constitution. The Company will continue to monitor the carrying value of its investment as required. At this time, the Company remains committed to funding the project in an amount in proportion to its ownership interest for the development and construction of the new pipeline. The Company's total contributions for this project are expected to be approximately $240.0 million. As of March 31, 2017, the Company has made contributions of $89.7 million since inception of the project.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for equity method investments and joint ventures. Equity method investments are investments that give the investor the ability to exercise significant influence over the operating and financial policies of an investee. Joint ventures are entities owned and operated by a small group of businesses as a separate and specific business or project for the mutual benefit of the members of the group. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 323 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=66011266&loc=d3e33918-111571 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 323 -SubTopic 10 -Section 35 -Paragraph 35 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=64825282&loc=d3e32847-111569 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 210 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.12) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 323 -SubTopic 10 -Section 35 -Paragraph 32 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=64825282&loc=d3e32787-111569 + Details
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