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Asset Retirement Obligation (Notes) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2019
Asset Retirement Obligation Disclosure [Abstract] |
Asset Retirement Obligation Disclosure [Text Block] | 4. ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS The following table presents amounts recognized related to asset retirement obligations for the periods indicated (in millions):
|  | 2019 |  | 2018
Balance at January 1 |  | $ | 415 |  |  | $ | 368 |
Additional liabilities incurred |  | 19 |  |  | 19 |
Liabilities settled |  | (12 | ) |  | (14 | )
Accretion expense |  | 21 |  |  | 18 |
Change in estimated cash flows |  | 58 |  |  | 24 |
Sale of plants |  | (71 | ) |  | — |
Other |  | (2 | ) |  | — |
Balance at December 31 |  | $ | 428 |  |  | $ | 415 |
The Company's asset retirement obligations include active ash landfills, water treatment basins and the removal or dismantlement of certain plants and equipment. The Company uses the cost approach to determine the initial value of ARO liabilities, which is estimated by discounting expected cash outflows to their present value using market-based rates at the initial recording of the liabilities. Cash outflows are based on the approximate future disposal costs as determined by market information, historical information or other management estimates. Subsequent downward revisions of ARO liabilities are discounted using the market-based rates that existed when the liability was initially recognized. These inputs to the fair value of the ARO liabilities are considered Level 3 inputs under the fair value hierarchy. During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company increased the asset retirement obligation and corresponding asset at IPL by $75 million and decreased the asset retirement obligation at DPL by $87 million. The increase at IPL reflects an increase to estimated ash pond closure costs, including groundwater remediation as required by the EPA under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The decrease at DPL was attributable to a revision of the estimated liabilities resulting from the retirement of the Stuart and Killen facilities, and their subsequent transfer in December 2019. During the year ended December 31, 2018, the $24 million increase in estimated cash flows was primarily attributable to an increase of $55 million in estimated ash pond closure costs and revised closure dates associated with an EPA rule regulating CCR at IPL and an increase in coal pile remediation costs at DPL. These were partially offset by a decrease of $32 million due to reductions in estimated closure costs associated with ash ponds and landfills at DPL resulting in a reduction to Cost of Sales on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for an asset retirement obligation and the associated long-lived asset. An asset retirement obligation is a legal obligation associated with the disposal or retirement from service of a tangible long-lived asset that results from the acquisition, construction or development, or the normal operations of a long-lived asset, except for certain obligations of lessees. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 410 -SubTopic 20 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/subtopic&trid=2175671 + Details
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