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Commitments and Contingencies | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2017
Long-term Purchase Commitment [Line Items] |
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block] | Commitments and Contingencies Except as set forth below, in Note 13 and under "Environmental Laws and Regulations" in Item 2 of Part I and in Item 1 of Part II of this Form 10-Q, the circumstances set forth in Notes 13 and 14 to the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Company's 2016 Form 10-K appropriately represent, in all material respects, the current status of the Company's material commitments and contingent liabilities. Environmental Laws and Regulations The activities of OG&E are subject to numerous stringent and complex Federal, state and local laws and regulations governing environmental protection. These laws and regulations can change, restrict or otherwise impact OG&E's business activities in many ways including the handling or disposal of waste material, future construction activities to avoid or mitigate harm to threatened or endangered species and requiring the installation and operation of emissions pollution control equipment. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations could result in the assessment of administrative, civil and criminal penalties, the imposition of remedial requirements and the issuance of orders enjoining future operations. Management believes that all of its operations are in substantial compliance with current Federal, state and local environmental standards. Environmental regulation can increase the cost of planning, design, initial installation and operation of OG&E's facilities. Historically, OG&E's total expenditures for environmental control facilities and for remediation have not been significant in relation to its condensed financial position or results of operations. The Company believes, however, that it is likely that the trend in environmental legislation and regulations will continue towards more restrictive standards. Compliance with these standards is expected to increase the cost of conducting business. Management continues to evaluate its compliance with existing and proposed environmental legislation and regulations and implement appropriate environmental programs in a competitive market. OG&E is managing several significant uncertainties about the scope and timing for the acquisition, installation and operation of additional pollution control equipment and compliance costs for a variety of the EPA rules that are being challenged in court. OG&E is unable to predict the financial impact of these matters with certainty at this time. Air Quality Control System On September 10, 2014, OG&E executed a contract for the design, engineering and fabrication of two circulating Dry Scrubber systems to be installed at Sooner Units 1 and 2. OG&E entered into an agreement on February 9, 2015, to install the Dry Scrubber systems. The Dry Scrubbers are scheduled to be completed by 2019. More detail regarding the ECP can be found under “Pending Regulatory Matters” in Note 13. Other In the normal course of business, the Company is confronted with issues or events that may result in a contingent liability. These generally relate to lawsuits or claims made by third parties, including governmental agencies. When appropriate, management consults with legal counsel and other experts to assess the claim. If, in management's opinion, the Company has incurred a probable loss as set forth by GAAP, an estimate is made of the loss and the appropriate accounting entries are reflected in the Company's Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. At the present time, based on currently available information, the Company believes that any reasonably possible losses in excess of accrued amounts arising out of pending or threatened lawsuits or claims would not be quantitatively material to its financial statements and would not have a material adverse effect on the Company's consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for commitments and contingencies. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 825 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6449706&loc=d3e16207-108621 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 460 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 8 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=68068213&loc=d3e12565-110249 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=25496072&loc=d3e14435-108349 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 210 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.25) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 440 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=73718637&loc=d3e25287-109308 + Details
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- Definition Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table. + References No definition available. + Details
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