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Contingencies and Commitments (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2011
Guarantees |
Guarantee Description |  | Issue Date |  |  | Expiration Date |  | Maximum Obligation |  |  | Carrying Amount |
|  | In Millions |
CMS ENERGY, INCLUDING CONSUMERS |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Indemnity obligations from asset sales and other agreements |  |  | Various |  |  | Various through September 2029 |  | $ | 512 | 1 |  | $ | 17 |
Guarantees and put options 2 |  |  | Various |  |  | Various through March 2021 |  |  | 63 |  |  |  | 1 |
CONSUMERS |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Indemnity obligations and other guarantees |  |  | Various |  |  | Various through September 2029 |  | $ | 30 |  |  | $ | 1 |
1 | The majority of this amount arises from stock and asset sale agreements under which CMS Energy or a subsidiary of CMS Energy, other than Consumers, indemnified the purchaser for losses resulting from various matters, including claims related to tax disputes, claims related to PPAs, and defects in title to the assets or stock sold to the purchaser by CMS Energy subsidiaries. Except for items described elsewhere in this Note, CMS Energy believes the likelihood of material loss to be remote for the indemnity obligations not recorded as liabilities.
2 | At December 31, 2011, the carrying amount of CMS Land's put option agreements with certain Bay Harbor property owners was $1 million. If CMS Land is required to purchase a Bay Harbor property under a put option agreement, it may sell the property to recover the amount paid under the put option agreement.
Consumers Energy Company [Member] |
Guarantees |
Guarantee Description |  | Issue Date |  |  | Expiration Date |  | Maximum Obligation |  |  | Carrying Amount |
|  | In Millions |
CMS ENERGY, INCLUDING CONSUMERS |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Indemnity obligations from asset sales and other agreements |  |  | Various |  |  | Various through September 2029 |  | $ | 512 | 1 |  | $ | 17 |
Guarantees and put options 2 |  |  | Various |  |  | Various through March 2021 |  |  | 63 |  |  |  | 1 |
CONSUMERS |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Indemnity obligations and other guarantees |  |  | Various |  |  | Various through September 2029 |  | $ | 30 |  |  | $ | 1 |
1 | The majority of this amount arises from stock and asset sale agreements under which CMS Energy or a subsidiary of CMS Energy, other than Consumers, indemnified the purchaser for losses resulting from various matters, including claims related to tax disputes, claims related to PPAs, and defects in title to the assets or stock sold to the purchaser by CMS Energy subsidiaries. Except for items described elsewhere in this Note, CMS Energy believes the likelihood of material loss to be remote for the indemnity obligations not recorded as liabilities.
2 | At December 31, 2011, the carrying amount of CMS Land's put option agreements with certain Bay Harbor property owners was $1 million. If CMS Land is required to purchase a Bay Harbor property under a put option agreement, it may sell the property to recover the amount paid under the put option agreement.
Purchase Obligations |
|  | Payments Due |
|  | Total |  |  | 2012 |  |  | 2013 |  |  | 2014 |  |  | 2015 |  |  | 2016 |  |  | Beyond 2016 |
CONSUMERS |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Purchase obligations |  | $ | 14,966 |  |  | $ | 1,868 |  |  | $ | 1,204 |  |  | $ | 927 |  |  | $ | 1,010 |  |  | $ | 1,010 |  |  | $ | 8,947 |
Purchase obligations – related parties |  |  | 1,686 |  |  |  | 92 |  |  |  | 91 |  |  |  | 96 |  |  |  | 101 |  |  |  | 103 |  |  |  | 1,203 |
Manufactured Gas Plant [Member] | Consumers Energy Company [Member] |
Expected Remediation Cost By Year |
|  | 2012 |  |  | 2013 |  |  | 2014 |  |  | 2015 |  |  | 2016 |
CONSUMERS |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Remediation and other response activity costs |  | $ | 14 |  |  | $ | 12 |  |  | $ | 12 |  |  | $ | 21 |  |  | $ | 13 |

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- Definition Tabular disclosure of each guarantee obligation, or each group of similar guarantee obligations, including (a) the nature of the guarantee, including its term, how it arose, and the events or circumstances that would require the guarantor to perform under the guarantee; (b) the maximum potential amount of future payments (undiscounted) the guarantor could be required to make under the guarantee; (c) the current carrying amount of the liability, if any, for the guarantor's obligations under the guarantee; and (d) the nature of any recourse provisions under the guarantee, and any assets held either as collateral or by third parties, and any relevant related party disclosure. Excludes disclosures about product warranties. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 460 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 6 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6851643&loc=d3e12265-110248 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 5 -Paragraph 9, 10, 11, 12 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name FASB Interpretation (FIN) -Number 45 -Paragraph 13, 16 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 460 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6851643&loc=d3e12069-110248 + Details
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- Definition Tabular disclosure of unconditional purchase obligations that are not recognized as a liability on the balance sheet, including the nature and significant terms of an unconditional purchase obligation; the amount of the fixed and determinable portion of the obligation as of the date of the latest balance sheet presented in the aggregate and, if determinable, for each of the five succeeding fiscal years; the nature of any variable components of the obligation; the amount purchased under the obligation (for example, the take-or-pay or throughput contract) for the reporting period; and may include the amount of imputed interest necessary to reduce the obligation to present value. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 440 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6394976&loc=d3e25336-109308 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 47 -Paragraph 7 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 47 -Paragraph 8 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 4: 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=6394976&loc=d3e25287-109308 + Details
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