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Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans (Policies)
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Abstract]  
Pension and Other Postretirement Plans, Policy [Policy Text Block]
Accounting for defined benefit pension and postretirement benefit plans requires that employers recognize on a prospective basis the funded status of their defined benefit pension and other postretirement plans on their consolidated balance sheet and recognize as a component of other comprehensive income, net of tax, the gains or losses and prior service costs or credits that arise during the period but are not recognized as components of net periodic benefit cost.

The defined benefit pension and postretirement health and life benefit costs recognized annually by our regulated companies are expected to be recovered through rates filed with our regulatory jurisdictions. As a result, these amounts that are required to otherwise be recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income have been recognized as a long-term regulatory asset on our consolidated balance sheet, in accordance with the accounting standards for Regulated Operations. The defined benefit pension and postretirement health and life benefit costs associated with our other non-rate base operations are recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income.