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Fair value measurements | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2015
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract] |
Fair value measurements | Fair Value Measurements The Company measures its investments in certain fixed-income and equity securities at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in income. The Company anticipates using these investments, which consist of an insurance contract, to satisfy its obligations under its unfunded, nonqualified benefit plans for executive officers and certain key management employees, and invests in these fixed-income and equity securities for the purpose of earning investment returns and capital appreciation. These investments, which totaled $67.5 million and $65.8 million as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, are classified as Investments on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The net unrealized gains on these investments for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, were $1.7 million, $3.4 million and $13.5 million, respectively. The change in fair value, which is considered part of the cost of the plan, is classified in operation and maintenance expense on the Consolidated Statements of Income. The Company did not elect the fair value option, which records gains and losses in income, for its available-for-sale securities, which include mortgage-backed securities and U.S. Treasury securities. These available-for-sale securities are recorded at fair value and are classified as Investments on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Unrealized gains or losses are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Details of available-for-sale securities were as follows:
December 31, 2015 | Cost |  | Gross Unrealized Gains |  | Gross Unrealized Losses |  | Fair Value |
| (In thousands)
Mortgage-backed securities | $ | 9,128 |  | $ | 19 |  | $ | (49 | ) | $ | 9,098 |
U.S. Treasury securities | 1,315 |  | — |  | (6 | ) | 1,309 |
Total | $ | 10,443 |  | $ | 19 |  | $ | (55 | ) | $ | 10,407 |
December 31, 2014 | Cost |  | Gross Unrealized Gains |  | Gross Unrealized Losses |  | Fair Value |
| (In thousands)
Mortgage-backed securities | $ | 6,594 |  | $ | 60 |  | $ | (18 | ) | $ | 6,636 |
U.S. Treasury securities | 3,574 |  | — |  | (19 | ) | 3,555 |
Total | $ | 10,168 |  | $ | 60 |  | $ | (37 | ) | $ | 10,191 |
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The ASC establishes a hierarchy for grouping assets and liabilities, based on the significance of inputs. The estimated fair values of the Company's assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis are determined using the market approach. The Company's Level 2 money market funds are valued at the net asset value of shares held at the end of the period, based on published market quotations on active markets, or using other known sources including pricing from outside sources. Units of these funds can be redeemed on a daily basis at their net asset value and have no redemption restrictions. The assets are invested in high-quality, short-term money market instruments that consist of municipal obligations. There are no unfunded commitments related to these funds. The estimated fair value of the Company's Level 2 mortgage-backed securities and U.S. Treasury securities are based on comparable market transactions, other observable inputs or other sources, including pricing from outside sources. The estimated fair value of the Company's Level 2 insurance contract is based on contractual cash surrender values that are determined primarily by investments in managed separate accounts of the insurer. These amounts approximate fair value. The managed separate accounts are valued based on other observable inputs or corroborated market data. The estimated fair value of the Company's Level 2 RIN obligations are based on the market approach using quoted prices from an independent pricing service. RINs are assigned to biofuels produced or imported into the United States as required by the EPA, which sets annual quotas for the percentage of biofuels that must be blended into transportation fuels consumed in the United States. As a producer of diesel fuel, Dakota Prairie Refinery is required to blend biofuels into the fuel it produces at a rate that will meet the EPA's quota. RINs are purchased in the open market to satisfy the requirement as Dakota Prairie Refinery is currently unable to blend biofuels into the diesel fuel it produces. Though the Company believes the methods used to estimate fair value are consistent with those used by other market participants, the use of other methods or assumptions could result in a different estimate of fair value. For the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, there were no transfers between Levels 1 and 2. The Company's assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis were as follows:
| Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2015, Using |
| Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) |  | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) |  | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) |  | Balance at December 31, 2015 |
| (In thousands)
Assets: |  |  |  |
Money market funds | $ | — |  | $ | 1,420 |  | $ | — |  | $ | 1,420 |
Insurance contract* | — |  | 67,459 |  | — |  | 67,459 |
Available-for-sale securities: |  |  |  |
Mortgage-backed securities | — |  | 9,098 |  | — |  | 9,098 |
U.S. Treasury securities | — |  | 1,309 |  | — |  | 1,309 |
Total assets measured at fair value | $ | — |  | $ | 79,286 |  | $ | — |  | $ | 79,286 |
Liabilities: |  |  |  |
RIN obligations | $ | — |  | $ | 3,052 |  | $ | — |  | $ | 3,052 |
Total liabilities measured at fair value | $ | — |  | $ | 3,052 |  | $ | — |  | $ | 3,052 |
* | The insurance contract invests approximately 9 percent in common stock of mid-cap companies, 7 percent in common stock of small-cap companies, 19 percent in common stock of large-cap companies, 63 percent in fixed-income investments, 1 percent in target date investments and 1 percent in cash equivalents.
| Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2014, Using |
| Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) |  | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) |  | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) |  | Balance at December 31, 2014 |
| (In thousands)
Assets: |  |  |  |
Money market funds | $ | — |  | $ | 890 |  | $ | — |  | $ | 890 |
Insurance contract* | — |  | 65,831 |  | — |  | 65,831 |
Available-for-sale securities: |  |  |  |
Mortgage-backed securities | — |  | 6,636 |  | — |  | 6,636 |
U.S. Treasury securities | — |  | 3,555 |  | — |  | 3,555 |
Total assets measured at fair value | $ | — |  | $ | 76,912 |  | $ | — |  | $ | 76,912 |
* | The insurance contract invests approximately 20 percent in common stock of mid-cap companies, 18 percent in common stock of small-cap companies, 29 percent in common stock of large-cap companies, 32 percent in fixed-income investments and 1 percent in cash equivalents.
The Company applies the provisions of the fair value measurement standard to its nonrecurring, non-financial measurements, including long-lived asset impairments. These assets are not measured at fair value on an ongoing basis but are subject to fair value adjustments only in certain circumstances. The Company reviews the carrying value of its long-lived assets, excluding goodwill, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that such carrying amounts may not be recoverable. During the second quarters of 2015 and 2013, natural gas gathering assets at the pipeline and midstream segment were reviewed for impairment and found to be impaired and were written down to their estimated fair value using the income approach. Under this approach, fair value is determined by using the present value of future estimated cash flows. The factors used to determine the estimated future cash flows include, but are not limited to, internal estimates of gathering revenue, future commodity prices and operating costs and equipment salvage values. The estimated cash flows are discounted using a rate that approximates the weighted average cost of capital of a market participant. These fair value inputs are not typically observable. At June 30, 2015, natural gas gathering assets were written down to the nonrecurring fair value measurement of $1.1 million. During the third quarter of 2015, the Company was negotiating the sale of certain non-strategic natural gas gathering assets at the pipeline and midstream segment and as a result these assets were found to be impaired and were written down to their estimated fair value using the market approach. The estimated fair value of natural gas gathering assets that were impaired at September 30, 2015, was largely determined by agreed upon pricing in a purchase and sale agreement that the Company was negotiating, and these assets were sold in the fourth quarter of 2015. At September 30, 2015, natural gas gathering assets were written down to the nonrecurring fair value measurement of $10.8 million. The fair value of these natural gas gathering assets have been categorized as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. The Company performed a fair value assessment of the assets and liabilities classified as held for sale. For more information on this Level 3 nonrecurring fair value measurement, see Note 2. The Company's long-term debt is not measured at fair value on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and the fair value is being provided for disclosure purposes only. The fair value was based on discounted future cash flows using current market interest rates. The estimated fair value of the Company's Level 2 long-term debt at December 31 was as follows:
| 2015 | 2014
| Carrying Amount |  | Fair Value |  | Carrying Amount |  | Fair Value |
| (In thousands)
Long-term debt | $ | 1,871,232 |  | $ | 1,893,442 |  | $ | 2,093,830 |  | $ | 2,238,548 |
The carrying amounts of the Company's remaining financial instruments included in current assets and current liabilities approximate their fair values.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 820 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=36462937&loc=d3e19207-110258 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 825 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 30 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6957238&loc=d3e14172-108612 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 825 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 28 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6957238&loc=d3e14064-108612 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 825 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 21 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=49121117&loc=d3e13537-108611 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 825 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 16 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=49121117&loc=d3e13504-108611 Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 825 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 10 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=49121117&loc=d3e13433-108611 + Details
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