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Other Income, Net
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2011
Other Income, Net [Abstract] 
Other Income, Net
4. Other Income, Net
     The following are the components of other income and other expense for the quarters and nine months ended September 30:
                                 
    Quarters Ended September 30,     Nine Months Ended September 30,  
    2011     2010     2011     2010  
            (In millions)          
Other Income, Net
                               
Allowance for equity funds used during construction
  $ 16     $ 55     $ 187     $ 156  
Other
    (11 )     16       (1 )     32  
 
                       
Total
  $ 5     $ 71     $ 186     $ 188  
 
                       
     Allowance for Equity Funds Used During Construction. As allowed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), we capitalize a pre-tax carrying cost on equity funds related to the construction of long-lived assets in our FERC regulated business and reflect this amount as an increase in the cost of the asset on our balance sheet. We calculate this amount using the most recent FERC approved equity rate of return. These amounts are recovered over the depreciable lives of the long-lived assets to which they relate.