Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Revenue Recognition, Services, Royalty Fees [Policy Text Block]

Coal Royalties Revenues and Deferred Income. The Partnership recognizes coal royalties revenues on the basis of tons of coal sold by its lessees and the corresponding revenues from those sales. The Partnership does not have access to actual production and revenues information until 30 days following the month of production. Therefore, financial results include estimated revenues and accounts receivable for the month of production. The Partnership records any differences between the actual amounts ultimately received or paid and the original estimates in the period they become finalized. Most lessees must make minimum monthly or annual payments that are generally recoverable over certain time periods. These minimum payments are recorded as deferred income. If the lessee recovers a minimum payment through production, the deferred income attributable to the minimum payment is recognized as coal royalties revenues. If a lessee fails to meet its minimum production for certain pre-determined time periods, the deferred income attributable to the minimum payment is recognized as minimum rental revenues, which is a component of other revenues on our consolidated statements of operations. Other liabilities on the balance sheet also include deferred unearned income from a coal services facility lease, which is recognized in other income as it is earned.

Inventory, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Inventories. Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market and include materials and parts primarily utilized by the Contract Services and Gathering & Processing segments.

Use of Estimates

Use of Estimates. These consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with GAAP, which includes the use of estimates and assumptions by management that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities that exist at the date of the financial statements. Although these estimates are based on management’s available knowledge of current and expected future events, actual results could be different from those estimates.

Combination of Entities under Common Control, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Common Control Transactions. Entities and assets acquired from ETE and its affiliates are accounted for as common control transactions whereby the net assets acquired are combined with the Partnership’s net assets at their historical amounts. If consideration transferred differs from the carrying value of the net assets acquired, the excess or deficiency is treated as a capital transaction similar to a dividend or capital contribution. To the extent that such transactions require prior periods to be recast, historical net equity amounts prior to the transaction date are reflected in predecessor equity.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and Cash Equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents include temporary cash investments with original maturities of three months or less.

Equity Method Investments

Equity Method Investments. The equity method of accounting is used to account for the Partnership’s interest in investments of greater than 20% voting interest or where the Partnership exerts significant influence over an investee but lacks control over the investee. Even though there is a presumption of a controlling financial interest in Aqua - PVR (because of our 51% ownership), our partner in this joint venture has substantive participating rights and management authority that preclude us from controlling the joint venture. Therefore, it is accounted for as an equity method investment. The Partnership acquired a 50% interest in Coal Handling as part of the PVR Acquisition and purchased the remaining 50% interest effective December 31, 2014 for $16 million, resulting in a gain on the purchase due to the revaluation of the Partnership’s previously held non-controlling interest.

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, Plant and Equipment. Property, plant and equipment is recorded at historical cost of construction or, upon acquisition, the fair value of the assets acquired. Gains or losses on sales or retirements of assets are included in operating income unless the disposition is treated as discontinued operations. Natural gas and NGLs used to maintain pipeline minimum pressures is classified as property, plant and equipment. Financing costs associated with the construction of larger assets requiring ongoing efforts over a period of time are capitalized. For the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, the Partnership capitalized interest of $14 million, $2 million and $1 million, respectively. The costs of maintenance and repairs, which are not significant improvements, are expensed when incurred. Expenditures to extend the useful lives of the assets are capitalized.

Depreciation expense related to property, plant and equipment was $418 million, $258 million, and $219 million for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. In March 2012, the Partnership recorded a $7 million “out-of-period” adjustment to depreciation expense to correct the estimated useful lives of certain assets to comply with its policy.

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment is recorded on a straight-line basis over the following estimated useful lives:

Functional Class of Property	Useful Lives (Years)
Gathering and Transmission Systems	20 - 40
Compression Equipment	2 - 30
Gas Plants and Buildings	5 - 20
Other Property, Plant and Equipment	3 - 15

Depletion expense related to the Natural Resources segment was $11 million for the year ended December 31, 2014. Coal properties are depleted on an area-by-area basis at a rate based on the cost of the mineral properties and the number of tons of estimated proven and probable coal reserves contained therein. Proven and probable coal reserves have been estimated by the Partnership’s own geologists. The Partnership’s estimates of coal reserves are updated periodically and may result in adjustments to coal reserves and depletion rates that are recognized prospectively. From time to time, the Partnership carries out core-hole drilling activities on coal properties in order to ascertain the quality and quantity of the coal contained in those properties. These core-hole drilling activities are expensed as incurred. The Partnership depletes timber using a methodology consistent with the units-of-production method, which is based on the quantity of timber harvested. The Partnership determines depletion of oil and gas royalty interests by the units-of-production method and these amounts could change with revisions to estimated proved recoverable reserves.

Intangible Assets and Goodwill

Intangible Assets. As of December 31, 2014, intangible assets consisted of trade names and customer relations, and are amortized on a straight line basis over their estimated useful lives, which is the period over which the assets are expected to contribute directly or indirectly to the Partnership’s future cash flows. The estimated useful lives range from 8 to 30 years.

The Partnership assesses long-lived assets, including property, plant and equipment and intangible assets, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability is assessed by comparing the carrying amount of an asset to undiscounted future net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured as the amount by which the carrying amounts exceed the fair value of the assets. The Partnership did not record any impairment in 2014, 2013, or 2012.

Goodwill. Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of identifiable net assets acquired in a business combination. Goodwill is not amortized, but is tested for impairment annually based on the carrying values as of November 30 or December 31 depending upon the reporting unit, or more frequently if impairment indicators arise that suggest the carrying value of goodwill may not be recovered. The Partnership has the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether further impairment testing is necessary. Impairment is indicated when the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value. To estimate the fair value of the reporting units, the Partnership makes estimates and judgments about future cash flows, as well as revenues, cost of sales, operating expenses, capital expenditures and net working capital based on assumptions that are consistent with the Partnership’s most recent forecast. At the time it is determined that an impairment has occurred, the carrying value of the goodwill is written down to its fair value.

In 2014, a $370 million goodwill impairment charge was recorded related to the Permian reporting unit within the Gathering and Processing segment. The decline in estimated fair value of that reporting unit is primarily driven by the significant decline in commodity prices in the fourth quarter of 2014, and the resulting impact to future commodity prices as well as increases in future estimated operations and maintenance expenses. As a result of the Partnership’s determination that the estimated fair value of the reporting unit was less than the carrying value, the Partnership performed the second step of the goodwill impairment assessment, which requires the assets and liabilities of the reporting unit to be fair valued on a hypothetical basis.  Any excess value over the estimated fair value of the reporting unit, determined in this case through established valuation techniques such as discounted cash flow methods and market comparable analyses, compared to the hypothetical fair value of all assets and liabilities of the reporting unit is the implied fair value of goodwill.  To the extent that the implied fair value of goodwill is less than the carrying value of goodwill, an impairment is recognized to eliminate any excess carrying amounts. 

No other goodwill impairments were identified or recorded for the Partnership’s other reporting units in 2014. No goodwill impairment charges were incurred in 2013 or 2012.

Other Assets, net

Other Assets, net. Other assets, net primarily consists of debt issuance costs, which are capitalized and amortized to interest expense, net over the life of the related debt.

Gas Imbalances

Gas Imbalances. Quantities of natural gas or NGLs over-delivered or under-delivered related to imbalance agreements are recorded monthly as other current assets or other current liabilities using then current market prices or the weighted average prices of natural gas or NGLs at the plant or system pursuant to imbalance agreements for which settlement prices are not contractually established.

Within certain volumetric limits determined at the sole discretion of the creditor, these imbalances are generally settled by deliveries of natural gas. Imbalance receivables and payables as of December 31, 2014 and 2013 were immaterial.

Asset Retirement Obligations, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Asset Retirement Obligations. Legal obligations associated with the retirement of long-lived assets are recorded at fair value at the time the obligations are incurred, if a reasonable estimate of fair value can be made. Present value techniques are used which reflect assumptions such as removal and remediation costs, inflation,  and profit margins that third parties would demand to settle the amount of the future obligation. The Partnership does not include a market risk premium for unforeseeable circumstances in its fair value estimates because such a premium cannot be reliably estimated. Upon initial recognition of the liability, costs are capitalized as a part of the long-lived asset and allocated to expense over the useful life of the related asset. The liability is accreted to its present value each period with accretion being recorded to operating expense with a corresponding increase in the carrying amount of the liability. The ARO assets and liabilities were immaterial as of December 31, 2014.

Environmental Costs, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Environmental. The Partnership’s operations are subject to federal, state and local laws and rules and regulations regarding water quality, hazardous and solid waste management, air quality control and other environmental matters. These laws, rules and regulations require the Partnership to conduct its operations in a specified manner and to obtain and comply with a wide variety of environmental registrations, licenses, permits, inspections and other approvals. Failure to comply with applicable environmental laws, rules and regulations may expose the Partnership to significant fines, penalties and/or interruptions in operations. The Partnership’s environmental policies and procedures are designed to achieve compliance with such applicable laws and regulations. These evolving laws and regulations and claims for damages to property, employees, other persons and the environment resulting from current or past operations may result in significant expenditures and liabilities in the future.

Stockholders' Equity Note Disclosure [Text Block]

Predecessor Equity. Predecessor equity included on the consolidated statements of partners’ capital and noncontrolling interest represents SUGS member’s capital prior to the acquisition date (April 30, 2013).

Revenue Recognition

Revenue Recognition. The Partnership earns revenue from (i) domestic sales of natural gas, NGLs and condensate, (ii) natural gas, NGL, condensate, and salt water gathering, processing and transportation, (iii) contract compression and treating services, and (iv) coal royalties. Revenue associated with sales of natural gas, NGLs and condensate are recognized when title passes to the customer, which is when the risk of ownership passes to the purchaser and physical delivery occurs. Revenue associated with transportation and processing fees are recognized when the service is provided. For contract compression and contract treating services, revenue is recognized when the service is performed. For gathering and processing services, the Partnership receives either fees or commodities from natural gas producers depending on the type of contract. Commodities received are in turn sold and recognized as revenue in accordance with the criteria outlined above. Under the percentage-of-proceeds contract type, the Partnership is paid for its services by keeping a percentage of the NGLs produced and a percentage of the residue gas resulting from processing the natural gas. Under the percentage-of-index contract type, the Partnership earns revenue by purchasing wellhead natural gas at a percentage of the index price and selling processed natural gas and NGLs at a price approximating the index price to third parties. The Partnership generally reports revenue gross in the consolidated statements of operations when it acts as the principal, takes title to the product, and incurs the risks and rewards of ownership. Revenue for fee-based arrangements is presented net, because the Partnership takes the role of an agent for the producers. Allowance for doubtful accounts is determined based on historical write-off experience and specific identification.

Derivatives Instruments

Derivative Instruments. The Partnership’s net income and cash flows are subject to volatility stemming from changes in market prices such as natural gas prices, NGLs prices, processing margins and interest rates. The Partnership uses product-specific swaps to create offsetting positions to specific commodity price exposures, and uses interest rate swap contracts to create offsetting positions to specific interest rate exposures. Derivative financial instruments are recorded on the balance sheet at their fair value based on their settlement date. The Partnership employs derivative financial instruments in connection with an underlying asset, liability and/or anticipated transaction and not for speculative purposes. Furthermore, the Partnership regularly assesses the creditworthiness of counterparties to manage the risk of default. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, no derivative financial instruments were designated as hedges. In the statement of cash flows, the effects of settlements of derivative instruments are classified consistent with the related hedged transactions.

Benefits

Benefits. The Partnership provides medical, dental, and other healthcare benefits to employees. The total amount incurred by the Partnership for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, was $17 million, $9 million and $9 million, respectively, in operation and maintenance and general and administrative expenses, as appropriate. The Partnership also provides a matching contribution to its employee’s 401(k) accounts which vest immediately upon contribution. The total amount of matching contributions for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 was $9 million, $7 million and $4 million, respectively, and were recorded in operation and maintenance and general and administrative expenses, as appropriate. The Partnership has no pension obligations or other post-employment benefits. Beginning January 1, 2013, the Partnership provides a 3% profit sharing contribution to employee 401(k) accounts for all employees with base compensation below a specified threshold. The contribution is in addition to the 401(k) matching contribution and employees become vested based on years of service.

Income Tax, Policy

Income Taxes. The Partnership is generally not subject to income taxes, except as discussed below, because its income is taxed directly to its partners. The Partnership is subject to the gross margins tax enacted by the state of Texas. The Partnership has one wholly-owned subsidiary that is subject to income tax and provides for deferred income taxes using the asset and liability method. Accordingly, deferred taxes are recorded for differences between the tax and book basis that will reverse in future periods. The Partnership has deferred tax liabilities of $20 million and $22 million as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, related to the difference between the book and tax basis of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets and they are included in other long-term liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The Partnership follows the guidance for uncertainties in income taxes where a liability for an unrecognized tax benefit is recorded for a tax position that does not meet the “more likely than not” criteria. The Partnership has not recorded any uncertain tax positions meeting the more likely than not criteria as of December 31, 2014 and 2013. The Partnership recognized $3 million for current and deferred federal and state income tax for the year ended December 31, 2014 and an immaterial amount for current and deferred federal and state income tax benefit for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012.

Effective with the Partnership’s acquisition of SUGS on April 30, 2013, SUGS is generally no longer subject to federal income taxes and subject only to gross margins tax in the state of Texas. Substantially all previously recorded current and deferred tax liabilities were settled with Southern Union, along with all other intercompany receivables and payables at the date of acquisition.

The Partnership has its 2007 and 2008 tax years under audit by the IRS. Until this matter is fully resolved, it is not known whether any amounts ultimately recorded would be material, or how such adjustments would affect unitholders. The statute of limitations for these audits has been extended to December 31, 2015.

Equity-Based Compensation

Equity-Based Compensation. The Partnership accounts for common unit options and phantom units by recognizing the grant-date fair value of awards into expense as they are earned, using an estimated forfeiture rate. The forfeiture rate assumption is reviewed annually to determine whether any adjustments to expense are required. Cash restricted units are recorded in other long-term liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet. The fair value of cash restricted units is remeasured at the end of each reporting period, based on the trading price of our common units, and compensation expense is recorded using the straight-line method over the vesting period.

Earnings per Unit

Earnings per Unit. Basic net income per common unit is computed through the use of the two-class method, which allocates earnings to each class of equity security based on their participation in distributions and deemed distributions. Accretion of the Series A Preferred Units is considered as deemed distributions. Distributions and deemed distributions to the Series A Preferred Units reduce the amount of net income available to the general partner and limited partner interests. The general partners’ interest in net income or loss consists of its respective percentage interest, make-whole allocations for any losses allocated in a prior tax year and IDRs. After deducting the General Partner’s interest, the limited partners’ interest in the remaining net income or loss is allocated to each class of equity units based on distributions and beneficial conversion feature amounts, if applicable, then divided by the weighted average number of common and subordinated units outstanding in each class of security. Diluted net income per common unit is computed by dividing limited partners’ interest in net income, after deducting the General Partner’s interest, by the weighted average number of units outstanding and the effect of non-vested phantom units, Series A Preferred Units and unit options. For special classes of common units, such as the Class F units issued with a beneficial conversion feature, the amount of the benefit associated with the period is added back to net income and the unconverted class is added to the denominator.

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]

New Accounting Pronouncement. In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) (“ASU 2014-09”), which clarifies the principles for recognizing revenue based on the core principle that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. ASU 2014-09 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period, with earlier adoption not permitted. ASU 2014-09 can be adopted either retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented or as a cumulative-effect adjustment as of the date of adoption. The Partnership is currently evaluating the impact, if any, that adopting this new accounting standard will have on our revenue recognition policies.