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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
1. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

As of September 30, 2012, Apache’s significant accounting policies are consistent with those discussed in Note 1 of its consolidated financial statements contained in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates with regard to these financial statements include the fair value determination of acquired assets and liabilities, the estimate of proved oil and gas reserves and related present value estimates of future net cash flows therefrom, assessing asset retirement obligations, and the estimate of income taxes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Oil and Gas Property

The Company follows the full-cost method of accounting for its oil and gas properties. Under this method of accounting, all costs incurred for both successful and unsuccessful exploration and development activities, including salaries, benefits and other internal costs directly associated with these activities, and oil and gas property acquisitions are capitalized. The net book value of oil and gas properties, less related deferred income taxes, may not exceed a calculated “ceiling.” The ceiling limitation is the estimated after-tax future net cash flows from proved oil and gas reserves, discounted at 10 percent per annum and adjusted for cash flow hedges. Estimated future net cash flows are calculated using end-of-period costs and an unweighted arithmetic average of commodity prices in effect on the first day of each of the previous 12 months, held flat for the life of the production, except where prices are defined by contractual arrangements. For a discussion of the calculation of estimated future net cash flows, please refer to Note 14—Supplemental Oil and Gas Disclosures in Apache’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for its 2011 fiscal year.

Any excess of the net book value of proved oil and gas properties, less related deferred income taxes, over the ceiling is charged to expense and reflected as “Additional depreciation, depletion and amortization” in the accompanying statement of consolidated operations. Such limitations are imposed separately on a country-by-country basis and are tested quarterly. At March 31, 2012, and June 30, 2012, the Company recorded a $521 million ($390 million net of tax) and $641 million ($480 million net of tax) non-cash write-down of the carrying value of the Company’s Canadian proved oil and gas properties, respectively. At September 30, 2012, the Company recorded an additional $721 million ($539 million net of tax) non-cash write-down of the carrying value of the Company’s Canadian proved oil and gas properties. Excluding the effects of cash flow hedges in calculating the ceiling limitation, the write-down as of March 31, 2012, June 30, 2012, and September 30, 2012, would have been $656 million ($491 million net of tax), $744 million ($557 million net of tax), and $779 million ($583 million net of tax), respectively.

New Pronouncements Issued But Not Yet Adopted

In December 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2011-11, which increases disclosures about offsetting assets and liabilities. New disclosures are required to enable users of financial statements to understand significant quantitative differences in balance sheets prepared under U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) related to the offsetting of financial instruments. The existing U.S. GAAP guidance allowing balance sheet offsetting, including industry-specific guidance, remains unchanged. The guidance in ASU No. 2011-11 is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013. The disclosures should be applied retrospectively for all prior periods presented. The Company does not expect the adoption of this amendment to impact its consolidated financial statements.