SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

As of March 31, 2016, Apache’s significant accounting policies are consistent with those discussed in Note 1—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to the consolidated financial statements contained in Apache’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015.

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, the assessment of 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 property. 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 identified 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 designated 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 to the consolidated financial statements contained in Apache’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015.

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” (DD&A) in the accompanying statement of consolidated operations. Such limitations are imposed separately on a country-by-country basis and are tested quarterly. The following tables present non-cash write-downs of the carrying value of the Company’s proved oil and gas properties by country for the first quarters of 2016 and 2015:



	For the Quarter Ended March 31, 2016				For the Quarter Ended March 31, 2015
	Before tax		After tax		Before tax		After tax
	(In millions)
U.S.	$	—	$	—	$	5,235	$	3,377
Canada	—		—		1,353		1,011
North Sea	325		162		632		316
Egypt	163		163		—		—
Total write-downs	$	488	$	325	$	7,220	$	4,704

New Pronouncements Issued But Not Yet Adopted

In March 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-09, which seeks to simplify accounting for share-based payment transactions including income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and the classification on the statement of cash flows. The new standard requires the Company to recognize the income tax effects of awards in the income statement when the awards vest or are settled. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. Early adoption is permitted and if an entity early adopts the guidance in an interim period, any adjustments must be reflected as of the beginning of the fiscal year that includes that interim period. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this standard on its consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, a new lease standard requiring lessees to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities for most leases classified as operating leases under previous U.S. GAAP. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 with early adoption permitted. The Company will be required to use a modified retrospective approach for leases that exist or are entered into after the beginning of the earliest comparative period in the financial statements. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this standard on its consolidated financial statements.

In May 2014, the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) issued a joint revenue recognition standard, ASU 2014-09. The new standard removes inconsistencies in existing standards, changes the way companies recognize revenue from contracts with customers, and increases disclosure requirements. The guidance requires companies to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in amounts that reflect the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08, which provides further clarification on the principal versus agent evaluation. The guidance is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The standard is required to be adopted using either the full retrospective approach, with all prior periods presented adjusted, or the modified retrospective approach, with a cumulative adjustment to retained earnings on the opening balance sheet. The Company is currently evaluating the level of effort needed to implement the standard, the impact of adopting this standard on its consolidated financial statements, and whether to use the full retrospective approach or the modified retrospective approach.