(a) An asset retirement obligation represents a liability for the legal obligation associated with the retirement of a tangible, long-lived asset that a service company is required to settle as a result of an existing or enacted law, statute, ordinance, or written or oral contract, or by legal construction of a contract under the doctrine of promissory estoppel. An asset retirement cost represents the amount capitalized when the liability is recognized for the long-lived asset that gives rise to the legal obligation. The amount recognized for the liability and an associated asset retirement cost must be stated at the fair value of the asset retirement obligation in the period in which the obligation is incurred.

(b) The service company must initially record a liability for an asset retirement obligation in account 230, Asset retirement obligations (§367.2300), and charge the associated asset retirement costs to service company property (including account 101.1 in §367.1011) related to the property that gives rise to the legal obligation. The asset retirement cost must be depreciated over the useful life of the related asset that gives rise to the obligations. For periods subsequent to the initial recording of the asset retirement obligation, a service company must recognize the period to period changes of the asset retirement obligation that result from the passage of time due to the accretion of the liability and any subsequent measurement changes to the initial liability for the legal obligation recorded in account 230, Asset retirement obligations (§367.2300), as follows:

(1) The service company must record the accretion of the liability by debiting account 411.10, Accretion expense (§367.4118); and

(2) The service company must recognize any subsequent measurement changes of the liability initially recorded in account 230, Asset retirement obligations (§367.2300), for each specific asset retirement obligation as an adjustment of that liability in account 230 with the corresponding adjustment to service company property. The service company must on a timely basis monitor any measurement changes of the asset retirement obligations.

(c) Gains or losses resulting from the settlement of asset retirement obligations associated with service company property resulting from the difference between the amount of the liability for the asset retirement obligation included in account 230, Asset retirement obligations (§367.2300), and the actual amount paid to settle the obligation shall be accounted for as follows:

(1) Gains shall be credited to account 421, Miscellaneous income or loss (§367.4210), and;

(2) Losses shall be charged to account 426.5, Other deductions (§367.4265).

(d) Separate subsidiary records must be maintained for each asset retirement obligation showing the initial liability and associated asset retirement cost, any incremental amounts of the liability incurred in subsequent reporting periods for additional layers of the original liability and related asset retirement cost, the accretion of the liability, the subsequent measurement changes to the asset retirement obligation, the depreciation and amortization of the asset retirement costs and related accumulated depreciation, and the settlement date and actual amount paid to settle the obligation. For purposes of analysis, a service company must maintain supporting documentation so as to be able to furnish accurately and expeditiously with respect to each asset retirement obligation the full details of the identity and nature of the legal obligation, the year incurred, the identity of the plant giving rise to the obligation, the full particulars relating to each component and supporting computations related to the measurement of the asset retirement obligation.