The Williams Companies, Inc. (WMB) 10-Q 5 May 16 2016 Q1 Quarterly report Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information - shares	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	May. 02, 2016
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	Williams Companies Inc
Entity Central Index Key	107,263
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2016
Amendment Flag	false
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2,016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		750,527,387

Consolidated Statement of Opera

Consolidated Statement of Operations (Unaudited) - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015
Revenues:
Service revenues	$ 1,229	$ 1,197
Product sales	431	519
Total revenues	1,660	1,716
Costs and expenses:
Product costs	318	462
Operating and maintenance expenses	391	387
Depreciation and amortization expenses	445	427
Selling, general, and administrative expenses	221	196
Other (income) expense - net	23	17
Total costs and expenses	1,398	1,489
Operating income (loss)	262	227
Equity earnings (losses)	97	51
Impairment of equity-method investments	(112)	0
Other investing income (loss) - net	18	0
Interest incurred	(306)	(273)
Interest capitalized	15	22
Other income (expense) - net	15	16
Income (loss) before income taxes	(11)	43
Provision (benefit) for income taxes	2	30
Net income (loss)	(13)	13
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests	52	(57)
Net income (loss) attributable to The Williams Companies, Inc.	$ (65)	$ 70
Basic earnings (loss) per common share:
Net income (loss)	$ (0.09)	$ 0.09
Weighted-average shares (thousands)	750,332	748,079
Diluted earnings (loss) per common share:
Net income (loss)	$ (0.09)	$ 0.09
Weighted-average shares (thousands)	750,332	752,028
Cash dividends declared per common share	$ 0.64	$ 0.58

Consolidated Statement of Compr

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015
Comprehensive income (loss):
Net income (loss)	$ (13)	$ 13
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of taxes of ($15) and $16 in 2016 and 2015, respectively	89	(95)
Pension and other postretirement benefits:
Amortization of prior service cost (credit) included in net periodic benefit cost, net of taxes of $1 in 2015	(1)	(1)
Amortization of actuarial (gain) loss included in net periodic benefit cost, net of taxes of ($3) and ($4) in 2016 and 2015, respectively	5	7
Other comprehensive income (loss)	93	(89)
Comprehensive income (loss)	80	(76)
Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests	81	(92)
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to The Williams Companies, Inc.	$ (1)	$ 16

Consolidated Statement of Comp4

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Parenthetical) (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Tax [Abstract]
Foreign currency translation adjustments, taxes	$ (15)	$ 16
Pension and other postretirement benefits
Amortization of prior service cost (credit) included in net periodic benefit cost, taxes	0	1
Amortization of actuarial (gain) loss included in net periodic benefit cost, taxes	$ (3)	$ (4)

Consolidated Balance Sheet (Una

Consolidated Balance Sheet (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 164	$ 100
Accounts and notes receivable (net of allowance of $6 at March 31, 2016 and $3 at December 31, 2015):
Trade and other	733	1,034
Income tax receivable	6	7
Deferred income tax assets	42	42
Inventories	142	127
Other current assets and deferred charges	174	217
Total current assets	1,261	1,527
Investments	7,181	7,336
Property, plant, and equipment, at cost	39,606	39,039
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(9,783)	(9,460)
Property, plant, and equipment – net	29,823	29,579
Goodwill	47	47
Other intangible assets – net of accumulated amortization	9,881	9,970
Regulatory assets, deferred charges, and other	614	561
Total assets	48,807	49,020
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	739	744
Accrued liabilities	939	1,078
Commercial paper	135	499
Long-term debt due within one year	976	176
Total current liabilities	2,789	2,497
Long-term debt	23,701	23,812
Deferred income tax liabilities	4,248	4,218
Other noncurrent liabilities	$ 2,445	$ 2,268
Contingent liabilities (Note 12)
Stockholders’ equity:
Common stock (960 million shares authorized at $1 par value; 785 million shares issued at March 31, 2016 and 784 million shares issued at December 31, 2015)	$ 785	$ 784
Capital in excess of par value	14,833	14,807
Retained deficit	(8,508)	(7,960)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(378)	(442)
Treasury stock, at cost (35 million shares of common stock)	(1,041)	(1,041)
Total stockholders’ equity	5,691	6,148
Noncontrolling interests in consolidated subsidiaries	9,933	10,077
Total equity	15,624	16,225
Total liabilities and equity	$ 48,807	$ 49,020

Consolidated Balance Sheet (Par

Consolidated Balance Sheet (Parenthetical) (Unaudited) - USD ($) shares in Millions, $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable, Current	$ 6	$ 3
Stockholders’ equity:
Common Stock, Shares Authorized	960	960
Common Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share	$ 1	$ 1
Common Stock, Shares Issued	785	784
Treasury Stock, Shares	35	35

Consolidated Statement of Chang

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity (Unaudited) - 3 months ended Mar. 31, 2016 - USD ($) $ in Millions	Total	Total Stockholders' Equity	Common Stock	Capital in Excess of Par Value	Retained Deficit	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	Treasury Stock	Noncontrolling Interests
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2015	$ 16,225	$ 6,148	$ 784	$ 14,807	$ (7,960)	$ (442)	$ (1,041)	$ 10,077
Net income (loss)	(13)	(65)	0	0	(65)	0	0	52
Other comprehensive income (loss)	93	64	0	0	0	64	0	29
Cash dividends - common stock	(480)	(480)	0	0	(480)	0	0	0
Dividends and distributions to noncontrolling interests	(236)	0	0	0	0	0	0	(236)
Stock-based compensation and related common stock issuances, net of tax	14	14	1	13	0	0	0	0
Changes in ownership of consolidated subsidiaries, net	(3)	5	0	5	0	0	0	(8)
Contributions from noncontrolling interests	16	0	0	0	0	0	0	16
Other	8	5	0	8	(3)	0	0	3
Net increase (decrease) in equity	(601)	(457)	1	26	(548)	64	0	(144)
Ending balance at Mar. 31, 2016	$ 15,624	$ 5,691	$ 785	$ 14,833	$ (8,508)	$ (378)	$ (1,041)	$ 9,933

Consolidated Statement of Cash

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015
OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net income (loss)	$ (13)	$ 13
Adjustments to reconcile to net cash provided (used) by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	445	427
Provision (benefit) for deferred income taxes	2	28
Impairment of equity-method investments	112	0
Amortization of stock-based awards	21	23
Cash provided (used) by changes in current assets and liabilities:
Accounts and notes receivable	298	300
Inventories	(16)	32
Other current assets and deferred charges	16	9
Accounts payable	(23)	(75)
Accrued liabilities	(145)	(106)
Other, including changes in noncurrent assets and liabilities	82	18
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities	779	669
FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from (payments of) commercial paper - net	(365)	(799)
Proceeds from long-term debt	2,688	5,255
Payments of long-term debt	(1,991)	(3,648)
Proceeds from issuance of common stock	6	10
Dividends paid	(480)	(434)
Dividends and distributions paid to noncontrolling interests	(236)	(228)
Contributions from noncontrolling interests	16	26
Payments for debt issuance costs	(8)	(27)
Other - net	1	33
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities	(369)	188
INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Capital expenditures (1)	(513)	(832)
Net proceeds from dispositions	24	0
Purchases of and contributions to equity-method investments	(63)	(83)
Distributions from unconsolidated affiliates in excess of cumulative earnings	109	93
Other - net	97	66
Net cash provided (used) by investing activities	(346)	(756)
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	64	101
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year	100	240
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	164	341
(1) Increases to property, plant, and equipment	(525)	(738)
Changes in related accounts payable and accrued liabilities	12	(94)
Capital expenditures (1)	$ (513)	$ (832)

General, Description of Busines

General, Description of Business, and Basis of Presentation	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
General, Description of Business, and Basis of Presentation [Text Block]	Note 1 – General, Description of Business, and Basis of Presentation General Our accompanying interim consolidated financial statements do not include all the notes in our annual financial statements and, therefore, should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2015, in our Annual Report on Form 10-K. The accompanying unaudited financial statements include all normal recurring adjustments and others that, in the opinion of management, are necessary to present fairly our interim financial statements. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, references in this report to “Williams,” “we,” “our,” “us,” or like terms refer to The Williams Companies, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, references to “Williams,” “we,” “our,” and “us” include the operations in which we own interests accounted for as equity-method investments that are not consolidated in our financial statements. When we refer to our equity investees by name, we are referring exclusively to their businesses and operations. Energy Transfer Merger Agreement On September 28, 2015, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (Merger Agreement) with Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (Energy Transfer) and certain of its affiliates. The Merger Agreement provides that, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, we will be merged with and into the newly formed Energy Transfer Corp LP (ETC) (ETC Merger), with ETC surviving the ETC Merger. Energy Transfer formed ETC as a limited partnership that will be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Upon completion of the ETC Merger, ETC will be publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “ETC.” At the effective time of the ETC Merger, each issued and outstanding share of our common stock (except for certain shares, such as those held by us or our subsidiaries and any held by ETC and its affiliates) will be canceled and automatically converted into the right to receive, at the election of each holder and subject to proration as set forth in the Merger Agreement (collectively Merger Consideration): • 1.8716 common shares representing limited partnership interests in ETC (ETC common shares) (Stock Consideration); or • $43.50 in cash (Cash Consideration); or • $8.00 in cash and 1.5274 ETC common shares (Mixed Consideration). Elections to receive the Stock Consideration or the Cash Consideration will be subject to proration to ensure that the aggregate number of ETC common shares and the aggregate amount of cash paid in the ETC Merger will be the same as if all electing shares of our common stock received the Mixed Consideration. In addition, our stockholders will receive a special one-time dividend of $0.10 per share of Williams common stock, to be paid to holder of record immediately prior to the closing of the ETC Merger and contingent upon consummation of the ETC Merger. In connection with the ETC Merger, Energy Transfer will subscribe for a number of ETC common shares at the transaction price, in exchange for the amount of cash needed by ETC to fund the cash portion of the Merger Consideration (the Parent Cash Deposit), and, as a result, based on the number of shares of Williams common stock outstanding as of the date hereof, will own approximately 19 percent of the outstanding ETC common shares immediately after the effective time of the ETC Merger (which percentage will become approximately 17 percent after giving effect to the anticipated grant of awards under the Energy Transfer Corp LP 2016 Long-Term Incentive Plan following the ETC Merger). Immediately following the completion of the ETC Merger and of the LE GP, LLC (the general partner for Energy Transfer) merger with and into Energy Transfer Equity GP, LLC, ETC will contribute to Energy Transfer all of the assets and liabilities of Williams in exchange for the issuance by Energy Transfer to ETC of a number of Energy Transfer Class E common units equal to the number of ETC common shares issued to our stockholders in the ETC Merger plus the number of ETC common shares issued to Energy Transfer in consideration for the Parent Cash Deposit (such contribution, together with the ETC Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, the Merger Transactions). To address potential uncertainty as to how the newly listed ETC common shares, as a new security, will trade relative to Energy Transfer common units, each ETC common share issued in the ETC Merger, as well as the ETC common shares issued to Energy Transfer in connection with the Parent Cash Deposit, will have attached to it one contingent consideration right (CCR). The terms of the CCRs are fully described in the form of CCR Agreement attached to the Merger Agreement as Exhibit H to Exhibit 2.1 of our Current Report on Form 8-K dated September 29, 2015. The receipt of the Merger Consideration is expected to be tax-free to our stockholders, except with respect to any cash consideration received. Completion of the Merger Transactions is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of a number of customary closing conditions as set forth in the Merger Agreement, including approval of the ETC Merger by our stockholders, receipt of required regulatory approvals in connection with the Merger Transactions, including the expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, and effectiveness of a registration statement on Form S-4 registering the ETC common shares (and attached CCRs) to be issued in connection with the Merger Transactions. ETC filed its initial Form S-4 registration statement on November 24, 2015, and Amendments No. 1, 2, 3, and 4 to Form S-4 on January 12, 2016, March 7, 2016, March 23, 2016, and April 18, 2016, respectively. Amendments No. 5 and 6 were both filed on May 4, 2016. We and Energy Transfer have agreed with the United States Federal Trade Commission not to consummate the ETC Merger before May 31, 2016. On April 6, 2016, we announced that we have commenced litigation against Energy Transfer and Kelcy L. Warren, Energy Transfer’s largest unitholder, in response to the private offering by Energy Transfer of Series A Convertible Preferred Units that Energy Transfer disclosed on March 9, 2016. The litigation against Energy Transfer seeks to unwind the private offering of the Series A Convertible Preferred Units. On April 14, 2016, the Delaware Chancery Court granted our request to expedite the litigation, and on April 22, 2016, the court agreed to schedule a hearing during the week of June 13, 2016 regarding our request to unwind the private offering. The litigation against Mr. Warren is for tortious, or wrongful, interference with the Merger Agreement as a result of the private offering of the Series A Convertible Preferred Units. On May 3, 2016, Energy Transfer and LE GP, LLC filed an answer and counterclaim. The counterclaim asserts that we materially breached our obligations under the Merger Agreement by (i) blocking Energy Transfer’s attempts to complete a public offering of the Convertible Units, including, among other things, by declining to allow our independent registered public accounting firm to provide the auditor consent required to be included in the registration statement for a public offering, and (ii) bringing the action against Mr. Warren in the District Court of Dallas County, Texas. We believe that Energy Transfer and LE GP, LLC’s counterclaim is without merit. On May 1, 2016, Williams and Energy Transfer entered into Amendment No. 1 to the Merger Agreement (Amendment), pursuant to which the form of election (Form of Election), through which our stockholders will elect their preferred form of Merger Consideration, will be mailed to our stockholders on the same date as the proxy statement related to our stockholder meeting to consider and vote upon the ETC Merger. In addition, the Amendment changes the deadline for receipt of the Form of Election by the exchange agent from 30 days prior to the closing of the ETC Merger to the earlier of (i) 20 business days after the mailing of the Form of Election to our stockholders and (ii) three business days prior to the anticipated closing date of the ETC Merger. Termination of WPZ Merger Agreement On May 12, 2015, we entered into an agreement for a unit-for-stock transaction whereby we would have acquired all of the publicly held outstanding common units of WPZ in exchange for shares of our common stock (WPZ Merger Agreement). On September 28, 2015, prior to our entry into the Merger Agreement, we entered into a Termination Agreement and Release (Termination Agreement), terminating the WPZ Merger Agreement. Under the terms of the Termination Agreement, we are required to pay a $428 million termination fee to WPZ, of which we currently own approximately 60 percent , including the interests of the general partner and incentive distribution rights (IDRs). Such termination fee will settle through a reduction of quarterly incentive distributions we are entitled to receive from WPZ (such reduction not to exceed $209 million per quarter). The distributions from WPZ in November 2015 and February 2016 were each reduced by $209 million related to this termination fee. The next distribution from WPZ in May 2016 will be reduced by the final $10 million related to this termination fee. ACMP Merger On February 2, 2015, Williams Partners L.P. merged with and into Access Midstream Partners, L.P. (ACMP Merger). For the purpose of these financial statements and notes, Williams Partners L.P. (WPZ) refers to the renamed merged partnership, while Pre-merger Access Midstream Partners, L.P. (ACMP) and Pre-merger Williams Partners L.P. (Pre-merger WPZ) refer to the separate partnerships prior to the consummation of the ACMP Merger and subsequent name change. The net assets of Pre-merger WPZ and ACMP were combined at our historical basis. Our basis in ACMP reflected our business combination accounting resulting from acquiring control of ACMP on July 1, 2014 (ACMP Acquisition). Description of Business We are a Delaware corporation whose common stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Our operations are located principally in the United States and are organized into the Williams Partners and Williams NGL & Petchem Services reportable segments. All remaining business activities are included in Other. Williams Partners Williams Partners consists of our consolidated master limited partnership, WPZ, and primarily includes gas pipeline and midstream businesses. WPZ’s gas pipeline businesses primarily consist of two interstate natural gas pipelines, which are Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC (Transco) and Northwest Pipeline LLC (Northwest Pipeline), and several joint venture investments in interstate and intrastate natural gas pipeline systems, including a 50 percent equity-method investment in Gulfstream Natural Gas System, L.L.C. (Gulfstream), and a 41 percent interest in Constitution Pipeline Company, LLC (Constitution) (a consolidated entity), which is under development. WPZ’s midstream businesses primarily consist of (1) natural gas gathering, treating, compression, and processing; (2) natural gas liquid (NGL) fractionation, storage, and transportation; (3) crude oil production handling and transportation; and (4) olefins production. The primary service areas are concentrated in major producing basins in Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, Wyoming, the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York, and Ohio which include the Barnett, Eagle Ford, Haynesville, Marcellus, Niobrara, and Utica shale plays as well as the Mid-Continent region. The midstream businesses include equity-method investments in natural gas gathering and processing assets and NGL fractionation and transportation assets, including a 62 percent equity-method investment in Utica East Ohio Midstream, LLC (UEOM), a 50 percent equity-method investment in the Delaware basin gas gathering system in the Mid-Continent region, a 69 percent equity-method investment in Laurel Mountain Midstream, LLC (Laurel Mountain), a 58 percent equity-method investment in Caiman Energy II, LLC (Caiman II), a 60 percent equity-method investment in Discovery Producer Services LLC (Discovery), a 50 percent equity-method investment in Overland Pass Pipeline, LLC (OPPL), and Appalachia Midstream Services, LLC, which owns equity-method investments with an approximate average 45 percent interest in multiple gathering systems in the Marcellus Shale (Appalachia Midstream Investments). The midstream businesses also include our Canadian midstream operations, which are comprised of an oil sands offgas processing plant near Fort McMurray, Alberta, and an NGL/olefin fractionation facility at Redwater, Alberta. Williams NGL & Petchem Services Williams NGL & Petchem Services includes certain domestic olefins pipeline assets, a liquids extraction plant near Fort McMurray, Alberta, that began operations in March 2016, and a propane dehydrogenation facility under development in Canada. Other Other includes other business activities that are not operating segments, as well as corporate operations. Basis of Presentation Consolidated master limited partnership As of March 31, 2016 , we own approximately 60 percent of the interests in WPZ, a variable interest entity (VIE) (see Note 2 – Variable Interest Entities ), including the interests of the general partner, which are wholly owned by us, and IDRs. WPZ is self-funding and maintains separate lines of bank credit and cash management accounts and also has a commercial paper program. (See Note 9 – Debt and Banking Arrangements .) Cash distributions from WPZ to us, including any associated with our IDRs, occur through the normal partnership distributions from WPZ to all partners. Significant risks and uncertainties We have previously announced that our business plan for 2016 includes the expectation of proceeds from planned asset monetizations. We have identified our Canadian operations, which have a net book value of Property, plant, and equipment of approximately $1.7 billion as of March 31, 2016, as one possible source for such proceeds and have recently engaged in marketing efforts to identify potentially interested parties and indications of value. As a result of these developments and the influence of the current low-price commodity environment on market values, we performed an impairment evaluation of these assets as of March 31, 2016, which considered probability-weighted scenarios of undiscounted future net cash flows pursuant to the guidance of Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 360. These included scenarios involving the continued ownership and operation of the assets, as well as selling all of or a partial interest in the assets at assumed transaction prices below our carrying value. As a result of this evaluation, we determined that no impairment was required as of March 31, 2016. As the marketing process continues and our cash flow and probability assumptions are updated, it is reasonably possible that a portion of the Property, plant, and equipment – net of our Canadian operations may be determined to be unrecoverable and thus result in a significant impairment as early as the second quarter of 2016. The primary factors that may affect this determination are the structure and likelihood of a sale and the level of proceeds estimated to be received. Discontinued operations Unless indicated otherwise, the information in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements relates to our continuing operations. Accounting standards issued but not yet adopted In March 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-09 “Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting” (ASU 2016-09). The objective of ASU 2016-09 is to simplify several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. The new standard is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016. Early adoption is permitted; all of the amendments included in the new standard must be adopted in the same period. The new standard requires varying transition methods for the different categories of amendments. We are evaluating the impact of the new standard on our consolidated financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02 “Leases (Topic 842)” (ASU 2016-02). ASU 2016-02 establishes a comprehensive new lease accounting model. The new standard clarifies the definition of a lease, requires a dual approach to lease classification similar to current lease classifications, and causes lessees to recognize leases on the balance sheet as a lease liability with a corresponding right-of-use asset. The new standard is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The new standard requires a modified retrospective transition for capital or operating leases existing at or entered into after the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements. We are evaluating the impact of the new standard on our consolidated financial statements. In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-17 “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes” (ASU 2015-17). ASU 2015-17 requires that deferred income tax liabilities and assets be presented as noncurrent in a classified statement of financial position. The new standard is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with either prospective or retrospective presentation allowed. Early adoption is permitted. Adoption of this standard will result in a change to the presentation of deferred taxes in our Consolidated Balance Sheet as the current deferred tax balance will be reclassified to a noncurrent deferred tax balance. The standard will have no impact on our Consolidated Statement of Operations and Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09 establishing ASC Topic 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (ASC 606). ASC 606 establishes a comprehensive new revenue recognition model designed to depict the transfer of goods or services to a customer in an amount that reflects the consideration the entity expects to be entitled to receive in exchange for those goods or services and requires significantly enhanced revenue disclosures. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date” (ASU 2015-14). Per ASU 2015-14, the standard is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. ASC 606 allows either full retrospective or modified retrospective transition and early adoption is permitted for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016. We continue to evaluate both the impact of this new standard on our consolidated financial statements and the transition method we will utilize for adoption.

Variable Interest Entities

Variable Interest Entities	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Variable Interest Entity Disclosures [Abstract]
Variable Interest Entities [Text Block]	Note 2 – Variable Interest Entities On January 1, 2016, we adopted ASU 2015-02 “Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis," which eliminated certain presumptions related to a general partner interest in a master limited partnership. As a result of adopting this new accounting standard, we now consider our consolidated master limited partnership a VIE. We are the primary beneficiary of WPZ because we have the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact WPZ’s economic performance. The following table presents amounts included in our Consolidated Balance Sheet that are for the use or obligation of WPZ and/or its subsidiaries, and which comprise a significant portion of our consolidated assets and liabilities. March 31, December 31, 2015 Classification (Millions) Assets (liabilities): Cash and cash equivalents $ 103 $ 73 Cash and cash equivalents Accounts and notes receivable - net 726 1,026 Accounts and notes receivable – net, Trade and other Inventories 141 127 Inventories Other current assets 159 190 Other current assets and deferred charges Investments 7,181 7,336 Investments Property, plant and equipment – net 28,816 28,593 Property, plant and equipment – net Goodwill 47 47 Goodwill Other intangible assets – net 9,880 9,969 Other intangible assets – net of accumulated amortization Regulatory assets, deferred charges, and other noncurrent assets 497 479 Regulatory assets, deferred charges, and other Accounts payable (648 ) (625 ) Accounts payable Accrued liabilities including current asset retirement obligations (693 ) (757 ) Accrued liabilities Commercial paper (135 ) (499 ) Commercial paper Long-term debt due within one year (976 ) (176 ) Long-term debt due within one year Long-term debt (18,504 ) (19,001 ) Long-term debt Deferred income tax liabilities (126 ) (119 ) Deferred income tax liabilities Noncurrent asset retirement obligations (876 ) (857 ) Other noncurrent liabilities Regulatory liabilities, deferred income and other noncurrent liabilities (1,220 ) (1,066 ) Other noncurrent liabilities The assets and liabilities presented in the table above also include the consolidated interests of the following individual VIEs within WPZ: Gulfstar One WPZ owns a 51 percent interest in Gulfstar One LLC (Gulfstar One), a subsidiary that, due to certain risk-sharing provisions in its customer contracts, is a VIE. Gulfstar One includes a proprietary floating-production system, Gulfstar FPS, and associated pipelines which provide production handling and gathering services for the Tubular Bells oil and gas discovery in the eastern deepwater Gulf of Mexico. WPZ is the primary beneficiary because it has the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact Gulfstar One’s economic performance. Construction of an expansion project is underway that will provide production handling and gathering services for the Gunflint oil and gas discovery in the eastern deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The expansion project is expected to be in service in the third quarter of 2016. The current estimate of the total remaining construction cost for the expansion project is approximately $108 million , which is expected to be funded with revenues received from customers and capital contributions from WPZ and the other equity partner on a proportional basis. Constitution WPZ owns a 41 percent interest in Constitution, a subsidiary that, due to shipper fixed-payment commitments under its long-term firm transportation contracts, is a VIE. WPZ is the primary beneficiary because it has the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact Constitution’s economic performance. WPZ, as construction manager for Constitution, is responsible for constructing the proposed pipeline connecting its gathering system in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, to the Iroquois Gas Transmission and the Tennessee Gas Pipeline systems. The project in-service date is targeted as early as the second half of 2018 (see Note 14 – Subsequent Event ) and the total remaining cost of the project is estimated to be approximately $616 million , which is expected to be funded with capital contributions from WPZ and the other equity partners on a proportional basis. Cardinal WPZ owns a 66 percent interest in Cardinal Gas Services, L.L.C (Cardinal), a subsidiary that provides gathering services for the Utica region and is a VIE due to certain risks shared with customers. WPZ is the primary beneficiary because it has the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact Cardinal’s economic performance. Future expansion activity is expected to be funded with capital contributions from WPZ and the other equity partner on a proportional basis. Jackalope WPZ owns a 50 percent interest in Jackalope Gas Gathering Services, L.L.C (Jackalope), a subsidiary that provides gathering and processing services for the Powder River basin and is a VIE due to certain risks shared with customers. WPZ is the primary beneficiary because it has the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact Jackalope’s economic performance. Future expansion activity is expected to be funded with capital contributions from WPZ and the other equity partner on a proportional basis.

Investing Activities

Investing Activities	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]
Investing Activities [Text Block]	Note 3 – Investing Activities Investing Income First-quarter 2016 other-than-temporary impairment charges include $59 million and $50 million related to WPZ’s equity-method investments in the Delaware basin gas gathering system and Laurel Mountain, respectively (see Note 11 – Fair Value Measurements and Guarantees ). Interest income and other The three months ended March 31, 2016 , includes $18 million of income associated with a payment received on a receivable related to the sale of certain former Venezuela assets reflected in Other investing income (loss) – net in the Consolidated Statement of Operations . Although the carrying amount of the receivable is zero , there are two remaining payments due to us (see Note 11 – Fair Value Measurements and Guarantees ). Summarized Results of Operations for Certain Equity-Method Investments The table below presents aggregated selected income statement data for our investments in Discovery, Gulfstream, OPPL, Appalachia Midstream Investments, and UEOM, which are considered significant. Three Months Ended March 31, 2016 2015 (Millions) Gross revenue $ 300 $ 246 Operating income 177 113 Net income 157 96

Other Income and Expenses

Other Income and Expenses	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]
Other income and expenses [Text Block]	Note 4 – Other Income and Expenses The following table presents certain gains or losses reflected in Other (income) expense – net within Costs and expenses in our Consolidated Statement of Operations : Three Months Ended 2016 2015 (Millions) Williams Partners Amortization of regulatory assets associated with asset retirement obligations $ 8 $ 8 Net foreign currency exchange (gains) losses (1) 11 (5 ) Williams NGL & Petchem Services Gain on sale of unused pipe (10 ) — (1) Primarily relates to losses incurred on foreign currency transactions and the remeasurement of U.S. dollar denominated current assets and liabilities within our Canadian operations. ACMP Merger and Transition • Selling, general, and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2016 , and March 31, 2015 , includes $5 million and $29 million , respectively, primarily related to professional advisory fees and employee transition costs associated with the ACMP Merger and transition. These costs are primarily reflected within the Williams Partners segment. Selling, general, and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2015 , also includes $6 million of general corporate expenses associated with integration and re-alignment of resources. • Operating and maintenance expenses includes $4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015 , of transition costs reported from the ACMP Merger within the Williams Partners segment. • Interest incurred includes transaction-related financing costs of $2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015 , from the ACMP Merger. Additional Items • Service revenues have been reduced by $15 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016 , related to potential refunds associated with a ruling received in certain rate case litigation within the Williams Partners segment. • Selling, general, and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2016 , includes $6 million of costs associated with our evaluation of strategic alternatives within the Other segment. • Selling, general, and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2016 , includes $34 million of project development costs related to a proposed propane dehydrogenation facility in Alberta within the Williams NGL & Petchem Services segment. Beginning in the first quarter of 2016, these costs did not qualify for capitalization based on our strategy to limit further investment and either sell the project or obtain a partner to fund additional development. • Selling, general, and administrative expenses and Operating and maintenance expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2016 , include $26 million in severance and other related costs associated with an approximate 10 percent reduction in workforce primarily within the Williams Partners segment. • Other income (expense) – net below Operating income (loss) includes $21 million and $19 million for allowance for equity funds used during construction for the three months ended March 31, 2016 , and March 31, 2015 , respectively, primarily within the Williams Partners segment.

Provision (Benefit) for Income

Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes [Text Block]	Note 5 – Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes The Provision (benefit) for income taxes includes: Three Months Ended 2016 2015 (Millions) Current: Federal $ — $ — State — — Foreign — 2 — 2 Deferred: Federal (5 ) 25 State 7 3 Foreign — — 2 28 Provision (benefit) for income taxes $ 2 $ 30 The effective income tax rate for the total provision for the three months ended March 31, 2016 , is unfavorable relative to the federal statutory rate primarily due to the effect of state income taxes and the impact of nontaxable noncontrolling interests, partially offset by taxes on foreign operations. The effective income tax rate for the total provision for the three months ended March 31, 2015 , is greater than the federal statutory rate primarily due to a $14 million tax provision associated with an adjustment to the prior year taxable foreign income and the effect of state income taxes, partially offset by the impact of nontaxable noncontrolling interests. During the next 12 months, we do not expect ultimate resolution of any unrecognized tax benefit associated with domestic or international matters to have a material impact on our unrecognized tax benefit position.

Earnings (Loss) Per Common Shar

Earnings (Loss) Per Common Share	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings (Loss) Per Common Share [Text Block]	Note 6 – Earnings (Loss) Per Common Share Three Months Ended 2016 2015 (Dollars in millions, except per-share amounts; shares in thousands) Net income (loss) attributable to The Williams Companies, Inc. available to common stockholders for basic and diluted earnings (loss) per common share $ (65 ) $ 70 Basic weighted-average shares 750,332 748,079 Effect of dilutive securities: Nonvested restricted stock units — 2,217 Stock options — 1,715 Convertible debentures — 17 Diluted weighted-average shares 750,332 752,028 Net income (loss) per common share: Basic $ (.09 ) $ .09 Diluted $ (.09 ) $ .09

Employee Benefit Plans

Employee Benefit Plans	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Employee Benefit Plans	Note 7 – Employee Benefit Plans Net periodic benefit cost (credit) is as follows: Pension Benefits Three Months Ended 2016 2015 (Millions) Components of net periodic benefit cost: Service cost $ 14 $ 14 Interest cost 15 15 Expected return on plan assets (21 ) (19 ) Amortization of net actuarial loss 8 11 Net periodic benefit cost $ 16 $ 21 Other Postretirement Benefits Three Months Ended 2016 2015 (Millions) Components of net periodic benefit cost (credit): Service cost $ — $ 1 Interest cost 2 2 Expected return on plan assets (3 ) (3 ) Amortization of prior service credit (3 ) (4 ) Reclassification to regulatory liability 1 1 Net periodic benefit cost (credit) $ (3 ) $ (3 ) Amortization of prior service credit and net actuarial loss included in net periodic benefit cost (credit) for our other postretirement benefit plans associated with Transco and Northwest Pipeline are recorded to regulatory assets/liabilities instead of other comprehensive income (loss). The amounts of amortization of prior service credit recognized in regulatory liabilities were $2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 . During the three months ended March 31, 2016 , we contributed $2 million to our pension plans and $2 million to our other postretirement benefit plans. We presently anticipate making additional contributions of approximately $61 million to our pension plans and approximately $5 million to our other postretirement benefit plans in the remainder of 2016.

Inventories

Inventories	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Inventory, Net [Abstract]
Inventories [Text Block]	Note 8 – Inventories March 31, December 31, (Millions) Natural gas liquids, olefins, and natural gas in underground storage $ 71 $ 57 Materials, supplies, and other 71 70 $ 142 $ 127

Debt and Banking Arrangements

Debt and Banking Arrangements	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Debt and Banking Arrangements [Text Block]	Note 9 – Debt and Banking Arrangements Long-Term Debt Issuances and retirements On January 22, 2016, Transco issued $1 billion of 7.85 percent senior unsecured notes due 2026 to investors in a private debt placement. Transco used the net proceeds to repay debt and to fund capital expenditures. As part of the new issuance, Transco entered into a registration rights agreement with the initial purchasers of the unsecured notes. Transco is obligated to file and consummate a registration statement for an offer to exchange the notes for a new issue of substantially identical notes registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, within 365 days from closing and to use commercially reasonable efforts to complete the exchange offer. Transco is required to provide a shelf registration statement to cover resales of the notes under certain circumstances. If Transco fails to fulfill these obligations, additional interest will accrue on the affected securities. The rate of additional interest will be 0.25 percent per annum on the principal amount of the affected securities for the first 90-day period immediately following the occurrence of default, increasing by an additional 0.25 percent per annum with respect to each subsequent 90-day period thereafter, up to a maximum amount for all such defaults of 0.5 percent annually. Following the cure of any registration defaults, the accrual of additional interest will cease. Transco retired $200 million of 6.4 percent senior unsecured notes that matured on April 15, 2016. Commercial Paper Program As of March 31, 2016, WPZ had $135 million of Commercial paper outstanding under its $3 billion commercial paper program with a weighted average interest rate of 1.29 percent . Credit Facilities March 31, 2016 Stated Capacity Outstanding (Millions) WMB Long-term credit facility $ 1,500 $ 1,035 Letters of credit under certain bilateral bank agreements 14 WPZ Long-term credit facility (1) 3,500 625 Letters of credit under certain bilateral bank agreements 2 Short-term credit facility 150 — (1) In managing our available liquidity, we do not expect a maximum outstanding amount in excess of the capacity of WPZ’s credit facility inclusive of any outstanding amounts under its commercial paper program.

Stockholders' Equity

Stockholders' Equity	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Stockholders' Equity [Text Block]	Note 10 – Stockholders’ Equity The following table presents the changes in Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (AOCI) by component, net of income taxes: Cash Flow Hedges Foreign Currency Translation Pension and Other Post Retirement Benefits Total (Millions) Balance at December 31, 2015 $ (1 ) $ (103 ) $ (338 ) $ (442 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications — 60 — 60 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) — — 4 4 Other comprehensive income (loss) — 60 4 64 Balance at March 31, 2016 $ (1 ) $ (43 ) $ (334 ) $ (378 ) Reclassifications out of AOCI are presented in the following table by component for the three months ended March 31, 2016 : Component Reclassifications Classification (Millions) Pension and other postretirement benefits: Amortization of prior service cost (credit) included in net periodic benefit cost $ (1 ) Note 7 – Employee Benefit Plans Amortization of actuarial (gain) loss included in net periodic benefit cost 8 Note 7 – Employee Benefit Plans Total pension and other postretirement benefits, before income taxes 7 Income tax benefit (3 ) Provision (benefit) for income taxes Reclassifications during the period $ 4

Fair Value Measurements and Gua

Fair Value Measurements and Guarantees	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Measurements and Guarantees [Text Block]	Note 11 – Fair Value Measurements and Guarantees The following table presents, by level within the fair value hierarchy, certain of our financial assets and liabilities. The carrying values of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, commercial paper, and accounts payable approximate fair value because of the short-term nature of these instruments. Therefore, these assets and liabilities are not presented in the following table. Fair Value Measurements Using Carrying Amount Fair Value Quoted Prices In Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) (Millions) Assets (liabilities) at March 31, 2016: Measured on a recurring basis: ARO Trust investments $ 82 $ 82 $ 82 $ — $ — Energy derivatives assets not designated as hedging instruments 3 3 1 1 1 Energy derivatives liabilities not designated as hedging instruments (2 ) (2 ) — — (2 ) Additional disclosures: Other receivables 13 15 12 1 2 Long-term debt, including current portion (1) (24,676 ) (21,410 ) — (21,410 ) — Guarantee (29 ) (15 ) — (15 ) — Assets (liabilities) at December 31, 2015: Measured on a recurring basis: ARO Trust investments $ 67 $ 67 $ 67 $ — $ — Energy derivatives assets not designated as hedging instruments 5 5 — 3 2 Energy derivatives liabilities not designated as hedging instruments (2 ) (2 ) — — (2 ) Additional disclosures: Other receivables 12 30 10 2 18 Long-term debt, including current portion (1) (23,987 ) (19,606 ) — (19,606 ) — Guarantee (29 ) (16 ) — (16 ) — ___________________________________ (1) Excludes capital leases. Fair Value Methods We use the following methods and assumptions in estimating the fair value of our financial instruments: Assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis ARO Trust investments : Transco deposits a portion of its collected rates, pursuant to its rate case settlement, into an external trust (ARO Trust) that is specifically designated to fund future asset retirement obligations (ARO). The ARO Trust invests in a portfolio of actively traded mutual funds that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis based on quoted prices in an active market, is classified as available-for-sale, and is reported in Regulatory assets, deferred charges, and other in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. Both realized and unrealized gains and losses are ultimately recorded as regulatory assets or liabilities. Energy derivatives : Energy derivatives include commodity based exchange-traded contracts and over-the-counter contracts, which consist of physical forwards, futures, and swaps that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis. The fair value amounts are presented on a gross basis and do not reflect the netting of asset and liability positions permitted under the terms of our master netting arrangements. Further, the amounts do not include cash held on deposit in margin accounts that we have received or remitted to collateralize certain derivative positions. Energy derivatives assets are reported in Other current assets and deferred charges and Regulatory assets, deferred charges, and other in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. Energy derivatives liabilities are reported in Accrued liabilities and Other noncurrent liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. Reclassifications of fair value between Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy, if applicable, are made at the end of each quarter. No transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 occurred during the three months ended March 31, 2016 or 2015 . Additional fair value disclosures Other receivables: Other receivables primarily consists of margin deposits, which are reported in Other current assets and deferred charges in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. The disclosed fair value of our margin deposits is considered to approximate the carrying value generally due to the short-term nature of these items. Our other receivables are reported in Accounts and notes receivable – net and Regulatory assets, deferred charges, and other in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. The disclosed fair value of our other receivables is primarily determined by an income approach which considers the underlying contract amounts and our assessment of our ability to recover these amounts. Other receivables also includes a receivable related to the sale of certain former Venezuela assets. The disclosed fair value of this receivable is determined by an income approach. We calculated the net present value of a probability-weighted set of cash flows utilizing assumptions based on contractual terms, historical payment patterns by the counterparty, future probabilities of default, our likelihood of using arbitration if the counterparty does not perform, and discount rates. We determined the fair value of the receivable to be $2 million and $18 million at March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively. We began accounting for the receivable under a cost recovery model in first-quarter 2015. Subsequently, we received payments greater than the carrying amount of the receivable and as a result, the carrying value of this receivable is zero at March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015. We have the right to receive two remaining quarterly installments of $15 million plus interest. Long-term debt : The disclosed fair value of our long-term debt is determined by a market approach using broker quoted indicative period-end bond prices. The quoted prices are based on observable transactions in less active markets for our debt or similar instruments. Guarantee : The guarantee represented in the table consists of a guarantee we have provided in the event of nonpayment by our previously owned communications subsidiary, Williams Communications Group (WilTel), on a lease performance obligation that extends through 2042. To estimate the disclosed fair value of the guarantee, an estimated default rate is applied to the sum of the future contractual lease payments using an income approach. The estimated default rate is determined by obtaining the average cumulative issuer-weighted corporate default rate based on the credit rating of WilTel’s current owner and the term of the underlying obligation. The default rate is published by Moody’s Investors Service. The carrying value of the guarantee is reported in Accrued liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. Assets measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis Date of Measurement Fair Value Impairments (Millions) Impairment of equity-method investments (1) March 31, 2016 $ 1,294 $ 109 Other impairment of equity-method investment March 31, 2016 — 3 Level 3 fair value measurements of equity-method investments $ 112 __________ (1) Reflects other-than-temporary impairment charges related to Williams Partners’ equity-method investments in the Delaware basin gas gathering system and Laurel Mountain reported within Impairment of equity-method investments in the Consolidated Statement of Operations . Our carrying values in these equity-method investments had been written down to fair value at December 31, 2015. Our first-quarter 2016 analysis reflects higher discount rates for both of these investments, along with lower natural gas prices for Laurel Mountain. We estimated the fair value of these investments using an income approach based on expected future cash flows and appropriate discount rates. The determination of estimated future cash flows involved significant assumptions regarding gathering volumes and related capital spending. Discount rates utilized ranged from 13.0 percent to 13.3 percent and reflected increases in our cost of capital, revised estimates of expected future cash flows, and risks associated with the underlying businesses. Guarantees We are required by our revolving credit agreements to indemnify lenders for certain taxes required to be withheld from payments due to the lenders and for certain tax payments made by the lenders. The maximum potential amount of future payments under these indemnifications is based on the related borrowings and such future payments cannot currently be determined. These indemnifications generally continue indefinitely unless limited by the underlying tax regulations and have no carrying value. We have never been called upon to perform under these indemnifications and have no current expectation of a future claim. Regarding our previously described guarantee of WilTel’s lease performance, the maximum potential undiscounted exposure is approximately $32 million at March 31, 2016 . Our exposure declines systematically throughout the remaining term of WilTel’s obligation.

Contingent Liabilities

Contingent Liabilities	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Contingent Liabilities [Text Block]	Note 12 – Contingent Liabilities Reporting of Natural Gas-Related Information to Trade Publications Direct and indirect purchasers of natural gas in various states filed class actions against us, our former affiliate WPX and its subsidiaries, and others alleging the manipulation of published gas price indices and seeking unspecified amounts of damages. Such actions were transferred to the Nevada federal district court for consolidation of discovery and pre-trial issues. We have agreed to indemnify WPX and its subsidiaries related to this matter. Because of the uncertainty around the remaining pending unresolved issues, including an insufficient description of the purported classes and other related matters, we cannot reasonably estimate a range of potential exposure at this time. However, it is reasonably possible that the ultimate resolution of these actions and our related indemnification obligation could result in a potential loss that may be material to our results of operations. In connection with this indemnification, we have an accrued liability balance associated with this matter, and as a result, have exposure to future developments in this matter. Geismar Incident On June 13, 2013, an explosion and fire occurred at our Geismar olefins plant and rendered the facility temporarily inoperable (Geismar Incident). We are addressing the following matters in connection with the Geismar Incident. On October 21, 2013, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an Inspection Report pursuant to the Clean Air Act’s Risk Management Program following its inspection of the facility on June 24 through June 28, 2013. The report notes the EPA’s preliminary determinations about the facility’s documentation regarding process safety, process hazard analysis, as well as operating procedures, employee training, and other matters. On June 16, 2014, we received a request for information related to the Geismar Incident from the EPA under Section 114 of the Clean Air Act to which we responded on August 13, 2014. The EPA could issue penalties pertaining to final determinations. Multiple lawsuits, including class actions for alleged offsite impacts, property damage, customer claims, and personal injury, have been filed against us. To date, we have settled certain of the personal injury claims for an aggregate immaterial amount that we have recovered from our insurers. The trial for certain plaintiffs claiming personal injury, that was set to begin on June 15, 2015, in Iberville Parish, Louisiana, has been postponed to September 6, 2016. The court also set trial dates for additional plaintiffs in November 2016 and January and April 2017. We believe it is probable that additional losses will be incurred on some lawsuits, while for others we believe it is only reasonably possible that losses will be incurred. However, due to ongoing litigation involving defenses to liability, the number of individual plaintiffs, limited information as to the nature and extent of all plaintiffs’ damages, and the ultimate outcome of all appeals, we are unable to reliably estimate any such losses at this time. We believe that it is probable that any ultimate losses incurred will be covered by our general liability insurance policy, which has an aggregate limit of $610 million applicable to this event and retention (deductible) of $2 million per occurrence. Alaska Refinery Contamination Litigation In 2010, James West filed a class action lawsuit in state court in Fairbanks, Alaska on behalf of individual property owners whose water contained sulfolane contamination allegedly emanating from the Flint Hills Oil Refinery in North Pole, Alaska. The suit named our subsidiary, Williams Alaska Petroleum Inc. (WAPI), and Flint Hills Resources Alaska, LLC (FHRA), a subsidiary of Koch Industries, Inc., as defendants. We owned and operated the refinery until 2004 when we sold it to FHRA. We and FHRA made claims under the pollution liability insurance policy issued in connection with the sale of the North Pole refinery to FHRA. We and FHRA also filed claims against each other seeking, among other things, contractual indemnification alleging that the other party caused the sulfolane contamination. In 2011, we and FHRA settled the James West claim. We and FHRA subsequently filed motions for summary judgment on the other’s claims. On July 8, 2014, the court dismissed all FHRA’s claims and entered judgment for us. On August 6, 2014, FHRA appealed the court’s decision to the Alaska Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments in October of 2015. The Supreme Court’s decision is expected this spring. We currently estimate that our reasonably possible loss exposure in this matter could range from an insignificant amount up to $32 million , although uncertainties inherent in the litigation process, expert evaluations, and jury dynamics might cause our exposure to exceed that amount. On March 6, 2014, the State of Alaska filed suit against FHRA, WAPI, and us in state court in Fairbanks seeking injunctive relief and damages in connection with sulfolane contamination of the water supply near the Flint Hills Oil Refinery in North Pole, Alaska. On May 5, 2014, FHRA filed cross-claims against us in the State of Alaska suit. FHRA also seeks injunctive relief and damages. On November 26, 2014, the City of North Pole (North Pole) filed suit in Alaska state court in Fairbanks against FHRA, WAPI, and us alleging nuisance and violations of municipal and state statutes based upon the same alleged sulfolane contamination of the water supply. North Pole claims an unspecified amount of past and future damages as well as punitive damages against WAPI. FHRA filed cross-claims against us. In October of 2015, the Court consolidated the State of Alaska and North Pole cases. On February 29, 2016, we and WAPI filed Amended Answers in the consolidated cases. Both we and WAPI asserted counter claims against both the State of Alaska and North Pole, and cross claims against FHRA. To our knowledge, exposure in these cases is duplicative of the reasonable loss exposure in the James West case. Independent of the litigation matter described in the preceding paragraphs, in 2013, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation indicated that it views FHRA and us as responsible parties, and that it intended to enter a compliance order to address the environmental remediation of sulfolane and other possible contaminants including cleanup work outside the refinery’s boundaries. Due to the ongoing assessment of the level and extent of sulfolane contamination and the ultimate cost of remediation and division of costs among the potentially responsible parties, we are unable to estimate a range of exposure at this time. Shareholder Litigation In July 2015, a purported shareholder of us filed a putative class and derivative action on behalf of us in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware. The action named as defendants certain members of our Board of Directors as well as WPZ, and named us as a nominal defendant. On December 4, 2015, the plaintiff filed an amended complaint for such action, alleging that the preliminary proxy statement filed in connection with our proposed merger with Energy Transfer is false and misleading. As relief, the complaint requested, among other things, an injunction requiring us to make supplemental disclosures and an award of costs and attorneys’ fees. On December 9, 2015, we moved to dismiss the amended complaint in its entirety, and on March 7, 2016, the Court granted our motion. Between October 2015 and December 2015, purported shareholders of us filed six putative class action lawsuits in the Delaware Court of Chancery that were consolidated into a single suit on January 13, 2016. Purported shareholders also filed a separate class action lawsuit in the Delaware Court of Chancery on January 15, 2016. These two pending putative class action lawsuits relate to our proposed merger with Energy Transfer. The complaints assert various claims against the individual members of our Board of Directors, that they breached their fiduciary duties by agreeing to sell us through an allegedly unfair process and for an allegedly unfair price and by allegedly failing to disclose material information about the merger. The complaints seek some combination of, among other things, damages, an injunction against the merger, and an award of costs and attorneys’ fees. We cannot reasonably estimate a range of potential loss at this time. Another putative class action lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Delaware on January 19, 2016, but the plaintiff of that lawsuit filed a notice for voluntary dismissal on March 7, 2016, which the Court accepted. Additionally a putative class action lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Oklahoma, filed January 14, 2016, that claimed that disclosures about the merger violate certain federal securities laws and that the defendants are liable for such violations, was dismissed for failure to state a claim by April 28, 2016, although the plaintiff has the permission of the court to amend his claims. On March 7, 2016, a purported unitholder of WPZ filed a putative class action on behalf of certain purchasers of WPZ units in U.S. District Court in Oklahoma. The action names as defendants us, WPZ, Williams Partners GP LLC, Alan S. Armstrong, and Donald R. Chappel and alleges violations of certain federal securities laws for failure to disclose Energy Transfer’s intention to pursue a purchase of us conditioned on us not closing the WPZ Merger Agreement when announcing the WPZ Merger Agreement. The complaint seeks, among other things, damages and an award of costs and attorneys’ fees. We cannot reasonably estimate a range of potential loss at this time. Royalty Matters Certain of our customers, including one major customer, have been named in various lawsuits alleging underpayment of royalties and claiming, among other things, violations of anti-trust laws and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. We have also been named as a defendant in certain of these cases in Texas, Pennsylvania, and Ohio based on allegations that we improperly participated with that major customer in causing the alleged royalty underpayments. We have also received subpoenas from the United States Department of Justice and the Pennsylvania Attorney General requesting documents relating to the agreements between us and our major customer and calculations of the major customer’s royalty payments. On December 9, 2015, the Pennsylvania Attorney General filed a civil suit against one of our major customers and us alleging breaches of the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, and on February 8, 2016, the Pennsylvania Attorney General filed an amended complaint in such civil suit, which omitted us as a party. We believe that the claims asserted are subject to indemnity obligations owed to us by that major customer. Due to the preliminary status of the cases, we are unable to estimate a range of potential loss at this time. Environmental Matters We are a participant in certain environmental activities in various stages including assessment studies, cleanup operations, and remedial processes at certain sites, some of which we currently do not own. We are monitoring these sites in a coordinated effort with other potentially responsible parties, the EPA, and other governmental authorities. We are jointly and severally liable along with unrelated third parties in some of these activities and solely responsible in others. Certain of our subsidiaries have been identified as potentially responsible parties at various Superfund and state waste disposal sites. In addition, these subsidiaries have incurred, or are alleged to have incurred, various other hazardous materials removal or remediation obligations under environmental laws. As of March 31, 2016 , we have accrued liabilities totaling $38 million for these matters, as discussed below. Our accrual reflects the most likely costs of cleanup, which are generally based on completed assessment studies, preliminary results of studies, or our experience with other similar cleanup operations. Certain assessment studies are still in process for which the ultimate outcome may yield significantly different estimates of most likely costs. Any incremental amount in excess of amounts currently accrued cannot be reasonably estimated at this time due to uncertainty about the actual number of contaminated sites ultimately identified, the actual amount and extent of contamination discovered, and the final cleanup standards mandated by the EPA and other governmental authorities. The EPA and various state regulatory agencies routinely promulgate and propose new rules, and issue updated guidance to existing rules. More recent rules and rulemakings include, but are not limited to, rules for reciprocating internal combustion engine maximum achievable control technology, new air quality standards for one hour nitrogen dioxide emission limits, and new air quality standards impacting storage vessels, pressure valves, and compressors. On October 1, 2015, the EPA issued its new rule regarding National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ground-level ozone, setting a new standard of 70 parts per billion . We are monitoring the rule’s implementation and evaluating potential impacts to our operations. For these and other new regulations, we are unable to estimate the costs of asset additions or modifications necessary to comply due to uncertainty created by the various legal challenges to these regulations and the need for further specific regulatory guidance. Continuing operations Our interstate gas pipelines are involved in remediation activities related to certain facilities and locations for polychlorinated biphenyls, mercury, and other hazardous substances. These activities have involved the EPA and various state environmental authorities, resulting in our identification as a potentially responsible party at various Superfund waste sites. At March 31, 2016 , we have accrued liabilities of $7 million for these costs. We expect that these costs will be recoverable through rates. We also accrue environmental remediation costs for natural gas underground storage facilities, primarily related to soil and groundwater contamination. At March 31, 2016 , we have accrued liabilities totaling $7 million for these costs. Former operations, including operations classified as discontinued We have potential obligations in connection with assets and businesses we no longer operate. These potential obligations include remediation activities at the direction of federal and state environmental authorities and the indemnification of the purchasers of certain of these assets and businesses for environmental and other liabilities existing at the time the sale was consummated. Our responsibilities relate to the operations of the assets and businesses described below. • Former agricultural fertilizer and chemical operations and former retail petroleum and refining operations; • Former petroleum products and natural gas pipelines; • Former petroleum refining facilities; • Former exploration and production and mining operations; • Former electricity and natural gas marketing and trading operations. At March 31, 2016 , we have accrued environmental liabilities of $24 million related to these matters. Other Divestiture Indemnifications Pursuant to various purchase and sale agreements relating to divested businesses and assets, we have indemnified certain purchasers against liabilities that they may incur with respect to the businesses and assets acquired from us. The indemnities provided to the purchasers are customary in sale transactions and are contingent upon the purchasers incurring liabilities that are not otherwise recoverable from third parties. The indemnities generally relate to breach of warranties, tax, historic litigation, personal injury, property damage, environmental matters, right of way, and other representations that we have provided. At March 31, 2016 , other than as previously disclosed, we are not aware of any material claims against us involving the indemnities; thus, we do not expect any of the indemnities provided pursuant to the sales agreements to have a material impact on our future financial position. Any claim for indemnity brought against us in the future may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations in the period in which the claim is made. In addition to the foregoing, various other proceedings are pending against us which are incidental to our operations. Summary We have disclosed our estimated range of reasonably possible losses for certain matters above, as well as all significant matters for which we are unable to reasonably estimate a range of possible loss. We estimate that for all other matters for which we are able to reasonably estimate a range of loss, our aggregate reasonably possible losses beyond amounts accrued are immaterial to our expected future annual results of operations, liquidity, and financial position. These calculations have been made without consideration of any potential recovery from third parties.

Segment Disclosures

Segment Disclosures	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Segment Disclosures [Text Block]	Note 13 – Segment Disclosures Our reportable segments are Williams Partners and Williams NGL & Petchem Services. All remaining business activities are included in Other. (See Note 1 – General, Description of Business, and Basis of Presentation .) Performance Measurement We evaluate segment operating performance based upon Modified EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization). This measure represents the basis of our internal financial reporting and is the primary performance measure used by our chief operating decision maker in measuring performance and allocating resources among our reportable segments. We define Modified EBITDA as follows: • Net income (loss) before: ◦ Provision (benefit) for income taxes; ◦ Interest incurred, net of interest capitalized; ◦ Equity earnings (losses); ◦ Impairment of equity-method investments; ◦ Other investing income (loss) – net; ◦ Impairment of goodwill; ◦ Depreciation and amortization expenses; ◦ Accretion expense associated with asset retirement obligations for nonregulated operations. • This measure is further adjusted to include our proportionate share (based on ownership interest) of Modified EBITDA from our equity-method investments calculated consistently with the definition described above. The following table reflects the reconciliation of Segment revenues to Total revenues as reported in the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Total assets by reportable segment. Williams Partners Williams NGL & Petchem Services (1) Other Eliminations Total (Millions) Three Months Ended March 31, 2016 Segment revenues: Service revenues External $ 1,222 $ — $ 7 $ — $ 1,229 Internal 4 — 11 (15 ) — Total service revenues 1,226 — 18 (15 ) 1,229 Product sales External 428 3 — — 431 Internal — — — — — Total product sales 428 3 — — 431 Total revenues $ 1,654 $ 3 $ 18 $ (15 ) $ 1,660 Three Months Ended March 31, 2015 Segment revenues: Service revenues External $ 1,192 $ — $ 5 $ — $ 1,197 Internal — — 21 (21 ) — Total service revenues 1,192 — 26 (21 ) 1,197 Product sales External 519 — — — 519 Internal — — — — — Total product sales 519 — — — 519 Total revenues $ 1,711 $ — $ 26 $ (21 ) $ 1,716 March 31, 2016 Total assets $ 47,580 $ 877 $ 852 $ (502 ) $ 48,807 December 31, 2015 Total assets $ 47,870 $ 835 $ 850 $ (535 ) $ 49,020 _______________ (1) Includes certain projects under development and thus nominal reported revenues to date. The following table reflects the reconciliation of Modified EBITDA to Net income (loss) as reported in the Consolidated Statement of Operations . Three Months Ended 2016 2015 (Millions) Modified EBITDA by segment: Williams Partners $ 955 $ 817 Williams NGL & Petchem Services (38 ) (5 ) Other 1 — 918 812 Accretion expense associated with asset retirement obligations for nonregulated operations (7 ) (6 ) Depreciation and amortization expenses (445 ) (427 ) Equity earnings (losses) 97 51 Impairment of equity-method investments (112 ) — Other investing income (loss) – net 18 — Proportional Modified EBITDA of equity-method investments (189 ) (136 ) Interest expense (291 ) (251 ) (Provision) benefit for income taxes (2 ) (30 ) Net income (loss) $ (13 ) $ 13

Subsequent Event

Subsequent Event	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent Event [Text Block]	Note 14 – Subsequent Event As previously discussed, WPZ is the construction manager for and owns a 41 percent consolidated interest in Constitution. In December 2014, we received approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to construct and operate the Constitution pipeline. However, in April 2016, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) denied a necessary water quality certification for the New York portion of the Constitution pipeline. We remain steadfastly committed to the project and intend to challenge the legality and appropriateness of the NYSDEC’s decision. In light of the NYSDEC’s denial of the water quality certification and the anticipated actions to challenge the decision, the target in-service date has been revised to as early as the second half of 2018, which assumes that the legal challenge process is satisfactorily and promptly concluded. An unfavorable resolution could result in the impairment of a significant portion of the capitalized project costs, which total $396 million on a consolidated basis at March 31, 2016, and are included within Property, plant, and equipment, at cost in the Consolidated Balance Sheet . It is also possible that we could incur certain supplier-related costs in the event of a prolonged delay or termination of the project.

Variable Interest Entities (Tab

Variable Interest Entities (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Variable Interest Entity Disclosures [Abstract]
Schedule of Variable Interest Entities [Table Text Block]	The following table presents amounts included in our Consolidated Balance Sheet that are for the use or obligation of WPZ and/or its subsidiaries, and which comprise a significant portion of our consolidated assets and liabilities. March 31, December 31, 2015 Classification (Millions) Assets (liabilities): Cash and cash equivalents $ 103 $ 73 Cash and cash equivalents Accounts and notes receivable - net 726 1,026 Accounts and notes receivable – net, Trade and other Inventories 141 127 Inventories Other current assets 159 190 Other current assets and deferred charges Investments 7,181 7,336 Investments Property, plant and equipment – net 28,816 28,593 Property, plant and equipment – net Goodwill 47 47 Goodwill Other intangible assets – net 9,880 9,969 Other intangible assets – net of accumulated amortization Regulatory assets, deferred charges, and other noncurrent assets 497 479 Regulatory assets, deferred charges, and other Accounts payable (648 ) (625 ) Accounts payable Accrued liabilities including current asset retirement obligations (693 ) (757 ) Accrued liabilities Commercial paper (135 ) (499 ) Commercial paper Long-term debt due within one year (976 ) (176 ) Long-term debt due within one year Long-term debt (18,504 ) (19,001 ) Long-term debt Deferred income tax liabilities (126 ) (119 ) Deferred income tax liabilities Noncurrent asset retirement obligations (876 ) (857 ) Other noncurrent liabilities Regulatory liabilities, deferred income and other noncurrent liabilities (1,220 ) (1,066 ) Other noncurrent liabilities

Investing Activities (Tables)

Investing Activities (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]
Equity Method Investment Summarized Financial Position And Results Of Operations [Table Text Block]	The table below presents aggregated selected income statement data for our investments in Discovery, Gulfstream, OPPL, Appalachia Midstream Investments, and UEOM, which are considered significant. Three Months Ended March 31, 2016 2015 (Millions) Gross revenue $ 300 $ 246 Operating income 177 113 Net income 157 96

Other Income and Expenses (Tabl

Other Income and Expenses (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]
Other Income and Expenses [Table Text Block]	The following table presents certain gains or losses reflected in Other (income) expense – net within Costs and expenses in our Consolidated Statement of Operations : Three Months Ended 2016 2015 (Millions) Williams Partners Amortization of regulatory assets associated with asset retirement obligations $ 8 $ 8 Net foreign currency exchange (gains) losses (1) 11 (5 ) Williams NGL & Petchem Services Gain on sale of unused pipe (10 ) — (1) Primarily relates to losses incurred on foreign currency transactions and the remeasurement of U.S. dollar denominated current assets and liabilities within our Canadian operations.

Provision (Benefit) for Incom26

Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Components of Income Tax Expense (Benefit) [Table Text Block]	The Provision (benefit) for income taxes includes: Three Months Ended 2016 2015 (Millions) Current: Federal $ — $ — State — — Foreign — 2 — 2 Deferred: Federal (5 ) 25 State 7 3 Foreign — — 2 28 Provision (benefit) for income taxes $ 2 $ 30

Earnings (Loss) Per Common Sh27

Earnings (Loss) Per Common Share (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings (loss) per common share [Table Text Block]	Note 6 – Earnings (Loss) Per Common Share Three Months Ended 2016 2015 (Dollars in millions, except per-share amounts; shares in thousands) Net income (loss) attributable to The Williams Companies, Inc. available to common stockholders for basic and diluted earnings (loss) per common share $ (65 ) $ 70 Basic weighted-average shares 750,332 748,079 Effect of dilutive securities: Nonvested restricted stock units — 2,217 Stock options — 1,715 Convertible debentures — 17 Diluted weighted-average shares 750,332 752,028 Net income (loss) per common share: Basic $ (.09 ) $ .09 Diluted $ (.09 ) $ .09

Employee Benefit Plans (Tables)

Employee Benefit Plans (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Net Benefit Costs [Table Text Block]	Net periodic benefit cost (credit) is as follows: Pension Benefits Three Months Ended 2016 2015 (Millions) Components of net periodic benefit cost: Service cost $ 14 $ 14 Interest cost 15 15 Expected return on plan assets (21 ) (19 ) Amortization of net actuarial loss 8 11 Net periodic benefit cost $ 16 $ 21 Other Postretirement Benefits Three Months Ended 2016 2015 (Millions) Components of net periodic benefit cost (credit): Service cost $ — $ 1 Interest cost 2 2 Expected return on plan assets (3 ) (3 ) Amortization of prior service credit (3 ) (4 ) Reclassification to regulatory liability 1 1 Net periodic benefit cost (credit) $ (3 ) $ (3 )

Inventories (Tables)

Inventories (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Inventory, Net [Abstract]
Inventories [Table Text Block]	March 31, December 31, (Millions) Natural gas liquids, olefins, and natural gas in underground storage $ 71 $ 57 Materials, supplies, and other 71 70 $ 142 $ 127

Debt and Banking Arrangements (

Debt and Banking Arrangements (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Line of Credit Facilities [Table Text Block]	Credit Facilities March 31, 2016 Stated Capacity Outstanding (Millions) WMB Long-term credit facility $ 1,500 $ 1,035 Letters of credit under certain bilateral bank agreements 14 WPZ Long-term credit facility (1) 3,500 625 Letters of credit under certain bilateral bank agreements 2 Short-term credit facility 150 — (1) In managing our available liquidity, we do not expect a maximum outstanding amount in excess of the capacity of WPZ’s credit facility inclusive of any outstanding amounts under its commercial paper program.

Stockholders' Equity (Tables)

Stockholders' Equity (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Table Text Block]	The following table presents the changes in Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (AOCI) by component, net of income taxes: Cash Flow Hedges Foreign Currency Translation Pension and Other Post Retirement Benefits Total (Millions) Balance at December 31, 2015 $ (1 ) $ (103 ) $ (338 ) $ (442 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications — 60 — 60 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) — — 4 4 Other comprehensive income (loss) — 60 4 64 Balance at March 31, 2016 $ (1 ) $ (43 ) $ (334 ) $ (378 )
Reclassifications Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Table Text Block]	Reclassifications out of AOCI are presented in the following table by component for the three months ended March 31, 2016 : Component Reclassifications Classification (Millions) Pension and other postretirement benefits: Amortization of prior service cost (credit) included in net periodic benefit cost $ (1 ) Note 7 – Employee Benefit Plans Amortization of actuarial (gain) loss included in net periodic benefit cost 8 Note 7 – Employee Benefit Plans Total pension and other postretirement benefits, before income taxes 7 Income tax benefit (3 ) Provision (benefit) for income taxes Reclassifications during the period $ 4

Fair Value Measurements and G32

Fair Value Measurements and Guarantees (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Assets and Liabilities Measured On Recurring Basis [Table Text Block]	The following table presents, by level within the fair value hierarchy, certain of our financial assets and liabilities. The carrying values of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, commercial paper, and accounts payable approximate fair value because of the short-term nature of these instruments. Therefore, these assets and liabilities are not presented in the following table. Fair Value Measurements Using Carrying Amount Fair Value Quoted Prices In Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) (Millions) Assets (liabilities) at March 31, 2016: Measured on a recurring basis: ARO Trust investments $ 82 $ 82 $ 82 $ — $ — Energy derivatives assets not designated as hedging instruments 3 3 1 1 1 Energy derivatives liabilities not designated as hedging instruments (2 ) (2 ) — — (2 ) Additional disclosures: Other receivables 13 15 12 1 2 Long-term debt, including current portion (1) (24,676 ) (21,410 ) — (21,410 ) — Guarantee (29 ) (15 ) — (15 ) — Assets (liabilities) at December 31, 2015: Measured on a recurring basis: ARO Trust investments $ 67 $ 67 $ 67 $ — $ — Energy derivatives assets not designated as hedging instruments 5 5 — 3 2 Energy derivatives liabilities not designated as hedging instruments (2 ) (2 ) — — (2 ) Additional disclosures: Other receivables 12 30 10 2 18 Long-term debt, including current portion (1) (23,987 ) (19,606 ) — (19,606 ) — Guarantee (29 ) (16 ) — (16 ) — ___________________________________ (1) Excludes capital leases
Fair Value Measurements, Nonrecurring [Table Text Block]	Assets measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis Date of Measurement Fair Value Impairments (Millions) Impairment of equity-method investments (1) March 31, 2016 $ 1,294 $ 109 Other impairment of equity-method investment March 31, 2016 — 3 Level 3 fair value measurements of equity-method investments $ 112 __________ (1) Reflects other-than-temporary impairment charges related to Williams Partners’ equity-method investments in the Delaware basin gas gathering system and Laurel Mountain reported within Impairment of equity-method investments in the Consolidated Statement of Operations . Our carrying values in these equity-method investments had been written down to fair value at December 31, 2015. Our first-quarter 2016 analysis reflects higher discount rates for both of these investments, along with lower natural gas prices for Laurel Mountain. We estimated the fair value of these investments using an income approach based on expected future cash flows and appropriate discount rates. The determination of estimated future cash flows involved significant assumptions regarding gathering volumes and related capital spending. Discount rates utilized ranged from 13.0 percent to 13.3 percent and reflected increases in our cost of capital, revised estimates of expected future cash flows, and risks associated with the underlying businesses.

Segment Disclosures (Tables)

Segment Disclosures (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Reconciliation of Revenue from Segments to Consolidated [Table Text Block]	The following table reflects the reconciliation of Segment revenues to Total revenues as reported in the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Total assets by reportable segment. Williams Partners Williams NGL & Petchem Services (1) Other Eliminations Total (Millions) Three Months Ended March 31, 2016 Segment revenues: Service revenues External $ 1,222 $ — $ 7 $ — $ 1,229 Internal 4 — 11 (15 ) — Total service revenues 1,226 — 18 (15 ) 1,229 Product sales External 428 3 — — 431 Internal — — — — — Total product sales 428 3 — — 431 Total revenues $ 1,654 $ 3 $ 18 $ (15 ) $ 1,660 Three Months Ended March 31, 2015 Segment revenues: Service revenues External $ 1,192 $ — $ 5 $ — $ 1,197 Internal — — 21 (21 ) — Total service revenues 1,192 — 26 (21 ) 1,197 Product sales External 519 — — — 519 Internal — — — — — Total product sales 519 — — — 519 Total revenues $ 1,711 $ — $ 26 $ (21 ) $ 1,716 March 31, 2016 Total assets $ 47,580 $ 877 $ 852 $ (502 ) $ 48,807 December 31, 2015 Total assets $ 47,870 $ 835 $ 850 $ (535 ) $ 49,020 _______________ (1) Includes certain projects under development and thus nominal reported revenues to date.
Reconciliation of Modified EBITDA from Segment to Consolidated [Table Text Block]	The following table reflects the reconciliation of Modified EBITDA to Net income (loss) as reported in the Consolidated Statement of Operations . Three Months Ended 2016 2015 (Millions) Modified EBITDA by segment: Williams Partners $ 955 $ 817 Williams NGL & Petchem Services (38 ) (5 ) Other 1 — 918 812 Accretion expense associated with asset retirement obligations for nonregulated operations (7 ) (6 ) Depreciation and amortization expenses (445 ) (427 ) Equity earnings (losses) 97 51 Impairment of equity-method investments (112 ) — Other investing income (loss) – net 18 — Proportional Modified EBITDA of equity-method investments (189 ) (136 ) Interest expense (291 ) (251 ) (Provision) benefit for income taxes (2 ) (30 ) Net income (loss) $ (13 ) $ 13

General, Description of Busin34

General, Description of Business, and Basis of Presentation (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	May. 05, 2016	Sep. 28, 2015	Feb. 29, 2016	Nov. 30, 2015	Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2015
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Number Of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines					2
Subsidiary of Limited Liability Company or Limited Partnership [Line Items]
Common Stock, Dividends, Per Share, Declared					$ 0.64	$ 0.58
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net					$ 29,823		$ 29,579
ETC Merger [Member]
Subsidiary of Limited Liability Company or Limited Partnership [Line Items]
Common Stock, Dividends, Per Share, Declared		$ 0.10
WPZ Merger Agreement [Member]
Subsidiary of Limited Liability Company or Limited Partnership [Line Items]
Termination Fee		$ 428
Maximum Reduction Of Quarterly Incentive Distributions		$ 209
Reduction in incentive distribution rights payment			$ 209	$ 209
ETC [Member]
Subsidiary of Limited Liability Company or Limited Partnership [Line Items]
Master limited partnership, ownership percentage		19.00%
Constitution Pipeline Company LLC [Member]
Subsidiary of Limited Liability Company or Limited Partnership [Line Items]
Variable Interest Entity Ownership Percentage					41.00%
Appalachia Midstream Services, LLC [Member]
Subsidiary of Limited Liability Company or Limited Partnership [Line Items]
Subsidiary of Limited Liability Company or Limited Partnership, Ownership Interest					45.00%
General and Limited Partner [Member] | Williams Partners L. P. [Member]
Subsidiary of Limited Liability Company or Limited Partnership [Line Items]
Variable Interest Entity Ownership Percentage					60.00%
Subsequent Event [Member] | WPZ Merger Agreement [Member]
Subsidiary of Limited Liability Company or Limited Partnership [Line Items]
Reduction in incentive distribution rights payment	$ 10
Subsequent Event [Member] | ETC [Member]
Subsidiary of Limited Liability Company or Limited Partnership [Line Items]
Master limited partnership, ownership percentage	17.00%
Stock Consideration [Member] | ETC Merger [Member]
Subsidiary of Limited Liability Company or Limited Partnership [Line Items]
Conversion Ratio		1.8716
Cash Consideration [Member] | ETC Merger [Member]
Subsidiary of Limited Liability Company or Limited Partnership [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Share Price		$ 43.50
Mixed Consideration [Member] | ETC Merger [Member]
Subsidiary of Limited Liability Company or Limited Partnership [Line Items]
Conversion Ratio		1.5274
Business Acquisition, Share Price		$ 8
Gulfstream Natural Gas System, L.L.C.[Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage					50.00%
Utica East Ohio Midstream, LLC [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage					62.00%
Delaware Basin Gas Gathering System [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage					50.00%
Laurel Mountain Midstream, LLC [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage					69.00%
Caiman Energy II [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage					58.00%
Discovery Producer Services LLC [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage					60.00%
Overland Pass Pipeline Company LLC [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage					50.00%
CANADA
Subsidiary of Limited Liability Company or Limited Partnership [Line Items]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net					$ 1,700

Variable Interest Entities (Det

Variable Interest Entities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Constitution Pipeline Company LLC [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Variable Interest Entity Ownership Percentage	41.00%
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Cash and Cash Equivalents [Member]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets and Liabilities, Net [Abstract]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets	$ 103	$ 73
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Accounts Receivable [Member]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets and Liabilities, Net [Abstract]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets	726	1,026
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Inventories [Member]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets and Liabilities, Net [Abstract]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets	141	127
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Other Current Assets [Member]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets and Liabilities, Net [Abstract]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets	159	190
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Investments [Member]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets and Liabilities, Net [Abstract]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets	7,181	7,336
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Property Plant And Equipment, net [Member]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets and Liabilities, Net [Abstract]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets	28,816	28,593
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Goodwill [Member]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets and Liabilities, Net [Abstract]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets	47	47
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Other Intangible Assets, net [Member]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets and Liabilities, Net [Abstract]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets	9,880	9,969
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Other Noncurrent Assets [Member]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets and Liabilities, Net [Abstract]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets	497	479
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Accounts Payable [Member]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets and Liabilities, Net [Abstract]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Liabilities	(648)	(625)
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Accrued Liabilities [Member]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets and Liabilities, Net [Abstract]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Liabilities	(693)	(757)
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Commercial Paper [Member]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets and Liabilities, Net [Abstract]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Liabilities	(135)	(499)
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Current deferred revenue [Member]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets and Liabilities, Net [Abstract]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Liabilities	(976)	(176)
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Long-term Debt [Member]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets and Liabilities, Net [Abstract]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Liabilities	(18,504)	(19,001)
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Noncurrent Deferred Income Taxes [Member]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets and Liabilities, Net [Abstract]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Liabilities	(126)	(119)
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Asset Retirement Obligation [Member]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets and Liabilities, Net [Abstract]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Liabilities	(876)	(857)
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Noncurrent deferred revenue associated with customer advance payments [Member]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets and Liabilities, Net [Abstract]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Liabilities	$ (1,220)	$ (1,066)
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Gulfstar One [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Variable Interest Entity Ownership Percentage	51.00%
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Gulfstar One [Member] | Estimated Remaining Construction Costs For Variable Interest Entity [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Other commitment	$ 108
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Constitution Pipeline Company LLC [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Variable Interest Entity Ownership Percentage	41.00%
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Constitution Pipeline Company LLC [Member] | Estimated Remaining Construction Costs For Variable Interest Entity [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Other commitment	$ 616
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Cardinal Gas Services LLC [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Variable Interest Entity Ownership Percentage	66.00%
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Jackalope Gas Gathering Services LLC [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Variable Interest Entity Ownership Percentage	50.00%

Investing Activities (Details)

Investing Activities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2015
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Impairment of equity-method investments	$ 112	$ 0
Investing income, interest	18	0
Equity earnings (losses)	97	51
Equity Method Investment, Summarized Financial Information [Abstract]
Gross revenue	300	246
Operating income	177	113
Net income	157	$ 96
Delaware Basin Gas Gathering System [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Impairment of equity-method investments	59
Laurel Mountain Midstream, LLC [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Impairment of equity-method investments	50
Former Venezuela Operations [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Investing income, interest	18
Carrying Amount [Member] | Former Venezuela Operations [Member]
Equity Method Investment, Summarized Financial Information [Abstract]
Notes Receivable, Fair Value Disclosure	$ 0		$ 0

Other Income and Expenses (Deta

Other Income and Expenses (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		3 Months Ended
		Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015
Selling, general, and administrative expenses [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Business combination, integration related costs			$ 6
Interest incurred [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Business combination, merger related costs			2
Williams Partners [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Approximate percentage of workforce reductions		10.00%
Williams Partners [Member] | Other income (expense) - net [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Amortization of regulatory assets associated with asset retirement obligations		$ 8	8
Net foreign currency exchange (gains) losses	[1]	11	(5)
Williams Partners [Member] | Selling, general, and administrative expenses [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Business combination, merger related costs		5	29
Severance and other related costs		26
Williams Partners [Member] | Operation and maintenance [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Business combination, integration related costs			4
Williams Partners [Member] | Service revenues [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue adjustment associated with litigation		15
Williams Partners [Member] | Other income (expense) - net [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Allowance for funds used during construction, capitalized cost of equity		21	19
Other [Member] | Other restructuring [Member] | Selling, general, and administrative expenses [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Strategic alternative costs		6
Williams NGL & Petchem Services [Member] | Other income (expense) - net [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Gain on sale of unused pipe		(10)	$ 0
Williams NGL & Petchem Services [Member] | Selling, general, and administrative expenses [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Project development costs		$ 34
[1]	Primarily relates to losses incurred on foreign currency transactions and the remeasurement of U.S. dollar denominated current assets and liabilities within our Canadian operations.

Provision (Benefit) for Incom38

Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015
Current :
Federal	$ 0	$ 0
State	0	0
Foreign	0	2
Total	0	2
Deferred:
Federal	(5)	25
State	7	3
Foreign	0	0
Total	2	28
Provision (benefit) for income taxes	$ 2	30
Provision For Adjustment To Prior Year Taxable Foreign Income		$ 14

Earnings (Loss) Per Common Sh39

Earnings (Loss) Per Common Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Net income (loss) attributable to The Williams Companies, Inc. available to common stockholders for basic and diluted earnings (loss) per common share	$ (65)	$ 70
Basic weighted-average shares	750,332	748,079
Diluted weighted-average shares	750,332	752,028
Net income (loss) per common share:
Earnings Per Share, Basic	$ (0.09)	$ 0.09
Earnings Per Share, Diluted	$ (0.09)	$ 0.09
Nonvested restricted stock units [Member]
Effect of dilutive securities:
Incremental Common Shares Attributable to Dilutive Effect of Share-based Payment Arrangements	0	2,217
Employee Stock Option [Member]
Effect of dilutive securities:
Incremental Common Shares Attributable to Dilutive Effect of Share-based Payment Arrangements	0	1,715
Convertible debentures [Member]
Effect of dilutive securities:
Convertible debentures	0	17

Employee Benefit Plans (Quarter

Employee Benefit Plans (Quarterly Info) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015
Pension Benefits [Member]
Components of net periodic benefit cost:
Service cost	$ 14	$ 14
Interest cost	15	15
Expected return on plan assets	(21)	(19)
Amortization of net actuarial loss	8	11
Net periodic benefit cost (credit)	16	21
Employer contributions	2
Estimated future employer contributions in current fiscal year	61
Other Postretirement Benefits [Member]
Components of net periodic benefit cost:
Service cost	0	1
Interest cost	2	2
Expected return on plan assets	(3)	(3)
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)	(3)	(4)
Reclassification to regulatory liability	1	1
Net periodic benefit cost (credit)	(3)	(3)
Amortization of prior service cost (credit) from regulatory assets (liabilities)	(2)	$ (2)
Employer contributions	2
Estimated future employer contributions in current fiscal year	$ 5

Inventories (Details)

Inventories (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Inventory, Net [Abstract]
Natural gas liquids, olefins, and natural gas in underground storage	$ 71	$ 57
Materials, supplies, and other	71	70
Inventories, Total	$ 142	$ 127

Debt and Banking Arrangements L

Debt and Banking Arrangements Long-Term Debt Issuances and Retirements (Details 1) - Williams Partners L.P. [Member] - USD ($) $ in Millions	Apr. 15, 2016	Jan. 22, 2016
7.85% Senior Unsecured Notes Due 2026 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt face amount		$ 1,000
Long-term debt interest rate		7.85%
Additional interest rate accrued for default of registration rights agreements first period		0.25%
Additional interest rate accrued for default of registration rights agreements each subsequent period		0.25%
Maximum additional interest rate accrued for default of registration rights agreements all periods		0.50%
6.4% due 2016 [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt interest rate	6.40%
Long-term debt retired	$ 200

Debt and Banking Arrangements C

Debt and Banking Arrangements Credit Facilities and Commercial Paper (Details 2) - USD ($) $ in Millions		Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Credit Facility and Commercial Paper [Line Items]
Commercial paper, outstanding		$ 135	$ 499
Williams Companies Inc [Member]
Credit Facility and Commercial Paper [Line Items]
Credit facility, capacity		1,500
Credit facility, loans outstanding		1,035
Williams Partners L.P. [Member]
Credit Facility and Commercial Paper [Line Items]
Credit facility, capacity	[1]	3,500
Credit facility, loans outstanding	[1]	625
Commercial Paper [Member] | Williams Partners L.P. [Member]
Credit Facility and Commercial Paper [Line Items]
Credit facility, capacity		3,000
Commercial paper, outstanding		$ 135
Commercial Paper [Member] | Williams Partners L. P. [Member]
Credit Facility and Commercial Paper [Line Items]
Commercial paper, weighted average interest rate		1.29%
Letters Of Credit Under Certain Bilateral Bank Agreements [Member] | Williams Companies Inc [Member]
Credit Facility and Commercial Paper [Line Items]
Credit facility, letters of credit outstanding		$ 14
Letters Of Credit Under Certain Bilateral Bank Agreements [Member] | Williams Partners L.P. [Member]
Credit Facility and Commercial Paper [Line Items]
Credit facility, letters of credit outstanding		2
Short-term facility [Member] | Williams Partners L.P. [Member]
Credit Facility and Commercial Paper [Line Items]
Credit facility, capacity		150
Credit facility, loans outstanding		$ 0
[1]	In managing our available liquidity, we do not expect a maximum outstanding amount in excess of the capacity of WPZ’s credit facility inclusive of any outstanding amounts under its commercial paper program.

Stockholders' Equity Table Of C

Stockholders' Equity Table Of Changes In AOCI (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Total, Beginning Balance	$ (442)
Other comprehensive income (loss)	93	$ (89)
Total, Ending Balance	(378)
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Total, Beginning Balance	(442)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications	60
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	4
Other comprehensive income (loss)	64
Total, Ending Balance	(378)
Cash Flow Hedges
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Total, Beginning Balance	(1)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications	0
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	0
Other comprehensive income (loss)	0
Total, Ending Balance	(1)
Foreign Currency Translation
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Total, Beginning Balance	(103)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications	60
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	0
Other comprehensive income (loss)	60
Total, Ending Balance	(43)
Pension and Other Post Retirement Benefits
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Total, Beginning Balance	(338)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications	0
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	4
Other comprehensive income (loss)	4
Total, Ending Balance	$ (334)

Stockholders' Equity Table Of R

Stockholders' Equity Table Of Reclassifications from AOCI (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Product sales	$ 431	$ 519
Total pension and other postretirement benefits, before income taxes	(11)	43
Income tax benefit	2	$ 30
Accumulated Net Gain (Loss) from Designated or Qualifying Cash Flow Hedges [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	0
Pension and Other Post Retirement Benefits
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	4
Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Income tax benefit	(3)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	4
Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member] | Pension and Other Post Retirement Benefits
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Amortization of prior service cost (credit) included in net periodic benefit cost	(1)
Amortization of actuarial (gain) loss included in net periodic benefit cost	8
Total pension and other postretirement benefits, before income taxes	$ 7

Fair Value Measurements Recurri

Fair Value Measurements Recurring Measurements and Additional (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015
Additional disclosure:
Fair Value, Level 1 to level 2 Transfers, Amount		$ 0		$ 0
Fair Value, Level 2 to level 1 Transfers, Amount		0		$ 0
Former Venezuela Operations [Member]
Additional disclosure:
Cash Installments Related To Former Operations Settlement		15
Carrying Amount [Member]
Additional disclosure:
Other receivables		13	$ 12
Long-term debt, including current portion	[1]	(24,676)	(23,987)
Guarantee		(29)	(29)
Carrying Amount [Member] | Former Venezuela Operations [Member]
Additional disclosure:
Notes Receivable, Fair Value Disclosure		0	0
Fair Value [Member]
Additional disclosure:
Other receivables		15	30
Long-term debt, including current portion	[1]	(21,410)	(19,606)
Guarantee		(15)	(16)
Fair Value [Member] | Former Venezuela Operations [Member]
Additional disclosure:
Notes Receivable, Fair Value Disclosure		2	18
Level 1 [Member]
Additional disclosure:
Other receivables		12	10
Long-term debt, including current portion	[1]	0	0
Guarantee		0	0
Level 2 [Member]
Additional disclosure:
Other receivables		1	2
Long-term debt, including current portion	[1]	(21,410)	(19,606)
Guarantee		(15)	(16)
Level 3 [Member]
Additional disclosure:
Other receivables		2	18
Long-term debt, including current portion	[1]	0	0
Guarantee		0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Carrying Amount [Member]
Measured on a recurring basis:
ARO Trust investments		82	67
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Carrying Amount [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Measured on a recurring basis:
Energy derivatives assets		3	5
Energy derivative liabilities		(2)	(2)
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value [Member]
Measured on a recurring basis:
ARO Trust investments		82	67
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Measured on a recurring basis:
Energy derivatives assets		3	5
Energy derivative liabilities		(2)	(2)
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Measured on a recurring basis:
ARO Trust investments		82	67
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Level 1 [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Measured on a recurring basis:
Energy derivatives assets		1	0
Energy derivative liabilities		0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Measured on a recurring basis:
ARO Trust investments		0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Level 2 [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Measured on a recurring basis:
Energy derivatives assets		1	3
Energy derivative liabilities		0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Measured on a recurring basis:
ARO Trust investments		0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Level 3 [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Measured on a recurring basis:
Energy derivatives assets		1	2
Energy derivative liabilities		$ (2)	$ (2)
[1]	Excludes capital leases.

Fair Value Measurements Nonrecu

Fair Value Measurements Nonrecurring Measurements (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		3 Months Ended
		Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Impairment of equity-method investments		$ 112	$ 0
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Level 3 [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Discount rate		13.00%
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Level 3 [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Discount rate		13.30%
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Level 3 [Member] | Williams Partners [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value of investment	[1]	$ 1,294
Impairment of equity-method investments	[1]	109
Fair Value, Measurements, Nonrecurring [Member] | Level 3 [Member] | Williams Partners [Member] | Other Investments [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value of investment		0
Impairment of equity-method investments		$ 3
[1]	Reflects other-than-temporary impairment charges related to Williams Partners’ equity-method investments in the Delaware basin gas gathering system and Laurel Mountain reported within Impairment of equity-method investments in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. Our carrying values in these equity-method investments had been written down to fair value at December 31, 2015. Our first-quarter 2016 analysis reflects higher discount rates for both of these investments, along with lower natural gas prices for Laurel Mountain. We estimated the fair value of these investments using an income approach based on expected future cash flows and appropriate discount rates. The determination of estimated future cash flows involved significant assumptions regarding gathering volumes and related capital spending. Discount rates utilized ranged from 13.0 percent to 13.3 percent and reflected increases in our cost of capital, revised estimates of expected future cash flows, and risks associated with the underlying businesses.

Fair Value Measurements Guarant

Fair Value Measurements Guarantees (Details) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2016USD ($)
Wiltel Guarantee [Member]
Guarantor Obligations [Line Items]
Guarantor Obligations, Maximum Exposure, Undiscounted	$ 32

Contingent Liabilities (Details

Contingent Liabilities (Details) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2016USD ($)
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Accrued Environmental Loss liabilities	$ 38
Former Alaska Refinery [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss Contingency, Range of Possible Loss, Maximum	32
Gas Pipeline [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Accrued Environmental Loss liabilities	7
Natural gas underground storage facilities [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Accrued Environmental Loss liabilities	7
Former Operations [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Accrued Environmental Loss liabilities	24
Williams Partners [Member] | General Liability [Member] | Geismar Incident [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Aggregate Limit of Insurance	610
Insurance deductibles	$ 2

Segment Disclosures Reconciliat

Segment Disclosures Reconciliation of Segment Revenues and Assets to Consolidated (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2015
Segment revenues:
Revenues	$ 1,660	$ 1,716
Total assets by reporting segment
Total assets	48,807		$ 49,020
Service [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	1,229	1,197
Product [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	431	519
Williams Partners [Member]
Total assets by reporting segment
Total assets	47,580		47,870
Williams Partners [Member] | Service [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	1,222	1,192
Williams Partners [Member] | Product [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	428	519
Williams NGL & Petchem Services [Member]
Total assets by reporting segment
Total assets	877		835
Williams NGL & Petchem Services [Member] | Service [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	0	0
Williams NGL & Petchem Services [Member] | Product [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	3	0
Other [Member]
Total assets by reporting segment
Total assets	852		850
Other [Member] | Service [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	7	5
Other [Member] | Product [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	0	0
Operating Segments [Member] | Williams Partners [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	1,654	1,711
Operating Segments [Member] | Williams Partners [Member] | Service [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	1,226	1,192
Operating Segments [Member] | Williams Partners [Member] | Product [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	428	519
Operating Segments [Member] | Williams NGL & Petchem Services [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	3	0
Operating Segments [Member] | Williams NGL & Petchem Services [Member] | Service [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	0	0
Operating Segments [Member] | Williams NGL & Petchem Services [Member] | Product [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	3	0
Operating Segments [Member] | Other [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	18	26
Operating Segments [Member] | Other [Member] | Service [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	18	26
Operating Segments [Member] | Other [Member] | Product [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	0	0
Intersegment Elimination [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	(15)	(21)
Total assets by reporting segment
Total assets	(502)		$ (535)
Intersegment Elimination [Member] | Service [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	(15)	(21)
Intersegment Elimination [Member] | Product [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	0	0
Intersegment Elimination [Member] | Williams Partners [Member] | Service [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	(4)	0
Intersegment Elimination [Member] | Williams Partners [Member] | Product [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	0	0
Intersegment Elimination [Member] | Williams NGL & Petchem Services [Member] | Service [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	0	0
Intersegment Elimination [Member] | Williams NGL & Petchem Services [Member] | Product [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	0	0
Intersegment Elimination [Member] | Other [Member] | Service [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	(11)	(21)
Intersegment Elimination [Member] | Other [Member] | Product [Member]
Segment revenues:
Revenues	$ 0	$ 0

Segment Disclosures Reconcili51

Segment Disclosures Reconciliation of Modified EBITDA to Net Income (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015
Reconciliation of Modified EBITDA to net income (loss):
Modified EBITDA	$ 918	$ 812
Accretion expense associated with asset retirement obligations for nonregulated operations	(7)	(6)
Depreciation and amortization expenses	(445)	(427)
Equity earnings (losses)	97	51
Impairment of equity-method investments	(112)	0
Other investing income (loss) - net	18	0
Proportional Modified Ebitda Equity Method Investments	(189)	(136)
Interest Expense	(291)	(251)
(Provision) benefit for income taxes	(2)	(30)
Net income (loss)	(13)	13
Operating Segments [Member] | Williams Partners [Member]
Reconciliation of Modified EBITDA to net income (loss):
Modified EBITDA	955	817
Operating Segments [Member] | Williams Ngl And Petchem Services [Member]
Reconciliation of Modified EBITDA to net income (loss):
Modified EBITDA	(38)	(5)
Operating Segments [Member] | Other [Member]
Reconciliation of Modified EBITDA to net income (loss):
Modified EBITDA	$ 1	$ 0

Subsequent Event (Details)

Subsequent Event (Details) - Constitution Pipeline Company LLC [Member] $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016USD ($)
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Variable Interest Entity Ownership Percentage	41.00%
Property, Plant and Equipment [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Capitalized Project Development Costs	$ 396