PLAINS GP HOLDINGS LP - Annual Report: 2013 (Form 10-K)

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

Form 10-K

 

(Mark One)

 

x           ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013

 

or

 

o              TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

Commission file number 1-36132

 

PLAINS GP HOLDINGS, L.P.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (713) 646-4100

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

	Title of Each Class		Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered
	Class A Shares, Representing Limited Partner Interests		New York Stock Exchange

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  Yes o  No x

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.  Yes o  No x

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes x  No o

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).  Yes x  No o

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. o

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No x

 

As of June 30, 2013, the last day of the registrant’s most recently completed second quarter, the registrant’s Class A shares were not publicly traded. The aggregate market value of the Class A shares held by non-affiliates of the registrant (treating all executive officers and directors of the registrant and holders of 10% or more of the Class A shares outstanding, for this purpose, as if they may be affiliates of the registrant) was approximately $3.6 billion on December 31, 2013, based on a closing price of $26.77 per Class A share as reported on the New York Stock Exchange on such date.

 

As of March 6, 2014, there were 135,833,637 Class A shares outstanding.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

NONE

 

 

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PLAINS GP HOLDINGS, L.P. AND SUBSIDIARIES

FORM 10-K—2013 ANNUAL REPORT

Table of Contents

 

		Page
	PART I	4
Items 1 and 2.	Business and Properties	4
Item 1A.	Risk Factors	49
Item 1B.	Unresolved Staff Comments	70
Item 3.	Legal Proceedings	70
Item 4.	Mine Safety Disclosures	72
	PART II	73
Item 5.	Market for Registrant’s Shares, Related Shareholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities	73
Item 6.	Selected Financial Data	75
Item 7.	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	76
Item 7A.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk	100
Item 8.	Financial Statements and Supplementary Data	101
Item 9.	Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure	101
Item 9A.	Controls and Procedures	102
Item 9B.	Other Information	102
	PART III	103
Item 10.	Directors and Executive Officers of Our General Partner and Corporate Governance	103
Item 11.	Executive Compensation	112
Item 12.	Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Shareholder Matters	133
Item 13.	Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence	138
Item 14.	Principal Accountant Fees and Services	146
	PART IV	147
Item 15.	Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules	147

 

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

All statements included in this report, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements incorporating the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “plan,” “intend” and “forecast,” as well as similar expressions and statements regarding our business strategy, plans and objectives for future operations. The absence of such words, expressions or statements, however, does not mean that the statements are not forward-looking. Any such forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events, based on what we believe to be reasonable assumptions. Certain factors could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from the results or outcomes anticipated in the forward-looking statements. The most important of these factors include, but are not limited to:

 

·                  our ability to pay distributions to our Class A shareholders;

 

·                  our expected receipt of, and amounts of, distributions from Plains AAP, L.P.;

 

·                  failure to implement or capitalize, or delays in implementing or capitalizing, on planned internal growth projects;

 

·                  unanticipated changes in crude oil market structure, grade differentials and volatility (or lack thereof);

 

·                  environmental liabilities or events that are not covered by an indemnity, insurance or existing reserves;

 

·                  fluctuations in refinery capacity in areas supplied by our mainlines and other factors affecting demand for various grades of crude oil, refined products and natural gas and resulting changes in pricing conditions or transportation throughput requirements;

 

·                  the occurrence of a natural disaster, catastrophe, terrorist attack or other event, including attacks on our electronic and computer systems;

 

·                  tightened capital markets or other factors that increase our cost of capital or limit our access to capital;

 

·                  maintenance of PAA’s credit rating and ability to receive open credit from suppliers and trade counterparties;

 

·                  continued creditworthiness of, and performance by, our counterparties, including financial institutions and trading companies with which we do business;

 

·                  the currency exchange rate of the Canadian dollar;

 

·                  the availability of, and our ability to consummate, acquisition or combination opportunities;

 

·                  the successful integration and future performance of acquired assets or businesses and the risks associated with operating in lines of business that are distinct and separate from historical operations;

 

·                  the effectiveness of our risk management activities;

 

·                  declines in the volume of crude oil, refined product and NGL shipped, processed, purchased, stored, fractionated and/or gathered at or through the use of our facilities, whether due to declines in production from existing oil and gas reserves, failure to develop or slowdown in the development of additional oil and gas reserves or other factors;

 

·                  shortages or cost increases of supplies, materials or labor;

 

·                  our ability to obtain debt or equity financing on satisfactory terms to fund additional acquisitions, expansion projects, working capital requirements and the repayment or refinancing of indebtedness;

 

·                  the impact of current and future laws, rulings, governmental regulations, accounting standards and statements, and related interpretations;

 

·                  non-utilization of our assets and facilities;

 

·                  the effects of competition;

 

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·                  increased costs or lack of availability of insurance;

 

·                  fluctuations in the debt and equity markets, including the price of PAA’s units at the time of vesting under its long-term incentive plans;

 

·                  weather interference with business operations or project construction;

 

·                  risks related to the development and operation of our facilities, including our ability to satisfy our contractual obligations to our customers at our facilities;

 

·                  factors affecting demand for natural gas and natural gas storage services and rates;

 

·                  general economic, market or business conditions and the amplification of other risks caused by volatile financial markets, capital constraints and pervasive liquidity concerns; and

 

·                  other factors and uncertainties inherent in the transportation, storage, terminalling and marketing of crude oil and refined products, as well as in the storage of natural gas and the processing, transportation, fractionation, storage and marketing of natural gas liquids.

 

Other factors described herein, as well as factors that are unknown or unpredictable, could also have a material adverse effect on future results. Please read Item 1A “Risk Factors.” Except as required by applicable securities laws, we do not intend to update these forward-looking statements and information.

 

PART I

 

Items 1 and 2.  Business and Properties

 

General

 

Plains GP Holdings, L.P. (“PAGP”) is a Delaware limited partnership formed on July 17, 2013 to own an interest in the general partner and incentive distribution rights (“IDRs”) of Plains All American Pipeline, L.P (“PAA”), a publicly traded Delaware limited partnership. Although we were formed as a limited partnership, we have elected to be taxed as a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes. As used in this Form 10-K and unless the context indicates otherwise, the terms “Partnership,” “Plains,” “PAGP,” “we,” “us,” “our,” “ours” and similar terms refer to Plains GP Holdings, L.P. and its subsidiaries.

 

Organizational History

 

We completed our initial public offering (“IPO”) in October 2013. Immediately prior to our IPO, certain owners of Plains AAP, L.P. (“AAP”) sold a portion of their interests in AAP to us, resulting in our ownership of a limited partnership interest in AAP. As of December 31, 2013, we owned a 22.1% limited partner interest in AAP, and the remaining limited partner interests in AAP continue to be held by the owners of AAP immediately prior to our IPO (the “Legacy Owners”). AAP is a Delaware limited partnership that directly owns all of PAA’s incentive distribution rights and indirectly owns the 2% general partner interest in PAA. AAP is the sole member of PAA GP LLC (“PAA GP”), a Delaware limited liability company that directly holds the 2% general partner interest in PAA. Also, through a series of transactions prior to our IPO with our general partner and the owners of Plains All American GP LLC (“GP LLC”), a Delaware limited liability company formed on May 2, 2001, GP LLC’s general partner interest in AAP became a non-economic interest, and we became the owner of a 100% managing member interest in GP LLC.

 

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PAA is a publicly traded master limited partnership that owns and operates midstream energy infrastructure and provides logistics services for crude oil, natural gas liquids (“NGL”), natural gas and refined products. The term NGL includes ethane and natural gasoline products as well as products commonly referred to as liquefied petroleum gas (“LPG”) such as propane and butane. When used in this Form 10-K, NGL refers to all NGL products including LPG. PAA owns an extensive network of pipeline transportation, terminalling, storage, and gathering assets in key crude oil and NGL producing basins and transportation corridors and at major market hubs in the United States and Canada. On average, PAA handles over 3.5 million barrels per day of crude oil and NGL on its pipelines.

 

Partnership Structure and Management

 

Our general partner, PAA GP Holdings LLC, manages our operations and activities and is responsible for exercising on our behalf any rights we have as the managing member of GP LLC, including any rights to appoint members to the board of directors of GP LLC. See Item 10. “Directors and Executive Officers of our General Partner and Corporate Governance.” GP LLC has responsibility for managing the business and affairs of PAA and AAP; however, through our rights as the sole and managing member of GP LLC, we effectively control the business and affairs of AAP and PAA. GP LLC employs all domestic officers and personnel involved in the operation and management of PAA and AAP. PAA’s Canadian officers and personnel are employed by Plains Midstream Canada ULC. Our general partner does not receive a management fee or other compensation in connection with its management of our business.

 

The two charts below show the structure and ownership of PAGP and certain subsidiaries as of December 31, 2013 in both an abridged and more detailed format.  The first chart depicts PAGP’s legal structure in summary format, while the second chart depicts a more comprehensive view of PAGP’s legal structure, including ownership and economic interests and shares and units outstanding.

 

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Summarized Partnership Structure

(as of December 31, 2013)

 

 

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Detailed Partnership Structure

(as of December 31, 2013)

 

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(1)                                     Incentive Distribution Rights (“IDRs”).

 

(2)                                     PAA holds direct and indirect ownership interests in consolidated operating subsidiaries including, but not limited to, Plains Marketing, L.P., Plains Pipeline, L.P. and Plains Midstream Canada ULC (“PMC”).

 

(3)                                     PAA holds indirect equity interests in unconsolidated entities including Settoon Towing, LLC (“Settoon Towing”), White Cliffs Pipeline, LLC (“White Cliffs”), Butte Pipe Line Company (“Butte”), Frontier Pipeline Company (“Frontier”) and Eagle Ford Pipeline LLC (“Eagle Ford Pipeline”).

 

(4)                                     Represents the number of Class A units of AAP (“AAP units”) for which the Class B units of AAP (referred to herein as the “AAP Management Units”) would be exchangeable, assuming a conversion rate of approximately 0.90 AAP units for each AAP Management Unit as of December 31, 2013. The AAP Management Units are entitled to certain proportionate distributions paid by AAP.

 

(5)                                     As of December 31, 2013, we owned 22.1% of the membership interests in our general partner, which percentage corresponds to our 22.1% ownership percentage of AAP units (representing a 20.6% economic interest in AAP, including the dilutive effect of the AAP Management Units).

 

Our Business

 

As of December 31, 2013, our only cash-generating assets consist of 133,833,637 AAP units, which represent a 22.1% limited partner interest in AAP (20.6% economic interest including the dilutive effect of the AAP Management Units). Unless we directly acquire and hold assets or businesses in the future, our cash flows will be generated solely from the cash distributions we receive from AAP. AAP does not own any common units in PAA and currently receives all of its cash flows from distributions on its direct ownership of PAA’s IDRs and its indirect ownership of PAA’s 2% general partner interest. AAP’s ownership of both of these interests entitles it to receive, without duplication:

 

·                  2% of all cash distributed in a quarter until $0.2250 has been distributed in respect of each common unit of PAA for that quarter;

 

·                  15% of all cash distributed in a quarter after $0.2250 has been distributed in respect of each common unit of PAA for that quarter;

 

·                  25% of all cash distributed in a quarter after $0.2475 has been distributed in respect of each common unit of PAA for that quarter; and

 

·                  50% of all cash distributed in a quarter after $0.3375 has been distributed in respect of each common unit of PAA for that quarter.

 

Such amounts do not take into account temporary and permanent reductions in IDR payments that are currently in place in connection with past PAA acquisition activities or that may be implemented with respect to future activities. The cash distributions AAP receives from PAA are tied to (i) PAA’s per unit distribution level and (ii) the number of PAA common units outstanding. An increase in either factor (assuming the other factor remains constant or increases) will generally, absent additional IDR reductions, result in an increase in the amount of cash distributions AAP receives from PAA, a portion of which we, in turn, receive from AAP. Because the IDRs currently participate at the maximum percentage participation rate, any future growth in distributions we receive from AAP will not result from an increase in the percentage participation rate associated with the IDRs.

 

Accordingly, our primary business objective is to increase our cash available for distribution to our Class A shareholders through the execution by PAA of its business strategy. In addition, we may facilitate PAA’s growth activities through various means, including, but not limited to, modifying PAA’s IDRs, making loans, purchasing equity interests or providing other forms of financial support to PAA.

 

PAA’s Business Strategy

 

PAA’s principal business strategy is to provide competitive and efficient midstream transportation, terminalling, storage, processing, fractionation and supply and logistics services to producers, refiners and other customers. Toward this end, PAA endeavors to address regional supply and demand imbalances for crude oil and NGL in the United States and Canada by combining the strategic location and capabilities of its transportation, terminalling, storage, processing and fractionation assets with its extensive supply, logistics and distribution expertise. To a lesser extent, PAA also engages in similar activities for natural gas and refined products. We believe PAA’s successful execution of this strategy will enable it to generate sustainable earnings and cash flow. PAA intends to manage and grow its business by:

 

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·                  commercially optimizing its existing assets and realizing cost efficiencies through operational improvements;

 

·                  using its transportation (including pipeline, rail, barge and truck), terminalling, storage, processing and fractionation assets in conjunction with its supply and logistics activities to capitalize on inefficient energy markets and to address physical market imbalances, mitigate inherent risks and increase margin;

 

·                  developing and implementing internal growth projects that (i) address evolving crude oil and NGL needs in the midstream transportation and infrastructure sector and (ii) are well positioned to benefit from long-term industry trends and opportunities;

 

·                  selectively pursuing strategic and accretive acquisitions that complement its existing asset base and distribution capabilities; and

 

·                  capitalizing on anticipated intermediate to long-term opportunities for natural gas storage services in North America by owning and operating high-quality natural gas storage facilities and providing its current and future customers reliable, competitive and flexible natural gas storage and related services.

 

PAA’s Competitive Strengths

 

We believe that the following competitive strengths position PAA to successfully execute its principal business strategy:

 

·                  Many of PAA’s transportation segment and facilities segment assets are strategically located and operationally flexible. The majority of PAA’s primary transportation segment assets are in crude oil service, are located in well-established oil producing regions and other transportation corridors and are connected, directly or indirectly, with PAA’s facilities segment assets located at major trading locations and premium markets that serve as gateways to major North American refinery and distribution markets where PAA has strong business relationships. PAA’s assets include pipeline, rail, barge and truck assets, which provide PAA’s customers and PAA with significant flexibility and optionality to satisfy demand and balance markets, particularly during a dynamic period of changing product flows.

 

·                  PAA possesses specialized crude oil market knowledge.  We believe PAA’s business relationships with participants in various phases of the crude oil distribution chain, from crude oil producers to refiners, as well as PAA’s own industry expertise, provide PAA with an extensive understanding of the North American physical crude oil markets.

 

·                  PAA’s supply and logistics activities typically generate a base level of margin with the opportunity to realize incremental margins.  We believe the variety of activities executed within PAA’s supply and logistics segment in combination with PAA’s risk management strategies provides PAA with a balance that generally affords it the flexibility to maintain a base level of margin in a variety of market conditions (subject to the effects of seasonality). In certain circumstances, PAA is able to realize incremental margins during volatile market conditions.

 

·                  PAA has the evaluation, integration and engineering skill sets and the financial flexibility to continue to pursue acquisition and expansion opportunities. Over the past sixteen years, PAA has completed and integrated over 80 acquisitions with an aggregate purchase price of approximately $10.5 billion, which figures include over 30 acquisitions totaling approximately $5.2 billion in aggregate purchase price over the last six years. PAA has also implemented internal expansion capital projects totaling over $5.8 billion. In addition, we believe PAA has the resources to finance future strategic expansion and acquisition opportunities. As of December 31, 2013, PAA had over $1.8 billion available under its committed credit facilities, subject to continued covenant compliance.

 

·                  PAA has an experienced management team whose interests are aligned with those of its unitholders. PAA’s executive management team has an average of 29 years industry experience, and an average of 17 years with PAA or its predecessors and affiliates. In addition, through their ownership of common units, indirect interests in PAA’s general partner, grants of phantom units and AAP Management Units, PAA’s management team has a vested interest in PAA’s continued success.

 

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Our Financial Strategy

 

Our financial strategy is designed to be complementary with PAA’s financial and business strategies. Because our only cash-generating assets consist of our partnership interests in AAP, which currently derives all of its cash flows from PAA’s distributions, we intend to maintain a level of indebtedness at AAP such that it will not be material in relation to PAA’s adjusted EBITDA or other financial metrics used in the evaluation of its business. As of December 31, 2013, AAP had $515 million of debt outstanding under its credit facility. In connection with future PAA equity issuances, we expect AAP may fund any capital contribution required to maintain its indirect 2% general partner interest in PAA with credit facility borrowings. We do not anticipate that additional debt associated with these contributions will be material to PAA’s consolidated credit profile, as such equity issuances are typically used to pay down existing debt or fund PAA’s growth through acquisitions or organic growth opportunities. We would expect to fund direct acquisitions made by us, if any, with a combination of debt and equity.

 

PAA’s Financial Strategy

 

Targeted Credit Profile

 

We believe that a major factor in PAA’s continued success is its ability to maintain a competitive cost of capital and access to the capital markets. In that regard, PAA intends to maintain a credit profile that it believes is consistent with investment grade credit ratings. PAA has targeted a general credit profile with the following attributes:

 

·                  an average long-term debt-to-total capitalization ratio of approximately 45% to 50%;

 

·                  a long-term debt-to-adjusted EBITDA multiple averaging between 3.5x and 4.0x (Adjusted EBITDA is earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, equity-indexed compensation plan charges, gains and losses from derivative activities and other selected items that impact comparability);

 

·                  an average total debt-to-total capitalization ratio of approximately 60%; and

 

·                  an average adjusted EBITDA-to-interest coverage multiple of approximately 3.3x or better.

 

The first two of these four metrics include long-term debt as a critical measure.  PAA also incurs short-term debt in connection with its supply and logistics activities that involve the simultaneous purchase and forward sale of crude oil, NGL and natural gas. The crude oil, NGL and natural gas purchased in these transactions are hedged.  PAA does not consider the working capital borrowings associated with these activities to be part of its long-term capital structure. These borrowings are self-liquidating as they are repaid with sales proceeds. PAA also incurs short-term debt to fund New York Mercantile Exchange (“NYMEX”) and IntercontinentalExchange (“ICE”) margin requirements. In certain market conditions, these routine short-term debt levels may increase significantly above baseline levels.

 

In order for PAA to maintain its targeted credit profile and achieve growth through internal growth projects and acquisitions, PAA intends to fund approximately 55% of the capital requirements associated with these activities with equity and cash flow in excess of distributions. From time to time, PAA may be outside the parameters of its targeted credit profile as, in certain cases, these capital expenditures and acquisitions may be financed initially using debt or there may be delays in realizing anticipated synergies from acquisitions or contributions from capital expansion projects to adjusted EBITDA.

 

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PAA’s Acquisitions

 

The acquisition of midstream assets and businesses that are strategic and complementary to PAA’s existing operations constitutes an integral component of its business strategy and growth objectives. Such assets and businesses include crude oil, refined products and NGL logistics assets, natural gas storage assets and other energy assets that have characteristics and provide opportunities similar to such business lines and enable PAA to leverage its assets, knowledge and skill sets.

 

The following table summarizes acquisitions greater than $200 million that PAA has completed over the past five years (in millions). See Note 3 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for a full discussion regarding acquisition activities.

 

						Approximate
Acquisition (1)		Date		Description		Purchase Price (2)
US Development Group Crude Oil Rail Terminals (“USD”)		Dec-2012		Four operating crude oil rail terminals and one terminal under development		$	503
BP Canada Energy Company (“BP NGL”)		Apr-2012		NGL assets located in Canada and the upper-Midwest United States		$	1,683	(3)
Western Refining, Inc. Pipeline and Storage Assets (“Western”)		Dec-2011		Multi-product storage facility in Virginia and a crude oil pipeline in southeastern New Mexico		$	220	(4)
Velocity South Texas Gathering, LLC (“Velocity”)		Nov-2011		Crude oil and condensate gathering and transportation assets in South Texas (“Gardendale Gathering System”)		$	349
SG Resources Mississippi, LLC (“SG Resources”)		Feb-2011		Southern Pines Energy Center (“Southern Pines”) natural gas storage facility		$	765	(5)
Nexen Holdings U.S.A. Inc. Gathering and Transportation Assets (“Nexen”)		Dec-2010		Crude oil gathering business and transportation assets in North Dakota and Montana		$	229	(6)
PAA Natural Gas Storage, LLC (“PNGS”)		Sep-2009		Remaining 50% interest in PNGS		$	215	(7)

 

(1)                                        Excludes PAA’s acquisition of all of the outstanding publicly-traded common units of PAA Natural Gas Storage, L.P. (“PNG”) on December 31, 2013 (referred to herein as the “PNG Merger”), as we historically consolidated PNG into our financial statements for financial reporting purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”). As consideration for the PNG Merger, PAA issued approximately 14.7 million of its common units with a value of approximately $760 million.

(2)                                     As applicable, the approximate purchase price includes total cash paid and debt assumed, including amounts for working capital and inventory.

(3)                                     Purchase price includes approximately $17 million of imputed interest. A prepayment of $50 million was made during 2011. Approximate purchase price of $1.192 billion, net of working capital, linefill and long-term inventory acquired.

(4)                                     Includes two transactions with Western.

(5)                                     Approximate purchase price of $750 million, net of cash and other working capital acquired.

(6)                                     Approximate purchase price of $170 million, net of cash, inventory and other working capital acquired.

(7)                                     In connection with the PNGS acquisition PAA consolidated and subsequently refinanced approximately $450 million of previously non-recourse joint venture debt.

 

Ongoing Acquisition Activities. Consistent with its business strategy, PAA is continuously engaged in discussions with potential sellers regarding the possible purchase of assets and operations that are strategic and complementary to PAA’s existing operations. In addition, PAA has in the past evaluated and pursued, and intends in the future to evaluate and pursue, other energy-related assets that have characteristics and provide opportunities similar to PAA’s existing business lines and enable PAA to leverage its assets, knowledge and skill sets. Such acquisition efforts may involve participation by PAA in processes that have been made public and involve a number of potential buyers, commonly referred to as “auction” processes, as well as situations in which PAA believes it is the only party or one of a limited number of potential buyers in negotiations with the potential seller. These acquisition efforts often involve assets which, if acquired, could have a material effect on PAA’s financial condition and results of operations.

 

PAA typically does not announce a transaction until after it has executed a definitive acquisition agreement. However, in certain cases in order to protect its business interests or for other reasons, PAA may defer public announcement of an acquisition until closing or a later date. Past experience has demonstrated that discussions and negotiations regarding a potential acquisition can advance or terminate in a short period of time. Moreover, the closing of any transaction for which PAA has entered into a definitive acquisition agreement will be subject to customary and other closing conditions, which may not ultimately be satisfied or waived. Accordingly, PAA can give no assurance that its current or future acquisition efforts will be successful. Although PAA expects the acquisitions it makes to be accretive in the long term, PAA can provide no assurance that its expectations will ultimately be realized. See Item 1A. “Risk Factors—Risks Related to PAA’s Business—If PAA does not make acquisitions or if it makes acquisitions that fail to perform as anticipated, its future growth may be limited” and “—PAA’s acquisition strategy involves risks that may adversely affect its business.”

 

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PAA’s Organic Growth Projects

 

PAA’s extensive asset base and its relationships with customers provide it with opportunities for organic growth through the construction of additional assets that are complementary to, and expand or extend, its existing asset base. PAA believes that the diversity and balance of its organic project portfolio (i.e., relatively large number of projects that are small to medium sized and spread across multiple geographic regions) reduces its overall exposure to cost overruns, timing delays and other adverse market developments with respect to a particular project or region. PAA’s 2014 capital plan is representative of the diversity and balance of its overall organic project portfolio. The following expansion projects are included in PAA’s 2014 capital plan as of February 2014:

 

Basin/Region		Project		2014 Plan Amount (1)  ($ in millions)			Description
Permian		Permian Basin Area Projects		$	430		Multiple projects to increase and expand pipeline infrastructure in the Permian Basin, including the construction of three new trunklines and related assets
		Cactus Pipeline		310			310 miles of new pipeline; 250,000 Bbls/d capacity pipeline from the Permian Basin to the Eagle Ford JV Pipeline
Eagle Ford		PAA/Enterprise Products Partners Eagle Ford Joint Venture Project		60			Expansion of Eagle Ford JV pipeline capacity to 470,000 barrels per day; construction of additional 2.3 million barrels of storage capacity
		Gardendale Fractionator and Stabilizer		35			New NGL fractionator, expansion of existing condensate stabilization facility and related infrastructure enhancements in the Eagle Ford area of South Texas
Mid-Continent		Western Oklahoma Extension		50			95 miles of new pipeline; 75,000 Bbls/d of capacity from Reydon, OK to Orion Station in Major County, OK
		Mississippian Lime Pipeline		45			45 miles of new crude oil pipeline to complement our existing Mississippian Lime pipelines
Rockies/Williston		White Cliffs Pipeline Expansion		40			35.7% interest in 80,000 Bbls/d expansion of capacity through the construction of a new 12-inch diameter pipeline looping the existing pipeline
West Coast		Line 63 Reactivation		35			Reactivation of 71 miles of idled pipeline and supporting assets
Canada		Fort Saskatchewan Facility Projects / NGL pipeline		180			Development of two new NGL storage caverns and conversion of service of two existing caverns
Various		Rail Terminal Projects		185			Includes new rail facilities and expansion projects located at or near Bakersfield, CA; Carr, Co; Van Hook, ND; and Western Canada
		Natural Gas Storage		25			Multiple projects
		Other Projects		305
				$	1,700

 

(1)                                                 Represents the portion of the total project cost expected to be incurred during the year.

 

Global Petroleum Market Overview

 

The United States comprises less than 5% of the world’s population, generates approximately 14% of the world’s petroleum production, and consumes approximately 21% of the world’s petroleum production. The following table sets forth projected world supply and demand for petroleum products (including crude oil and NGL) and is derived from the Energy Information Administration’s (“EIA”) Annual Energy Outlook 2014 Early Release (see EIA website at www.eia.doe.gov):

 

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				Projected (2)
		2013 (1) (2)		2014		2015		2016		2020
		(In millions of barrels per day)
Supply
OECD (3)
U.S.		12.3		13.1		13.7		14.2		14.2
Other		11.5		11.8		12.1		11.6		11.2
Total OECD		23.8		24.9		25.7		25.8		25.4
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries		35.8		35.7		36.0		36.7		39.6
Other		30.4		30.7		30.7		31.4		33.0
Total World Production (4)		89.9		91.3		92.5		93.8		98.0

 

				Projected (2)
		2013 (1) (2)		2014		2015		2016		2020
		(In millions of barrels per day)
Demand
OECD
U.S.		18.8		18.8		19.2		19.4		19.5
Other		27.2		26.9		26.8		26.9		27.3
Total OECD		46.1		45.6		46.1		46.3		46.8
Other		44.3		45.6		46.4		47.5		51.2
Total World Consumption (4)		90.4		91.3		92.5		93.8		98.0

 

U.S. Production as % of World Production		14	%	14	%	15	%	15	%	14	%
U.S. Consumption as % of World Consumption		21	%	21	%	21	%	21	%	20	%
Net U.S. (Consumption)		(6.5	)	(5.7	)	(5.5	)	(5.2	)	(5.3	)

 

(1)                                        The 2013 amounts are derived from the EIA’s Short-Term Energy Outlook.

 

(2)                                        Amounts may not recalculate due to rounding.

 

(3)                                        Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

 

(4)                                        Production and consumption may not equal in every year due to inventory builds or draws.

 

World economic growth is a driver of the world petroleum market. The challenging global economic climate of the last several years has resulted in continued uncertainty in the petroleum market. To the extent that an event causes weaker world economic growth, energy demand would likely decline and could result in lower energy prices, depending on the production responses of producers.

 

Crude Oil Market Overview

 

The definition of a commodity is a “mass-produced unspecialized product” and implies the attribute of fungibility. Crude oil is typically referred to as a commodity; however, it is neither unspecialized nor fungible. The crude slate available to U.S. and world-wide refineries consists of a substantial number of different grades and varieties of crude oil. Each crude oil grade has distinguishing physical properties. For example, specific gravity (generally referred to as light or heavy), sulfur content (generally referred to as sweet or sour) and metals content, along with other characteristics, collectively result in varying economic attributes. In many cases, these factors result in the need for such grades to be batched or segregated in the transportation and storage processes, blended to precise specifications or adjusted in value.

 

The lack of fungibility of the various grades of crude oil creates logistical transportation, terminalling and storage challenges and inefficiencies associated with regional volumetric supply and demand imbalances. These logistical inefficiencies are created as certain qualities of crude oil are indigenous to particular regions or countries. Also, each refinery has a distinct configuration of process units designed to handle particular grades of crude oil. The relative yields and the cost to obtain, transport and process the crude oil drives the refinery’s choice of feedstock. In addition, from time to time, natural disasters and geopolitical factors such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, inclement weather, labor strikes, refinery disruptions, embargoes and armed conflicts may impact supply, demand and transportation and storage logistics.

 

Our assets and our business strategy are designed to serve our producer and refiner customers by addressing regional crude oil supply and demand imbalances that exist in the United States and Canada.  The nature and extent of these imbalances change from time to time as a result of a variety of factors, including regional production declines and/or increases; refinery expansions, modifications and shut-downs; available transportation and storage capacity; and government mandates and related regulatory factors.

 

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Over the last five years, one of the most significant developments impacting the crude oil market has been the rapid growth in North American crude oil production. As a result of advances in horizontal drilling and fracturing technology over the last several years and their application to various large scale resource plays, certain historical trends have been reversed as domestic crude oil supplies have increased substantially and are expected to continue to increase over the next five years and potentially beyond. This production is being developed both in mature producing areas such as the Rockies, the Permian Basin in West Texas and the Mid-Continent region, as well as in less mature, but rapidly growing areas such as the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas and the Bakken Shale in North Dakota. We forecast that by December 2017, crude oil production in the United States and Canada will have increased by an average of approximately 2.9 million barrels per day from fourth-quarter 2013 levels, with the increases coming primarily from Canada, the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas, the Permian Basin in West Texas and the Bakken Shale in North Dakota. Actual and anticipated production increases in all of these regions combined with actual and anticipated volumes from Canada have strained or are expected to strain existing transportation, terminalling and downstream infrastructure. These changes have resulted in significant alterations to historical patterns of crude oil movements among regions of the U.S. For example, the quantity of crude oil transported from the Gulf Coast area into the Midwest has declined, but the overall change in crude oil flows has resulted in an increased demand for storage and terminalling services at Cushing, Oklahoma and Patoka, Illinois.

 

In addition to overall production growth, significant shifts in the type and location of crude oil being produced from these regions have resulted in additional strains on existing infrastructure. Notably, the increase in domestic production of light, sweet crude oil is inconsistent with the sizeable, multi-year investments made by a number of U.S. refining companies in order to expand their capabilities to process heavier, sour grades of crude oil. This divergence between readily available supplies of light sweet crude oil and increased refinery demand for heavy sour crude oil has begun to cause differentials between crude oil grades and qualities to change relative to historical levels and become more dynamic and volatile. This increase in light sweet crude oil production has also resulted in a decrease in foreign imports of light sweet crude into the U.S., particularly into the Gulf Coast, which has caused the international producers of such lighter crudes to seek alternative markets in other parts of the world. Thus far it appears that the rest of the world has been able to absorb the previously imported barrels, but that could change over time as worldwide demand fluctuates.

 

Since reaching a multi-year low in 2009, U.S. net refinery inputs of crude oil have slowly increased to a level of 15.2 million barrels per day for the twelve month period ending November 2013, which approximates the levels achieved during 2005 and 2006. Although domestic demand for petroleum products from end users has declined from peak levels in 2004 – 2007 and the increased use of ethanol for blending in gasoline has further negatively impacted refinery demand for crude oil, the attractive export market for refined products and access to discounted domestic crude oil has driven the increased refinery demand. Domestic production growth has also led to lower use of imported crude oil by U.S. refineries, a meaningful change in a multi-year trend where foreign imports of crude oil tripled over an approximately 23-year period from 1985 – 2007. The EIA is currently forecasting a continued gradual decline in foreign crude imports from current levels, which is attributable to increased domestic production and increased supply from other liquid products, including ethanol and biodiesel.

 

The table below shows the overall domestic petroleum consumption projected out to 2020 and is derived from recent information published by the EIA (see EIA website at www.eia.doe.gov). The amounts in the 2013 column are based on the 12 months ended November 2013.  We believe these trends will be subject to significant variation from time to time due to a number of factors, including the level of domestic production volumes and infrastructure limitations which impact pricing and geopolitical developments.

 

		Actual (1)		Projected (1)
		2013		2014		2015		2016		2020
		(In millions of barrels per day)
Supply
Domestic Crude Oil Production		7.4		8.5		9.0		9.5		9.6
Net Imports - Crude Oil from Canada		2.4		3.1		3.3		3.2		3.1
Net Imports - Crude Oil from Other		5.2		3.4		2.9		2.5		2.7
Other (Supply Adjustment / Stock Change)		0.2		—		—		—		—
Crude Oil Input to Domestic Refineries		15.2		15.0		15.2		15.3		15.3
Product Imports		1.9		1.9		2.0		2.1		2.1
Product Exports		(2.9	)	(2.9	)	(3.0	)	(3.0	)	(3.0	)
Net Product Imports / (Exports)		(1.0	)	(1.0	)	(1.0	)	(0.9	)	(0.9	)
Supply from Renewable Sources		1.0		0.9		1.0		1.0		1.0
Other - (NGL Production, Refinery Processing Gain)		3.6		3.9		4.0		4.0		4.0
Total Domestic Petroleum Consumption		18.8		18.8		19.2		19.4		19.5

 

(1)                                        Amounts may not recalculate due to rounding.

 

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As illustrated in the table above, while expected to decline, imports of foreign crude oil and other petroleum products are still expected to play a major role in achieving a balanced U.S. market on an aggregate basis.  However, because of the substantial number of different grades and varieties of crude oil and their distinguishing physical and economic properties and the distinct configuration of each refinery’s process units, significant logistics infrastructure and services are required to balance the U.S. market on a region by region basis.

 

By way of illustration, the Department of Energy segregates the United States into five Petroleum Administration Defense Districts (“PADDs”), which are used by the energy industry for reporting statistics regarding crude oil supply and demand. The table below sets forth supply, demand and shortfall information for each PADD for the twelve months ended November 2013 and is derived from information published by the EIA (see EIA website at www.eia.doe.gov):

 

		Regional		Refinery		Supply
Petroleum Administration Defense District (in millions of barrels per day) (1)		Supply		Demand		Shortfall
PADD I (East Coast)		—		1.0		(1.0	)
PADD II (Midwest)		1.4		3.4		(2.0	)
PADD III (South)		4.3		7.9		(3.6	)
PADD IV (Rockies)		0.5		0.6		(0.1	)
PADD V (West Coast)		1.1		2.3		(1.2	)
Total U.S.		7.4		15.2		(7.9	)

 

(1)                                     Amounts may not recalculate or cross-foot due to rounding.

 

Overall, volatility of multiple aspects of the crude oil market, including absolute price, market structure and grade and location differentials, has increased over time and we expect volatility to continue. Some factors that we believe are causing and will continue to cause volatility in the market include:

 

·                  the multi-year growth in North American crude oil production;

 

·                  fluctuations in international supply and demand related to the economic environment, geopolitical events and armed conflicts;

 

·                  regional supply and demand imbalances and changes in refinery capacity and specific capabilities;

 

·                  significant fluctuations in absolute price as well as grade and location differentials;

 

·                  political instability in critical producing nations; and

 

·                  policy decisions made by various governments around the world attempting to navigate energy challenges.

 

The complexity and volatility of the crude oil market creates opportunities to solve the logistical inefficiencies inherent in the business. The combination of (i) a significant increase in North American production volumes, (ii) a change in crude oil qualities and related differentials and (iii) a high utilization of existing pipeline and terminal infrastructure has stimulated multiple industry initiatives to build new pipeline and terminal infrastructure, convert certain pipeline assets to alternative service or reverse flows and expand the use of trucks, rail and barges for the movement of crude oil and condensate.

 

Refined Products Market Overview

 

After transport to a refinery, the crude oil is processed into different petroleum products. These “refined products” fall into three major categories: transportation fuels such as motor gasoline and distillate fuel oil (diesel fuel and jet fuel); finished non-fuel products such as solvents, lubricating oils and asphalt; and feedstocks for the petrochemical industry such as naphtha and various refinery gases. Demand is greatest for transportation fuels, particularly motor gasoline and diesel.

 

The characteristics of the gasoline produced depend upon the setup of the refinery at which it is produced. Gasoline characteristics are also impacted by other ingredients that may be blended into it, such as ethanol and octane enhancers. The performance of the gasoline must meet strictly defined industry standards and environmental regulations that vary based on season and location.

 

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After crude oil is refined into gasoline and other petroleum products, the products are distributed to consumers. The majority of products are shipped by pipeline to storage terminals near consuming areas, and then loaded into trucks for delivery to gasoline stations and end users. Products that are used as feedstocks are typically transported by pipeline or barges to chemical plants.

 

Demand for refined products has generally been affected by price levels, economic growth trends, conservation, fuel efficiency mandates and, to a lesser extent, weather conditions. From 2008 through the 12 months ended November 2013, petroleum consumption averaged approximately 18.8 million barrels per day, an approximate 10% decrease from peak levels, largely due to economic weakness and increased and expanding fuel efficiency standards.  Given this decreased demand for refined products, the increased use of ethanol and other renewable fuels and the resulting excess refining capacity, a number of U.S. refineries reduced output and, in some cases, indefinitely shut-down. The EIA is currently forecasting growth in overall refined product demand to increase marginally over the next decade.

 

The level of future domestic demand generally will be influenced by economic conditions as well as the absolute prices of the products. Counteracting the impact of decreased domestic refined product demand on many U.S. refineries has been the combination of a significant decrease in refined product imports and a significant increase in refined product exports.  Refined product imports decreased from 3.2 million barrels per day in 2005 to an average of approximately 1.9 million barrels per day for the 12 months ended November 2013.  Conversely, refined product exports increased from approximately 1.1 million barrels per day in 2005 to 2.9 million barrels per day for the 12 months ended November 2013. We believe that potential demand growth will be met primarily by the increase in mandated alternative fuels and increased utilization of existing refining capacity, which could generate demand for midstream infrastructure in certain areas, including pipelines and terminals.

 

NGL Market Overview

 

NGL primarily includes ethane, propane, normal butane, iso-butane, and natural gasoline, and is derived from natural gas production and processing activities as well as crude oil refining processes.  LPG primarily includes propane, butane, and natural gasoline, which liquefy at moderate pressures thus making it easier to transport and store such products as compared to ethane.  As discussed above, NGL refers to all NGL products including LPG when used in this document.

 

NGL Demand. Individual NGL products have varying uses.  Described below are the five basic NGL components and their typical uses:

 

·                  Ethane. Ethane accounts for the largest portion of the NGL barrel and substantially all of the extracted ethane is used as feedstock in the production of ethylene, one of the basic building blocks for a wide range of plastics and other chemical products. When ethane recovery from a wet natural gas stream is uneconomic, ethane is left in the natural gas stream, subject to pipeline specifications.

 

·                  Propane. Propane is used as heating fuel, engine fuel and industrial fuel, for agricultural burning and drying and also as petrochemical feedstock for the production of ethylene and propylene.

 

·                  Normal butane. Normal butane is principally used for motor gasoline blending and as fuel gas, either alone or in a mixture with propane, and feedstock for the manufacture of ethylene and butadiene, a key ingredient of synthetic rubber. Normal butane is also used as a feedstock for iso-butane production and as a diluent in the transportation of heavy crude oil and bitumen, particularly in Canada.

 

·                  Iso-butane. Iso-butane is principally used by refiners to produce alkylates to enhance the octane content of motor gasoline.

 

·                  Natural Gasoline. Natural gasoline is principally used as a motor gasoline blend stock, a petrochemical feedstock, or as diluent in the transportation of heavy crude oil and bitumen, particularly in Canada.

 

NGL Supply. The bulk (approximately 75%) of the United States NGL supply comes from gas processing plants, which separate a mixture of NGL from the dry gas (primarily methane). The NGL mix (also referred to as “Y Grade”) is then either fractionated at the processing site into the five individual NGL components (known as purity products), which may be transported, stored and sold to end use markets or transported as a Y-Grade to a regional fractionation facility.

 

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The majority of gas processing plants in the United States are located along the Gulf Coast, in the West Texas/Oklahoma area and in the Rockies region. Smaller gas processing regions are located in Michigan and Illinois as well as the Marcellus region (which is expanding rapidly) and Southern California. In Canada, the vast majority of the processing capacity is located in Alberta, with a much smaller (but increasing) amount in British Columbia and Saskatchewan.

 

NGL products from refineries represent approximately 19% of the United States supply and are by-products of the refinery conversion processes.  Consequently, they have generally already been separated into individual components and do not require further fractionation. NGL products from refineries are principally propane, with lesser amounts of butane, refinery naphthas (products similar to natural gasoline) and ethane.  Due to refinery maintenance schedules and seasonal demand considerations, refinery production of propane and butane varies on a seasonal basis.

 

NGL is also imported into certain regions of the United States from Canada and other parts of the world (approximately 6% of total supply). NGL (primarily propane) is also exported from certain regions of the United States.

 

NGL Transportation and Trading Hubs. NGL, whether as a mixture or as purity products, is transported by pipelines, barges, railcars and tank trucks. The method of transportation used depends on, among other things, the resources of the transporter, the locations of the production points and the delivery points, cost-efficiency and the quantity of product being transported. Pipelines are generally the most cost-efficient mode of transportation when large, consistent volumes of product are to be delivered.

 

The major NGL infrastructure and trading hubs in North America are located at Mont Belvieu, Texas; Conway, Kansas; Edmonton, Alberta; and Sarnia, Ontario. Each of these hubs contains a critical mass of infrastructure, including fractionators, storage, pipelines and access to end markets, particularly Mont Belvieu.  In addition, there are several other production hubs, including Empress, Alberta and Hobbs, New Mexico. The West Virginia/Western Pennsylvania area is also rapidly developing as a meaningful NGL infrastructure hub.

 

NGL Storage. NGL must be stored under pressure to maintain a liquid state. The lighter the product (e.g., ethane), the greater the pressure that must be maintained. Large volumes of NGL are stored in underground caverns constructed in salt or granite. Product is also stored in above ground tanks. Natural gasoline can be stored at relatively low pressures in tankage similar to that used to store motor gasoline. Propane and butane are stored at much higher pressures in steel spheres, cylinders, bullets, salt caverns or other configurations. Ethane is stored at very high pressures, typically in salt caverns. Storage is especially important for NGL as supply and demand can vary materially on a seasonal basis.

 

NGL Market Outlook.  NGL supplies from gas processing plants are increasing rapidly due to the increased drilling activity in unconventional resource plays. Numerous industry and financial analysts project NGL supply volumes will continue to grow over the next several years with some analysts projecting U.S. supply volumes to increase from 2013 levels over 30% by 2017.  A significant amount of this volume is expected to come from recently discovered, unconventional resource plays that do not have the NGL infrastructure to process the wet natural gas or transport, fractionate, and store the NGL products.  Nor are these new supply areas near historical markets for the NGL purity products.  As a result of these dynamics, substantial incremental infrastructure is likely to be developed throughout the NGL value chain over the next several years, and traditional regional basis relationships could change significantly.  The expected continuation of a relatively low ratio of North American gas and NGL prices to world-wide crude oil prices means North American NGL will continue to be competitive on a world scale, either as feedstock for North American based manufacturing or export to overseas markets.  Thus, a portion of the increased supply of NGL will be absorbed by the domestic petrochemical sector as low-cost feed stocks, as the North American petrochemical industry has a supply cost advantage on a world scale.  In addition, growing production of Canadian heavy crude oil is likely to create demand for additional diluents, primarily natural gasoline and butane. The remaining product not absorbed domestically will likely drive continued growth in the NGL export market.  Due to rapid increases in NGL production, the prices of NGL (particularly ethane and propane) have been pressured relatively downward in certain regions. It is difficult to predict when such prices may rebound but this downward pressure on prices is one of the key drivers for the new infrastructure development referred to above.  The NGL market is, among other things, expected to be driven by:

 

·                  the absolute prices of NGL products and their prices relative to natural gas and crude oil;

 

·                  drilling activity and wet natural gas production in developing liquids-rich production areas;

 

·                  production growth/decline rates of wet natural gas in established supply areas;

 

·                  available processing, fractionation, storage and transportation capacity;

 

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·                  infrastructure development costs and timing as well as development risk sharing;

 

·                  the cost of acquiring rights from producers to process their gas;

 

·                  petro-chemical demand;

 

·                  diluent requirements for heavy Canadian oil;

 

·                  international demand for NGL products;

 

·                  regulatory changes in gasoline specifications affecting demand for butane;

 

·                  refinery shut downs;

 

·                  alternating needs of refineries to store and blend NGL;

 

·                  seasonal shifts in weather; and

 

·                  inefficiencies caused by regional supply and demand imbalances.

 

As a result of these and other factors, the NGL market is complex and volatile, which along with expected market growth creates opportunities to solve the logistical inefficiencies inherent in the business.

 

Natural Gas Storage Market Overview

 

North American natural gas storage facilities provide a staging and warehousing function for seasonal swings in demand relative to supply, as well as an essential reliability cushion against disruptions in natural gas supply, demand and transportation by allowing natural gas to be injected into, withdrawn from or warehoused in such storage facilities as dictated by market conditions. Natural gas storage serves as the “shock absorber” that balances the market, serving as a source of supply to meet the consumption demands in excess of daily production capacity and a warehouse for gas production in excess of daily demand during low demand periods.

 

Overall market conditions for natural gas storage have been challenging during the last several years, driven by a variety of factors, including (i) increased natural gas supplies due to production from shale resources, (ii) increased availability of storage capacity due to both new construction and the release of previously contracted storage capacity into the market as customers reduce their storage positions and/or exit the market, (iii) a reduction in overall market depth due to various companies exiting the physical gas marketing business, and (iv) lower basis differentials due to expansion and improved connectivity of natural gas transportation infrastructure over the last five years.  Due to these factors, both seasonal spreads, which are a proxy for the current intrinsic value of natural gas storage, and volatility levels, which impact the value we are able to realize on a short-term basis from our hub service and merchant storage activities, have been low relative to values experienced during the last seven years.

 

Longer term, we believe several factors will contribute to meaningful growth in North American natural gas demand that will bolster the market need for and the commercial value of natural gas storage.  These fundamental factors include (i) exports of North American volumes of LNG, (ii) construction of new gas-fired power plants, (iii) sustained fuel switching from coal to natural gas among existing power plants and (iv) growth in base-level industrial demand. As a result, we remain optimistic about the intermediate- to long-term intrinsic value of our natural gas storage assets.

 

However, projected seasonal spreads for the next few years reflect a directionally similar picture to the challenging market conditions we experienced during most of 2013. While recent extremely cold weather has added volatility and uncertainty to the market in the short term, it is difficult to predict the extent to which such conditions will impact overall market conditions on a longer term basis. A return to and continuation of the market conditions that prevailed during most of 2013 will continue to adversely impact our hub services activities as well as the lease rates our customers are willing to pay for firm storage services with respect to new capacity under construction and existing capacity upon expirations of existing term leases.

 

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Description of Segments and Associated Assets

 

Under GAAP, we consolidate AAP and PAA and its subsidiaries. We currently have no separate operating activities apart from those conducted by PAA. As such, our segment analysis, presentation and discussion is the same as that of PAA, which conducts its operations through three segments—Transportation, Facilities and Supply and Logistics. Accordingly, any references to “we,” “our,” and similar terms describing assets, business characteristics or other related matters are references to assets, business characteristics or other matters involving PAA’s assets and operations.

 

Following is a description of the activities and assets for each of our business segments.

 

Transportation Segment

 

Our transportation segment operations generally consist of fee-based activities associated with transporting crude oil and NGL on pipelines, gathering systems, trucks and barges. We generate revenue through a combination of tariffs, third-party leases of pipeline capacity and other transportation fees. Our transportation segment also includes our equity earnings from our investments in Settoon Towing and the White Cliffs, Butte, Frontier and Eagle Ford pipeline systems, in which we own interests ranging from 22% to 50% and account for under the equity method of accounting.

 

As of December 31, 2013, we employed a variety of owned or, to a much lesser extent, leased long-term physical assets throughout the United States and Canada in this segment, including approximately:

 

·                  16,900 miles of active crude oil and NGL pipelines and gathering systems;

 

·                  24 million barrels of active, above-ground tank capacity used primarily to facilitate pipeline throughput;

 

·                  744 trailers (primarily in Canada); and

 

·                  130 transport and storage barges and 62 transport tugs through our interest in Settoon Towing.

 

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The following is a tabular presentation of our active crude oil and NGL pipeline assets in the United States and Canada as of December 31, 2013, grouped by geographic location:

 

Region / Pipeline and Gathering Systems (1)		System Miles		2013 Average Net Barrels per Day (2)
				(in thousands)
United States Crude Oil Pipelines
Permian Basin
Basin / Mesa		599		718
Permian Basin Area Systems		2,944		581
Permian Basin Subtotal		3,543		1,299
South Texas/Eagle Ford
Eagle Ford Area Systems		439		102
Western
All American		138		40
Line 63 / Line 2000		354		113
Other		129		94
Western Subtotal		621		247
Rocky Mountain
Bakken Area Systems		953		131
Salt Lake City Area Systems		983		131
White Cliffs (3)		527		23
Other		1,316		113
Rocky Mountain Subtotal		3,779		398
Gulf Coast
Capline (3)		631		151
Other		898		291
Gulf Coast Subtotal		1,529		442
Central
Mid-Continent Area Systems		2,298		281
Other		313		124
Central Subtotal		2,611		405
United States Total		12,522		2,893
Canada
Crude Oil Pipelines:
Manito		555		46
Rainbow		858		124
Rangeland		1,316		60
South Saskatchewan		341		51
Other		99		102
Crude Oil Pipelines Subtotal		3,169		383
NGL Pipelines:
Co-Ed		772		56
Other		435		194
NGL Pipelines Subtotal		1,207		250
Canada Total		4,376		633
Grand Total		16,898		3,526

 

(1)                                     Ownership percentage varies on each pipeline and gathering system ranging from approximately 20% to 100%. In 2013, we sold certain of our refined products pipeline systems and related assets.

 

(2)                                     Represents average volume for the entire year attributable to our interest.

 

(3)                                     Pipelines operated by a third party.

 

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United States Pipelines

 

Permian Basin

 

Basin Pipeline System.  We own an 87% undivided joint interest in and are the operator of the Basin Pipeline system. The Basin system is a primary route for transporting crude oil from the Permian Basin (in west Texas and southern New Mexico) to Cushing, Oklahoma, for further delivery to Mid-Continent and Midwest refining centers. The Basin system also serves as the initial movement for transporting crude oil from the Permian Basin to the Gulf coast through connections to other carriers at Colorado City, Texas and Wichita Falls, Texas. The Basin system accommodates three primary movements of crude oil: (i) barrels that are shipped from Jal, New Mexico to the West Texas markets of Wink/Hendrick and Midland; (ii) barrels that are shipped from Midland to connecting carriers at Colorado City or Wichita Falls; and (iii) barrels that are shipped from Jal, Midland, Colorado City and Wichita Falls to connecting carriers at Cushing.

 

The Basin system is an approximate 520-mile mainline, telescoping crude oil system with a system capacity ranging from approximately 144,000 barrels per day to 450,000 barrels per day (approximately 125,000 barrels per day to 392,000 barrels per day attributable to our interest) depending on the segment. System throughput (as measured by tariff volumes) was approximately 512,000 barrels per day (attributable to our interest) during 2013. The Basin system is subject to tariff rates regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”).The system also includes approximately 6 million barrels of tankage. In 2013, we announced a project to increase capacity on the segment from Jal to Wink/Hendrick from 144,000 barrels per day to 240,000 barrels per day (approximately 125,000 barrels per day to 208,800 barrels per day attributable to our interest), which will be completed in 2014.

 

Mesa Pipeline System. We own a 63% interest in and are the operator of the Mesa Pipeline system, which transports crude oil from Midland to a refinery at Big Spring, Texas and to connecting carriers at Colorado City. The Mesa system is an 80-mile mainline with a system capacity of up to 360,000 barrels per day (approximately 226,800 barrels per day attributable to our interest).  System throughput (as measured by tariff volumes) was approximately 206,000 barrels per day (attributable to our interest) during 2013.

 

Permian Basin Area Systems. We operate wholly owned systems of approximately 2,950 miles that aggregate receipts from wellhead gathering lines and bulk truck injection locations into a combination of 4- to 16-inch diameter trunk lines for transportation and delivery into the Basin system at Jal, Wink and Midland as well as our terminal facilities in Midland. These systems are subject to tariff rates regulated by either the FERC or state regulatory agencies. During 2012 and 2013, we completed construction of multiple expansion and extension projects servicing the Bone Spring, Spraberry and Wolfberry producing areas in the Permian Basin. For 2013, combined throughput on the Permian Basin area systems totaled an average of approximately 581,000 barrels per day.

 

In 2013, we announced several new projects to increase and expand our Permian Basin infrastructure over the next few years to support crude oil production growth. These projects are expected to be completed in stages throughout 2014 and early 2015 and include:

 

·                  a new 310-mile crude oil pipeline extending from McCamey to Gardendale, Texas to provide 200,000 barrels per day (which, based on shipper demand,  may be increased to 250,000 barrels per day) of additional takeaway capacity from the Permian Basin (the “Cactus Pipeline”);

 

·                  a new 40-mile crude oil pipeline with 100,000 barrels per day of pipeline capacity from Monahans to Crane, Texas to supply volumes to a third-party pipeline as well as the Cactus Pipeline;

 

·                  a new 62-mile crude oil pipeline with 200,000 barrels of takeaway capacity from the South Midland Basin to the origin of the Cactus Pipeline at McCamey; and

 

·                  a new 80-mile crude oil pipeline between Midland and Colorado City, Texas that will provide an additional 250,000 barrels per day of capacity to supply connecting carriers at Colorado City.

 

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SouthTexas/Eagle Ford Area

 

Eagle Ford Area Systems. We own a 100% interest in and are the operator of several gathering systems that feed into our Gardendale Station, and we also own a 50% interest in and are the operator of the Eagle Ford joint venture pipeline. These Eagle Ford Area Systems consist of 439 miles of pipeline that service increasing production in the Eagle Ford shale play of South Texas and include approximately 2 million barrels of operational storage capacity across the system. The system serves the Three Rivers and Corpus Christi, Texas refineries and other markets via a marine terminal facility at Corpus Christi, as well as the Houston market via Enterprise Products Partners L.P.’s (“Enterprise”) connection at Lyssy, Texas. For 2013, total average throughput on our Eagle Ford Area Systems was approximately 102,000 barrels per day.

 

In 2013, we and Enterprise announced an expansion of the Eagle Ford joint venture pipeline to increase the pipeline’s capacity to 470,000 barrels per day. This expansion, which also includes the construction of an additional 2 million barrels of operational storage capacity, is expected to be in service in the second quarter of 2015.

 

Western

 

All American Pipeline System.  We own a 100% interest in the All American Pipeline system. The All American Pipeline is a common carrier crude oil pipeline system that transports crude oil produced from two outer continental shelf, or OCS, fields offshore California via connecting pipelines to refinery markets in California. The system receives crude oil from ExxonMobil’s Santa Ynez field at Las Flores and receives crude oil from the Freeport-McMoRan-operated Point Arguello field at Gaviota.  The system terminates at our Emidio Station. Between Gaviota and our Emidio Station, the All American Pipeline interconnects with our San Joaquin Valley Gathering System, Line 2000 and Line 63, as well as other third party intrastate pipelines. The system is subject to tariff rates regulated by the FERC.

 

A portion of our transportation segment profit on Line 63 and Line 2000 is derived from the pipeline transportation business associated with the Santa Ynez and Point Arguello fields and fields located in the San Joaquin Valley. Volumes shipped from the OCS are expected to decline.

 

Line 63.  We own a 100% interest in the Line 63 system. The Line 63 system is an intrastate common carrier crude oil pipeline system that transports crude oil produced in the San Joaquin Valley and California OCS to refineries and terminal facilities in the Los Angeles Basin and in Bakersfield. The Line 63 system consists of a 144-mile trunk pipeline, originating at our Kelley Pump Station in Kern County, California and terminating at our West Hynes Station in Long Beach, California. The trunk pipeline has a capacity of approximately 110,000 barrels per day. The Line 63 system includes five miles of distribution pipelines in the Los Angeles Basin, with a throughput capacity of approximately 144,000 barrels per day, and 148 miles of gathering pipelines in the San Joaquin Valley, with a throughput capacity of approximately 72,000 barrels per day. We also have approximately 1 million barrels of storage capacity on this system. These storage assets are used primarily to facilitate the transportation of crude oil on the Line 63 system.

 

During the fourth quarter of 2009, a 71-mile segment of Line 63 was temporarily taken out of service to allow for certain repairs and realignments to be performed. Line 63 volumes are currently being redirected from the north end of this out-of-service segment to the parallel Line 2000. The product is then batched along Line 2000 until it is re-injected into the active portion of Line 63, which is south of the out-of-service segment, for subsequent delivery to customers. This temporary pipeline segment closure and redirection of product has not impacted our normal throughput levels on this line. In 2013, we commenced a project to place this idle segment into service. We expect the project to be completed by mid-2015. For 2013, combined throughput on Line 63 totaled an average of approximately 52,000 barrels per day.

 

Line 2000.  We own and operate 100% of Line 2000, an intrastate common carrier crude oil pipeline that originates at our Emidio Pump Station (part of the All American Pipeline System) and transports crude oil produced in the San Joaquin Valley and California OCS to refineries and terminal facilities in the Los Angeles Basin. Line 2000 is an approximate 130-mile, 20-inch trunk pipeline with a throughput capacity of approximately 130,000 barrels per day. During 2013, throughput on Line 2000 (excluding Line 63 volumes) averaged approximately 61,000 barrels per day.

 

Rocky Mountain

 

Bakken Area Systems. We own and operate several gathering systems and pipelines that service crude oil production in Eastern Montana and Western North Dakota, and we also own a 22% interest in Butte Pipe Line. These Bakken Area Systems consist of 953 miles of pipeline, with total average throughput for 2013 of approximately 131,000 barrels per day.

 

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Salt Lake City Area Systems.  We operate the Salt Lake City and Wahsatch pipeline systems, in which we own interests of between 75% and 100%.  These systems include interstate and intrastate common carrier crude oil pipeline systems that transport crude oil produced in the U.S. Rocky Mountain region and Canada to refiners in Salt Lake City, Utah and to other pipelines at Ft. Laramie, Wyoming. These pipeline systems consist of 693 miles of pipelines and approximately one million barrels of storage capacity. These systems have a maximum throughput capacity of (i) approximately 20,000 barrels per day from Wamsutter, Wyoming to Ft. Laramie, Wyoming, (ii) approximately 49,000 barrels per day from Wamsutter, Wyoming to Wahsatch, Utah and (iii) approximately 120,000 barrels per day from Wahsatch, Utah to Salt Lake City, Utah.  For 2013, throughput on these systems (excluding Frontier Pipeline) in total averaged approximately 124,000  barrels per day.

 

Included in the Salt Lake City Area systems is our 22% interest in Frontier Pipeline, an interstate common carrier crude oil pipeline that consists of a 289-mile trunk pipeline with a maximum throughput capacity of 79,000 barrels per day. Frontier Pipeline originates in Casper, Wyoming and delivers crude oil into the Wahsatch Pipeline System. For 2013, throughput on Frontier averaged approximately 7,000 barrels per day (attributable to our interest).

 

White Cliffs Pipeline. We own an approximate 36% interest in the White Cliffs Pipeline, a 527-mile, 12-inch common carrier pipeline that originates in Platteville, Colorado and terminates in Cushing, Oklahoma. Rose Rock Midstream, L.P. serves as the operator of the pipeline. For 2013, throughput on White Cliffs Pipeline averaged approximately 23,000 barrels per day (attributable to our interest). In 2012, White Cliffs announced an expansion project that will increase total system capacity from 70,000 barrels per day to 150,000 barrels per day and is underpinned by long-term shipper commitments. This expansion is expected to be completed in the first half of 2014.

 

Gulf Coast

 

Capline Pipeline System.  The Capline Pipeline system, in which we own an aggregate undivided joint interest of approximately 54%, is a 631-mile, 40-inch mainline crude oil pipeline originating in St. James, Louisiana, and terminating in Patoka, Illinois.

 

Capline has direct connections to a significant amount of crude production in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, it has two active docks capable of handling approximately 600,000-barrel tankers and is connected to the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port and our St. James terminal and transports various grades of crude oil to PADD II. Total designed operating capacity is approximately 1.1 million barrels per day of crude oil, of which our attributable interest is approximately 600,000 barrels per day.  Throughput on our interest averaged approximately 151,000 barrels per day during 2013.

 

Gulf Coast Pipeline. We are constructing our Gulf Coast Pipeline, an approximate 42-mile pipeline that originates at our Ten Mile facility in Alabama and extends to a refinery on the Gulf Coast. Additionally, we are constructing approximately 600,000 of storage capacity at our Ten Mile facility. We expect this project to be in service by mid-2014.

 

Central

 

Mid-Continent Area Systems. We own and operate pipeline systems that source crude oil from the Cleveland Sand, Granite Wash and Mississippian/Lime resource plays of Western and Central Oklahoma, Southwest Kansas and the eastern Texas Panhandle. These systems consist of approximately 2,300 miles of pipeline with transportation and delivery into and out of our terminal facilities at Cushing. For 2013, combined throughput on the Mid-Continent Area systems totaled an average of approximately 281,000 barrels per day.

 

Included in the Mid-Continent Area Systems is our Mississippian Lime pipeline, which was placed into service in August 2013. This new pipeline, which is supported by a long-term commitment from an area producer, services the increasing crude oil production in Northern Oklahoma and Southern Kansas and provides crude oil transportation to our terminal facilities at Cushing. We are currently constructing two expansions of the Mississippian Lime pipeline, including an approximate 55-mile extension from Coldwater in Comanche County, Kansas to Byron in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma, as well as an approximate 45-mile extension that will extend our pipeline infrastructure into Logan County and farther into Grant County, Oklahoma. Each of these expansions is expected to be brought into service in the first quarter of 2014 and is supported by a long-term commitment from an area producer.

 

Also in 2013, we commenced construction of a 95-mile extension of our existing Oklahoma crude oil pipeline system to service increasing production from producing areas in Western Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. This new Western Oklahoma pipeline will provide up to 75,000 barrels per day of new takeaway capacity from Reydon, Oklahoma to our existing Orion station in Major County, Oklahoma. This pipeline is supported by long-term producer commitments and is expected to be in service by the first quarter of 2014.

 

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Canada Pipelines

 

Crude Oil Pipelines

 

Manito.  We own a 100% interest in the Manito heavy oil system. This 555-mile system is comprised of the Manito pipeline, the North Sask pipeline and the Bodo/Cactus Lake pipeline. Each system consists of a blended crude oil line and a parallel diluent line which delivers condensate to upstream blending locations. The North Sask pipeline is 84 miles in length and originates near Turtleford, Saskatchewan and terminates in Dulwich, Saskatchewan. The Manito pipeline includes 334 miles of pipeline, and the mainline segment originates at Dulwich and terminates at Kerrobert, Saskatchewan. The Bodo/Cactus Lake pipeline is 137 miles long and originates in Bodo, Alberta and also terminates at our Kerrobert storage facility. The Kerrobert storage and terminalling facility is connected to the Enbridge pipeline system and can both receive and deliver heavy crude from and to the Enbridge pipeline system.  For 2013, approximately 46,000 barrels per day of crude oil were transported on the Manito system.

 

Rainbow System.  We own a 100% interest in the Rainbow system. The Rainbow system is comprised of a 480-mile, 20-inch to 24-inch mainline crude oil pipeline extending from the Norman Wells Pipeline connection in Zama, Alberta to Edmonton, Alberta that has a throughput capacity of approximately 220,000 barrels per day and has 190 miles of gathering pipelines. In September 2013, we placed into service a 188-mile, 10-inch pipeline to transport diluent north from Edmonton, Alberta to our Nipisi truck terminal in Northern Alberta. This new pipeline has an initial capacity of 35,000 barrels per day and is expandable to 70,000 barrels per day. Total average throughput during 2013 on the Rainbow system was approximately 124,000 barrels per day.

 

Rangeland System.  We own a 100% interest in the Rangeland system. The Rangeland system consists of a 670 mile, 8-inch to 16-inch mainline pipeline and 646 miles of 3-inch to 8-inch gathering pipelines.  The Rangeland system transports NGL mix, butane, condensate, light sweet crude and light sour crude either north to Edmonton, Alberta or south to the U.S./Canadian border near Cutbank, Montana, where it connects to our Western Corridor system. Total average throughput during 2013 on the Rangeland system was approximately 60,000 barrels per day.

 

South Saskatchewan. We own a 100% interest in the South Saskatchewan system. This system consists of a 160 mile, 16-inch mainline from Cantuar to Regina, Saskatchewan and 181 miles of 6-inch to 12-inch gathering pipelines from the Rapdan area to Cantuar. The South Saskatchewan system transports heavy crude oil from four gathering areas in southern Saskatchewan to Enbridge’s Mainline at Regina. Total average throughput during 2013 on the South Saskatchewan system was approximately 51,000 barrels per day.

 

NGL Pipelines

 

Co-Ed NGL Pipeline System.  We own a 100% interest in and are the operator of the Co-Ed NGL Pipeline System, which consists of approximately 772 miles of 3-inch to 10-inch pipeline. This pipeline gathers NGL from approximately 35 field gas processing plants located in Alberta, including all of the NGL produced at the Cochrane Straddle Plant.  The Co-Ed NGL Pipeline System has throughput capacity of approximately 72,000 barrels per day. During 2013, throughput averaged approximately 56,000 barrels per day.

 

Facilities Segment

 

Our facilities segment operations generally consist of fee-based activities associated with providing storage, terminalling and throughput services for crude oil, refined products, NGL and natural gas, NGL fractionation and isomerization services and natural gas and condensate processing services. We generate revenue through a combination of month-to-month and multi-year leases and processing arrangements. Revenues generated in this segment include (i) storage fees that are generated when we lease storage capacity, (ii) terminal throughput fees that are generated when we receive crude oil, refined products or NGL from one connecting source and redeliver the applicable product to another connecting carrier, (iii) loading and unloading fees at our rail terminals, (iv) hub service fees associated with natural gas park and loan activities, interruptible storage services and wheeling and balancing services, (v) revenues from the sale of natural gas, (vi) fees from NGL fractionation and isomerization and (vii) fees from natural gas and condensate processing services.

 

As of December 31, 2013, we owned, operated or employed a variety of long-term physical assets throughout the United States and Canada in this segment, including:

 

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·                  approximately 74 million barrels of crude oil and refined products storage capacity primarily at our terminalling and storage locations;

 

·                  approximately 23 million barrels of NGL storage capacity;

 

·                  approximately 97 Bcf of natural gas storage working capacity;

 

·                  approximately 17 Bcf of owned base gas;

 

·                  11 natural gas processing plants located throughout Canada and the Gulf Coast area of the United States;

 

·                  a condensate stabilization facility located in the Eagle Ford area of South Texas with an aggregate processing capacity of approximately 80,000 barrels per day;

 

·                  seven fractionation plants located throughout Canada and the United States with an aggregate gross processing capacity of approximately 221,800 barrels per day, and an isomerization and fractionation facility in California with an aggregate processing capacity of approximately 14,000 barrels per day;

 

·                  24 crude oil and NGL rail terminals located throughout the United States and Canada. See “-Major Facilities Assets - Rail Facilities” below for an overview of various terminals and “Supply and Logistics” regarding our use of railcars; and

 

·                  approximately 1,250 miles of active pipelines that support our facilities assets, consisting primarily of NGL and natural gas pipelines.

 

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The following is a tabular presentation of our active facilities segment storage and service assets in the United States and Canada as of December 31, 2013, grouped by product and service type and capacity and volume as indicated:

 

Crude Oil and Refined Products Storage Facilities		Total Capacity (MMBbls)
Cushing		20
Kerrobert		1
LA Basin		8
Martinez and Richmond		5
Mobile and Ten Mile		2
Patoka		6
Philadelphia Area		4
St. James		9
Yorktown (1)		6
Other		13
		74

 

NGL Storage Facilities		Total Capacity (MMBbls)
Bumstead		4
Fort Saskatchewan		4
Sarnia Area		8
Tirzah		1
Other		6
		23

 

Natural Gas Storage Facilities		Total Capacity (Bcf)
Salt-caverns and Depleted Reservoir		97

 

Natural Gas Processing Facilities (2)		Ownership Interest		Total Gas Inlet Volume (3) (Bcf/d)		Gross Gas Processing Capacity  (Bcf/d)		Net Gas Processing Capacity  (Bcf/d)
United States Gulf Coast Area		100	%	0.2		0.6		0.6
Canada		36-100	%	1.3		6.7		5.4
				1.5		7.3		6.0

 

 

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(1)             Amount includes 1.6 million barrels of capacity for which we hold lease options (1.1 million barrels of which have been exercised).

 

(2)             While natural gas processing inlet volumes and capacity amounts are presented, they currently are not a significant driver of our segment results.

 

(3)             Inlet volumes represent average inlet volumes net to our share for the entire year.

 

(4)             Capacity transported will vary according to specification of product moved.

 

(5)             Our NGL rail terminals are predominately utilized for internal purposes specifically for our supply and logistics activities.  See our “-Supply and Logistics Segment” discussion following this section for further discussion regarding the use of our rail terminals.

 

The following discussion contains a detailed description of our more significant facilities segment assets.

 

Major Facilities Assets

 

Crude Oil and Refined Products Facilities

 

Cushing Terminal.  Our Cushing, Oklahoma Terminal (the “Cushing Terminal”) is located at the Cushing Interchange, one of the largest wet-barrel trading hubs in the United States and the delivery point for crude oil futures contracts traded on the NYMEX. The Cushing Terminal has been designated by the NYMEX as an approved delivery location for crude oil delivered under the NYMEX light sweet crude oil futures contract. As the NYMEX delivery point and a cash market hub, the Cushing Interchange serves as a source of refinery feedstock for Midwest and Gulf Coast refiners and plays an integral role in establishing and maintaining markets for many varieties of foreign and domestic crude oil. The facility has access to all major inbound and outbound pipelines in Cushing and is designed to handle multiple grades of crude oil while minimizing the interface and enabling deliveries to connecting carriers at their maximum rate.

 

Since 1999, we have completed multiple expansions, which have increased the capacity of the Cushing Terminal to a total of approximately 20 million barrels. During 2013, we added approximately 1.1 million barrels of such storage capacity through the construction of four 270,000 barrel tanks. We also added additional delivery capacity through the installation of a high volume meter. During mid-2013, we commenced construction of an additional 0.5 million barrels of storage capacity, which is expected to be placed into service in stages throughout 2014.

 

Kerrobert Terminal.  We own a crude oil and condensate storage and terminalling facility, which is located near Kerrobert, Saskatchewan and is connected to our Manito and Cactus Lake pipeline systems. The total storage capacity at the Kerrobert terminal is approximately 1 million barrels. This facility is also connected to the Enbridge pipeline system and can both receive and deliver heavy crude from and to the Enbridge pipeline system.

 

L.A. Basin.  We own four crude oil and refined product storage facilities in the Los Angeles area with a total of approximately 8 million barrels of storage capacity in commercial service and a distribution pipeline system of approximately 50 miles of pipeline in the Los Angeles Basin. We use the Los Angeles area storage and distribution system to service the storage and distribution needs of the refining, pipeline and marine terminal industries in the Los Angeles Basin. Our Los Angeles area system’s pipeline distribution assets connect our storage assets with major refineries and third-party pipelines and marine terminals in the Los Angeles Basin.

 

Martinez and Richmond Terminals.  We own two terminals in the San Francisco, California area: a terminal at Martinez (which provides refined product and crude oil service) and a terminal at Richmond (which provides refined product service). Our San Francisco area terminals have approximately 5 million barrels of combined storage capacity that are connected to area refineries through a network of owned and third-party pipelines that carry crude oil and refined products to and from area refineries. The terminals have dock facilities and our Richmond terminal is also able to receive products by rail.

 

Mobile and Ten Mile Terminal.  We have a marine terminal in Mobile, Alabama (the “Mobile Terminal”) that has current useable capacity of approximately 2 million barrels. Approximately 2 million barrels of additional storage capacity is available at our nearby Ten Mile Facility, which is connected to our Mobile Terminal via a 36-inch pipeline. Approximately half of the additional storage capacity at Ten Mile is included in our transportation segment.

 

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The Mobile Terminal is equipped with a ship/tanker dock, barge dock, truck unloading facilities and various third-party connections for crude oil movements to area refiners. Additionally, the Mobile Terminal serves as a source for imports of foreign crude oil to PADD II refiners through our Mississippi/Alabama pipeline system, which connects to the Capline System at our station in Liberty, Mississippi.

 

Patoka Terminal.  Our Patoka Terminal has approximately 6 million barrels of storage capacity and the associated manifold and header system at the Patoka Interchange located in southern Illinois. Our terminal is connected to all major pipelines and terminals at the patoka interchange.  Patoka is a growing regional hub with access to domestic and foreign crude oil for certain volumes moving north on the Capline system as well as Canadian barrels moving south.

 

Philadelphia Area Terminals.  We own four refined product terminals in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. Our Philadelphia area terminals have a combined storage capacity of approximately 4 million barrels. The terminals have 20 truck loading lanes, two barge docks and a ship dock. The Philadelphia area terminals provide services and products to all of the refiners in the Philadelphia harbor. The Philadelphia area terminals also receive products from connecting pipelines.

 

St. James Terminal.  We have approximately 9 million barrels of crude oil storage capacity at the St. James crude oil interchange in Louisiana, which is one of the three most liquid crude oil interchanges in the United States. The facility is connected to major pipelines and other terminals and includes a manifold and header system that allows for receipts and deliveries with connecting pipelines at their maximum operating capacity. Over the past few years, we completed the construction of a marine dock that is able to receive from tankers and receive from, and load, barges.  The facility is also connected to our rail unloading facility. See “-Rail Facilities” below for further discussion.

 

In 2013, we added approximately 0.6 million barrels of crude oil storage capacity to the St. James terminal, and we expect to add approximately 1.1 million barrels of crude oil storage capacity throughout 2014. These expansions are supported by multi-year contracts and throughput arrangements with third-party customers.

 

Yorktown Terminal.  We have approximately 6 million barrels of storage for crude oil, black oil, propane, butane and refined products at the Yorktown facility, including 1.6 million barrels of capacity for which we hold lease options (1.1 million barrels of which have been exercised). The Yorktown facility has its own deep-water port on the York River with the capacity to service the receipt and delivery of product from ships and barges.  This facility also has an active truck rack and rail capacity.  See “-Rail Facilities” below for further discussion. We are in the process of making a number of modifications to the Yorktown facility, which will enhance the capabilities of the rail system, the dock facilities and related infrastructure, and increase connectivity and flexibility within the terminal itself. Portions of these projects were completed in the fourth quarter of 2013, with the balance expected to be completed in early 2014.

 

NGL Storage Facilities

 

Bumstead.  The Bumstead facility is located at a major rail transit point near Phoenix, Arizona. With approximately 4 million barrels of useable capacity, the facility’s primary assets include three salt-dome storage caverns, a 30-car rail rack and six truck racks.

 

Fort Saskatchewan.  The Fort Saskatchewan facility is located approximately 16 miles northeast of Edmonton, Alberta in one of the key North American NGL hubs. The facility is a receipt, storage, fractionation and delivery facility for NGL and is connected to other major NGL plants and pipeline systems in the area. The facility’s primary assets include 21 storage caverns with approximately 4 million barrels in useable storage capacity. NGL mix and spec products can be delivered to the Enbridge pipeline in addition to the propane truck loading rack at the facility. The facility includes assets operated by us and assets operated by a third-party.  Our ownership in the various facility assets ranges from approximately 21% to 100%. See the section entitled “—NGL Fractionation and Isomerization Facilities” below for additional discussion of this facility.

 

During 2013, we began upgrading our Fort Saskatchewan storage capacity as part of a multi-phase expansion. The first phase of the expansion will add two additional NGL storage caverns and approximately 2.5 million barrels of additional brine pond capacity.

 

Sarnia Area.  The Sarnia facility is a large NGL fractionation, storage and shipping facility located on a 380 acre plant site in the Sarnia Chemical Valley. There are 36 multi-product rail car loading spots, 4 multi-product truck loading racks and a network of 14 pipelines providing product delivery capabilities to our Windsor, St. Clair and Green Springs terminal facilities, in addition to refineries, chemical plants, and other pipeline systems in the area. The facility has approximately 3 million barrels in useable storage capacity.  In 2013, we initiated a brine disposal program which will facilitate the removal of excess brine via truck from our Sarnia facility. The project is expected to increase useable NGL storage capacity at the facility by as much as 3 million barrels when completed.

 

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The Windsor storage terminal in Windsor, Canada, is a pipeline hub and underground storage facility. The facility is served by three Plains owned receipt/dispatch pipelines, the Cochin pipeline and rail and truck offloading. There are eight storage caverns on site with a useable capacity of approximately 3 million barrels. The primary terminal assets consist of 16 multi-product rail tank car loading spots and a propane truck loading rack. In 2014, we plan to initiate a brine disposal program which will facilitate the removal of excess brine via pipeline from our Windsor storage terminal. The project is expected to increase useable NGL storage capacity at the facility by approximately 1 million barrels.

 

The St. Clair terminal is a propane, isobutane and butane storage and distribution facility located in St. Clair, Michigan and is connected to the Sarnia facility via a Plains owned pipeline.  On site are seven storage caverns with useable capacity of approximately 2 million barrels and 28 multi-product rail tank car loading spots.

 

Tirzah.  The Tirzah facility is located in South Carolina and consists of an underground granite storage cavern with approximately 1 million barrels of useable capacity. The Tirzah facility is connected to the Dixie Pipeline System (a third-party system) via our 62-mile pipeline.

 

Natural Gas Storage Facilities

 

We own three FERC regulated natural gas storage facilities located in the Gulf Coast and Midwest that are permitted for 149 Bcf of working gas capacity, and as of December 31, 2013, we had an aggregate working gas capacity of approximately 97 Bcf in service. Our facilities have aggregate peak daily injection and withdrawal rates of 4.1 Bcf and 6.4 Bcf, respectively.

 

Our natural gas storage facilities are strategically located and have a diverse group of customers, including utilities, pipelines, producers, power generators, marketers and liquefied natural gas (“LNG”) exporters, whose storage needs vary from traditional seasonal storage services to hourly balancing. We are located near several major market hubs, including the Henry Hub (the delivery point for NYMEX natural gas futures contracts), the Carthage Hub (located in East Texas), the Perryville Hub (located in North Louisiana), and the major market hubs of Chicago, Illinois and Dawn, Ontario. Our facilities service consumer and industrial markets in the Gulf Coast, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and Southeast regions of the United States and the Southeastern portion of Canada through 19 interconnects with 12 interstate pipelines and 4 utility companies.

 

Natural Gas Processing Facilities

 

We own and operate five natural gas processing plants located in Louisiana and Alabama with an aggregate natural gas processing capacity of approximately 0.6 Bcf per day. In 2013, we completed a number of modifications to our Patterson, Louisiana gas processing facility, which included new pipeline and customer connections.

 

We also own and/or operate four straddle plants and two field gas processing plants located in Western Canada with an aggregate gross natural gas processing capacity of approximately 6.7 Bcf per day and long-term liquid supply contracts relating to a third-party owned straddle plant with gross processing capacity of approximately 2.5 Bcf per day.

 

Condensate Stabilization Facility

 

In February 2013, we completed construction of a condensate stabilization facility in La Salle County, Texas which is designed to extract natural gas liquids from condensate.  The facility, which currently has two stabilizers and a capacity of 80,000 barrels per day, is adjacent to our Gardendale terminal and rail facility. Throughput at the Gardendale stabilization facility is supplied by long-term commitments from producers. Since the facility began operations, throughput has averaged approximately 40,000 barrels per day.

 

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In 2013, we announced that we will add a third condensate stabilizer that will provide approximately 40,000 barrels per day of incremental capacity to the existing facility, bringing the total capacity to approximately 120,000 barrels per day. This project is expected to be in service in the second quarter of 2015.

 

NGL Fractionation and Isomerization Facilities

 

Fort Saskatchewan.  Our Fort Saskatchewan facility has a fractionation capacity of approximately 45,000 barrels per day and produces both spec NGL products and C3/C4 mix for delivery to the Sarnia facility via the Enbridge pipeline.

 

The fractionation feedstock is supplied via the Fort Saskatchewan Pipeline System which connects to the Co-Ed NGL Pipeline System. Through ownership in the Keyera Fort Saskatchewan fractionation plant, (which has a gross fractionation capacity of 30,000 barrels per day), we have additional fractionation capacity, net to our share of 6,300 barrels per day.

 

Sarnia.  The Sarnia Fractionator is the largest fractionation plant in Eastern Canada and receives NGL feedstock from the Enbridge Pipeline, the Kalkaska Pipeline, and from refineries, gas plants and chemical plants in the area.  The fractionation unit has a gross useable capacity of 120,000 barrels per day and produces specification propane, isobutane, normal butane and natural gasoline. Our ownership in the various processing units at the Sarnia Fractionator ranges from 62% to 84%.

 

Shafter.  Our Shafter facility located near Bakersfield, California provides isomerization and fractionation services to producers and customers. The primary assets consist of approximately 200,000 barrels of NGL storage and a processing facility with butane isomerization capacity of approximately 14,000 barrels per day and NGL fractionation capacity of approximately 12,000 barrels per day.

 

During the fourth quarter of 2013, we completed construction of a 15-mile NGL pipeline system that is capable of delivering up to 10,000 barrels per day from Occidental Petroleum Corporation’s Elk Hills Gas plant to our Shafter facility. This project also included additions to our storage capacity and rail facilities.

 

Gardendale. In 2013, we announced a project to construct a new NGL fractionator in the Eagle Ford area of South Texas that will have a capacity of up to 15,000 barrels per day of NGL Y-Grade and off-spec Y-Grade product. The fractionator will be located near existing PAA assets in Gardendale (La Salle County), Texas, and will be designed to fractionate NGL Y-Grade and to treat and fractionate off-spec Y-Grade sourced from our area gathering system, our condensate stabilizer and throughout the Eagle Ford producing region. This project, which is supported by long-term third-party commitments, will also include the construction of approximately 80,000 barrels of pressurized storage to accommodate Y-Grade and purity products and is expected to be in service in the second quarter of 2015.

 

Rail Facilities

 

Crude Oil Rail Loading Facilities

 

We own five active crude oil and condensate rail loading terminals that service production in the Niobrara, Eagle Ford and Bakken shale formations and have a combined loading capacity of approximately 211,000 barrels per day. These facilities are located in Carr, Colorado; Tampa, Colorado; Gardendale, Texas; Manitou, North Dakota; and Van Hook, North Dakota. We placed the Tampa, Colorado facility into service in November 2013.

 

We are currently expanding our Van Hook and Carr terminals to increase loading capacity at each terminal from 35,000 and 15,000 barrels per day, respectively, to 68,000 barrels per day. We expect to complete these expansions in mid-2014 and the first half of 2015, respectively. In addition, we are currently constructing crude oil rail loading facilities in Western Canada, which we expect to be in service in mid-2015.

 

Crude Oil Rail Unloading Facilities

 

We own two active crude oil rail unloading terminals and have one additional unloading terminal under construction. Our terminal at St. James, Louisiana is connected to our active rail unloading facility that has an unload capacity of 140,000 barrels of sweet crude oil per day. Our Yorktown, Virginia rail facility was placed into service in December 2013. This facility receives unit trains and has an unload capacity of approximately 140,000 barrels per day.

 

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In connection with our 2012 acquisition of rail terminals from US Development Group, we acquired a project to construct a crude oil unloading terminal near Bakersfield, California. We expect to complete this project during the second half of 2014, at which point this terminal will have permitted capacity to unload 70,000 barrels per day.

 

NGL Rail Facilities

 

We own nineteen operational NGL rail facilities located throughout the United States and Canada that are strategically located near NGL storage, pipelines, gas production or propane distribution centers. Our NGL rail facilities currently have 247 railcar rack spots and 1,135 railcar storage spots and we have the ability to switch our own rail cars at six of these terminals.

 

Supply and Logistics Segment

 

Our supply and logistics segment operations generally consist of the following merchant-related activities:

 

·                  the purchase of U.S. and Canadian crude oil at the wellhead, the bulk purchase of crude oil at pipeline, terminal and rail facilities, and the purchase of cargos at their load port and various other locations in transit;

 

·                  the storage of inventory during contango market conditions and the seasonal storage of NGL;

 

·                  the purchase of NGL from producers, refiners, processors and other marketers;

 

·                  the resale or exchange of crude oil and NGL at various points along the distribution chain to refiners or other resellers to maximize profits; and

 

·                  the transportation of crude oil and NGL on trucks, barges, railcars, pipelines and ocean-going vessels from various delivery points, market hub locations or directly to end users such as refineries, processors and fractionation facilities.

 

We characterize a substantial portion of our baseline segment profit generated by our Supply and Logistics segment as fee equivalent. This portion of the segment profit is generated by the purchase and resale of crude oil on an index-related basis, which results in us generating a gross margin for such activities. This gross margin is reduced by the transportation, facilities and other logistical costs associated with delivering the crude oil to market as well as any operating and general and administrative expenses. The level of profit associated with a portion of the other activities we conduct in the Supply and Logistics segment is influenced by overall market structure and the degree of market volatility, as well as variable operating expenses. The majority of activities that are carried out within our supply and logistics segment are designed to produce a stable baseline of results in a variety of market conditions, while at the same time providing upside potential associated with opportunities inherent in volatile market conditions (including opportunities to benefit from fluctuating differentials). These activities utilize storage facilities at major interchange and terminalling locations and various hedging strategies to provide a balance. The tankage that is used to support our arbitrage activities positions us to capture margins in a contango market or when the market switches from contango to backwardation. See “—Impact of Commodity Price Volatility and Dynamic Market Conditions on Our Business Model” below for further discussion.

 

In addition to substantial working inventories associated with its merchant activities, as of December 31, 2013, our supply and logistics segment also owned significant volumes of crude oil and NGL classified as long-term assets for linefill or minimum inventory requirements and employs a variety of owned or leased physical assets throughout the United States and Canada, including approximately:

 

·                  12 million barrels of crude oil and NGL linefill in pipelines owned by us;

 

·                  4 million barrels of crude oil and NGL linefill in pipelines owned by third parties and other long-term inventory;

 

·                  843 trucks and 982 trailers; and

 

·                  7,400 crude oil and NGL railcars.

 

In connection with its operations, the supply and logistics segment secures transportation and facilities services from our other two segments as well as third-party service providers under month-to-month and multi-year arrangements. Intersegment sales are based on posted tariff rates, rates similar to those charged to third parties or rates that we believe approximate market rates. However, certain terminalling and storage rates recognized within our facilities segment are discounted to our supply and logistics segment to reflect the fact that these services may be canceled on short notice to enable the facilities segment to provide services to third parties, generally under longer term arrangements.

 

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The following table shows the average daily volume of our supply and logistics activities for the year ended December 31, 2013 (in thousands of barrels per day):

 

		Volumes
Crude oil lease gathering purchases		859
NGL sales		215
Waterborne cargos		4
Supply and Logistics activities total		1,078

 

Crude Oil and NGL Purchases.  We purchase crude oil and NGL from multiple producers under contracts and believe that we have established long-term, broad-based relationships with the crude oil and NGL producers in our areas of operations. Our crude oil contracts generally range in term from thirty-day evergreen to five years, with the majority ranging from thirty days to one year and a limited number of contracts extending up to eight years. We utilize our truck fleet and gathering pipelines as well as leased railcars, third-party pipelines, trucks and barges to transport the crude oil to market. In addition, we purchase foreign crude oil. Under these contracts we may purchase crude oil upon delivery in the United States or we may purchase crude oil in foreign locations and transport it on third-party tankers.

 

We purchase NGL from producers, refiners, and other NGL marketing companies under contracts that typically have ranged from immediate delivery to one year in term. With the shortage of fractionation and storage space in Western Canada, we are pursuing an increasing number of contracts with five to 10 year terms to firm up capacity utilization and base-load expansion projects. We utilize our trucking fleet and pipeline network, as well as leased railcars, third-party tank trucks and third-party pipelines to transport NGL.

 

In addition to purchasing crude oil from producers, we purchase both domestic and foreign crude oil in bulk at major pipeline terminal locations and barge facilities. We also purchase NGL in bulk at major pipeline terminal points and storage facilities from major integrated oil companies, large independent producers or other NGL marketing companies or processors. Crude oil and NGL are purchased in bulk when we believe additional opportunities exist to realize margins further downstream in the crude oil or NGL distribution chain. The opportunities to earn additional margins vary over time with changing market conditions. Accordingly, the margins associated with our bulk purchases will fluctuate from period to period.

 

Crude Oil and NGL Sales.  The activities involved in the supply, logistics and distribution of crude oil and NGL are complex and require current detailed knowledge of crude oil and NGL sources and end markets, as well as a familiarity with a number of factors including grades of crude oil, individual refinery demand for specific grades of crude oil, area market price structures, location of customers, various modes and availability of transportation facilities and timing and costs (including storage) involved in delivering crude oil and NGL to the appropriate customer.

 

We sell our crude oil to major integrated oil companies, independent refiners and other resellers in various types of sale and exchange transactions. We sell NGL primarily to propane and refined product retailers, petrochemical companies and refiners, and limited volumes to other marketers. A majority of our crude oil and NGL contracts generally range in term from a thirty-day evergreen to one year terms. We establish a margin for the crude oil and NGL we purchase by entering into physical sales contracts with third parties, or by entering into a future delivery obligation with respect to futures contracts on the NYMEX, ICE or over-the-counter. Through these transactions, we seek to maintain a position that is substantially balanced between purchases and sales and future delivery obligations. From time to time, we enter into various types of sale and exchange transactions including fixed price delivery contracts, floating price collar arrangements, financial swaps and crude oil and NGL-related futures contracts as hedging devices.

 

Crude Oil and NGL Exchanges.  We pursue exchange opportunities to enhance margins throughout the gathering and marketing process. When opportunities arise to increase our margin or to acquire a grade, type or volume of crude oil or NGL that more closely matches our physical delivery requirement, location or the preferences of our customers, we exchange physical crude oil or NGL, as appropriate, with third parties. These exchanges are effected through contracts called exchange or buy/sell agreements. Through an exchange agreement, we agree to buy crude oil or NGL that differs in terms of geographic location, grade of crude oil or type of NGL, or physical delivery schedule from crude oil or NGL we have available for sale. Generally, we enter into exchanges to acquire crude oil or NGL at locations that are closer to our end markets, thereby reducing transportation costs and increasing our margin. We also exchange our crude oil to be physically delivered at a later date, if the exchange is expected to result in a higher margin net of storage costs, and enter into exchanges based on the grade of crude oil, which includes such factors as sulfur content and specific gravity, in order to meet the quality specifications of our physical delivery contracts. See Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of our accounting for exchange and buy/sell agreements.

 

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Credit.  Our merchant activities involve the purchase of crude oil, NGL, natural gas and refined products for resale and require significant extensions of credit by our suppliers. In order to assure our ability to perform our obligations under the purchase agreements, various credit arrangements are negotiated with our suppliers. These arrangements include open lines of credit and, to a lesser extent, standby letters of credit issued under our hedged inventory facility or our senior unsecured revolving credit facility.

 

When we sell crude oil, NGL, natural gas and refined products, we must determine the amount, if any, of the line of credit to be extended to any given customer. We manage our exposure to credit risk through credit analysis, credit approvals, credit limits, prepayment, letters of credit and monitoring procedures.

 

Because our typical sales transactions can involve large volumes of crude oil and natural gas, the risk of nonpayment and nonperformance by customers is a major consideration in our business. We believe our sales are made to creditworthy entities or entities with adequate credit support. Generally, sales of crude oil and natural gas are settled within 30 days of the month of delivery, and pipeline, transportation and terminalling services settle within 30 days from the date we issue an invoice for the provision of services.

 

We also have credit risk exposure related to our sales of NGL (principally propane); however, because our sales are typically in relatively small amounts to individual customers, we do not believe that these transactions pose a material concentration of credit risk. Typically, we enter into annual contracts to sell NGL on a forward basis, as well as to sell NGL on a current basis to local distributors and retailers. In certain cases our NGL customers prepay for their purchases, in amounts ranging up to 100% of their contracted amounts.

 

Certain activities in our supply and logistics segment are affected by seasonal aspects, primarily with respect to NGL supply and logistics activities, which generally have higher activity levels during the first and fourth quarters of each year.

 

Impact of Commodity Price Volatility and Dynamic Market Conditions on Our Business Model

 

Through our three business segments, we are engaged in the transportation, storage, terminalling and marketing of crude oil, refined products, NGL and natural gas.  The majority of our activities are focused on crude oil, which is the principal feedstock used by refineries in the production of transportation fuels.

 

Crude oil, NGL, natural gas and refined products commodity prices have historically been very volatile. For example, since the mid-1980s, NYMEX West Texas Intermediate crude oil benchmark prices have ranged from a low of approximately $10 per barrel during 1986 to a high of over $147 per barrel during 2008. During 2013, West Texas Intermediate crude oil prices traded within a range of $87 to $111 per barrel.

 

Absent extended periods of lower crude oil prices that are below production replacement costs or higher crude oil prices that have a significant adverse impact on consumption, demand for the services we provide in our fee-based transportation and facilities segments and our gross profit from these activities have little correlation to absolute crude oil prices.  Relative contribution levels will vary from quarter-to-quarter due to seasonal and other similar factors, but our fee-based transportation and facilities segments should comprise approximately 70% to 80% of our aggregate base level segment profit.

 

Base level segment profit from our supply and logistics activities is dependent on our ability to sell crude oil and NGL at prices in excess of our aggregate cost. Although segment profit may be adversely affected during certain transitional periods, our crude oil supply, logistics and distribution operations are not directly affected by the absolute level of crude oil prices, but are affected by overall levels of supply and demand for crude oil and relative fluctuations in market-related indices.

 

In developing our business model and allocating our resources among our three segments, we attempt to anticipate the impacts of shifts between supply-driven markets and demand-driven markets, seasonality, cyclicality, regional surpluses and shortages, economic conditions and a number of other influences that can cause volatility and change market dynamics on a short, intermediate and long-term basis.  Our objective is to position the Partnership such that our overall annual base level of cash flow is not materially adversely affected by the absolute level of energy prices, shifts between demand-driven markets and supply-driven markets or other similar dynamics.  We believe the complementary, balanced nature of our business activities and diversification of our asset base among varying regions and demand-driven and supply-driven markets provides us with a durable base level of cash flow in a variety of market scenarios.

 

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In addition to providing a durable base level of cash flow, this approach is also intended to provide opportunities to realize incremental margin during volatile market conditions. For example, if crude oil prices are high relative to historical levels, we may hedge some of our expected pipeline loss allowance barrels, and if crude oil prices are low relative to historical prices, we may hedge a portion of our anticipated diesel purchases needed to operate our trucks and barges.  Also, during periods when supply exceeds the demand for crude oil, NGL or natural gas in the near term, the market for such product is often in contango, meaning that the price for future deliveries is higher than current prices. In a contango market, entities that have access to storage at major trading locations can purchase crude oil, NGL or natural gas at current prices for storage and simultaneously sell forward such products for future delivery at higher prices.  Conversely, when there is a higher demand than supply of crude oil, NGL or natural gas in the near term, the market is backwardated, meaning that the price for future deliveries is lower than current prices.  In a backwardated market, hedged positions established in a contango market can be unwound, with the physical product or futures position sold into the current higher priced market at a level that mitigates losses associated with closing out future delivery obligations.

 

The combination of a high level of fee-based cash flow from our transportation and facilities segments, complemented by a number of diverse, flexible and counter-balanced sources of cash flow within our supply and logistics segment is intended to enable us to accomplish our objectives of maintaining a durable base level of cash flow and providing upside opportunities.  In executing this business model, we employ a variety of financial risk management tools and techniques, predominantly in our supply and logistics segment.

 

Risk Management

 

In order to hedge margins involving our physical assets and manage risks associated with our various commodity purchase and sale obligations and, in certain circumstances, to realize incremental margin during volatile market conditions, we use derivative instruments.  We also use various derivative instruments to manage our exposure to interest rate risk and currency exchange rate risk. In analyzing our risk management activities, we draw a distinction between enterprise level risks and trading-related risks. Enterprise level risks are those that underlie our core businesses and may be managed based on management’s assessment of the cost or benefit in doing so. Conversely, trading-related risks (the risks involved in trading in the hopes of generating an increased return) are not inherent in our core business; rather, those risks arise as a result of engaging in the trading activity. Our policy is to manage the enterprise level risks inherent in our core businesses, rather than trying to profit from trading activity. Our commodity risk management policies and procedures are designed to monitor NYMEX, ICE and over the counter positions, as well as physical volumes, grades, locations, delivery schedules and storage capacity, to help ensure that our hedging activities address our risks. Our interest rate and currency exchange rate risk management policies and procedures are designed to monitor our derivative positions and ensure that those positions are consistent with our objectives and approved strategies. We have a risk management function that has direct responsibility and authority for our risk policies, related controls around commercial activities and procedures and certain other aspects of corporate risk management. Our risk management function also approves all new risk management strategies through a formal process. Our approved strategies are intended to mitigate and manage enterprise level risks that are inherent in our core businesses.

 

Except for pre-defined inventory positions, our policy is generally to structure our purchase and sales contracts so that price fluctuations do not materially affect our operating income, and not to acquire and hold physical inventory or derivatives for the purpose of speculating on outright commodity price changes.

 

Although we seek to maintain a position that is substantially balanced within our supply and logistics activities, we purchase crude oil, refined products, NGL and natural gas from thousands of locations and may experience net unbalanced positions for short periods of time as a result of production, transportation and delivery variances as well as logistical issues associated with inclement weather conditions and other uncontrollable events that occur within each month. When unscheduled physical inventory builds or draws do occur, they are monitored constantly and managed to a balanced position over a reasonable period of time. This activity is monitored independently by our risk management function and must take place within predefined limits and authorizations.

 

Geographic Data; Financial Information about Segments

 

See Note 18 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

Customers

 

Marathon Petroleum Corporation and its subsidiaries accounted for approximately 15% of our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2013 and approximately 16% of our revenues for each of the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011. ExxonMobil Corporation and its subsidiaries accounted for approximately 13%, 13% and 10% of our revenues for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Phillips 66 and its subsidiaries accounted for approximately 11% of our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2013. ConocoPhillips Company (prior to the spin-off of Phillips 66, which was effective May 1, 2012) accounted for approximately 10% of our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2011. No other customers accounted for 10% or more of our revenues during any of the three years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011. The

 

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majority of revenues from these customers pertain to our supply and logistics operations. The sales to these customers occur at multiple locations and we believe that the loss of these customers would have only a short-term impact on our operating results. There is risk, however, that we would not be able to identify and access a replacement market at comparable margins.  For a discussion of customers and industry concentration risk, see Note 13 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

Competition

 

Competition among pipelines is based primarily on transportation charges, access to producing areas and supply regions and demand for the crude oil and NGL by end users. We believe that high capital requirements, environmental considerations and the difficulty in acquiring rights-of-way and related permits make it unlikely that competing pipeline systems comparable in size and scope to our pipeline systems will be built in the foreseeable future. However, to the extent there are already third-party owned pipelines or owners with joint venture pipelines with excess capacity in the vicinity of our operations, we are exposed to significant competition based on the relatively low cost of moving an incremental barrel of crude oil or NGL. In addition, in areas where additional infrastructure is necessary to accommodate new or increased production or changing product flows, we face competition in providing the required infrastructure solutions as well as the risk of building capacity in excess of sustained demand. Depending upon the specific movement, pipelines, which generally offer the lowest cost of transportation, may also face competition from other forms of transportation, such as rail and barge. Although these alternative forms of transportation are typically higher cost, they can provide access to alternative markets at which a higher price may be realized for the commodity being transported, thereby overcoming the increased transportation cost.

 

We also face competition with respect to our supply and logistics and facilities services. Our competitors include other crude oil and NGL pipeline companies, other NGL processing and fractionation companies, the major integrated oil companies, their marketing affiliates and independent gatherers, banks that have established a trading platform, brokers and marketers of widely varying sizes, financial resources and experience. Some of these competitors have capital resources greater than ours.

 

With respect to our natural gas storage operations, the principal elements of competition are rates, terms of service, supply and market access and flexibility of service.  An increase in competition in our markets could arise from new ventures or expanded operations from existing competitors.  Our natural gas storage facilities compete with several other storage providers, including regional storage facilities and utilities. Certain pipeline companies have existing storage facilities connected to their systems that compete with some of our facilities.

 

Regulation

 

Our assets, operations and business activities are subject to extensive legal requirements and regulations under the jurisdiction of numerous federal, state, provincial and local agencies. Many of these agencies are authorized by statute to issue, and have issued, requirements binding on the pipeline industry, related businesses and individual participants. The failure to comply with such legal requirements and regulations can result in substantial penalties. At any given time there may be proposals, provisional rulings or proceedings in legislation or under governmental agency or court review that could affect our business. The regulatory burden on our assets, operations and activities increases our cost of doing business and, consequently, affects our profitability, but we do not believe that these laws and regulations affect us in a significantly different manner than our competitors. We may at any time also be required to apply significant resources in responding to governmental requests for information and/or enforcement actions. In 2010 we settled by means of separate Consent Decrees, two Department of Justice (“DOJ”)/Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) proceedings regarding certain releases of crude oil. One Consent Decree applied to our crude oil pipelines in general and was terminated in November 2013. The remaining Consent Decree applies to a specific system. Although we believe that all material aspects of the injunctive elements of the remaining Consent Decree (costs and operational effects) have been incorporated into our budgeting and planning process, future proceedings could result in additional injunctive remedies, the effect of which would subject us to operational requirements and constraints that would not apply to our competitors.

 

The following is a discussion of certain, but not all, of the laws and regulations affecting our operations.

 

Environmental, Health and Safety Regulation

 

General

 

Our operations involving the storage, treatment, processing and transportation of liquid hydrocarbons including crude oil are subject to stringent federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations governing the discharge of materials into the environment or otherwise relating to protection of the environment. As with the industry generally, compliance with these laws and regulations increases our overall cost of doing business, including our capital costs to construct, maintain and upgrade equipment and facilities. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations could result in the assessment of administrative, civil and criminal penalties, the

 

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imposition of investigatory and remedial liabilities and the issuance of injunctions that may subject us to additional operational constraints that our competitors are not required to follow. Environmental and safety laws and regulations are subject to changes that may result in more stringent requirements, and we cannot provide any assurance that compliance with current and future laws and regulations will not have a material effect on our results of operations or earnings. A discharge of hazardous liquids into the environment could, to the extent such event is not insured, subject us to substantial expense, including both the cost to comply with applicable laws and regulations and any claims made by third parties. The following is a summary of some of the environmental and safety laws and regulations to which our operations are subject.

 

Pipeline Safety/Pipeline and Storage Tank Integrity Management

 

A substantial portion of our petroleum pipelines and our storage tank facilities in the United States are subject to regulation by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (“PHMSA”) pursuant to the Hazardous Liquids Pipeline Safety Act of 1979, as amended (the “HLPSA”). The HLPSA imposes safety requirements on the design, installation, testing, construction, operation, replacement and management of pipeline and tank facilities. Federal regulations implementing the HLPSA require pipeline operators to adopt measures designed to reduce the environmental impact of oil discharges from onshore oil pipelines, including the maintenance of comprehensive spill response plans and the performance of extensive spill response training for pipeline personnel. These regulations also require pipeline operators to develop and maintain a written qualification program for individuals performing covered tasks on pipeline facilities. Comparable regulation exists in some states in which we conduct intrastate common carrier or private pipeline operations. Regulation in Canada is under the National Energy Board (“NEB”) and provincial agencies.

 

United States

 

The HLPSA was amended by the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 and the Pipeline Inspection, Protection, Enforcement and Safety Act of 2006. These amendments have resulted in the adoption of rules by the Department of Transportation (“DOT”) that require transportation pipeline operators to implement integrity management programs, including more frequent inspections, correction of identified anomalies and other measures, to ensure pipeline safety in “high consequence areas” such as high population areas, areas unusually sensitive to environmental damage, and commercially navigable waterways. In the United States, our costs associated with the inspection, testing and correction of identified anomalies were approximately $57 million in 2013, $39 million in 2012 and $32 million in 2011. Based on currently available information, our preliminary estimate for 2014 is that we will incur approximately $25 million in operational expenditures and approximately $52 million in capital expenditures associated with our required pipeline integrity management program. Significant additional expenses could be incurred if new or more stringently interpreted pipeline safety requirements are implemented. Currently, we believe our pipelines are in substantial compliance with HLPSA and the 2002 and 2006 amendments. In addition to required activities, our integrity management program includes several internal programs designed to prevent incidents and includes activities such as automating valves and replacing river crossings. Costs incurred for such activities were approximately $22 million in 2013, $24 million in 2012 and $22 million in 2011, and our preliminary estimate for 2014 is that we will incur approximately $47 million.

 

On December 13, 2011, the United States Congress passed the “Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011” (the “Act”). The President signed the Act into law on January 3, 2012.  Under the Act, maximum civil penalties for certain violations have been increased from $100,000 to $200,000 per violation per day, and from a total cap of $1 million to $2 million.  In addition, the Act reauthorizes the federal pipeline safety programs of PHMSA through September 30, 2015, and directs the Secretary of Transportation to undertake a number of reviews, studies and reports, some of which may result in additional natural gas and hazardous liquids pipeline safety rulemaking.

 

A number of the provisions of the Act have the potential to cause owners and operators of pipeline facilities to incur significant capital expenditures and/or operating costs.  Any additional requirements resulting from these directives are not expected to impact us differently than our competitors.  We will work closely with our industry associations to participate with and monitor DOT-PHMSA’s efforts.

 

We have an internal review process in which we examine the condition and operating history of our pipelines and gathering assets to determine if any of our assets warrant additional investment or replacement. Accordingly, in addition to potential cost increases related to unanticipated regulatory changes or injunctive remedies resulting from U.S. EPA enforcement actions, we may elect (as a result of our own internal initiatives) to spend substantial sums to ensure the integrity of and upgrade our pipeline systems and, in some cases, we may take pipelines out of service if we believe the cost of upgrades will exceed the value of the pipelines.

 

If approved by PHMSA, states may assume responsibility for enforcing federal interstate pipeline regulations as agents for PHMSA and conduct inspections of intrastate pipelines. In practice, states vary in their authority and capacity to address pipeline safety. We do not anticipate any significant issues in complying with applicable state laws and regulations.

 

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The DOT has issued guidelines with respect to securing regulated facilities against terrorist attack. We have instituted security measures and procedures in accordance with such guidelines to enhance the protection of certain of our facilities. We cannot provide any assurance that these security measures would fully protect our facilities from an attack.

 

The DOT has adopted American Petroleum Institute Standard 653 (“API 653”) as the standard for the inspection, repair, alteration and reconstruction of steel aboveground petroleum storage tanks subject to DOT jurisdiction. API 653 requires regularly scheduled inspection and repair of tanks remaining in service. In the United States, costs associated with this program were approximately $26 million, $31 million and $22 million in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. For 2014, we have budgeted approximately $34 million in connection with continued API 653 compliance activities and similar new EPA regulations for tanks not regulated by the DOT. Certain storage tanks may be taken out of service if we believe the cost of compliance will exceed the value of the storage tanks or replacement tankage may be constructed.

 

Canada

 

In Canada, the NEB and provincial agencies such as the Alberta Energy Regulator (f/k/a the Energy Resources Conservation Board) (“AER”) and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Economy regulate the safety and integrity management of pipelines and storage tanks used for hydrocarbon transmission. We have incurred and will continue to incur costs related to such regulatory requirements.  In 2013 the AER issued an order under Section 22 of the Oil and Gas Conservation Act imposing additional regulatory requirements on PMC with respect to obtaining operating approvals under such Act and ordering an audit of PMC’s operations. Although we believe that all material aspects of the order (costs and operational effects) have been incorporated into our budgeting and planning process, future proceedings could result in additional operational requirements and constraints that would not apply to our competitors.  In addition to required activities, our integrity management program includes several internal programs designed to prevent incidents and includes activities such as upgrades to our operating and maintenance programs and systems and upgrades to our pipeline watercourse crossing integrity program.  Between such required and elective activities we spent approximately $90 million in 2013, $80 million in 2012 and $35 million in 2011. Our preliminary estimate for 2014 is approximately $106 million. Significant additional expenses could be incurred if new or more stringently interpreted pipeline safety requirements are implemented.

 

Although we believe that our pipeline operations are in substantial compliance with currently applicable regulatory requirements, we cannot predict the potential costs associated with additional, future regulation. Since asset acquisitions are an integral part of our business strategy, as we acquire additional assets, we may be required to incur additional costs to ensure that the acquired assets comply with the regulatory standards in the United States and Canada.

 

Occupational Safety and Health

 

United States

 

In the United States, we are subject to the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, as amended (“OSHA”) and comparable state statutes that regulate the protection of the health and safety of workers. In addition, the OSHA hazard communication standard requires that certain information be maintained about hazardous materials used or produced in operations and that this information be provided to employees, state and local government authorities and citizens. Certain of our facilities are subject to OSHA Process Safety Management (“PSM”) regulations, which are designed to prevent or minimize the consequences of catastrophic releases of toxic, reactive, flammable or explosive chemicals.  These regulations apply to any process which involves a chemical at or above specified thresholds or any process that involves 10,000 pounds or more of a flammable liquid or gas in one location.  We believe that our operations are in substantial compliance with OSHA requirements, including general industry standards, recordkeeping requirements and monitoring of occupational exposure to regulated substances.

 

Canada

 

Similar regulatory requirements exist in Canada under the federal and provincial Occupational Health and Safety Acts, Regulations and Codes. The agencies with jurisdiction under these regulations are empowered to enforce them through inspection, audit, incident investigation or investigation of a public or employee complaint.  In some jurisdictions, the agencies have been empowered to administer penalties for contraventions without the company first being prosecuted.  Additionally, under the Criminal Code of Canada, organizations, corporations and individuals may be prosecuted criminally for violating the duty to protect employee and public safety. We believe that our operations are in substantial compliance with applicable occupational health and safety requirements.

 

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Solid Waste

 

We generate wastes, including hazardous wastes, which are subject to the requirements of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as amended (“RCRA”), and analogous state and provincial laws. Many of the wastes that we generate are not subject to the most stringent requirements of RCRA because our operations generate primarily oil and gas wastes, which currently are excluded from consideration as RCRA hazardous wastes. It is possible, however, that in the future, oil and gas wastes may be included as hazardous wastes under RCRA, in which event our wastes as well as the wastes of our competitors will be subject to more rigorous and costly disposal requirements, resulting in additional capital expenditures or operating expenses.

 

Hazardous Substances

 

The federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, as amended (“CERCLA”), also known as “Superfund,” and comparable state laws impose liability, without regard to fault or the legality of the original act, on certain classes of persons that contributed to the release of a “hazardous substance” into the environment. These persons include the owner or operator of the site or sites where the release occurred and companies that disposed of, or arranged for the disposal of, the hazardous substances found at the site. Such persons may be subject to strict, joint and several liability for the costs of cleaning up the hazardous substances that have been released into the environment, for damages to natural resources, and for the costs of certain health studies. It is not uncommon for neighboring landowners and other third parties to file claims for personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by hazardous substances or other pollutants released into the environment. In the course of our ordinary operations, we may generate waste that falls within CERCLA’s definition of a “hazardous substance.”  Canadian and provincial laws also impose liabilities for releases of certain substances into the environment.

 

We are subject to the EPA’s Risk Management Plan regulations at certain facilities. These regulations are intended to work with OSHA’s PSM regulations (see “-Occupational Safety and Health” above) to minimize the offsite consequences of catastrophic releases.  The regulations require us to develop and implement a risk management program that includes a five-year accident history, an offsite consequence analysis process, a prevention program and an emergency response program.  We believe we are operating in substantial compliance with our risk management program.

 

Environmental Remediation

 

We currently own or lease, and in the past have owned or leased, properties where hazardous liquids, including hydrocarbons, are or have been handled. These properties and the hazardous liquids or associated wastes disposed thereon may be subject to CERCLA, RCRA and state and Canadian federal and provincial laws and regulations. Under such laws and regulations, we could be required to remove or remediate hazardous liquids or associated wastes (including wastes disposed of or released by prior owners or operators) and to clean up contaminated property (including contaminated groundwater).

 

We maintain insurance of various types with varying levels of coverage that we consider adequate under the circumstances to cover our operations and properties. The insurance policies are subject to deductibles and retention levels that we consider reasonable and not excessive. Consistent with insurance coverage generally available in the industry, in certain circumstances our insurance policies provide limited coverage for losses or liabilities relating to gradual pollution, with broader coverage for sudden and accidental occurrences.

 

Assets we have acquired or will acquire in the future may have environmental remediation liabilities for which we are not indemnified. We have in the past experienced and in the future will likely experience releases of crude oil into the environment from our pipeline and storage operations. We may also discover environmental impacts from past releases that were previously unidentified.

 

Air Emissions

 

Our United States operations are subject to the United States Clean Air Act (“Clean Air Act”), comparable state laws and associated state and federal regulations. Our Canadian operations are subject to federal and provincial air emission regulations. The new Canadian standards for air quality and industrial air emissions were implemented in May 2013.  The new standards provide more stringent objectives for outdoor air quality, including for the first time in Canada, a long term (annual) target for fine particulate matter. Under these laws, permits may be required before construction can commence on a new or modified source of potentially significant air emissions, and operating permits may be required for sources already constructed. We may be required to incur certain capital and operating expenditures in the next several years to install air pollution control equipment and otherwise comply with more stringent federal, state, provincial and regional air emissions control requirements when we attempt to obtain or maintain permits and approvals for sources of air emissions. Although we believe that our operations are in substantial compliance with these laws in the areas in which we operate, we can provide no assurance that future compliance obligations will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

 

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Climate Change Initiatives

 

United States

 

A number of studies have been conducted by various parties which represent to be authoritative on the issue of emissions of carbon dioxide and certain other gases, generally referred to as greenhouse gases (“GHG”).  Many of these studies draw conflicting conclusions as to whether GHG is contributing to warming of the Earth’s atmosphere. In 2009, the U.S. EPA adopted rules for establishing a GHG emissions reporting program.  Fewer than ten of our facilities are presently subject to the federal GHG reporting requirements.  These include facilities with combustion GHG emissions and potential fugitive emissions above the reporting thresholds.  We import sufficient quantities of finished fuel products into the United States to be required to report that activity as well.  We also continue to monitor GHG emissions for all of our facilities and activities.  At the present time, we do not anticipate the need to purchase a material amount of GHG credits or install control technology to reduce GHG emissions at any of our facilities.

 

In 2010, the EPA promulgated regulations establishing Title V and Prevention of Significant Deterioration permitting requirements for large sources of GHGs.  Fewer than ten of our existing facilities are potential major sources of GHG subject to these permitting requirements.  We may be required to install “best available control technology” to limit emissions of GHGs from any new or significantly modified facilities that we may seek to construct in the future if they would otherwise emit large volumes of GHGs.  The EPA is in the process of identifying what constitutes best available control technology for various sources of GHG emissions, but it appears likely that the agency will seek to impose energy efficiency requirements on sources that burn large volumes of fossil fuels rather than post-combustion GHG capture requirements.  If the EPA imposes energy efficiency requirements, we do not anticipate that they will have an adverse effect on the cost of our operations.

 

In the absence of federal climate legislation in the United States, a number of regional efforts have emerged aimed at reducing GHG emissions.  Two of the more significant non-federal GHG programs are the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and the Western Climate Initiative (WCI).  RGGI, which includes a number of states in the northeastern United States, implemented a cap-and-trade program in 2009.  At present, this program only applies to utility power plants.  None of our facilities are affected by RGGI.

 

The WCI originally included several U.S. states and Canadian provinces, either as full voting members or observers.  Most U.S. states have withdrawn from WCI, with California the sole remaining member from the United States.  California has implemented a GHG cap-and-trade program, authorized under Assembly Bill 32 (“AB32”).  The California Air Resources Board has published a list of facilities expected to be subject to this program.  At this time, the list only includes one of our facilities, the Lone Star Gas Liquids facility in Shafter, California. The rules implementing the AB32 program were finalized in December 2011, and the first auction of GHG emission credits was conducted in the fall of 2012, with the average credit selling for $10.09 per ton. The compliance requirements of the GHG cap-and-trade program through 2020 are being phased in, and we do not anticipate any problems in complying with those obligations going forward or for such impacts to be material. The California Air Resources Board is currently developing a scoping plan for AB-32 compliance obligations after the year 2020.

 

Although it is not possible at this time to predict how legislation or new regulations that may be adopted to address GHG emissions would impact our business, any such future laws and regulations could result in increased compliance costs or additional operating restrictions, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, demand for our services, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Finally, it should be noted that some scientists have concluded that increasing concentrations of GHGs in the Earth’s atmosphere may produce climate changes that have significant physical effects, such as increased frequency and severity of storms, droughts, and floods and other climate events that could have an adverse effect on our assets and operations.

 

The operations of our refinery customers could also be negatively impacted by current GHG legislation or new regulations resulting in increased operating or compliance costs.  Some of the proposed federal and state “cap-and-trade” legislation would require businesses that emit GHGs to buy emission credits from government, other businesses, or through an auction process.  In addition, refiners could be required to purchase emission credits for GHG emissions resulting from their own refining operations as well as the fuels they sell.  While it is not possible at this time to predict the final form of “cap-and-trade” legislation, any new federal or state restrictions on GHG emissions could result in material increased compliance costs, additional operating restrictions and an increase in the cost of feedstock and products produced by our refinery customers.

 

Canada

 

Pursuant to the 1997 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, also known as the “Kyoto Protocol”, many nations, including Canada, agreed to limit emissions of GHGs. The Kyoto Protocol required Canada to reduce its emissions of GHG to 6% below 1990 levels by 2012. However, by 2009, emissions in Canada were 17% higher than 1990 levels.  In December 2011, Canada withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol, but signed the “Durban Platform” committing it to a legally binding treaty to reduce GHG emissions, the terms of which are to be defined by 2015 and are to become effective in 2020.

 

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In 2007, in response to the Kyoto Protocol, the Canadian federal government introduced the Regulatory Framework for Air Emissions (also known as the “Turning the Corner”  measures), a regulatory framework for monitoring industrial GHG emissions by establishing mandatory emissions reduction requirements on a sector basis. Originally, this framework was intended to be implemented by 2010; however no federally mandated reduction targets for GHGs have been implemented to date.  Since 2004, companies emitting more than 100 thousand tons per year (“kt/y”) of CO2 equivalent (“CO2e”) were required to report their GHG emissions under the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting Program. In 2010, this reporting threshold was reduced to 50 kt/y. Two PMC facilities meet this reporting threshold.

 

In Alberta, the provincial government implemented the Specified Gas Emitter Regulation in 2007 (under the Alberta Environment Protection and Enhancement Act), which mandated a 12% reduction in emission intensity over the established baseline level (average of the 2003-2005 levels) for all facilities emitting more than 100kt/y of CO2e. Since the regulation came into effect, PMC has had one facility (Fort Saskatchewan Storage and Fractionation Facility) which currently does not meet the reduction obligation. As such, PMC has been required to submit compliance credits which have been completed by submitting payment to the Climate Change Emissions Management Fund. Alberta also has a GHG reporting threshold at 50kt/y of CO2e.

 

With regard to the oil and gas industry and the pipeline transportation sector, it is unclear at this time what direction the government plans to take. However, given that there have been no specific regulatory changes announced to date regarding GHG emissions reduction in these sectors; any future initiatives would likely not take effect until beyond 2015.

 

Water

 

The Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended, also known as the Clean Water Act (“CWA”), and analogous state and Canadian federal and provincial laws impose restrictions and strict controls regarding the discharge of pollutants into navigable waters of the United States and Canada, as well as state and provincial waters. See “—Pipeline Safety/Pipeline and Storage Tank Integrity Management” above and Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements. Federal, state and provincial regulatory agencies can impose administrative, civil and/or criminal penalties for non-compliance with discharge permits or other requirements of the CWA.

 

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (“OPA”) amended certain provisions of the CWA, as they relate to the release of petroleum products into navigable waters. OPA subjects owners of facilities to strict, joint and potentially unlimited liability for containment and removal costs, natural resource damages and certain other consequences of an oil spill. We believe that we are in substantial compliance with applicable OPA requirements. State and Canadian federal and provincial laws also impose requirements relating to the prevention of oil releases and the remediation of areas affected by releases when they occur. We believe that we are in substantial compliance with all such federal, state and Canadian requirements.

 

With respect to our new pipeline construction activities and maintenance on our existing pipelines, Section 404 of the CWA authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers (“Corps”) to permit the discharge of dredged or fill materials into “navigable waters,” which are defined as “the waters of the United States.”  Section 404 (e) authorizes the Corps to issue permits on a nationwide basis for categories of discharges that have no more than minimal individual or cumulative environmental effects.  For the past 35 years, the Corps has authorized construction, maintenance and repair of pipelines under a streamlined nationwide permit program known as Nationwide Permit 12 (“NWP”).  NWP is supported by strong statutory and regulatory history and was originally approved by Congress in 1977. In a June 2012 lawsuit (Sierra Club v. Bostick), to which we were not a party, a plaintiff sought to have the court strike down the NWP and enjoin the construction of a particular oil pipeline project that would run from Cushing, Oklahoma to oil refineries along the Gulf Coast near Port Arthur, Texas. In August 2012, a District Court denied the motion to enjoin the construction and ruled that the Corps had acted properly in approving the project under the NWP. The District Court’s decision was reaffirmed by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in October 2013. We cannot predict whether future lawsuits will be filed to contest the validity of the NWP; however, in the event that a court wholly or partially strikes down the NWP, which we believe to be unlikely, we could face significant delays and financial costs when seeking project approvals.

 

Other Regulation

 

Transportation Regulation

 

Our transportation activities are subject to regulation by multiple governmental agencies. Our historical and projected operating costs reflect the recurring costs resulting from compliance with these regulations, and we do not anticipate material expenditures in excess of these amounts in the absence of future acquisitions or changes in regulation, or discovery of existing but unknown compliance issues. The following is a summary of the types of transportation regulation that may impact our operations.

 

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General Interstate Regulation.  Our interstate common carrier liquids pipeline operations are subject to rate regulation by the FERC under the Interstate Commerce Act (“ICA”). The ICA requires that tariff rates for liquids pipelines, which include both crude oil pipelines and refined products pipelines, be just and reasonable and non-discriminatory.

 

State Regulation.  Our intrastate liquids pipeline transportation activities are subject to various state laws and regulations, as well as orders of state regulatory bodies, including the Railroad Commission of Texas (“TRRC”) and the California Public Utility Commission (“CPUC”). The CPUC prohibits certain of our subsidiaries from acting as guarantors of our senior notes and credit facilities.

 

Regulation of OCS Pipelines.  The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act requires that all pipelines operating on or across the OCS provide open access, non-discriminatory transportation service. In June 2008, the Minerals Management Service (now replaced by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement) issued a final rule establishing formal and informal complaint procedures for shippers that believe they have been denied open and nondiscriminatory access to transportation on the OCS. We do not expect the rule to have a material impact on our operations or results.

 

Energy Policy Act of 1992 and Subsequent Developments.  In October 1992, Congress passed the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (“EPAct”), which, among other things, required the FERC to issue rules to establish a simplified and generally applicable ratemaking methodology for petroleum pipelines and to streamline procedures in petroleum pipeline proceedings. The FERC responded to this mandate by establishing a formulaic methodology for petroleum pipelines to change their rates within prescribed ceiling levels that are tied to an inflation index. The FERC reviews the formula every five years. Effective July 1, 2011, the annual index adjustment for the five year period ending June 30, 2016 will equal the producer price index for finished goods for the applicable year plus an adjustment factor of 2.65%. Pipelines may raise their rates to the rate ceiling level generated by application of the annual index adjustment factor each year; however, a shipper may challenge such increase if the increase in the pipeline’s rates was substantially in excess of the actual cost increases incurred by the pipeline during the relevant year. If the FERC’s annual index adjustment reduces the ceiling level such that it is lower than a pipeline’s filed rate, the pipeline must reduce its rate to conform with the lower ceiling unless doing so would reduce a rate “grandfathered” by the EPAct (see below) to below the grandfathered level. A pipeline must, as a general rule, use the indexing methodology to change its rates. The FERC, however, retained cost-of-service ratemaking, market-based rates and settlement rates as alternatives to the indexing approach that may be used in certain specified circumstances. Because the indexing methodology for the next five-year period is tied to an inflation index and is not based on pipeline-specific costs, the indexing methodology could hamper our ability to recover cost increases.

 

Under the EPAct, petroleum pipeline rates in effect for the 365-day period ending on the date of enactment of EPAct are deemed to be just and reasonable under the ICA, if such rates had not been subject to complaint, protest or investigation during such 365-day period. Generally, complaints against such “grandfathered” rates may only be pursued if the complainant can show that a substantial change has occurred since the enactment of EPAct in either the economic circumstances of the oil pipeline or in the nature of the services provided that were a basis for the rate. EPAct places no such limit on challenges to a provision of an oil pipeline tariff as unduly discriminatory or preferential.

 

Canadian Regulation.  Our Canadian pipeline assets are subject to regulation by the NEB and by provincial authorities, such as the AER. With respect to a pipeline over which it has jurisdiction, the relevant regulatory authority has the power, upon application by a third party, to determine the rates we are allowed to charge for transportation on, and set other terms of access to, such pipeline. In such circumstances, if the relevant regulatory authority determines that the applicable terms and conditions of service are not just and reasonable, the regulatory authority can impose conditions it considers appropriate.

 

Our Pipelines.  The FERC generally has not investigated rates of liquids pipelines on its own initiative when those rates have not been the subject of a protest or complaint by a shipper. The majority of our transportation segment profit in the United States is produced by rates that are either grandfathered or set by agreement with one or more shippers.

 

Trucking Regulation

 

United States

 

We operate a fleet of trucks to transport crude oil and oilfield materials as a private, contract and common carrier. We are licensed to perform both intrastate and interstate motor carrier services. As a motor carrier, we are subject to certain safety regulations issued by the DOT. The trucking regulations cover, among other things: (i) driver operations, (ii) log book maintenance, (iii) truck manifest preparations, (iv) safety placard placement on the trucks and trailer vehicles, (v) drug and alcohol testing, (vi) operation and equipment safety and (vii) many other aspects of truck operations. We are also subject to OSHA with respect to our trucking operations.

 

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Canada

 

Our trucking assets in Canada are subject to regulation by both federal and provincial transportation agencies in the provinces in which they are operated. These regulatory agencies do not set freight rates, but do establish and administer rules and regulations relating to other matters including equipment, facility inspection, reporting and safety. We are licensed to operate both intra- and inter-provincially under the direction of the National Safety Code (NSC) that is administered by Transport Canada.  Our for-hire service is primarily the transportation of crude oil, condensates and NGL.  We are required under the NSC among other things to monitor: (i) driver operations, (ii) log book maintenance, (iii) truck manifest preparations, (iv) safety placard placement on the trucks and trailers, (v) operation and equipment safety and (vi) many other aspects of trucking operations.  We are also subject to Occupational Health and Safety regulations with respect to our trucking operations. We believe that our trucking operations are in substantial compliance with all existing federal, state and local regulations.

 

Railcar Regulation

 

We operate a number of railcar loading and unloading facilities, and lease a significant number of railcars, in the United States and Canada.  Our railcar operations are subject to the regulatory jurisdiction of the Federal Railroad Administration of the DOT, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, as well as other federal and state regulatory agencies and Canadian regulatory agencies for operations in Canada.  We believe that our railcar operations are in substantial compliance with all existing federal, state, and local regulations.

 

Recent railcar accidents in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, Aliceville, Alabama and Casselton, North Dakota involving derailments and explosions have led to increased regulatory scrutiny over the safety of transporting crude oil by rail.  All of these incidents involved trains carrying crude oil from North Dakota’s Bakken shale formation.  In the wake of the Casselton derailment, PHMSA issued a safety advisory warning that Bakken crude may be more flammable than other grades of crude oil and reinforcing the requirement to properly test,  characterize, classify, and where appropriate sufficiently degasify hazardous materials prior to and during transportation.   PHMSA also initiated “Operation Classification”, a compliance initiative involving unannounced inspections and testing of crude oil samples to verify that offerors of the materials have properly classified, described and labeled the hazardous materials before transportation.  On February 25, 2014, the DOT issued an emergency order designed to insure that crude oil is properly tested and classified prior to transportation by rail in accordance with existing hazardous materials regulations. The DOT emergency order also provides for potential penalties for non-compliance of up to $175,000 per violation. While we believe that we are in material compliance with existing regulations governing our railcar operations, the extent to which the DOT’s emergency order requires additional procedures has not yet been fully established; accordingly, we cannot predict the impact that the DOT order and any future regulations may have on our operations.

 

These recent accidents could also prompt lawmakers to step up their efforts to phase out or require upgrades on the DOT Class 111 tank railcar, the most commonly used tank car to transport crude oil by railcar in North America. A DOT Class 111 rail tanker is not pressurized, unlike sturdier DOT-112 and -114 models used to transport more volatile liquids such as propane and methane. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that all tank cars used to carry crude oil be reinforced to make them more resistant to punctures if trains derail.  This recommendation has not yet been adopted by PHMSA. PHMSA has said that it is considering amendments to current regulations that would enhance rail safety, including for DOT-111 railcars, but the rules are still under development.  Any requirement to retrofit and upgrade existing rail tankers (DOT-111 or other models) could involve substantial cost to the partnership and we can provide no assurance that such a future compliance obligation will not have a material adverse impact on our financial condition or results of operations.

 

Cross Border Regulation

 

As a result of our cross border activities, including importation of crude oil, NGL and natural gas between the United States and Canada, we are subject to a variety of legal requirements pertaining to such activities including export/import license requirements, tariffs, Canadian and U.S. customs and taxes and requirements relating to toxic substances. U.S. legal requirements relating to these activities include regulations adopted pursuant to the Short Supply Controls of the Export Administration Act, the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Toxic Substances Control Act. In addition, the importation and exportation of natural gas from and to the United States and Canada is subject to regulation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Energy and the NEB.  Violations of these licensing, tariff and tax reporting requirements or failure to provide certifications relating to toxic substances could result in the imposition of significant administrative, civil and criminal penalties. Furthermore, the failure to comply with U.S. federal, state and local tax requirements, as well as Canadian federal and provincial tax requirements, could lead to the imposition of additional taxes, interest and penalties.

 

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Market Anti-Manipulation Regulation

 

In November 2009, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) issued regulations pursuant to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, intended to prohibit market manipulation in the petroleum industry.  Violators of the regulations face civil penalties of up to $1 million per violation per day.  In July 2010, Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Act, which incorporated an expansion of the authority of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) to prohibit market manipulation in the markets regulated by the CFTC.  This authority, with respect to crude oil swaps and futures contracts, is similar to the anti-manipulation authority granted to the FTC with respect to crude oil purchases and sales.  In November 2010, the CFTC issued proposed rules to implement their new anti-manipulation authority.  The proposed rules would subject violators to a civil penalty of up to the greater of $1 million or triple the monetary gain to the person for each violation.

 

We have not experienced a material impact from the FTC regulations.  The CFTC rules are not final.  We will continue to monitor the status of proposed rules.

 

Natural Gas Storage Regulation

 

Our natural gas storage operations are subject to regulatory oversight by numerous federal, state and local regulatory agencies, many of which are authorized by statute to issue, and have issued, rules and regulations binding on the natural gas storage and pipeline industry, related businesses and market participants.  The failure to comply with such laws and regulations can result in substantial penalties and fines.  The regulatory burden increases our cost of doing business and, consequently, affects our profitability.  Our historical and projected operating costs reflect the recurring costs resulting from compliance with these regulations, and we do not anticipate material expenditures in excess of these amounts in the absence of future acquisitions or changes in regulation, or discovery of existing but unknown compliance issues.  We do not believe that we are affected by applicable laws and regulations in a significantly different manner than are our competitors.

 

The following is a summary of the kinds of regulation that may impact our natural gas storage operations.  However, our shareholders should not rely on such discussion as an exhaustive review of all regulatory considerations affecting our natural gas storage operations.

 

Our natural gas storage facilities provide natural gas storage services in interstate commerce and are subject to comprehensive regulation by the FERC under the Natural Gas Act of 1938 (“NGA”).  Pursuant to the NGA and FERC regulations, storage providers are prohibited from making or granting any undue preference or advantage to any person or subjecting any person to any undue prejudice or disadvantage or from maintaining any unreasonable difference in rates, charges, service, facilities, or in any other respect.  The terms and conditions for services provided by our facilities are set forth in FERC approved tariffs.  We have been granted market-based rate authorization for the services that our facilities provide.  Market-based rate authority allows us to negotiate rates with individual customers based on market demand.

 

The FERC also has authority over the siting, construction, and operation of United States pipeline transportation and storage facilities and related facilities used in the transportation, storage and sale for resale of natural gas in interstate commerce, including the extension, enlargement or abandonment of such facilities.  The FERC’s authority extends to maintenance of accounts and records, terms and conditions of service, acquisition and disposition of facilities, initiation and discontinuation of services, imposition of creditworthiness and credit support requirements applicable to customers and relationships among pipelines and storage companies and certain affiliates.  Our natural gas storage entities are required by the FERC to post certain information daily regarding customer activity, capacity and volumes on their respective websites. Additionally, the FERC has jurisdiction to impose rules and regulations applicable to all natural gas market participants to ensure market transparency. FERC regulations require that buyers and sellers of more than a de minimis volume of natural gas report annual numbers and volumes of relevant transactions to the FERC.  Our natural gas storage facilities and related marketing entities are subject to these annual reporting requirements.

 

Under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (“EPAct 2005”) and related regulations, it is unlawful in connection with the purchase or sale of natural gas or transportation services subject to FERC jurisdiction to use or employ any device, scheme or artifice to defraud; to make any untrue statement of material fact or omit to make any such statement necessary to make the statements made not misleading; or to engage in any act or practice that operates as a fraud or deceit upon any person.  EPAct 2005 gives the FERC civil penalty authority to impose penalties for certain violations of up to $1 million per day for each violation.  FERC also has the authority to order disgorgement of profits from transactions deemed to violate the NGA and the EPAct 2005.

 

The natural gas industry historically has been heavily regulated. New rules, orders, regulations or laws may be passed or implemented that impose additional costs, burdens or restrictions on us. We cannot give any assurance regarding the likelihood of such future rules, orders, regulations or laws or the effect they could have on our business, financial condition, and results of operations or ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

 

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Operational Hazards and Insurance

 

Pipelines, terminals, trucks or other facilities or equipment may experience damage as a result of an accident or natural disaster. These hazards can cause personal injury and loss of life, severe damage to and destruction of property and equipment, pollution or environmental damage and suspension of operations. Since the time we and our predecessors commenced midstream crude oil activities in the early 1990s, we have maintained insurance of various types and varying levels of coverage that we consider adequate under the circumstances to cover our operations and properties. The insurance policies are subject to deductibles and retention levels that we consider reasonable and not excessive. However, such insurance does not cover every potential risk associated with operating pipelines, terminals and other facilities, including the potential loss of significant revenues. Consistent with insurance coverage generally available to the industry, in certain circumstances our insurance policies provide limited coverage for losses or liabilities relating to gradual pollution, with broader coverage for sudden and accidental occurrences. Over the last several years, our operations have expanded significantly, with total assets increasing over 30 times since the end of 1998. At the same time that the scale and scope of our business activities have expanded, the breadth and depth of the available insurance markets have contracted. The overall cost of such insurance as well as the deductibles and overall retention levels that we maintain have increased. As a result, we have elected to self-insure more activities against certain of these operating hazards and expect this trend will continue in the future. Due to the events of September 11, 2001, insurers have excluded acts of terrorism and sabotage from our insurance policies. We have elected to purchase a separate insurance policy for acts of terrorism and sabotage.

 

Since the terrorist attacks, the United States Government has issued numerous warnings that energy assets, including our nation’s pipeline infrastructure, may be future targets of terrorist organizations. These developments expose our operations and assets to increased risks. We have instituted security measures and procedures in conformity with DOT guidance. We will institute, as appropriate, additional security measures or procedures indicated by the DOT or the Transportation Safety Administration. However, there can be no assurance that these or any other security measures would protect our facilities from an attack. Any future terrorist attacks on our facilities, those of our customers and, in some cases, those of our competitors, could have a material adverse effect on our business, whether insured or not.

 

The occurrence of a significant event not fully insured, indemnified or reserved against, or the failure of a party to meet its indemnification obligations, could materially and adversely affect our operations and financial condition. We believe we are adequately insured for public liability and property damage to others with respect to our operations. We believe that our levels of coverage and retention are generally consistent with those of similarly situated companies in our industry. With respect to all of our coverage, no assurance can be given that we will be able to maintain adequate insurance in the future at rates we consider reasonable, or that we have established adequate reserves to the extent that such risks are not insured.

 

Title to Properties and Rights-of-Way

 

Our real property holdings are generally comprised of: (i) parcels of land that we own in fee, (ii) surface leases, underground storage leases and (iii) easements, rights-of-way, permits, crossing agreements or licenses from landowners or governmental authorities permitting the use of certain lands for our operations. We believe we have satisfactory title or the right to use the sites upon which our significant facilities are located, subject to customary liens, restrictions or encumbrances. We have no knowledge of any challenge to the underlying fee title of any material fee, lease, easement, right-of-way, permit or license held by us or to our rights pursuant to any material deed, lease, easement, right-of-way, permit or license, and we believe that we have satisfactory rights pursuant to all of our material leases, easements, rights-of-way, permits and licenses. Some of our real property rights (mainly for pipelines) may be subject to termination under agreements that provide for one or more of: periodic payments, term periods, renewal rights, revocation by the licensor or grantor and possible relocation obligations. We believe that our real property holdings are adequate for the conduct of our business activities and that none of the burdens discussed above will materially (i) detract from the value of such properties or (ii) interfere with the use of such properties in our business.

 

Employees and Labor Relations

 

Through GP LLC or its affiliates, we employed approximately 4,900 employees at December 31, 2013. None of the employees are subject to a collective bargaining agreement, except for eight employees covered by an agreement scheduled for renegotiation in September 2015 and another nine employees covered by another agreement scheduled for renegotiation in September 2016. We consider employee relations to be good.

 

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Summary of Tax Considerations

 

The following is a summary of material U.S. federal income tax consequences, tax considerations, and in the case of a non-U.S. holder, estate tax consequences related to the purchase, ownership and disposition of our Class A shares by a taxpayer that holds our Class A shares as a “capital asset” (generally property held for investment). This summary is based on the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“the Code”), U.S. Treasury regulations and administrative rulings and judicial decisions, all as in effect on the date hereof, and all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. We have not sought any ruling from the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, with respect to the statements made and the conclusions reached in the following summary, and there can be no assurance that the IRS will agree with such statements and conclusions.

 

This summary does not address all aspects of U.S. federal income and estate taxation or the tax considerations arising under the laws of any non-U.S., state, or local jurisdiction, or under U.S. federal gift tax laws. In addition, this summary does not address tax considerations applicable to investors that may be subject to special treatment under the U.S. federal income tax laws. The tax consequences of ownership of Class A shares depends in part on the owner’s individual tax circumstances. It is the responsibility of each shareholder, either individually or through a tax advisor, to investigate the legal and tax consequences, under the laws of pertinent U.S. federal, states and localities, as well as Canada and the Canadian provinces, of the shareholder’s investment in us. Further, it is the responsibility of each shareholder to file all U.S. federal, Canadian, state, provincial and local tax returns that may be required of the shareholder.  Also see Item 1A. “Risk Factors—Tax Risks.”

 

Corporate Status

 

Although we are a Delaware limited partnership, we have elected to be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, we are subject to tax as a corporation and distributions on the Class A shares will be treated as distributions on corporate stock for federal income tax purposes. No Schedule K-1s will be issued with respect to the Class A shares, but instead holders of Class A shares will receive a Form 1099 from us with respect to distributions received on the Class A shares.

 

Consequences to U.S. Holders

 

The discussion in this section is addressed to holders of our Class A shares who are U.S. holders for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A U.S. holder for purposes of this discussion is a beneficial owner of our Class A shares and who is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

 

·                  an individual citizen or resident of the United States;

 

·                  a corporation, or other entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, that was created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;

 

·                  an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source; or

 

·                  a trust if (i) a U.S. court can exercise primary supervision over the trust’s administration and one or more United States persons are authorized to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (ii) certain circumstances apply and the trust has validly elected to be treated as a United States person.

 

Distributions

 

Distributions with respect to our Class A shares will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. To the extent that the amount of a distribution with respect to our Class A shares exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits, such distribution will be treated first as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in such Class A shares, which reduces such basis dollar-for-dollar, and thereafter as capital gain. Such gain will be long-term capital gain provided that the U.S. holder has held such Class A shares for more than one year as of the time of the distribution. Non-corporate holders that receive distributions on our Class A shares that are treated as dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes generally would be subject to U.S. federal income tax at a maximum tax rate of 20% on such dividends provided certain holding period requirements are met.

 

Both AAP and PAA have made elections permitted by Section 754 of the Code. As a result, our initial acquisition of interests in AAP resulted in basis adjustments with respect to our interest in the assets of AAP (and indirectly in PAA). Such adjustments resulted in depreciation and amortization deductions that we anticipate will offset a substantial portion of our taxable income for an extended period of time. In addition, future exchanges of retained interests in AAP and Class B shares in us for our

 

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