Accounting Standards

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Abstract]

Not Yet Adopted

Lease accounting standard

In February 2016, the FASB issued a new lease accounting standard, which requires lessees to recognize most leases, including operating leases, on the balance sheet as a right of use asset and lease liability. Short-term leases can continue being accounted for off balance sheet based on a policy election. This standard does not apply to leases to explore for or use minerals, oil, natural gas and similar non-regenerative resources, including the intangible right to explore for those natural resources and rights to use the land in which those natural resources are contained. This standard is effective for us in the first quarter of 2019 and shall be applied using a modified retrospective approach at the beginning of the earliest period presented in the financial statements. Early adoption is permitted.

In July 2018, the FASB issued a new transition option that allows entities to adopt the new lease accounting standard using the modified retrospective transition method by recognizing a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption rather than in the earliest period presented. We elected this new transition option and continue to apply the legacy guidance in ASC 840, Leases, including its disclosure requirements, in the comparative periods presented in the year of adoption.

We will adopt the new standard in the first quarter of 2019 and will recognize a right of use asset and lease liability on the adoption date. We will apply practical expedients provided in the standard that allow, among others, not to reassess contracts that commenced or expired prior to the effective date. We also elected a policy not to recognize right of use assets and lease liabilities related to short-term leases.

To facilitate the adoption of this standard, we completed the installation and configuration of a software system in January 2019. While we continue to evaluate our contracts and associated data for compliance with the new standard, we believe the adoption of this standard as of January 1, 2019 will result in the recognition of a right of use asset and related lease liability, on our consolidated balance sheet, between $160 million to $210 million.

Hedge accounting standard

In August 2017, the FASB issued a new accounting standards update that amends the hedge accounting model to enable entities to hedge certain financial and nonfinancial risk attributes previously not allowed. The amendment also reduces the overall complexity of documenting, assessing and measuring hedge effectiveness. This standard is effective for us in the first quarter of 2019. The amendment mandates modified retrospective adoption when accounting for hedge relationships in effect as of the adoption date. None of our derivative instruments are currently designated as hedges; as a result we do not expect the adoption of this standard to have a significant impact on our consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

Goodwill standard

In January 2017, the FASB issued a new accounting standards update that eliminates the requirement to calculate the implied fair value of the goodwill (Step 2 of goodwill impairment test under the current guidance) to measure a goodwill impairment charge. We anticipate the standard to require entities to record an impairment charge based on the excess of a reporting unit’s carrying amount over its fair value (measure the charge based on Step 1 under the current guidance). This standard is effective for us in the first quarter of 2020 and shall be applied on a prospective basis. Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. We plan to adopt the standard on a prospective basis, and do not expect a material impact on our consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows for prior periods.

Financial instruments - credit losses

In June 2016, the FASB issued a new accounting standards update that changes the impairment model for trade receivables, net investments in leases, debt securities, loans and certain other instruments. The standard requires the use of a forward-looking “expected loss” model as opposed to the current “incurred loss” model. This standard is effective for us in the first quarter of 2020 and will be adopted on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the adoption period. Early adoption is permitted starting January 2019. We are evaluating the provisions of this accounting standards update and assessing the impact, if any, it may have on our consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Text Block]

Accounting Standards

Not Yet Adopted

Lease accounting standard

Hedge accounting standard

Goodwill standard

Financial instruments - credit losses

Recently Adopted

Revenue recognition standard

On January 1, 2018, we adopted the new ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers and all the related amendments ("new revenue standard") using the modified retrospective method. We evaluated the effect of transition by applying the provisions of the new revenue standard to contracts with remaining obligations as of January 1, 2018. No cumulative adjustment to retained earnings was necessary as a result of adopting this standard.

Results for reporting periods beginning after January 1, 2018 are presented under the new revenue standard, while prior period amounts are not adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with our historic accounting policies. The primary change relates to the presentation of marketing revenues and marketing expenses from the historical gross presentation to the current net presentation, included within revenues from contracts with customers, for a portion of our international contracts.

We concluded that the adoption of the new revenue standard did not result in any significant changes to our consolidated balance sheet or statement of cash flows. The following tables summarize the impacts of adopting the new revenue standard on our consolidated income statement for the year ended December 31, 2018.



	Year Ended December 31, 2018
(In millions)	As reported		Adjustments			Presentation without adoption of ASC Topic 606
Revenues and other income:
Revenues from contracts with customers	$	5,902	$	(12	)	$	5,890
Marketing revenues	—		159			159
Other income	150		(5		)	145
Costs and expenses:
Marketing, including purchases from related parties	$	—	$	158		$	158
Shipping, handling and other operating	575		(16		)	559

Pension accounting standard

In the first quarter of 2018, we adopted the new accounting standards update that changes how employers that sponsor defined pension and/or other postretirement benefit plans present the net periodic benefit cost in the income statement. As a result, employers are required to present the service cost component of net periodic benefit cost in the same income statement line item(s) as other employee compensation costs arising from services rendered during the period. We adopted this standard on a retrospective basis, and reclassified the required cost elements from general and administrative expense into production expense, exploration expense, and other net periodic benefit costs. The adoption of this standard did not have a significant impact on our consolidated balance sheet or statement of cash flows. The following tables summarize the impacts of adopting this standard on our historical consolidated income statement for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016.



	Year Ended December 31, 2017
(In millions)	Previously Reported			As reclassified			Effect of Change Higher/(Lower)
Production	$	706		$	716		$	10
Exploration	409			409			—
General and administrative	400			371			(29		)
Income (loss) from operations	(133		)	(114		)	19
Other net periodic benefit costs^(a)	—			(19		)	(19		)



	Year Ended December 31, 2016
(In millions)	Previously Reported			As reclassified			Effect of Change Higher/(Lower)
Production	$	712		$	720		$	8
Exploration	323			323			—
General and administrative	481			371			(110		)
Income (loss) from operations	(832		)	(730		)	102
Other net periodic benefit costs^(a)	—			(102		)	(102		)

^(a)Includes net settlement loss and other net periodic benefit costs, excluding service costs (See Note 18).

Classification in the statement of cash flows

In August 2016, the FASB issued a new accounting standards update which seeks to reduce the existing diversity in practice in how certain transactions are classified in the statement of cash flows. This standard was effective for us in the first quarter of 2018, and was applied retrospectively. Adoption of this standard did not have a significant impact on our consolidated statements of cash flows.

Presentation of restricted cash in the statement of cash flows

In November 2016, the FASB issued a new accounting standards update that requires entities to show the changes in the total of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash in the statement of cash flows. As a result, we no longer present transfers between cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash in the statement of cash flows. When cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash are presented in more than one line item on the balance sheet, the standard requires a reconciliation of the totals in the statement of cash flows to the related captions in the balance sheet. This reconciliation can be presented either on the face of the statement of cash flows or in the notes to the financial statements. This standard was effective for us in the first quarter of 2018, and was applied retrospectively. Adoption of this standard did not have a significant impact on our consolidated statements of cash flows.

Accounting for sale or transfer of nonfinancial assets

In February 2017, the FASB issued a new accounting standards update that clarifies the accounting for the sale or transfer of nonfinancial assets and in substance nonfinancial assets to noncustomers, including partial sales. The standard also clarifies that the derecognition of all businesses (except those related to conveyances of oil and gas mineral rights or contracts with customers) should be accounted for in accordance with the derecognition and deconsolidation guidance in Subtopic 810-10. This standard was effective for us in the first quarter of 2018, and was applied using the modified retrospective approach. Adoption of this standard did not have a significant impact on our consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

Definition of a business

In January 2017, the FASB issued a new accounting standards update that changes the definition of a business to assist entities with evaluating when a set of transferred assets and activities constitutes a business. The guidance requires us to evaluate if substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets; if so, the set of transferred assets and activities would not represent a business. The guidance also requires a business to include at least one substantive process and narrows the definition of outputs by more closely aligning it with how outputs are described in the new revenue guidance. This standard was effective for us in the first quarter of 2018, and was applied prospectively. Adoption of this standard did not have a significant impact on our consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

Financial instruments updates

In January 2016, the FASB issued an accounting standards update that addresses certain aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure of financial instruments. We adopted this standard in the first quarter of 2018. Adoption of this standard did not have a significant impact on our consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows.