Variable Interest Entities

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

12.

VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES

Consolidated VIEs

In the normal course of business, we have financial interests in certain entities that have been determined to be VIEs. We consolidate a VIE when we have a variable interest in an entity for which we are the primary beneficiary such that we have (i) the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and (ii) the obligation to absorb losses of or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE. In order to make this determination, we evaluated our contractual arrangements with the VIEs, including arrangements for the use of assets, purchases of products and services, debt, equity, or management of operating activities.

The following discussion summarizes our involvement with our VIEs:

•

DGD is a joint venture with a subsidiary of Darling Ingredients Inc. that owns and operates a plant that processes animal fats, used cooking oils, and other vegetable oils into renewable diesel. The plant is located in Norco, Louisiana next to our St. Charles Refinery. Our significant agreements with DGD include an operations agreement that outlines our responsibilities as operator of the plant and a marketing agreement.

As operator, we operate the plant and perform certain day-to-day operating and management functions for DGD as an independent contractor. The operations agreement provides us (as operator) with certain power to direct the activities that most significantly impact DGD’s economic performance. Because this agreement conveys such power to us and is separate from our ownership rights, we determined that DGD was a VIE. For this reason and because we hold a 50 percent ownership interest that provides us with significant economic rights and obligations, we determined that we are the primary beneficiary of DGD. DGD has risk associated with its operations because it generates revenues from third-party customers.

•

Central Mexico Terminals is a collective group of three subsidiaries of Infraestructura Energetica Nova, S.A.B. de C.V. (IEnova), a Mexican company and subsidiary of Sempra Energy, a U.S. public company. We have terminaling agreements with Central Mexico Terminals that represent variable interests because we have determined them to be finance leases due to our exclusive use of the terminals. Although we do not have an ownership interest in the entities that own each of the three terminals, the finance leases convey to us (i) the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of all three terminals and (ii) the ability to influence the benefits received or the losses incurred by the terminals because of our use of the terminals. As a result, we determined each of the entities was a VIE and that we are the primary beneficiary of each. Substantially all of Central Mexico Terminals’ revenues will be derived from us; therefore, there is limited risk to us associated with Central Mexico Terminals’ operations.

•

We also have financial interests in other entities that have been determined to be VIEs because the entities’ contractual arrangements transfer the power to us to direct the activities that most significantly impact their economic performance or reduce the exposure to operational variability and risk of loss created by the entity that otherwise would be held exclusively by the equity owners. Furthermore, we determined that we are the primary beneficiary of these VIEs because (i) certain contractual arrangements (exclusive of our ownership rights) provide us with the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of these entities and/or (ii) our 50 percent ownership interests provide us with significant economic rights and obligations.

The VIEs’ assets can only be used to settle their own obligations and the VIEs’ creditors have no recourse to our assets. We do not provide financial guarantees to our VIEs. Although we have provided credit facilities to some of our VIEs in support of their construction or acquisition activities, these transactions are eliminated in consolidation. Our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows are impacted by our consolidated VIEs’ performance, net of intercompany eliminations, to the extent of our ownership interest in each VIE.

The following tables present summarized balance sheet information for the significant assets and liabilities of our VIEs, which are included in our balance sheets (in millions).



	December 31, 2019
	DGD		Central Mexico Terminals		Other		Total
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$	85	$	—	$	25	$	110
Other current assets	567		33		89		689
Property, plant, and equipment, net	706		381		105		1,192
Liabilities
Current liabilities, including current portion of debt and finance lease obligations	$	66	$	409	$	8	$	483
Debt and finance lease obligations, less current portion	—		—		31		31



	December 31, 2018
	VLP (a)		DGD		Central Mexico Terminals		Other		Total
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$	152	$	65	$	—	$	18	$	235
Other current assets	2		112		20		64		198
Property, plant, and equipment, net	1,409		576		156		113		2,254
Liabilities
Current liabilities, including current portion of debt and finance lease obligations	$	27	$	28	$	118	$	9	$	182
Debt and finance lease obligations, less current portion	990		—		—		34		1,024

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(a)

Prior to the completion of the Merger Transaction with VLP on January 10, 2019 as discussed in Note 2, VLP was a publicly traded master limited partnership that we had determined was a VIE. VLP was formed by us to own, operate, develop, and acquire crude oil and refined petroleum products pipelines, terminals, and other transportation and logistics assets. As of December 31, 2018, we owned a 66.2 percent limited partner interest and a 2.0 percent general partner interest in VLP, and public unitholders owned a 31.8 percent limited partner interest. Upon completion of the Merger Transaction, VLP became our indirect wholly owned subsidiary and, as a result, was no longer a VIE.

Non-Consolidated VIEs

We hold variable interests in VIEs that have not been consolidated because we are not considered the primary beneficiary. These non-consolidated VIEs are not material to our financial position or results of operations and are accounted for as equity investments.