ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2019

ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

NOTE 3     ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

Changes in Accounting Policies effective January 1, 2019

Leases

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued new guidance on the accounting for leases. The new guidance amends the definition of a lease such that, in order for an arrangement to qualify as a lease, the lessee is required to have both (1) the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from the use of the asset and (2) the right to direct the use of the asset. The new guidance also establishes a right-of-use (ROU) model that requires a lessee to recognize a ROU asset and corresponding lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with a term longer than twelve months. Leases will be classified as finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the consolidated statements of income. The new guidance does not make extensive changes to previous lessor accounting.

Under the new guidance, the Partnership determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception. Operating leases are recognized as ROU assets and included in Property, plant and equipment while corresponding liabilities are included in “Accounts payable and other”, and “Other long-term liabilities” on the consolidated balance sheet.

Operating lease ROU assets and operating lease liabilities are recognized based on the present value of the future minimum lease payments over the lease term at commencement date. As the Partnership’s leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Partnership uses an incremental borrowing rate that approximates its borrowing cost based on the information available at commencement date in determining the present value of future payments. The operating lease ROU asset also includes any lease payments made and initial direct costs incurred and excludes lease incentives. Lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Partnership will exercise that option. Operating lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term and included in “Operation and maintenance expenses” in the consolidated statements of income.

The new guidance was effective January 1, 2019 and was applied using optional transition relief which allowed entities to initially apply the new lease standard at adoption and recognize a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption. This transition option allowed us to not apply the new guidance, including disclosure requirements, to the comparative periods presented.

We elected available practical expedients and exemptions upon adoption which allowed us:

● not to reassess prior conclusions on existing leases regarding lease identification, lease classification and initial direct costs under the new standard;

● to carry forward the historical lease classification and our accounting treatment for land easements on existing agreements;

● to not recognize ROU assets or lease liabilities for leases that qualify for the short-term lease recognition exemption;

● to not separate lease and non-lease components for all leases for which we are the lessee; and

● to use hindsight in determining the lease term and assessing ROU assets for impairment.

In the application of the new guidance, assumptions and judgments are used to determine the following:

● whether a contract contains a lease and the duration of the lease term including exercising lease renewal options. The lease term for all of the Partnership’s leases includes the non-cancellable period of the lease plus any additional periods covered by either the Partnership’s option to extend (or not to terminate) the lease that the Partnership is reasonably certain to exercise, or an option to extend (or not to terminate) the lease controlled by the lessor; and

● the discount rate for the lease.

The standard did not impact our previously reported results and did not have a material impact on the Partnership's consolidated balance sheets, consolidated statements of income or consolidated statement of cash flows at the date of adoption.

The most significant change as a result of the adoption was the recognition of ROU assets and lease liabilities for operating leases which was approximately $0.6 million at January 1, 2019 and $0.5 million at June 30, 2019. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, the Partnership’s operating lease cost was not material to the Partnership’s consolidated results. The weighted average remaining term and discount rate of the Partnership’s operating leases was approximately 2.41 years and 3.57 percent, respectively.

Fair Value Measurement

In August 2018, the FASB issued new guidance that amends certain disclosure requirements for the fair value measurements as part of its disclosure framework project. This new guidance is effective January 1, 2020, however, early adoption of certain or all requirements is permitted. The Partnership elected to adopt this guidance effective first quarter 2019. The guidance was applied retrospectively and did not have a material effect on the Partnership’s consolidated financial statements.

Future accounting changes

Measurement of credit losses on financial instruments

In June 2016, the FASB issued new guidance that significantly changes how entities measure credit losses for most financial assets and certain other financial instruments that are not measured at fair value through net income (loss). The new guidance amends the impairment model of financial instruments basing it on expected losses rather than incurred losses. These expected credit losses will be recognized as an allowance rather than as a direct write down of the amortized cost basis. The new guidance is effective January 1, 2020 and will be applied using a modified retrospective approach. We have determined which of our assets are within the scope of the new standard and have started to compile historical credit loss information. We are also assessing our current process to determine if any changes are required as a result. We continue to evaluate the impact of the adoption of this guidance and have not yet determined the effect on our consolidated financial statements.

Consolidation

In October 2018, the FASB issued new guidance for determining whether fees paid to decision makers and service providers are variable interests for indirect interests held through related parties under common control. This new guidance is effective January 1, 2020, and will be applied on a retrospective basis, however early adoption is permitted. The Partnership has determined that there is no impact to its consolidated financial statements as a result of this new guidance.