Description of Business and Basis of Presentation (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2022

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Consolidation policy

Basis of presentation. The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) and include the accounts of the Partnership and entities in which it holds a controlling financial interest, including WES Operating, WES Operating GP, proportionately consolidated interests, and equity investments (see table below). All significant intercompany transactions have been eliminated.

The following table outlines the ownership interests and the accounting method of consolidation used in the consolidated financial statements for entities not wholly owned:

	Percentage Interest
Full consolidation
Chipeta (1)	75.00	%
Proportionate consolidation (2)
Springfield system	50.10	%
Marcellus Interest systems	33.75	%
Equity investments (3)
Mi Vida JV LLC (“Mi Vida”)	50.00	%
Ranch Westex JV LLC (“Ranch Westex”)	50.00	%
Front Range Pipeline LLC (“FRP”)	33.33	%
Red Bluff Express Pipeline, LLC (“Red Bluff Express”)	30.00	%
Enterprise EF78 LLC (“Mont Belvieu JV”)	25.00	%
Rendezvous Gas Services, LLC (“Rendezvous”)	22.00	%
Texas Express Pipeline LLC (“TEP”)	20.00	%
Texas Express Gathering LLC (“TEG”)	20.00	%
Whitethorn Pipeline Company LLC (“Whitethorn LLC”)	20.00	%
Saddlehorn Pipeline Company, LLC (“Saddlehorn”)	20.00	%
Cactus II Pipeline LLC (“Cactus II”)	15.00	%
Panola Pipeline Company, LLC (“Panola”)	15.00	%
White Cliffs Pipeline, LLC (“White Cliffs”)	10.00	%

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(1)The 25% third-party interest in Chipeta Processing LLC (“Chipeta”) is reflected within noncontrolling interests in the consolidated financial statements. See Noncontrolling interests below.

(2)The Partnership proportionately consolidates its associated share of the assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses attributable to these assets.

(3)Investments in non-controlled entities over which the Partnership exercises significant influence are accounted for under the equity method of accounting. “Equity-investment throughput” refers to the Partnership’s share of average throughput for these investments.

Certain information and note disclosures commonly included in annual financial statements have been condensed or omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Accordingly, the accompanying consolidated financial statements and notes should be read in conjunction with the Partnership’s 2021 Form 10-K, as filed with the SEC on February 23, 2022. Management believes that the disclosures made are adequate to make the information not misleading.

1. DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

The consolidated financial results of WES Operating are included in the Partnership’s consolidated financial statements. Throughout these notes to consolidated financial statements, and to the extent material, any differences between the consolidated financial results of the Partnership and WES Operating are discussed separately. The Partnership’s consolidated financial statements differ from those of WES Operating primarily as a result of (i) the presentation of noncontrolling interest ownership (see Noncontrolling interests below), (ii) the elimination of WES Operating GP’s investment in WES Operating with WES Operating GP’s underlying capital account, (iii) the general and administrative expenses incurred by the Partnership, which are separate from, and in addition to, those incurred by WES Operating, (iv) the inclusion of the impact of Partnership equity balances and Partnership distributions, and (v) transactions between the Partnership and WES Operating that eliminate upon consolidation.

Presentation of the Partnership’s assets. The Partnership’s assets include assets owned and ownership interests accounted for by the Partnership under the equity method of accounting, through its 98.0% partnership interest in WES Operating, as of June 30, 2022 (see Note 7). The Partnership also owns and controls the entire non-economic general partner interest in WES Operating GP, and the Partnership’s general partner is owned by Occidental.

Noncontrolling interests. The Partnership’s noncontrolling interests in the consolidated financial statements consist of (i) the 25% third-party interest in Chipeta and (ii) the 2.0% Occidental subsidiary-owned limited partner interest in WES Operating. WES Operating’s noncontrolling interest in the consolidated financial statements consists of the 25% third-party interest in Chipeta. See Note 5.

Use of estimates policy

Use of estimates. In preparing financial statements in accordance with GAAP, management makes informed judgments and estimates that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses. Management evaluates its estimates and related assumptions regularly, using historical experience and other reasonable methods. Changes in facts and circumstances or additional information may result in revised estimates, and actual results may differ from these estimates. Effects on the business, financial condition, and results of operations resulting from revisions to estimates are recognized when the facts that give rise to the revisions become known. The information included herein reflects all normal recurring adjustments which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the consolidated financial statements, and certain prior-period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current-year presentation.

Segments policy

Segments. The Partnership’s operations continue to be organized into a single operating segment, the assets of which gather, compress, treat, process, and transport natural gas; gather, stabilize, and transport condensate, NGLs, and crude oil; and gather and dispose of produced water in the United States.

Net income (loss) per common unit policy

Partnership’s net income (loss) per common unit. The common and general partner unitholders’ allocation of net income (loss) attributable to the Partnership was equal to their cash distributions plus their respective allocations of undistributed earnings or losses in accordance with their weighted-average ownership percentage during each period using the two-class method.

The Partnership’s basic net income (loss) per common unit is calculated by dividing the limited partners’ interest in net income (loss) by the weighted-average number of common units outstanding during the period. Diluted net income (loss) per common unit includes the effect of outstanding units issued under the Partnership’s long-term incentive plans.

5. EQUITY AND PARTNERS’ CAPITAL

The following table provides a reconciliation between basic and diluted net income (loss) per common unit:

	Three Months Ended  June 30,				Six Months Ended  June 30,
thousands except per-unit amounts	2022		2021		2022		2021
Net income (loss)
Limited partners’ interest in net income (loss)	$	299,550	$	226,295	$	601,484	$	408,093
Weighted-average common units outstanding
Basic	403,027		413,070		403,140		413,087
Dilutive effect of non-vested phantom units	1,135		650		1,140		470
Diluted	404,162		413,720		404,280		413,557
Excluded due to anti-dilutive effect	618		240		731		333
Net income (loss) per common unit
Basic	$	0.74	$	0.55	$	1.49	$	0.99
Diluted	$	0.74	$	0.55	$	1.49	$	0.99

WES Operating’s net income (loss) per common unit. Net income (loss) per common unit for WES Operating is not calculated because it has no publicly traded units.