Commitments and Contingencies |
3 Months Ended |
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Mar. 31, 2024 | |
| Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] | |
| Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies The Partnership is subject to environmental laws and regulations that can impose civil and criminal sanctions and that may require the Partnership to mitigate the effects of contamination caused by the release or disposal of hazardous substances into the environment. These laws include the federal Clean Air Act, the federal Water Pollution Control Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act ("CERCLA"), the Toxic Substances Control Act and various other federal, state and local laws and regulations. Under CERCLA, an owner or operator of property may be held strictly liable for remediating contamination without regard to whether that person caused the contamination, and without regard to whether the practices that resulted in the contamination were legal at the time they occurred. Because the Partnership's production sites have a history of industrial use, it is impossible to predict precisely what effect these legal requirements will have on the Partnership. Pursuant to the Omnibus Agreement, certain subsidiaries of Westlake will indemnify the Partnership for liabilities that occurred or existed prior to August 4, 2014. In September 2021, shortly after the turnaround on OpCo's Petro 2 facility commenced, there was a flash fire at the quench tower of the Petro 2 facility. Contractors and employees working on and near the quench tower were injured and multiple lawsuits were filed against Westlake and OpCo. Final settlements were reached with all of the plaintiffs to fully resolve the lawsuits by Westlake, but payment by the insurance carriers has not yet been completed. Westlake and its subsidiaries are responsible for indemnifying the Partnership in connection with any losses incurred by OpCo as a result of the fire. The Partnership is also involved in other legal proceedings incidental to the conduct of its business. After considering all relevant facts and circumstances, including applicable insurance and indemnification by Westlake, the Partnership does not believe that any of these legal proceedings will have a material adverse effect on its financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.
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