Environmental and Other Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Environmental Remediation Obligations [Abstract]

Environmental and Other Contingencies

Note Q – Environmental and Other Contingencies

The Company’s operations and earnings have been and may be affected by various forms of governmental action both in the United States and throughout the world. Examples of such governmental action include, but are by no means limited to: tax legislation changes, including tax rate changes, and retroactive tax claims; royalty and revenue sharing increases; import and export controls; price controls; currency controls; allocation of supplies of crude oil and petroleum products and other goods; expropriation of property; restrictions and preferences affecting the issuance of oil and gas or mineral leases; restrictions on drilling and/or production; laws, regulations and government action intended for the promotion of safety and the protection and/or remediation of the environment including in connection with the purported causes or potential impacts of climate change; governmental support for other forms of energy; and laws and regulations affecting the Company’s relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, stockholders and others. Given the factors involved in various government actions, including political considerations, it is difficult to predict their likelihood, the form they may take, or the effect they may have on the Company.

ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS – Murphy and other companies in the oil and gas industry are subject to numerous federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations dealing with the environment and protection of health and safety. The principal environmental, health and safety laws and regulations to which Murphy is subject address such matters as the generation, storage, handling, use, disposal and remediation of petroleum products, wastewater and hazardous materials; the emission and discharge of such materials to the environment, including methane and other GHG emissions; wildlife, habitat and water protection; water access, use and disposal; the placement, operation and decommissioning of production equipment; the health and safety of our employees, contractors and communities where our operations are located, including indigenous communities; and the causes and impacts of climate change. These laws and regulations also generally require permits for existing operations, as well as the construction or development of new operations and the decommissioning facilities once production has ceased.

Violation of federal or state environmental, health and safety laws, regulations and permits can result in the imposition of significant civil and criminal penalties, injunctions and construction bans or delays. A discharge of hazardous substances into the environment could, to the extent such event is not adequately insured, subject the Company to substantial expense, including both the cost to comply with applicable regulations and claims by neighboring landowners and other third parties for any personal injury and property damage that might result. In addition, Item 103 of SEC Regulation S-K requires disclosure of certain environmental matters when a governmental authority is a party to the proceedings and such proceedings involve potential monetary sanctions that the Company reasonably believes will exceed a specified threshold. Pursuant to recent SEC amendments to this item, the Company will be using a threshold of $1.0 million for such proceedings and the Company is not aware of environmental legal proceedings likely to exceed this $1.0 million threshold.

There continues to be an increase in regulatory oversight of the oil and gas industry at the federal level, with a focus on climate change and GHG emissions (including methane emissions). For example, in December 2023, the U.S. EPA announced its final rule regulating methane and volatile organic compounds emissions in the oil and gas industry which, among other things, requires periodic inspections to detect leaks (and subsequent repairs), places stringent restrictions on venting and flaring of methane, and establishes a program whereby third parties can monitor and report large methane emissions to the EPA. In addition, there have been a number of executive orders issued that address climate change, including creation of climate-related task forces, directives to federal agencies to procure carbon-free electricity, and a goal of a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and a net-zero emissions U.S. economy by 2050. Executive orders have also been issued related to oil and gas activities on federal lands, infrastructure and environmental justice. In addition, an international climate agreement (the Paris Agreement) was agreed to at the 2015 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris, France. The Paris Agreement entered into force in November 2016. Although the U.S. officially withdrew from the Paris Agreement on November 4, 2020, the U.S. has since rejoined the Paris Agreement, which became effective for the U.S. on February 19, 2021.

The Company currently owns or leases, and has in the past owned or leased, properties at which hazardous substances have been or are being handled. Hazardous substances may have been disposed of or released on or under the properties owned or leased by the Company or on or under other locations where these wastes have been taken for disposal. In addition, many of these properties have been operated by third parties whose treatment and disposal or release of hydrocarbons or other wastes were not under Murphy’s control. Under existing laws, the Company could be required to investigate, remove or remediate previously disposed wastes

(including wastes disposed of or released by prior owners or operators), to investigate and clean up contaminated property (including contaminated groundwater) or to perform remedial plugging operations to prevent future contamination. Certain of these historical properties are in various stages of negotiation, investigation, and/or cleanup, and the Company is investigating the extent of any such liability and the availability of applicable defenses. The Company has retained certain liabilities related to environmental matters at formerly owned U.S. refineries that were sold in 2011. The Company also obtained insurance covering certain levels of environmental exposures related to past operations of these refineries. Murphy USA Inc. has retained any environmental exposure associated with Murphy’s former U.S. marketing operations that were spun-off in August 2013. The Company believes costs related to these sites will not have a material adverse effect on Murphy’s net income, financial condition or liquidity in a future period. Depending on the evolution of laws, regulations and litigation outcomes relating to climate change, there can be no guarantee that climate change litigation will not in the future materially adversely affect our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

There is the possibility that environmental expenditures could be required at currently unidentified sites, and additional expenditures could be required at known sites. However, based on information currently available to the Company, the amount of future investigation and remediation costs incurred at known or currently unidentified sites is not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s future net income, cash flows or liquidity.

LEGAL MATTERS – Murphy and its subsidiaries are engaged in a number of other legal proceedings (including litigation related to climate change), all of which Murphy considers routine and incidental to its business. Based on information currently available to the Company, the ultimate resolution of environmental and legal matters referred to in this note is not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s net income, financial condition or liquidity in a future period.