Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure

REGULATORY MATTERS, COMMITMENTS, CONTINGENCIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL LIABILITIES:

Contingent Residual Support Agreement with ETO

Under a contingent residual support agreement with ETO and Citrus ETP Finance LLC, the Company provides contingent, residual support to Citrus ETP Finance LLC (on a non-recourse basis to the Company) with respect to Citrus ETP Finance LLC’s obligations to ETO to support the payment of $2 billion in principal amount of ETO senior notes, of which $1 billion mature in each of 2022 and 2042.

FERC Proceedings

On July 18, 2018, the FERC issued a final rule establishing procedures to evaluate rates charged by the FERC-jurisdictional gas pipelines in light of the Tax Act and the FERC’s Revised Policy Statement. By order issued January 16, 2019, the FERC initiated a review of Panhandle’s existing rates pursuant to Section 5 of the Natural Gas Act (“NGA”) to determine whether the rates currently charged by Panhandle are just and reasonable and set the matter for hearing. Panhandle filed a cost and revenue study on April 1, 2019 and an NGA Section 4 rate case on August 30, 2019. The Section 4 and Section 5 proceedings were consolidated by order of the Chief Judge on October 1, 2019. A hearing in the combined proceedings commenced on August 25, 2020 and adjourned on September 15, 2020. By order dated January 19, 2021, the Chief Judge has extended the deadline for the initial decision to March 2021.

Environmental Matters

The Company’s operations are subject to federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations regarding water quality, hazardous and solid waste management, air quality control and other environmental matters. These laws, rules and regulations require the Company to conduct its operations in a specified manner and to obtain and comply with a wide variety of environmental registrations, licenses, permits, inspections and other approvals. Failure to comply with environmental laws, rules and regulations may expose the Company to significant fines, penalties and/or interruptions in operations. The Company’s environmental policies and procedures are designed to achieve compliance with such applicable laws and regulations. These evolving laws and regulations and claims for damages to property, employees, other persons and the environment resulting from current or past operations may result in significant expenditures and liabilities in the future. The Company engages in a process of updating and revising its procedures for the ongoing evaluation of its operations to identify potential environmental exposures and enhance compliance with regulatory requirements.

The Company is responsible for environmental remediation at certain sites on its natural gas transmission systems for contamination resulting from the past use of lubricants containing polychlorinated biphenyls (“PCBs”) in compressed air systems; the past use of paints containing PCBs; and the prior use of wastewater collection facilities and other on-site disposal areas. The Company has implemented a program to remediate such contamination. The primary remaining remediation activity on the PEPL systems is associated with past use of paints containing PCBs or PCB impacts to equipment surfaces and to a building at one location. The PCB assessments are ongoing and the related estimated remediation costs are subject to further change. Other remediation typically involves the management of contaminated soils and may involve remediation of groundwater. Activities vary with site conditions and locations, the extent and nature of the contamination, remedial requirements, complexity and sharing of responsibility. The ultimate liability and total costs associated with these sites will depend upon many factors. If remediation activities involve statutory joint and several liability provisions, strict liability, or cost recovery or contribution actions, the Company could potentially be held responsible for contamination caused by other parties. In some instances, the Company may share liability associated with contamination with other potentially related parties. The Company may also benefit from contractual indemnities that cover some or all of the cleanup costs. These sites are generally managed in the normal course of business or operations.

The Company’s environmental remediation activities are undertaken in cooperation with and under the oversight of appropriate regulatory agencies, enabling the Company under certain circumstances to take advantage of various voluntary cleanup programs in order to perform the remediation in the most effective and efficient manner.

The Company had accrued $1 million in non-current liabilities as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 to cover environmental remediation actions where management believes a loss is probable and reasonably estimable. The Company is not able to estimate the possible loss or range of loss in excess of amounts accrued. The Company does not have any material environmental remediation matters assessed as reasonably possible.

Liabilities for Litigation and Other Claims

The Company records accrued liabilities for litigation and other claim costs when management believes a loss is probable and reasonably estimable. When management believes there is at least a reasonable possibility that a material loss or an additional material loss may have been incurred, the Company discloses (i) an estimate of the possible loss or range of loss in excess of the amount accrued; or (ii) a statement that such an estimate cannot be made. As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company’s consolidated balance sheet reflected litigation and other claim-related accrued liabilities of $18 million. The Company does not have any material litigation or other claim contingency matters assessed as probable or reasonably possible that would require disclosure in the financial statements.

Other Commitments and Contingencies

The Company is subject to the laws and regulations of states and other jurisdictions concerning the identification, reporting and escheatment (the transfer of property to the state) of unclaimed or abandoned funds, and is subject to audit and examination for compliance with these requirements. The Company is currently being examined by a third-party auditor on behalf of nine states for compliance with unclaimed property laws.