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Other Contingencies and Commitments
 3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Other Contingencies and Commitments
Other Contingencies and Commitments
Income Taxes The company calculates its income tax expense and liabilities quarterly. These liabilities generally are subject to audit and are not finalized with the individual taxing authorities until several years after the end of the annual period for which income taxes have been calculated. Refer to Note 6 on page 9 for a discussion of the periods for which tax returns have been audited for the company’s major tax jurisdictions.
Settlement of open tax years, as well as other tax issues in countries where the company conducts its businesses, are not expected to have a material effect on the consolidated financial position or liquidity of the company and, in the opinion of management, adequate provision has been made for income and franchise taxes for all years under examination or subject to future examination.
Guarantees The company and its subsidiaries have certain contingent liabilities with respect to guarantees, direct or indirect, of debt of affiliated companies or third parties. Under the terms of the guarantee arrangements, the company would generally be required to perform should the affiliated company or third party fail to fulfill its obligations under the arrangements. In some cases, the guarantee arrangements may have recourse provisions that would enable the company to recover any payments made under the terms of the guarantees from assets provided as collateral.
Indemnifications In the acquisition of Unocal, the company assumed certain indemnities relating to contingent environmental liabilities associated with assets that were sold in 1997. The acquirer of those assets shared in certain environmental remediation costs up to a maximum obligation of $200 million, which had been reached at December 31, 2009. Under the indemnification agreement, after reaching the $200 million obligation, Chevron is solely responsible until April 2022, when the indemnification expires. The environmental conditions or events that are subject to these indemnities must have arisen prior to the sale of the assets in 1997.
Although the company has provided for known obligations under this indemnity that are probable and reasonably estimable, the amount of additional future costs may be material to results of operations in the period in which they are recognized. The company does not expect these costs will have a material effect on its consolidated financial position or liquidity.
Off-Balance-Sheet Obligations The company and its subsidiaries have certain contingent liabilities with respect to long-term unconditional purchase obligations and commitments, including throughput and take-or-pay agreements, some of which relate to suppliers’ financing arrangements. The agreements typically provide goods and services, such as pipeline and storage capacity, drilling rigs, utilities, and petroleum products, to be used or sold in the ordinary course of the company’s business.
Environmental The company is subject to loss contingencies pursuant to laws, regulations, private claims and legal proceedings related to environmental matters that are subject to legal settlements or that in the future may require the company to take action to correct or ameliorate the effects on the environment of prior release of chemicals or petroleum substances, including MTBE, by the company or other parties. Such contingencies may exist for various sites, including, but not limited to, federal Superfund sites and analogous sites under state laws, refineries, crude oil fields, service stations, terminals, land development areas, and mining activities, whether operating, closed or divested. These future costs are not fully determinable due to such factors as the unknown magnitude of possible contamination, the unknown timing and extent of the corrective actions that may be required, the determination of the company’s liability in proportion to other responsible parties, and the extent to which such costs are recoverable from third parties.
Although the company has provided for known environmental obligations that are probable and reasonably estimable, the amount of additional future costs may be material to results of operations in the period in which they are recognized. The company does not expect these costs will have a material effect on its consolidated financial position or liquidity. Also, the company does not believe its obligations to make such expenditures have had, or will have, any significant impact on the company’s competitive position relative to other U.S. or international petroleum or chemical companies.
Other Contingencies On April 26, 2010, a California appeals court issued a ruling related to the adequacy of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) supporting the issuance of certain permits by the city of Richmond,
California, to replace and upgrade certain facilities at Chevron's refinery in Richmond. Settlement discussions with plaintiffs in the case ended late fourth quarter 2010, and on March 3, 2011, the trial court entered a final judgment and peremptory writ ordering the City to set aside the project EIR and conditional use permits and enjoining Chevron from any further work. On May 23, 2011, the company filed an application with the City Planning Department for a conditional use permit for a revised project to complete construction of the hydrogen plant, certain sulfur removal facilities and related infrastructure. On June 10, 2011, the City published its Notice of Preparation of the revised EIR for the project, and on March 18, 2014, the revised draft EIR was published for public comment. The public comment period closed in May 2014, the final EIR was released on June 9, 2014, and on July 29, 2014, the Richmond City Council certified the EIR and approved a conditional use permit. On February 11, 2015, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District reissued an authority-to-construct permit for the project, and on April 8, 2015, the Court discharged the writ which had stopped construction of the project. Management is evaluating next steps in the project.
On November 7, 2011, while drilling a development well in the deepwater Frade Field about 75 miles offshore Brazil, an unanticipated pressure spike caused oil to migrate from the well bore through a series of fissures to the sea floor, emitting approximately 2,400 barrels of oil. The source of the seep was substantially contained within four days and the well was plugged and abandoned. On March 14, 2012, the company identified a small, second seep in a different part of the field. No evidence of any coastal or wildlife impacts related to either of these seeps have emerged. As reported in the company’s previously filed periodic reports, it has resolved civil claims relating to these incidents brought by a Brazilian federal district prosecutor. As also reported previously, the federal district prosecutor also filed criminal charges against Chevron and eleven Chevron employees. On February 19, 2013, the trial court dismissed the criminal matter, and on appeal, on October 9, 2013, the appellate court reinstated two of the ten allegations, specifically those charges alleging environmental damage and failure to provide timely notification to authorities. On February 27, 2014, Chevron filed a motion for reconsideration. While reconsideration of the motion to dismiss is pending, there will be further proceedings on the reinstated allegations. The company’s ultimate exposure related to the incident is not currently determinable.
Chevron receives claims from and submits claims to customers; trading partners; U.S. federal, state and local regulatory bodies; governments; contractors; insurers; suppliers; and individuals. The amounts of these claims, individually and in the aggregate, may be significant and take lengthy periods to resolve, and may result in gains or losses in future periods.
The company and its affiliates also continue to review and analyze their operations and may close, abandon, sell, exchange, acquire or restructure assets to achieve operational or strategic benefits and to improve competitiveness and profitability. These activities, individually or together, may result in significant gains or losses in future periods.