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Commitments and Contingencies | 6 Months Ended
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Jun. 30, 2017
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block] | Commitments and Contingencies The Partnership is the subject of, or a party to, a number of pending or threatened legal actions, contingencies and commitments involving a variety of matters, including laws and regulations relating to the environment. Some of these matters are discussed below. For matters for which the Partnership has not recorded an accrued liability, the Partnership is unable to estimate a range of possible losses for the reasons discussed in more detail below. However, the ultimate resolution of some of these contingencies could, individually or in the aggregate, be material. Environmental Matters – The Partnership is subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the environment. These laws generally provide for control of pollutants released into the environment and require responsible parties to undertake remediation of hazardous waste disposal sites. Penalties may be imposed for non-compliance. At June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, accrued liabilities for remediation totaled $5 million and $3 million, respectively. However, it is not presently possible to estimate the ultimate amount of all remediation costs that might be incurred or the penalties, if any, which may be imposed. At December 31, 2016, there was less than $1 million in receivables from MPC for indemnification of environmental costs related to incidents occurring prior to the Initial Offering. There were no such receivables at June 30, 2017. In July 2015, representatives from the EPA and the United States Department of Justice conducted a raid on a MarkWest Liberty Midstream pipeline launcher/receiver site utilized for pipeline maintenance operations in Washington County, Pennsylvania pursuant to a search warrant issued by a magistrate of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. As part of this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, proceeded with an investigation of MarkWest Liberty Midstream’s launcher/receiver, pipeline and compressor station operations. In response to the investigation, MarkWest initiated independent studies which demonstrated that there was no risk to worker safety and no threat of public harm associated with MarkWest Liberty Midstream’s launcher/receiver operations. These findings were supported by a subsequent inspection and review by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. After providing these studies, and other substantial documentation related to MarkWest Liberty Midstream's pipeline and compressor stations, and arranging site visits and conducting several meetings with the government’s representatives, on September 13, 2016, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania rendered a declination decision, dropping its criminal investigation and declining to pursue charges in this matter. MarkWest Liberty Midstream continues to discuss with the EPA and the State of Pennsylvania civil enforcement allegations associated with permitting or other related regulatory obligations for its launcher/receiver and compressor station facilities in the region. In connection with these discussions, MarkWest Liberty Midstream received an initial proposal from the EPA to settle all civil claims associated with this matter for the combination of a proposed cash penalty of approximately $2.4 million and proposed supplemental environmental projects with an estimated cost of approximately $3.6 million. MarkWest Liberty Midstream has submitted a response asserting that this action involves novel issues surrounding primarily minor source emissions from facilities that the agencies themselves considered de minimis and were not the subject of regulation and consequently that the settlement proposal is excessive. MarkWest Liberty Midstream will continue to negotiate with EPA regarding the amount and scope of the proposed settlement. The Partnership is involved in a number of other environmental enforcement matters arising in the ordinary course of business. While the outcome and impact on MPLX LP cannot be predicted with certainty, management believes the resolution of these environmental matters will not, individually or collectively, have a material adverse effect on its consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows. Other Lawsuits – In 2003, the State of Illinois brought an action against the Premcor Refining Group, Inc. (“Premcor”) and Apex Refining Company (“Apex”) asserting claims for environmental cleanup related to the refinery owned by these entities in the Hartford/Wood River, Illinois area. In 2006, Premcor and Apex filed third-party complaints against numerous owners and operators of petroleum products facilities in the Hartford/Wood River, Illinois area, including MPL. These complaints, which have been amended since filing, assert claims of common law nuisance and contribution under the Illinois Contribution Act and other laws for environmental cleanup costs that may be imposed on Premcor and Apex by the State of Illinois. On September 6, 2016, the trial court approved a settlement between Apex and the State of Illinois whereby Apex agreed to settle all claims against it for a $10 million payment. Premcor has objected to this ruling and is seeking an appeal. There are several third-party defendants in the litigation and MPL has asserted cross-claims in contribution against the various third-party defendants. This litigation is currently pending in the Third Judicial Circuit Court, Madison County, Illinois. While the ultimate outcome of these litigated matters remains uncertain, neither the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome nor the ultimate liability, if any, with respect to this matter can be determined at this time and the Partnership is unable to estimate a reasonably possible loss (or range of losses) for this litigation. Under the omnibus agreement, MPC will indemnify the Partnership for the full cost of any losses should MPL be deemed responsible for any damages in this lawsuit. The Partnership is also a party to a number of other lawsuits and other proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. While the ultimate outcome and impact to the Partnership cannot be predicted with certainty, the Partnership believes the resolution of these other lawsuits and proceedings will not have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows. Guarantees – Over the years, the Partnership has sold various assets in the normal course of its business. Certain of the related agreements contain performance and general guarantees, including guarantees regarding inaccuracies in representations, warranties, covenants and agreements, and environmental and general indemnifications that require the Partnership to perform upon the occurrence of a triggering event or condition. These guarantees and indemnifications are part of the normal course of selling assets. The Partnership is typically not able to calculate the maximum potential amount of future payments that could be made under such contractual provisions because of the variability inherent in the guarantees and indemnities. Most often, the nature of the guarantees and indemnities is such that there is no appropriate method for quantifying the exposure because the underlying triggering event has little or no past experience upon which a reasonable prediction of the outcome can be based. Contractual Commitments and Contingencies – At June 30, 2017, the Partnership’s contractual commitments to acquire property, plant and equipment totaled $415 million. These commitments at June 30, 2017 were primarily related to plant expansion projects for the Marcellus and Southwest Operations and the Cornerstone Pipeline project. In addition, from time to time and in the ordinary course of business, the Partnership and its affiliates provide guarantees of the Partnership’s subsidiaries payment and performance obligations in the G&P segment. Certain natural gas processing and gathering arrangements require the Partnership to construct new natural gas processing plants, natural gas gathering pipelines and NGL pipelines and contain certain fees and charges if specified construction milestones are not achieved for reasons other than force majeure. In certain cases, certain producers may have the right to cancel the processing arrangements if there are significant delays that are not due to force majeure. As of June 30, 2017, management does not believe there are any indications that the Partnership will not be able to meet the construction milestones, that force majeure does not apply, or that such fees and charges will otherwise be triggered.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for commitments and contingencies. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2127136 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 440 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2144648 + Details
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