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Commitments and Contingencies | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2018
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 March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, accrued liabilities for remediation totaled $15 million and $13 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, 2017, there was less than $1 million in payables to MPC for indemnification of environmental costs related to incidents occurring prior to the Initial Offering. At March 31, 2018 there was $3 million in receivables from MPC for these costs. MarkWest Liberty Midstream and its affiliates agreed in principle to pay a cash penalty of approximately $0.6 million and to undertake certain supplemental environmental projects with an estimated cost of approximately $2.4 million, related to civil enforcement allegations associated with permitting and other regulatory obligations for launcher/receiver and compressor station facilities in southeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. On April 24, 2018, MarkWest Liberty Midstream and its affiliates entered into a Consent Decree with the EPA and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection resolving these issues, subject to a 30-day public comment period, pursuant to which MarkWest Liberty Midstream will pay a penalty of $0.6 million and undertake certain supplemental environmental projects with an estimated cost of approximately $2.4 million, in addition to other related projects that are substantially complete. 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 – The Partnership, MarkWest, MarkWest Liberty Midstream, MarkWest Liberty Bluestone, L.L.C., Ohio Fractionation and MarkWest Utica EMG (collectively, the “MPLX Parties”) are parties to various lawsuits with Bilfinger Westcon, Inc. (“Westcon”) that were instituted in 2016 and 2017 in the Court of Common Pleas in Butler County, Pennsylvania, the Circuit Court in Wetzel County, West Virginia, and the Court of Common Pleas in Harrison County, Ohio. The lawsuits relate to disputes regarding construction work performed by Westcon at the Bluestone, Mobley and Cadiz processing complexes in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio, respectively, and the Hopedale fractionation complex in Ohio. With respect to work performed by Westcon at the Mobley and Bluestone processing complexes, one or more of the MPLX Parties have asserted breach of contract, fraud, and with respect to work performed at the Mobley processing complex, MarkWest Liberty Midstream has also asserted negligent misrepresentation claims against Westcon. Westcon has also asserted claims against one or more of the MPLX Parties regarding these construction projects for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, promissory estoppel, fraud and constructive fraud, tortious interference with contractual relations, and civil conspiracy. Collectively, in the several cases, the MPLX Parties seek in excess of $10 million, plus an unspecified amount of punitive damages. Collectively, in the several cases, Westcon seeks in excess of $40 million, plus an unspecified amount of punitive damages. It is possible that, in connection with these lawsuits, the MPLX Parties will incur material amounts of damages. While the ultimate outcome and impact to the Partnership cannot be predicted with certainty, and the Partnership is not able to estimate a reasonably possible loss (or range of loss), if any, for these matters, the Partnership believes the resolution of these claims will not have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. 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 Marathon Pipe Line LLC (“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. The State’s case against Premcor is currently scheduled to commence trial on June 25, 2018, and Premcor’s claims against third-party defendants, including MPL, is currently scheduled to commence August 13, 2018. 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 loss) 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 March 31, 2018, the Partnership’s contractual commitments to acquire property, plant and equipment totaled $718 million. These commitments were primarily related to plant expansion projects for the Marcellus and Southwest Operations. 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 March 31, 2018, 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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