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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2024
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES |
NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
NATURE OF OPERATIONS Occidental conducts its operations through various subsidiaries and affiliates. Occidental’s principal businesses consist of three reporting segments: oil and gas, chemical and midstream and marketing. The oil and gas segment explores for, develops and produces oil (which includes condensate), NGL and natural gas. OxyChem primarily manufactures and markets basic chemicals and vinyls. The midstream and marketing segment purchases, markets, gathers, processes, transports and stores oil (which includes condensate), NGL, natural gas, CO 2 and power. It also optimizes its transportation and storage capacity, and invests in entities that conduct similar activities, such as WES. The midstream and marketing segment also includes OLCV. OLCV seeks to leverage Occidental’s legacy of carbon management experience to develop CCUS projects, including the commercialization of DAC technology, and invests in other low-carbon technologies intended to reduce GHG emissions from Occidental’s operations and strategically partner with other industries to help reduce their emissions. PRINCIPLES OF CONSOLIDATION The Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in conformity with GAAP and include the accounts of Occidental, its subsidiaries, its undivided interests in oil and gas exploration and production ventures and, variable interest entities, for which Occidental was the primary beneficiary. Occidental accounts for its share of oil and gas exploration and production ventures by reporting its proportionate share of assets, liabilities, revenues, costs and cash flows within the relevant lines on the balance sheets, statements of operations and statements of cash flows. INVESTMENTS IN UNCONSOLIDATED ENTITIES Occidental’s percentage interest in the underlying net assets of affiliates for which it exercises significant influence without having a controlling interest (excluding oil and gas ventures in which Occidental holds an undivided interest) are accounted for under the equity method. Occidental reviews equity-method investments for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that an other-than-temporary decline in value may have occurred. The amount of impairment, if any, is based on quoted market prices, when available, or other valuation techniques, including discounted cash flows. Occidental evaluates the facts and circumstances of any distributions in excess of its carrying amount in the investment to determine the appropriate accounting, including the source of the proceeds and any implicit or explicit commitments to fund the affiliate. If there is no implicit or explicit commitment, the distribution is treated as a gain. If an implicit or explicit commitment exists to possibly fund the affiliate at a future date, the distribution is recorded against the equity-method investment. See Note 4 - Investments and Related-Party Transactions for further discussion regarding investments in unconsolidated entities. WES INVESTMENT WES is a publicly traded limited partnership with its limited partner units traded on the NYSE under the ticker symbol “WES.” In August 2024, Occidental sold 19.5 million of its limited partner units for proceeds of $697 million resulting in a pre-tax gain of $489 million. As of December 31, 2024, Occidental owned all of the 2.3% non-voting general partner interest, 43.5% of the WES limited partner units, and a 2% non-voting limited partner interest in WES Operating, a subsidiary of WES. As of December 31, 2024, Occidental's combined share of net income from WES and its subsidiaries was 46.0%. See Note 4 - Investment and Related-Party Transactions for further information. NONCONTROLLING INTEREST In 2023, Occidental and BlackRock formed a joint venture for the continued development of the first commercial scale direct air capture facility in Ector County, Texas. The joint venture is a VIE and Occidental consolidates the VIE as it is the primary beneficiary. BlackRock’s investment is accounted for as a NCI. Each party has committed to make additional investments towards the completion of the direct air capture facility, with BlackRock committed to invest up to $550 million. In addition, Occidental has entered into agreements with the joint venture related to project management, operations and maintenance and carbon removal offtake. Occidental may incur additional payments if certain construction and operational thresholds are not met. Occidental may call the NCI on June 30, 2035 or earlier if the plant does not achieve commercial operations or ceases and permanently discontinues operations. Dividends from the joint venture will be distributed preferentially to the NCI up to a return threshold, then preferentially to Occidental thereafter. The NCI receives preferential distributions in liquidation. Because distributions from the joint venture will not be consistent over time, or with the initial investments or ownership interest, Occidental has determined that the appropriate methodology for attributing income and loss from the joint venture is the hypothetical liquidation at book value method. Under this method, the amounts of income and loss attributed to the NCI in the Consolidated Statements of Operations reflect changes in the amounts the NCI would hypothetically receive at each balance sheet date if the joint venture was liquidated. As of December 31, 2024, the VIE’s assets were comprised of $773 million construction in progress. Noncontrolling interest as of December 31, 2024 was $321 million. BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY OWNERSHIP Berkshire Hathaway is a related party of Occidental due to its level of ownership of Occidental's common stock. As of December 31, 2024, Berkshire Hathaway’s ownership in Occidental included 264 million shares of common stock, 83.9 million of warrants of Occidental common stock with a strike price of $59.62, and $8.5 billion in preferred stock. Occidental has, from time to time, contracted with Berkshire Hathaway for the provision of electricity, rail and insurance. In addition, certain Berkshire Hathaway subsidiaries purchase various chemicals from OxyChem. DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS Unless otherwise indicated, information presented in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements relates only to Occidental's continuing operations. Information related to discontinued operations is included in Note 5 - Acquisitions, Divestitures and Other Transactions and in some instances, where appropriate, is included as a separate disclosure within the individual Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES The process of preparing Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires Occidental’s management to make informed estimates and judgments regarding certain types of financial statement balances and disclosures. Such estimates primarily relate to unsettled transactions and events as of the date of the Consolidated Financial Statements and judgments on expected outcomes as well as the materiality of transactions and balances. Changes in facts and circumstances or discovery of new information relating to such transactions and events may result in revised estimates and judgments and actual results may differ from estimates upon settlement. Management believes that these estimates and judgments provide a reasonable basis for the fair presentation of Occidental’s financial statements. Occidental establishes a valuation allowance against net operating losses and other deferred tax assets to the extent it believes the future benefit from these assets will not be realized in the statutory carryforward periods. Realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon Occidental generating sufficient future taxable income and reversal of temporary differences in jurisdictions where such assets originate. The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include assets of approximately $7.7 billion as of December 31, 2024 and net sales of approximately $4.3 billion in 2024 relating to Occidental’s operations in countries outside North America. Occidental is exposed to various risks, because certain of its international operations are located in countries which could be affected by political or civil instability, OPEC production restrictions, equipment import restrictions and sanctions. Exposure to such risks may increase if a greater percentage of Occidental’s future oil and gas production or revenue comes from international sources. Occidental attempts to conduct its affairs so as to mitigate its exposure to such risks and would seek compensation in the event of nationalization. Because Occidental’s major products are commodities, significant changes in the prices of oil, NGL, natural gas and chemical products may have a significant impact on Occidental’s results of operations. Also, see Property, Plant and Equipment section below. RECEIVABLES AND OTHER CURRENT ASSETS Trade receivables, net of $3.5 billion and $3.2 billion as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, represent rights to payment for which Occidental had satisfied its obligations under a contract with a customer and its right to payment was conditioned only on the passage of time. Other current assets includes prepaid expenses, derivative assets and taxes receivable. Joint interest receivables represent amounts due for capital and operating costs from third-party non-operating partners. INVENTORIES Materials and supplies are valued at weighted-average cost and are reviewed periodically for obsolescence. Oil, NGL and natural gas inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market. For the chemical segment, Occidental’s finished goods inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market. For most of its domestic inventories, other than materials and supplies, the chemical segment uses the LIFO method as it better matches current costs and current revenue. For other countries, Occidental uses the first-in, first-out method (if the costs of goods are specifically identifiable) or the average-cost method (if the costs of goods are not specifically identifiable). PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT OIL AND GAS The carrying value of Occidental’s PP&E represents the cost incurred to acquire or develop the asset, including any AROs and capitalized interest, net of accumulated DD&A and any impairment charges. For assets acquired, PP&E cost is based on fair values at the acquisition date. AROs and interest costs incurred in connection with qualifying capital expenditures are capitalized and amortized over the lives of the related assets. Occidental uses the successful efforts method to account for its oil and gas properties. Under this method, Occidental capitalizes costs of acquiring properties, costs of drilling successful exploration wells and development costs. The costs of exploratory wells are initially capitalized pending a determination of whether proved reserves have been found. If proved reserves have been found, the costs of exploratory wells remain capitalized. For exploratory wells that find reserves that cannot be classified as proved when drilling is completed, costs continue to be capitalized as suspended exploratory drilling costs if there have been sufficient reserves found to justify completion as a producing well and sufficient progress is being made in assessing the reserves and the economic and operating viability of the project. At the end of each quarter, management reviews the status of all suspended exploratory drilling costs in light of ongoing exploration activities, in particular, whether Occidental is making sufficient progress in its ongoing exploration and appraisal efforts or, in the case of discoveries requiring government sanctioning, analyzing whether development negotiations are underway and proceeding as planned. If management determines that future appraisal drilling or development activities are unlikely to occur, associated suspended exploratory well costs are expensed. The following table summarizes the activity of capitalized exploratory well costs for continuing operations for the years ended December 31:
millions | 2024 | 2023 | 2022
Balance — beginning of year | $ | 405 |  | $ | 276 |  | $ | 213 |
Additions to capitalized exploratory well costs pending the determination of proved reserves | 556 |  | 750 |  | 323 |
Reclassifications to property, plant and equipment based on the determination of proved reserves | (594) |  | (314) |  | (183) |
Capitalized exploratory well costs charged to expense | (105) |  | (307) |  | (77) |
Balance — end of year | $ | 262 |  | $ | 405 |  | $ | 276 |
Occidental expenses annual lease rentals, the costs of injectants used in production and geological and geophysical costs as incurred. Occidental determines depreciation and depletion of oil and gas producing properties by the unit-of-production method. It amortizes leasehold costs over total proved reserves and capitalized development and successful exploration costs over proved developed reserves. Proved oil and gas reserves are those quantities of oil and gas which, by analysis of geoscience and engineering data, can be estimated with reasonable certainty to be economically producible from a given date forward, from known reservoirs and under existing economic conditions, operating methods and government regulations prior to the time at which contracts providing the right to operate expire, unless evidence indicates that renewal is reasonably certain, regardless of whether deterministic or probabilistic methods are used for the estimation. Proved reserves include PUD reserves. PUD reserves are supported by a management-approved, detailed, field-level development plan where sufficient capital has been committed to develop those reserves. Only PUD reserves which are reasonably certain to be drilled within five years of booking and are supported by a final investment decision to drill them are included in the development plan. A portion of the PUD reserves are expected to be developed beyond the five years and are tied to approved long-term development projects. Occidental performs impairment tests with respect to its proved properties whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value of property may not be recoverable. If there is an indication the carrying amount of the asset may not be recovered due to significant and prolonged declines in current and forward prices, significant changes in reserve estimates, changes in management’s plans, or other significant events, management will evaluate the property for impairment. Under the successful efforts method, if the sum of the undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying value of the proved property, the carrying value is reduced to estimated fair value and reported as an impairment charge in the period. Individual proved properties are grouped for impairment purposes at the lowest level for which there are identifiable cash flows. The fair value of impaired assets is typically determined based on the present value of expected future cash flows using discount rates believed to be consistent with those used by market participants. The impairment test incorporates a number of assumptions involving expectations of future cash flows which can change significantly over time. These assumptions include estimates of future production, product prices, contractual prices, estimates of risk-adjusted oil and gas proved and unproved reserves and estimates of future operating and development costs. It is reasonably possible that prolonged declines in commodity prices, reduced capital spending in response to lower prices or increases in operating costs could result in additional impairments. See Note 9 - Fair Value Measurements and below for further discussion of asset impairments. Net capitalized costs attributable to unproved properties were $10.2 billion as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The unproved amounts are not subject to DD&A until they are classified as proved properties. Individually insignificant unproved properties are combined and amortized on a group basis based on factors such as geographic location, lease terms, success rates and other factors to provide for full amortization upon lease expiration or abandonment. Significant unproved properties are assessed individually for impairment and, when events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value of property may not be recovered, a valuation allowance is provided if an impairment is indicated. Occidental periodically reviews significant unproved properties for impairments. When assessing for impairments, several factors are considered, including, but not limited to, availability of funds for future exploration and development activities, current exploration and development plans, favorable or unfavorable exploration activity on the property or the adjacent property, geologists’ evaluation of the property, the current and projected political and regulatory climate, contractual conditions and the remaining lease term for the properties. If an impairment is indicated, Occidental will first determine whether a comparable transaction for similar properties or implied acreage valuation derived from domestic onshore market participants is available and will adjust the carrying amount of the unproved property to its fair value using the market approach. In situations where the market approach is not observable and unproved reserves are available, undiscounted future net cash flows used in the impairment analysis are determined based on management’s risk-adjusted estimates of unproved reserves, future commodity prices and future costs to produce the reserves. If undiscounted future net cash flows are less than the carrying value of the unproved property, the future net cash flows are discounted and compared to the carrying value for determining the amount of the impairment loss to record. Occidental utilizes the same methodology discussed above for cash flows associated with proved properties. CHEMICAL Occidental’s chemical assets are depreciated using the straight-line method, based upon the estimated useful lives of the facilities. The estimated useful lives of Occidental’s chemical assets, which range from three years to 50 years, are also used for impairment tests. The estimated useful lives for the chemical facilities are based on the assumption that Occidental will provide an appropriate level of annual expenditures to ensure productive capacity is sustained. Such expenditures consist of ongoing routine repairs and maintenance, as well as planned major maintenance activities. Ongoing routine repairs and maintenance expenditures are expensed as incurred. Planned major maintenance activities costs are capitalized and amortized over the period until the next planned overhaul. Additionally, Occidental incurs capital expenditures that extend the remaining useful lives of existing assets, increase their capacity or operating efficiency beyond the original specification or add value through modification for a different use. These capital expenditures are not considered in the initial determination of the useful lives of these assets at the time they are placed into service. The resulting revision, if any, of the asset’s estimated useful life is measured and accounted for prospectively. Without these continued expenditures, the useful lives of these assets could decrease significantly. Other factors that could change the estimated useful lives of Occidental’s chemical assets include sustained higher or lower product prices, which are affected by domestic and international competition, demand, feedstock costs, energy prices, environmental regulations and technological changes. Occidental performs impairment tests on its chemical assets whenever events or changes in circumstances lead to a reduction in the estimated useful lives or estimated future cash flows that would indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable, or when management’s plans change with respect to those assets. Any impairment loss would be calculated as the excess of the asset’s net book value over its estimated fair value. MIDSTREAM AND MARKETING Occidental’s midstream and marketing PP&E is depreciated over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which range from 3 years to 40 years, using the straight-line method. Occidental performs impairment tests on its midstream and marketing assets whenever events or changes in circumstances lead to a reduction in the estimated useful lives or estimated future cash flows that would indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable, or when management’s plans change with respect to those assets. Any impairment loss would be calculated as the excess of the asset’s net book value over its estimated fair value. IMPAIRMENTS AND OTHER CHARGES In 2024, Occidental recorded a pre-tax impairment of $334 million related to certain wells in the Gulf of America whose future net cash inflows did not indicate that the asset value is recoverable. Also included in Impairments and other charges was an increase in the non-current environmental remediation liability related to OU2 and OU4 of the DASS for $925 million. See Note 13 - Lawsuits, Claims, Commitments and Contingencies for additional information. In 2023, Occidental recorded a pre-tax impairment of $180 million related to undeveloped acreage in the northern non-core area of the Powder River Basin where Occidental has decided not to pursue future exploration and appraisal activities. In 2023, impairment expense also included $29 million related to an equity method investment in Black Butte Coal Company. INTANGIBLES AND GOODWILL As of December 31, 2024, Occidental had $920 million of other intangible assets primarily related to Carbon Engineering and TerraLithium included in the midstream and marketing segment other long-term assets. These assets are amortized between 9 and 25 years on a straight-line basis. Occidental performs impairment tests on its finite-lived intangible assets whenever events or changes in circumstances lead to a reduction in the estimated useful lives or estimated future cash flows that would indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable, or when management’s plans change with respect to those assets. Any impairment loss would be calculated as the excess of the asset’s net book value over its estimated fair value. As of December 31, 2024, Occidental had $668 million of goodwill related to its ownership in Carbon Engineering included in the midstream and marketing segment other long-term assets. Goodwill is subject to annual impairment testing every April. Occidental’s goodwill impairment test first assesses qualitative factors to determine whether goodwill is likely impaired. If the qualitative assessment indicates that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount including goodwill, Occidental will then perform a quantitative goodwill impairment test. Changes in goodwill may result from, among other things, impairments, future acquisitions, or future divestitures. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS Occidental has categorized its assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value in a three-level fair value hierarchy, based on the inputs to the valuation techniques: Level 1 – using quoted prices in active markets for the assets or liabilities; Level 2 – using observable inputs other than quoted prices for the assets or liabilities; and Level 3 – using unobservable inputs. Transfers between levels, if any, are reported at the end of each reporting period. FAIR VALUES - RECURRING Occidental primarily applies the market approach for recurring fair value measurements, maximizes its use of observable inputs and minimizes its use of unobservable inputs. Occidental utilizes the mid-point between bid and ask prices for valuing the majority of its assets and liabilities measured and reported at fair value. In addition to using market data, Occidental makes assumptions in valuing its assets and liabilities, including assumptions about the risks inherent in the inputs to the valuation technique. For assets and liabilities carried at fair value, Occidental measures fair value using the following methods: ■Occidental values exchange-cleared commodity derivatives using closing prices provided by the exchange as of the balance sheet date. These derivatives are classified as Level 1. ■OTC bilateral financial commodity contracts, foreign exchange contracts, interest rate swaps, warrants, options and physical commodity forward purchase and sale contracts are generally classified as Level 2 and are generally valued using quotations provided by brokers or industry-standard models that consider various inputs, including quoted forward prices for commodities, time value, volatility factors, credit risk and current market and contractual prices for the underlying instruments, as well as other relevant economic measures. Substantially all of these inputs are observable in the marketplace throughout the full term of the instrument, and can be derived from observable data or are supported by observable prices at which transactions are executed in the marketplace. ■Occidental values commodity derivatives based on a market approach that considers various assumptions, including quoted forward commodity prices and market yield curves. The assumptions used include inputs that are generally unobservable in the marketplace or are observable but have been adjusted based upon various assumptions and the fair value is designated as Level 3 within the valuation hierarchy. ■Occidental values debt using market-observable information for debt instruments that are traded on secondary markets. For debt instruments that are not traded, the fair value is determined by interpolating the value based on debt with similar terms and credit risk. NON-FINANCIAL ASSETS Occidental uses market-observable prices for assets when comparable transactions can be identified that are similar to the asset being valued. When Occidental is required to measure fair value and there is not a market-observable price for the asset or for a similar asset then the cost or income approach is used depending on the quality of information available to support management’s assumptions. The cost approach is based on management’s best estimate of the current asset replacement cost. The income approach is based on management’s best assumptions regarding expectations of future net cash flows. The expected cash flows are discounted using a commensurate risk-adjusted discount rate. Such evaluations involve significant judgment, and the results are based on expected future events or conditions such as sales prices, estimates of future oil and gas production or throughput, development and operating costs and the timing thereof, economic and regulatory climates and other factors, most of which are often outside of management’s control. However, assumptions used reflect a market participant’s view of long-term prices, costs and other factors and are consistent with assumptions used in Occidental’s business plans and investment decisions. ACCRUED LIABILITIES - CURRENT Accrued liabilities-current consisted of the following line items for the years ended 2024 and 2023:
millions | 2024 | 2023 |
Payroll and related expenses | $ | 694 |  | $ | 693 |  |
Income tax payable | 471 |  | 25 |  |
Accrued interest payable | 446 |  | 336 |  |
Taxes other than on income | 442 |  | 618 |  |
Carbon Engineering acquisition payable | 393 |  | 300 |  |
Current asset retirement obligations | 388 |  | 193 |  |
Dividends payable | 354 |  | 307 |  |
Other | 1,068 |  | 1,382 |  |
Accrued liabilities - current | $ | 4,256 |  | $ | 3,854 |  |
ACCRUED LIABILITIES - NON-CURRENT Accrued liabilities non-current consisted of the following line items for the years ended 2024 and 2023:
millions | 2024 | 2023 |
Long term tax liabilities (b) | 2,204 |  | 2,072 |  |
Environmental remediation liabilities (a) | 1,759 |  | 889 |  |
Pension and postretirement obligations | 1,022 |  | 931 |  |
Operating lease liabilities | 614 |  | 727 |  |
Other | 1,431 |  | 1,710 |  |
Accrued liabilities - non-current | $ | 7,030 |  | $ | 6,329 |  |
(a) See Note 12 - Environmental Liabilities and Expenditures for additional information. (b) See Note 13 - Lawsuits, Claims, Commitments and Contingencies for additional information. ENVIRONMENTAL LIABILITIES AND EXPENDITURES Certain subsidiaries of Occidental incur environmental liabilities and expenditures that relate to current operations and are expensed or capitalized by such subsidiaries as appropriate. Certain subsidiaries also incur environmental liabilities and expenditures with respect to remediation of existing conditions from alleged past practices at Third-Party, Currently Operated, and Closed or Non-operated Sites, which categories may include NPL sites. Those environmental liabilities and related charges and expenses for estimated remediation costs from alleged past practices are recorded when environmental remediation efforts are probable and the costs can be reasonably estimated. Occidental discloses such remediation liabilities of its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis. In determining the environmental remediation liability and the range of reasonably possible additional losses, Occidental refers to currently available information, including relevant past experience, remedial objectives, available technologies, applicable laws and regulations and cost-sharing arrangements. These environmental remediation liabilities are based on management’s estimate of the most likely cost to be incurred using the most cost-effective technology reasonably expected to achieve the remedial objective. Occidental periodically reviews these environmental remediation liabilities and adjusts them as new information becomes available. Occidental’s subsidiaries generally record reimbursements or recoveries of environmental remediation costs in income when received, or when receipt of recovery is highly probable. Many factors could affect future remediation costs incurred by Occidental’s subsidiaries and result in adjustments to environmental remediation liabilities and the range of reasonably possible additional losses. The most significant are: (i) cost estimates for remedial activities may vary from the initial estimate; (ii) the length of time, type or amount of remediation necessary to achieve the remedial objective may change due to factors such as site conditions, the ability to identify and control contaminant sources or the discovery of additional contamination; (iii) a regulatory agency may ultimately reject or modify remedial plans proposed by Occidental’s subsidiaries; (iv) improved or alternative remediation technologies may change remediation costs; (v) laws and regulations may change remediation requirements or affect cost sharing or allocation of liability; and (vi) changes in allocation or cost-sharing arrangements may occur. Certain sites involve multiple parties with various cost-sharing arrangements, which fall into the following three categories: (i) environmental proceedings that result in a negotiated or prescribed allocation of remediation costs among the affected Occidental subsidiary and other alleged potentially responsible parties; (ii) oil and gas ventures in which each participant pays its proportionate share of remediation costs reflecting its working interest; or (iii) contractual arrangements, typically relating to purchases and sales of properties, in which the parties to the transaction agree to methods of allocating remediation costs. In these circumstances, the affected subsidiary evaluates the financial viability of other parties with whom it is alleged to be jointly liable, the degree of their commitment to participate and the consequences to such subsidiary of their failure to participate when estimating its ultimate share of liability. Occidental records its environmental remediation liabilities at its expected net cost of remedial activities and, based on these factors, believes that it will not be required to assume a share of liability of such other potentially responsible parties in an amount materially above amounts reserved. In addition to the costs of investigations and cleanup measures, which often take in excess of 10 years at CERCLA NPL sites, Occidental’s environmental remediation liabilities include management’s estimates of the costs to operate and maintain remedial systems. If remedial systems are modified over time in response to significant changes in site-specific data, laws, regulations, technologies or engineering estimates, Occidental reviews and adjusts its environmental remediation liabilities accordingly. ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS Occidental recognizes the fair value of AROs in the period in which a determination is made that a legal obligation exists to dismantle an asset and reclaim or remediate the property at the end of its useful life and the cost of the obligation can be reasonably estimated. The liability amounts are based on future retirement cost estimates and incorporate many assumptions such as time to abandonment, future inflation rates and the risk-adjusted discount rate. When the liability is initially recorded, Occidental capitalizes the cost by increasing the related PP&E balances. If the estimated future cost of the AROs changes, Occidental records an adjustment to both the AROs and PP&E. Over time, the liability is increased, expense is recognized for accretion and the capitalized cost is depreciated over the useful life of the asset. Adjustments to ARO for oil and gas properties where the field has reached cessation of production are recorded as gain (loss) on ARO settlements and are included in gain (loss) on the sale of assets and other, net in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The majority of Occidental’s AROs relate to the plugging of wells and the related abandonment of oil and gas properties. At a certain number of its facilities, Occidental has identified conditional AROs that are related mainly to plant decommissioning. Occidental does not know or cannot estimate when it may settle these obligations. Therefore, Occidental cannot reasonably estimate the fair value of these liabilities. Occidental will recognize these conditional AROs in the periods in which sufficient information becomes available to reasonably estimate their fair values. The following table summarizes the activity of AROs for the years ended December 31:
millions | 2024 | 2023
Beginning balance | $ | 4,075 |  | $ | 3,805 |
Liabilities incurred – capitalized to PP&E | 287 |  | 105 |
Liabilities settled and paid | (445) |  | (295) |
Accretion expense | 234 |  | 211 |
Acquisitions, divestitures and other, net | 2 |  | (15) |
Revisions to previous estimates | 277 |  | 264 |
Ending balance | $ | 4,430 |  | $ | 4,075 |
DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS Derivatives are carried at fair value and on a net basis when a legal right of offset exists with the same counterparty. Fair value gains or losses are recognized in earnings in the current period. Gains and losses from derivative instruments are reported net in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. See Note 8 - Derivatives for additional information. There were no fair value hedges as of and during the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022. STOCK-BASED INCENTIVE PLANS Occidental has established the Plans that are more fully described in Note 15 - Stock-Based Incentive Plans. A summary of Occidental’s accounting policy for awards issued under the Plans is as follows. For cash- and stock-settled RSUs and CROCEI awards, compensation value is initially measured on the grant date using the quoted market price of Occidental’s common stock and the estimated payout on the grant date. The fair value of stock options is estimated using a Black-Scholes model. For TSRI awards, compensation value is initially measured on the grant date using the fair value derived from a Monte Carlo valuation model. Compensation expense for all awards is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service periods, which is generally over the awards’ respective vesting or performance periods. The stock-settled awards are expensed using the initially measured compensation value. The liability resulting from cash settled awards and accrued dividends are remeasured at each reporting period. Dividends accrued on unvested awards are adjusted quarterly for any changes in the number of share equivalents expected to be paid based on the relevant performance and market criteria, if applicable. RETIREMENT AND POSTRETIREMENT BENEFIT PLANS Occidental recognizes the overfunded or underfunded amounts of its defined benefit pension and postretirement plans, which are more fully described in Note 11 - Retirement and Postretirement Benefit Plans, in its financial statements using a December 31 measurement date. Occidental’s defined benefit pension and postretirement benefit plan obligations are actuarially determined based on various assumptions and discount rates. The discount rate assumptions used are meant to reflect the interest rate at which the obligations could effectively be settled on the measurement date. Occidental estimates the rate of return on assets with regard to current market factors but within the context of historical returns. Occidental funds and expenses negotiated pension increases for domestic union employees over the terms of the applicable collective bargaining agreements. Pension and any postretirement plan assets are measured at fair value. Common stock, preferred stock, publicly registered mutual funds, U.S. government securities and corporate bonds are valued using quoted market prices in active markets when available. When quoted market prices are not available, these investments are valued using pricing models with observable inputs from both active and non-active markets. Common and collective trusts are valued at the fund units’ NAV provided by the issuer, which represents the quoted price in a non-active market. Short-term investment funds are valued at the fund units’ NAV provided by the issuer. SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION The following table represents U.S. federal, domestic state and international income taxes paid, tax refunds received and interest paid related to continuing operations during the year ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
millions | 2024 | 2023 | 2022
Income taxes paid | $ | 1,203 |  | $ | 1,299 |  | $ | 2,184 |
Income tax refunds received | $ | 38 |  | $ | 18 |  | $ | 89 |
Production, property and other tax payments | $ | 1,348 |  | $ | 1,164 |  | $ | 1,093 |
Interest paid (a) | $ | 1,208 |  | $ | 1,099 |  | $ | 1,425 |
(a) Net of capitalized interest of $189 million, $98 million and $69 million, for the years 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Occidental issued 29.6 million shares as a portion of the purchase price for the CrownRock Acquisition, see Note 5 -A c q uis i tions, Divestit ures, and O ther T ra nsactions for additional details. Occidental swapped oil and gas acreage with a fair value of approximately $30 million and $120 million in non-monetary exchange transactions during the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH EQUIVALENTS Occidental considers all highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents or restricted cash equivalents. The cash equivalents and restricted cash equivalents balance as of December 31, 2024, included investments in government money market funds in which the carrying value approximates fair value. The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents as reported at the end of the period in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the year ended December 31, 2024 and 2023:
millions | 2024 | 2023
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 2,132 |  | $ | 1,426 |
Restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents | 11 |  | 21 |
Restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents included in long-term receivables and other assets, net | 14 |  | 17 |
Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents | $ | 2,157 |  | $ | 1,464 |
FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS The functional currency applicable to all of Occidental’s international oil and gas operations is the U.S. dollar since cash flows are denominated principally in U.S. dollars. In Occidental’s other operations, Occidental’s use of non-United States dollar functional currencies was not material for all years presented. The effect of exchange rates on transactions in foreign currencies is included in periodic income. Occidental reports the exchange rate differences arising from translating foreign-currency-denominated balance sheet accounts to the United States dollar as of the reporting date in OCI. Exchange-rate gains and losses for continuing operations were not material for all years presented. INCOME TAXES Occidental files various U.S. federal, state and foreign income tax returns. The impact of changes in tax regulations are reflected when enacted. In general, deferred federal, state and foreign income taxes are provided on temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis. Occidental routinely assesses the realizability of its deferred tax assets. If Occidental concludes that it is more likely than not that some of the deferred tax assets will not be realized, the tax asset is reduced by a valuation allowance. Occidental recognizes a tax benefit from an uncertain tax position when it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefit recorded is equal to the largest amount that is greater than 50% likely to be realized through final settlement with a taxing authority. Interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits are recognized in income tax expense (benefit). See Note 10 - Income Taxes for more information. LOSS CONTINGENCIES Occidental or certain of its subsidiaries are involved, in the normal course of business, in lawsuits, claims and other legal proceedings that seek, among other things, compensation for alleged personal injury, breach of contract, property damage or other losses, punitive damages, civil penalties, or injunctive or declaratory relief. Occidental or certain of its subsidiaries also are involved in proceedings under CERCLA and similar federal, state, local and international environmental laws. These environmental proceedings seek funding or performance of remediation and, in some cases, compensation for alleged property damage, punitive damages, civil penalties, injunctive relief, and government oversight costs. Usually Occidental or such subsidiaries are among many companies in these environmental proceedings and have to date been successful in sharing response costs with other financially sound companies. Further, some lawsuits, claims and legal proceedings involve acquired or disposed assets with respect to which a third party or Occidental or its subsidiaries retains liability or indemnifies the other party for conditions that existed prior to the transaction. In accordance with applicable accounting guidance, Occidental accrues reserves for outstanding lawsuits, claims and proceedings when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the liability can be reasonably estimated. In Note 12 - Environmental Liabilities and Expenditures, Occidental has disclosed its reserve balances for environmental remediation matters that satisfy this criteria. See Note 13 - Lawsuits, Claims, Commitments and Contingencies. RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS In December 2023, FASB issued new guidance to improve Income Tax disclosures to provide information to assess how an entity’s operations and related tax risks and tax planning and operational opportunities affect its tax rate and prospects for future cash flows. The rules become effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024. The standard modifies required income tax disclosures. Occidental is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance on the consolidated financial statements. In November 2024, FASB issued new guidance to provide more detailed information about expenses. Issuers are to disclose disaggregated expenses of certain captions in tabular form. The rule becomes effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024. Occidental is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance on the consolidated financial statements.

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