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Organization and Basis of Consolidation and Presentation | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] |
Organization and Basis of Consolidation and Presentation | Organization and Basis of Consolidation and Presentation Organization Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. (“PAA”) is a Delaware limited partnership formed in 1998. Our operations are conducted directly and indirectly through our primary operating subsidiaries. As used in this Form 10-K and unless the context indicates otherwise, the terms “Partnership,” “we,” “us,” “our,” “ours” and similar terms refer to PAA and its subsidiaries. We own and operate midstream energy infrastructure and provide logistics services primarily for crude oil, natural gas liquids (“NGL”) and natural gas. We own an extensive network of pipeline transportation, terminalling, storage and gathering assets in key crude oil and NGL producing basins and transportation corridors and at major market hubs in the United States and Canada. Our business activities are conducted through three operating segments: Transportation, Facilities and Supply and Logistics. See Note 19 for further discussion of our operating segments. Our non-economic general partner interest is held by PAA GP LLC (“PAA GP”), a Delaware limited liability company, whose sole member is Plains AAP, L.P. (“AAP”), a Delaware limited partnership. In addition to its ownership of PAA GP, as of December 31, 2017, AAP also owned a limited partner interest in us through its ownership of approximately 284.0 million of our common units (approximately 36% of our total outstanding common units and Series A preferred units combined). Plains All American GP LLC (“GP LLC”), a Delaware limited liability company, is AAP’s general partner. Plains GP Holdings, L.P. (“PAGP”) is the sole and managing member of GP LLC, and, at December 31, 2017, owned an approximate 55% limited partner interest in AAP. PAA GP Holdings LLC (“PAGP GP”) is the general partner of PAGP. As the sole member of GP LLC, PAGP has responsibility for conducting our business and managing our operations; however, the board of directors of PAGP GP has ultimate responsibility for managing the business and affairs of PAGP, AAP and us. GP LLC employs our domestic officers and personnel; our Canadian officers and personnel are employed by our subsidiary, Plains Midstream Canada ULC (“PMC”). References to the “PAGP Entities” include PAGP GP, PAGP, GP LLC, AAP and PAA GP. References to our “general partner,” as the context requires, include any or all of the PAGP Entities. References to the “Plains Entities” include us, our subsidiaries and the PAGP Entities. Simplification Transactions On November 15, 2016, the Plains Entities closed a series of transactions and executed several organizational and ancillary documents (the “Simplification Transactions”) intended to simplify our capital structure, better align the interests of our stakeholders and improve our overall credit profile. The Simplification Transactions included, among other things:
• | the permanent elimination of our incentive distribution rights (“IDRs”) and the economic rights associated with our 2% general partner interest in exchange for the issuance by us to AAP of 245.5 million PAA common units (including approximately 0.8 million units to be issued in the future) and the assumption by us of all of AAP’s outstanding debt ($642 million);
• | the implementation of a unified governance structure pursuant to which the board of directors of GP LLC was eliminated and an expanded board of directors of PAGP GP assumed oversight responsibility over both us and PAGP;
• | the provision for annual PAGP shareholder elections beginning in 2018 for the purpose of electing certain directors, and the participation of our common unitholders and Series A preferred unitholders in such elections through our ownership of Class C shares in PAGP, which provide us, as the sole holder of such Class C shares, the right to vote in elections of eligible PAGP directors together with the holders of PAGP Class A and Class B shares;
• | the execution by AAP of a reverse split to adjust the number of AAP Class A units (“AAP units”) such that the number of outstanding AAP units (assuming the conversion of AAP Class B units (the “AAP Management Units”) into AAP units) equaled the number of our common units received by AAP at the closing of the Simplification Transactions. Simultaneously, PAGP executed reverse splits to adjust the number of (i) PAGP Class A shares outstanding to equal the number of AAP units it owned following AAP’s reverse unit split and (ii) PAGP Class B shares outstanding to equal the number of AAP units owned by AAP’s unitholders other than PAGP following AAP’s reverse unit split. These reverse splits, along with the Omnibus Agreement, resulted in economic alignment between our common unitholders and PAGP’s Class A shareholders, such that the number of outstanding PAGP Class A shares equals the number of AAP units owned by PAGP, which in turn equals the number of our common units held by AAP that are attributable to PAGP’s interest in AAP. The Plains Entities also entered into an Omnibus Agreement, pursuant to which such one-to-one relationship will be maintained subsequent to the closing of the Simplification Transactions; and
• | the creation of a right for certain holders of the AAP units to cause AAP to redeem such AAP units in exchange for an equal number of our common units held by AAP.
The Simplification Transactions were between and among consolidated subsidiaries of PAGP that are considered entities under common control. These equity transactions did not result in a change in the carrying value of the underlying assets and liabilities. Definitions Additional defined terms are used in the following notes and shall have the meanings indicated below:
AOCI | = | Accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss)
ASC | = | Accounting Standards Codification
ASU | = | Accounting Standards Update
Bcf | = | Billion cubic feet
Btu | = | British thermal unit
CAD | = | Canadian dollar
DERs | = | Distribution equivalent rights
EBITDA | = | Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization
EPA | = | United States Environmental Protection Agency
FASB | = | Financial Accounting Standards Board
GAAP | = | Generally accepted accounting principles in the United States
ICE | = | Intercontinental Exchange
IPO | = | Initial public offering
LIBOR | = | London Interbank Offered Rate
LTIP | = | Long-term incentive plan
Mcf | = | Thousand cubic feet
MLP | = | Master limited partnership
NGL | = | Natural gas liquids, including ethane, propane and butane
NYMEX | = | New York Mercantile Exchange
Oxy | = | Occidental Petroleum Corporation or its subsidiaries
PLA | = | Pipeline loss allowance
USD | = | United States dollar
WTI | = | West Texas Intermediate
Basis of Consolidation and Presentation The accompanying financial statements and related notes present and discuss our consolidated financial position as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the consolidated results of our operations, cash flows, changes in partners’ capital, comprehensive income and changes in accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss) for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015. All significant intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation, and certain reclassifications have been made to information from previous years to conform to the current presentation. These reclassifications do not affect net income attributable to PAA. The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of PAA and all of its wholly owned subsidiaries and those entities that it controls. Investments in entities over which we have significant influence but not control are accounted for by the equity method. We apply proportionate consolidation for pipelines and other assets in which we own undivided joint interests. Subsequent events have been evaluated through the financial statements issuance date and have been included in the following footnotes where applicable.

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