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Commitments and Contingencies | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2025
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies Loss Contingencies — General To the extent we are able to assess the likelihood of a negative outcome for a contingency, our assessments of such likelihood range from remote to probable. If we determine that a negative outcome is probable and the amount of loss is reasonably estimable, we accrue an undiscounted liability equal to the estimated amount. If a range of probable loss amounts can be reasonably estimated and no amount within the range is a better estimate than any other amount, then we accrue an undiscounted liability equal to the minimum amount in the range. In addition, we estimate legal fees that we expect to incur associated with loss contingencies and accrue those costs when they are material and probable of being incurred. We do not record a contingent liability when the likelihood of loss is probable but the amount cannot be reasonably estimated or when the likelihood of loss is believed to be only reasonably possible or remote. For contingencies where an unfavorable outcome is reasonably possible and the impact would be material to our consolidated financial statements, we disclose the nature of the contingency and, where feasible, an estimate of the possible loss or range of loss. Legal Proceedings — General In the ordinary course of business, we are involved in various legal proceedings including those arising from regulatory and environmental matters. In connection with determining the probability of loss associated with such legal proceedings and whether any potential losses associated therewith are estimable, we take into account what we believe to be all relevant known facts and circumstances, and what we believe to be reasonable assumptions regarding the application of those facts and circumstances to existing agreements, laws and regulations. Although we are insured against various risks to the extent we believe it is prudent, there is no assurance that the nature and amount of such insurance will be adequate, in every case, to fully protect us from losses arising from current or future legal proceedings. Accordingly, we can provide no assurance that the outcome of the various legal proceedings that we are currently involved in, or will become involved with in the future, will not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Environmental — General We currently own or lease, and in the past have owned and leased, properties where hazardous liquids, including hydrocarbons, are or have been handled. These properties and the hazardous liquids or associated wastes disposed thereon may be subject to the U.S. federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, as amended, and the U.S. federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as amended, as well as state and Canadian federal and provincial laws and regulations. Under such laws and regulations, we could be required to remove or remediate hazardous liquids or associated wastes (including wastes disposed of or released by prior owners or operators) and to clean up contaminated property (including contaminated groundwater). Assets we have acquired or will acquire in the future may have environmental remediation liabilities for which we are not indemnified or insured. Although we have made significant investments in our maintenance and integrity programs, we have experienced (and likely will experience future) releases of hydrocarbon products into the environment from our pipeline, rail, storage and other facility operations. These releases can result from accidents or from unpredictable man-made or natural forces and may reach surface water bodies, groundwater aquifers or other sensitive environments. We also may discover environmental impacts from past releases that were previously unidentified. Damages and liabilities associated with any such releases from our existing or future assets could be significant and could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. We record environmental liabilities when environmental assessments and/or remedial efforts are probable and the amounts can be reasonably estimated. Generally, our recording of these liabilities coincides with our completion of a feasibility study or our commitment to a formal plan of action. We do not discount our environmental remediation liabilities to present value. We also record environmental liabilities assumed in business combinations based on the estimated fair value of the environmental obligations caused by past operations of the acquired company. We record receivables for amounts we believe are recoverable from insurance or from third parties under indemnification agreements in the period that we determine the costs are probable of recovery. Environmental expenditures that pertain to current operations or to future revenues are expensed or capitalized consistent with our capitalization policy for property and equipment. Expenditures that result from the remediation of an existing condition caused by past operations and that do not contribute to current or future profitability are expensed. Our estimated undiscounted reserves for environmental liabilities (excluding liabilities related to the Line 901 incident, as discussed further below) were reflected on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as follows (in millions):
| March 31, 2025 |  | December 31, 2024
Other current liabilities | $ | 29 |  |  | $ | 15 |
Other long-term liabilities and deferred credits | 87 |  |  | 81 |
Total | $ | 116 |  |  | $ | 96 |
In some cases, the actual cash expenditures associated with these liabilities may not occur for several years. Our estimates used in determining these reserves are based on information currently available to us and our assessment of the ultimate outcome. Among the many uncertainties that impact our estimates are the necessary regulatory approvals for, and potential modification of, our remediation plans, the limited amount of data available upon initial assessment of the impact of soil or water contamination, changes in costs associated with environmental remediation services and equipment and the possibility of existing or future legal claims giving rise to additional liabilities. Therefore, although we believe that our reserves are adequate, actual costs incurred (which may ultimately include costs for contingencies that are currently not reasonably estimable or costs for contingencies where the likelihood of loss is currently believed to be only reasonably possible or remote) may be in excess of such reserves and may potentially have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Specific Legal, Environmental or Regulatory Matters Line 901 Incident. In May 2015 we experienced a release of crude oil from our Las Flores to Gaviota Pipeline (Line 901) in Santa Barbara County, California. Effective as of March 31, 2025, we estimate that the aggregate total costs we have incurred or will incur with respect to the Line 901 incident will be approximately $870 million, which includes actual and projected emergency response and clean-up costs, natural resource damage assessments, fines and penalties incurred, certain third-party claims settlements, and estimated costs associated with our remaining Line 901 lawsuits and claims as described below, as well as estimates for certain legal fees and statutory interest where applicable. We accrue such estimates of aggregate total costs to “Field operating costs” in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. This estimate considers our prior experience in environmental investigation and remediation matters and available data from, and in consultation with, our environmental and other specialists, as well as currently available facts and presently enacted laws and regulations. We have made assumptions for (i) the resolution of certain third-party claims and lawsuits, but excluding claims and lawsuits with respect to which losses are not probable and reasonably estimable, and (ii) the nature, extent and cost of legal services that will be required in connection with all lawsuits, claims and other matters requiring legal or expert advice associated with the Line 901 incident. Our estimate does not include any lost revenue associated with the shutdown of Line 901 or 903 and does not include any liabilities or costs that are not reasonably estimable at this time or that relate to contingencies where we currently regard the likelihood of loss as being only reasonably possible or remote. We believe we have accrued adequate amounts for all probable and reasonably estimable costs; however, this estimate is subject to uncertainties associated with the assumptions that we have made. For example, with respect to potential losses that we regard as only reasonably possible or remote, we have made assumptions regarding the strength of our legal position based on our assessment of the relevant facts and applicable law and precedent; if our assumptions regarding such matters turn out to be inaccurate (i.e., we are found to be liable under circumstances where we regard the likelihood of loss as being only reasonably possible or remote), we could be responsible for significant costs and expenses that are not currently included in our estimates and accruals. In addition, for any potential losses that we regard as probable and for which we have accrued an estimate of the potential losses, our estimates regarding damages, legal fees, court costs and interest could turn out to be inaccurate and the actual losses we incur could be significantly higher than the amounts included in our estimates and accruals. Also, the amount of time it takes for us to resolve all of the current and future lawsuits and claims that relate to the Line 901 incident could turn out to be significantly longer than we have assumed, and as a result the costs we incur for legal services could be significantly higher than we have estimated. Accordingly, our assumptions and estimates may turn out to be inaccurate and our total costs could turn out to be materially higher; therefore, we can provide no assurance that we will not have to accrue significant additional costs in the future with respect to the Line 901 incident. We did not recognize any costs, net of amounts probable of recovery from insurance (as applicable), during the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024. As of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, we had a remaining undiscounted gross liability of approximately $4 million and $5 million, respectively, related to the Line 901 incident, which aggregate amounts are reflected in “Current liabilities” on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet. We maintain insurance coverage, which is subject to certain exclusions and deductibles, in the event of such liabilities. To date, we have collected $275 million of the $500 million available under our 2015 insurance program. We have submitted insurance claims seeking reimbursement for additional legal fees and settlements relating to the Line 901 incident. Such claims, in the aggregate, exceed the $225 million of insurance coverage remaining under the 2015 program. Since we lack certainty at this time as to if or when these claims will be reimbursed by the carriers, we have elected not to accrue for a receivable in connection with these claims. As such, with respect to the Line 901 incident, we do not have any amounts recorded as receivables that are recognized on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024. We have completed the required clean-up and remediation work with respect to the Line 901 incident; however, we expect to make payments for additional legal, professional and regulatory costs during future periods. The remaining Line 901 lawsuits include various lawsuits filed in California Superior Court in Santa Barbara County by (i) companies and individuals who provided labor, goods, or services associated with oil production activities they claim were disrupted following the Line 901 incident, and (ii) a landowner on an adjacent pipeline alleging property damage from the “stigma” of the Line 901 incident. We are vigorously defending these remaining lawsuits, which have not yet been set for trial, and believe we have strong defenses. Taking into account the costs that we have included in our total estimate of costs for the Line 901 incident and considering what we regard as very strong defenses to the claims made in our remaining Line 901 lawsuits, we do not believe the ultimate resolution of such remaining lawsuits will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. L48 Pipeline Release. In March of 2025, our subsidiary, Pacific Pipeline System LLC, experienced a crude oil release of approximately 125 barrels on a segment of the Line 48 pipeline in Carson, California. Clean-up and remediation activities were conducted in cooperation with applicable state and federal regulatory agencies. An investigation by the California Office of the State Fire Marshall is not complete. To date no charges, fines or penalties have been assessed against us with respect to this release; however, it is possible that charges, fines or penalties may be assessed against us in the future. We provided notification to our applicable insurance carriers and intend to pursue reimbursement of any costs incurred in excess of our $10 million self-insured retention. We estimate that the aggregate cost to clean-up and remediate the site will be approximately $20 million. Through March 31, 2025, we incurred $12 million in connection with clean-up and remediation activities. Other Litigation Matters: Hartree. On July 19, 2022, Hartree Natural Gas Storage, LLC (“Hartree”) filed a lawsuit under seal in the Superior Court for the State of Delaware asserting claims against PAA Natural Gas Storage, L.P. and PAA arising out of a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement relating to the 2021 sale of the Pine Prairie Energy Center natural gas storage facility to Hartree. In early 2025, we entered into a settlement agreement with Hartree; the terms of the settlement are confidential and the amount paid is not material to our operations. All of Hartree’s claims were dismissed with prejudice and without any admission of wrongdoing by Plains. Louisiana Coastal Erosion Lawsuit. Various coastal parishes, the State of Louisiana and some of its departments have filed lawsuits in Louisiana against a number of energy companies seeking damages for coastal erosion in connection with oil and gas operations in Louisiana. One of our subsidiaries has been named in such a lawsuit filed by The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (“LADWF”). LADWF filed a lawsuit in the 24th Judicial District Court of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana on October 30, 2023 against our subsidiary, Plains Pipeline, L.P., Chevron Pipe Line Company, BP Oil Pipeline Company and Arrowhead Gulf Coast Pipeline, LLC (collectively, “Defendants”), as the former and current parties to certain pipeline right of way agreements (“ROWs”) in the vicinity of the Elmer Island Wildlife Refuge. LADWF alleges that the Defendants breached the terms of the ROWs by failing to prevent erosion and seeks restoration of the Wildlife Refuge or alternatively monetary compensatory damages including restoration costs, legal fees and disgorgement of profits derived from the alleged trespass. Our subsidiary owned and operated a pipeline in the vicinity of the refuge from 2006 through 2016. We believe the claims in the lawsuit lack merit and intend to vigorously defend this lawsuit in coordination with the other Defendants.

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