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ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION
ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Organization and Operations
NuStar Energy L.P. (NuStar Energy) (NYSE: NS) is engaged in the transportation of petroleum products and anhydrous ammonia, the terminalling and storage of petroleum products and the marketing of petroleum products. Unless otherwise indicated, the terms “NuStar Energy,” “the Partnership,” “we,” “our” and “us” are used in this report to refer to NuStar Energy L.P., to one or more of our consolidated subsidiaries or to all of them taken as a whole. NuStar GP Holdings, LLC (NuStar GP Holdings) (NYSE: NSH) owns our general partner, Riverwalk Logistics, L.P., and owns a 14.9% total interest in us as of March 31, 2014.

We conduct our operations through our subsidiaries, primarily NuStar Logistics, L.P. (NuStar Logistics) and NuStar Pipeline Operating Partnership L.P. (NuPOP). We have three business segments: pipeline, storage and fuels marketing.

Basis of Presentation
These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Partnership and subsidiaries in which the Partnership has a controlling interest. Noncontrolling interests are separately disclosed on the financial statements. Inter-partnership balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. We account for our investments in joint ventures using the equity method of accounting.

These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for interim financial information and with the instructions to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by GAAP for complete consolidated financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included, and all disclosures are adequate. All such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature unless disclosed otherwise. Financial information for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 included in these Condensed Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements is derived from our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. Operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2014 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2014. The consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2013 has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements as of that date. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013.

New Accounting Pronouncements
In April 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) amended the disclosure requirements for discontinued operations. Under the amended guidance, a discontinued operation is defined as the disposal of a component that represents a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on an entity's operations and financial results. The amended guidance also requires expanded disclosures about discontinued operations and disposals of a significant part of an entity that do not qualify as discontinued operations. The amended guidance is effective prospectively to new disposals and new classifications of assets held for sale in annual periods beginning after December 15, 2014, and interim periods within those annual periods. Accordingly, we plan to adopt the amended guidance January 1, 2015.