Variable Interest Entity (Notes)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary, Disclosures [Abstract]

Variable Interest Entity [Text Block]

Variable Interest Entity

During the second quarter of 2017 we closed on the sale of our Canadian business, which included our 20% undivided interest in the Athabasca Oil Sands Project (AOSP). The owners of the AOSP contracted with a wholly owned subsidiary of a publicly traded Canadian limited partnership (“Corridor Pipeline”) to provide materials transportation capabilities among the Muskeg River and Jackpine mines, the Scotford upgrader and markets in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.  This contract was transferred to the purchaser of our Canadian business upon closing of the sale in the second quarter of 2017. Historically, this contract qualified as a variable interest contractual arrangement, and the Corridor Pipeline qualified as a VIE.  Prior to the closing of the sale of our Canadian business, we held this variable interest but were not the primary beneficiary because our shipments were only 20% of the total; therefore, the Corridor Pipeline was not consolidated by us. See Note 6 for further discussion regarding dispositions.