
1.	BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Presentation

As used in this report, the terms “Valero,” “we,” “us,” or “our” may refer to Valero Energy Corporation, one or more of its consolidated subsidiaries, or all of them taken as a whole.

These unaudited financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States (U.S.) generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for interim financial information and with the instructions to 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 U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. All such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature unless disclosed otherwise. Financial information for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 included in these Condensed Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements is derived from our unaudited financial statements. Operating results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2016.

The balance sheet as of December 31, 2015 has been derived from our audited financial statements as of that date. For further information, refer to our financial statements and notes thereto included in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015.

Reclassifications

Certain amounts reported as of December 31, 2015 have been reclassified in order to conform to the 2016 presentation, including the retrospective adoption of certain amendments to the Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) effective January 1, 2016. The adoption of the amendments to ASC Subtopic 835-30, “Interest–Imputation of Interest,” resulted in the reclassification of certain debt issuance costs from “deferred charges and other assets, net” to “debt and capital lease obligations, less current portion.” The adoption of the amendments to ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes” resulted in the reclassification of current deferred income tax assets and current deferred income tax liabilities to noncurrent deferred income tax liabilities. The following table presents our previously reported balance sheet line items retrospectively adjusted for the adoption of these pronouncements (in millions):



	December 31, 2015
	Previously Reported		Reclassifications			Currently Reported
Assets
Current deferred income taxes	$	74	$	(74	)	$	—
Deferred charges and other assets, net	2,668		(42		)	2,626
Liabilities
Current deferred income taxes	366		(366		)	—
Debt and capital lease obligations, less current portion	7,250		(42		)	7,208
Deferred income taxes	6,768		292			7,060

Significant Accounting Policies

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. On an ongoing basis, we review our estimates based on currently available information. Changes in facts and circumstances may result in revised estimates.

Accounting Pronouncements Adopted During the Period

In February 2015, the provisions of ASC Topic 810, “Consolidation,” were amended to improve consolidation guidance for certain types of legal entities. The guidance modifies the evaluation of whether limited partnerships and similar legal entities are variable interest entities (VIEs) or voting interest entities, eliminates the presumption that a general partner should consolidate a limited partnership, affects the consolidation analysis of reporting entities that are involved with VIEs, particularly those that have fee arrangements and related party relationships. These provisions are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2015, and interim periods within those annual periods. With the adoption of this guidance effective January 1, 2016, we determined that Valero Energy Partners LP (VLP) is a VIE. Since we previously consolidated the financial statements of VLP, the adoption of this guidance did not affect our financial position or results of operations. See Note 9 for disclosures related to our consolidated VIEs.

In April 2015, the provisions of ASC Subtopic 835-30, “Interest–Imputation of Interest,” were amended to simplify the presentation of debt issuance costs. The guidance requires that debt issuance costs related to a note be reported in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the face amount of that note, consistent with debt discounts, and that amortization of debt issuance costs be reported as interest expense. In August 2015, these provisions were further amended with guidance from the Securities and Exchange Commission staff, which provides that the staff would not object to an entity deferring and presenting debt issuance costs related to a line-of-credit arrangement as an asset and subsequently amortizing the deferred debt issuance costs ratably over the term of the line-of-credit arrangement, regardless of whether there are any outstanding borrowings on the line-of-credit arrangement. These provisions are to be applied retrospectively and are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2015, and interim periods within those annual periods. The adoption of this guidance effective January 1, 2016 did not materially affect our financial position and did not affect our results of operations because we already reported the amortization of debt issuance costs as interest expense. See “Basis of Presentation–Reclassifications” above for the reclassified presentation in our balance sheet. Debt issuance costs associated with our line-of-credit arrangements will continue to be reported in the balance sheet as “deferred charges and other assets, net.”

In May 2015, the provisions of ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements,” were amended to remove the requirement to categorize within the fair value hierarchy all investments for which fair value is measured using the net asset value per share practical expedient. The guidance also removes the requirement to make certain disclosures for all investments that are eligible to be measured using the net asset value per share practical expedient and limits those disclosures to investments for which the entity has elected to measure the fair value using that practical expedient. These provisions are to be applied retrospectively and are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2015, and interim periods within those annual periods. The adoption of this guidance effective January 1, 2016 did not affect our financial position or results of operations.

In September 2015, the provisions of ASC Topic 805, “Business Combinations,” were amended to simplify the accounting and reporting of adjustments made to provisional amounts recognized in a business combination. The amendment requires that an acquirer (i) record, in the same period’s financial statements, the effect on earnings of changes in depreciation, amortization, or other income effects, if any, as a result of the change to the provisional amounts, calculated as if the accounting had been completed at the acquisition date and (ii) present separately on the statement of income or disclose in the notes the portion of the amount recorded in current-period earnings by line item that would have been recorded in previous reporting periods if the adjustment to the provisional amounts had been recognized as of the acquisition date. These provisions are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2015, and interim periods within those annual periods, and should be applied prospectively to adjustments made to provisional amounts that occur after the effective date. The adoption of this guidance effective January 1, 2016 did not affect our financial position or results of operations; however, it may result in changes to the manner in which adjustments to provisional amounts recognized in a future business combination, if any, are presented in our financial statements.

In November 2015, the provisions of ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes,” were amended to simplify the presentation of deferred income taxes. The amendments require that deferred tax liabilities and assets be classified as noncurrent in a classified balance sheet. The amendments are effective for financial statements for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods, with early adoption permitted as of the beginning of any interim or annual period. The amendments may be applied either prospectively to all deferred tax liabilities and assets or retrospectively to all periods presented. Entities applying the guidance retrospectively should disclose in the first interim and first annual period of adoption the nature of and reason for the change in accounting principle and quantitative information about the effects of the accounting change on prior periods. Effective January 1, 2016, we adopted this guidance on a retrospective basis, but such adoption did not materially affect our financial position and it did not impact our results of operations. See “Basis of Presentation–Reclassifications” above for the reclassified presentation. Adoption of this guidance simplifies the future presentation of our deferred income tax assets and liabilities.

In March 2016, the provisions of ASC Topic 718, “Compensation–Stock Compensation,” were amended to simplify the accounting and reporting for employee share-based payments. These amendments involve several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including accounting for income taxes as it pertains to the recognition of excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies in the statements of income, forfeitures, minimum statutory tax withholding requirements, as well as classification of excess tax benefits and employee taxes paid in the statement of cash flows. These provisions are effective for public companies for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods, with early adoption permitted. An entity that elects early adoption must adopt all of the amendments in the same period. The amendments provide specific transition and disclosure guidance for each provision. Effective January 1, 2016, we adopted this guidance on a prospective basis, and such adoption did not materially affect our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. Excess tax benefits, which were previously reported in cash flows from financing activities, are currently reported in cash flows from operating activities.

Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

In May 2014, the ASC was amended and a new accounting standard, ASC Topic 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” was issued to clarify the principles for recognizing revenue. The standard is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim reporting periods within those annual periods. We have been evaluating and continue to evaluate the provisions of this standard and its impact on our business processes, business and accounting systems, and financial statements and related disclosures. A multi-disciplined implementation team has gained an understanding of the standard’s revenue recognition model, is completing the review and documentation of our contracts, and is analyzing whether enhancements are needed to our business and accounting systems.

In July 2015, the provisions of ASC Topic 330, “Inventory” were amended to simplify the measurement of inventory measured using the first-in, first-out or average cost methods. These provisions are to be applied prospectively and are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this guidance effective January 1, 2017 will not affect our financial position or results of operations.

In January 2016, the provisions of ASC Subtopic 825-10, “Financial Instruments–Overall,” were amended to enhance the reporting model for financial instruments regarding certain aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure. These provisions are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those annual periods. We are currently evaluating the effect that adopting this standard will have on our financial statements and related disclosures.

In February 2016, the ASC was amended and a new accounting standard, ASC Topic 842, “Leases,” was issued to increase the transparency and comparability among organizations by recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and disclosing key information about leasing arrangements. The new standard is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim reporting periods within those annual periods, with early adoption permitted. We have been evaluating and continue to evaluate the provisions of this standard and its impact on our business processes, business and accounting systems, and financial statements and related disclosures. A multi-disciplined implementation team has gained an understanding of the accounting and disclosure provisions of the standard and is in the process of analyzing the impacts to our business and accounting systems, including the development of new accounting systems to account for our leases and support the required disclosures.

In October 2016, the provisions of ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes,” were amended to improve the accounting for the income tax consequences of intra-entity transfers of assets other than inventory. The amendments require an entity to recognize the income tax consequences of intra-entity transfers of assets other than inventory immediately when the transfer occurs. These provisions are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those annual periods, with early adoption permitted. The amendments should be applied on a modified retrospective basis with a cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption for the recognition of income tax consequences of intra-entity transfers of assets other than inventory that occur before the adoption date. The adoption of this guidance effective January 1, 2018 is not expected to materially affect our financial position or results of operations; however, certain deferred charges associated with intra-entity transfers of assets other than inventory will be reported in our balance sheet primarily as a reduction to our deferred income tax liabilities.

In October 2016, the provisions of ASC Topic 810, “Consolidation,” were amended to provide guidance on how a reporting entity that is a single decision maker of a variable interest entity (VIE) should treat indirect interests in the entity held through related parties that are under common control with the reporting entity when determining whether it is the primary beneficiary. These provisions are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods, with early adoption permitted. The amendments should be applied on a retrospective basis to all relevant prior periods beginning with the fiscal year in which the VIE guidance was adopted with a cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption. The adoption of this guidance effective January 1, 2017 will not affect our financial position or results of operations.