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Related Party Transactions
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]  
Related Party Transactions Related Party Transactions
Ownership of PAGP Class C Shares

As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, we owned 547,717,762 and 549,538,139, respectively, Class C shares of PAGP. Each Class C share represents a non-economic limited partner interest in PAGP. The number of Class C shares that we own is equal to the number of outstanding common units and Series A preferred units that are entitled to vote, pro rata with the holders of PAGP Class A and Class B shares, for the election of eligible PAGP GP directors. The Class C shares function as a “pass-through” voting mechanism through which we vote at the direction of and as proxy for our common unitholders and Series A preferred unitholders in such director elections. Common units held by AAP and Series B preferred units are not entitled to vote in the election of directors.
Reimbursement of Our General Partner and its Affiliates

Our general partner provides services necessary to manage and operate our business, properties and assets, including employing or retaining personnel. We do not pay our general partner a management fee, but we do reimburse our general partner for all direct and indirect costs it incurs or payments it makes on our behalf, including the costs of employee, officer and director compensation and benefits allocable to us as well as all other expenses necessary or appropriate to the conduct of our business. We record these costs on the accrual basis in the period in which our general partner incurs them. Our partnership agreement provides that our general partner will determine the expenses that are allocable to us in any reasonable manner determined by our general partner in its sole discretion. Total costs reimbursed by us to our general partner for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 were $553 million, $580 million and $494 million, respectively.

Omnibus Agreement

The Plains Entities entered into an Omnibus Agreement on November 15, 2016, which provides for the following:

that we will pay all direct or indirect expenses of any of the PAGP Entities, other than income taxes (including, but not limited to, (i) compensation for the directors of PAGP GP, (ii) director and officer liability insurance, (iii) listing exchange fees, (iv) investor relations expenses and (v) fees related to legal, tax, financial advisory and accounting services). We paid $5 million of such expenses during the year ended December 31, 2020 and $4 million in each of the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018;

the ability of PAGP to issue additional Class A shares and use the net proceeds therefrom to purchase a like number of AAP units from AAP, and the corresponding ability of AAP to use the net proceeds therefrom to purchase a like number of our common units from us; and

the ability of PAGP to lend proceeds of any future indebtedness incurred by it to AAP, and AAP’s corresponding ability to lend such proceeds to us, in each case on substantially the same terms as incurred by PAGP.

Transactions with Other Related Parties

Our other related parties include (i) principal owners and their affiliated entities and (ii) entities in which we hold investments and account for under the equity method of accounting (see Note 9 for information regarding such entities). We recognize as our principal owners entities that have a designated representative on the board of directors of PAGP GP and/or own greater than 10% of the limited partner interests in AAP. Such limited partner interests in AAP translates into a significantly smaller indirect ownership interest in PAA. We also consider subsidiaries or funds identified as affiliated with principal owners to be related parties.

As of December 31, 2020, Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, L.P. was a principal owner. Through various transactions by an affiliate of The Energy & Minerals Group (“EMG”) in May 2019, EMG’s limited partner interest in AAP was significantly reduced, which caused EMG to lose its right to designate a representative on the board of directors of PAGP GP. As a result, EMG’s board designee, John T. Raymond, was automatically removed from the PAGP GP board. Subsequent to such removal, Mr. Raymond was elected to continue to serve as a director of the PAGP GP board. Additionally, as a result of various transactions by Oxy in September 2019, Oxy no longer holds a limited partner interest in AAP and lost its right to designate a representative on the board of directors of PAGP GP. As a result, Oxy’s board designee, Oscar Brown, was automatically removed from the PAGP GP board. Following these transactions, we no longer recognize EMG or Oxy as a principal owner.

During the three years ended December 31, 2020, we recognized sales and transportation revenues, purchased petroleum products and utilized transportation and storage services from our principal owners and their affiliated entities and our equity method investees. These transactions were conducted at posted tariff rates or prices that we believe approximate market. Included in these transactions was a crude oil buy/sell agreement that includes a multi-year minimum volume commitment.
The impact to our Consolidated Statements of Operations from these transactions is included below (in millions):

Year Ended December 31,
202020192018
Revenues from related parties (1)
$46 $692 $1,067 
Purchases and related costs from related parties (1)
$451 $223 $410 

(1)Crude oil purchases that are part of inventory exchanges under buy/sell transactions are netted with the related sales, with any margin presented in “Purchases and related costs” in our Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Our receivable and payable amounts with these related parties as reflected on our Consolidated Balance Sheets were as follows (in millions):

December 31,
20202019
Trade accounts receivable and other receivables, net from related parties (1)
$34 $134 
Trade accounts payable to related parties (1) (2)
$88 $102 

(1)Includes amounts related to crude oil purchases and sales, transportation and storage services and amounts owed to us or advanced to us related to investment capital projects of equity method investees where we serve as construction manager.
(2)We have agreements to store at facilities and transport crude oil on pipelines that are owned by equity method investees, in which we own a 50% interest. A portion of our commitment to transport is supported by crude oil buy/sell or other agreements with third parties with commensurate quantities.