Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2025

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Contingencies [Text Block]

Note 10 – Contingencies

Royalty Matters

Certain customers, including Expand Energy Corporation (formerly Chesapeake Energy Corporation or Chesapeake), have been named in various lawsuits alleging underpayment of royalties and claiming, among other things, violations of anti-trust laws and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Williams has also been named as a defendant in certain of these cases filed in Pennsylvania based on allegations that Williams improperly participated with Chesapeake in causing the alleged royalty underpayments. Williams believes that the claims asserted are subject to indemnity obligations owed to Williams by Chesapeake, which obligations survived Chesapeake’s bankruptcy proceedings. Prior to its bankruptcy, Chesapeake reached a settlement to resolve substantially all Pennsylvania royalty cases pending. During the pendency of the bankruptcy, that settlement was renegotiated. The settlement applies to both Chesapeake and Williams and does not require any contribution from Williams. On August 23, 2021, after referral to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas by the bankruptcy court, the court approved the settlement. Two objectors filed an appeal with the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. On June 8, 2023, the Court of Appeals vacated the settlement approval and remanded to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas with instructions to dismiss the settlement proceedings for lack of jurisdiction. On August 31, 2023, the bankruptcy court entered an order finding the settlement agreements to be null and void. Certain plaintiffs have filed a notice of dismissal of their claims against Chesapeake that arose prior to February 8, 2021, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania lawsuits. The notice states that plaintiffs are not releasing their claims against the other defendants, including Williams, or claims against Chesapeake that arose after February 9, 2021. Williams continues to believe the claims against Williams are subject to indemnity obligations owed to Williams by Chesapeake.

Rate Matters

On August 30, 2024, Transco filed a general rate case with the FERC for an overall increase in rates and to comply with the terms of the settlement of its prior rate case. On September 30, 2024, the FERC issued an order accepting and suspending Transco’s general rate filing to be effective March 1, 2025, subject to refund and the outcome of hearing procedures established by the FERC. The order also accepted rate decreases for certain services to be effective as of October 1, 2024. Transco is engaged in settlement discussions with its customers and other intervening parties to resolve all aspects of the rate case. Transco has provided a reserve for rate refunds which it believes is adequate for any refunds that may be required.

Construction Litigation

In February 2025, Transco received an adverse judgment related to litigation in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware involving a contractor for the construction of Transco’s Atlantic Sunrise project completed in 2018. The total award to a contractor, estimated at $110 million, included amounts for unpaid invoices, interest, and attorney fees. Management estimates the probable loss from the judgment to be substantially less and Transco has filed a notice of appeal. Transco has capitalized the amount considered probable within noncurrent assets and expects any additional probable loss would also be capitalized. Transco also expects to recover approximately 29 percent of any amount paid from the co-owner of the project.

Environmental Matters

Williams

Williams is a participant in certain environmental activities in various stages including assessment studies, cleanup operations, and/or remedial processes at certain sites, some of which Williams currently does not own. Williams is monitoring these sites in a coordinated effort with other potentially responsible parties, the EPA, or other governmental authorities. Williams is jointly and severally liable along with unrelated third parties in some of these activities and solely responsible in others. Certain of Williams’ subsidiaries have been identified as potentially responsible parties at various Superfund and state waste disposal sites. In addition, these subsidiaries have incurred, or are alleged to have incurred, various other hazardous materials removal or remediation obligations under environmental laws. At March 31, 2025, Williams has accrued liabilities totaling $43 million for these matters, as discussed below. Estimates of the most likely costs of cleanup are generally based on completed assessment studies, preliminary results of studies, or Williams’ experience with other similar cleanup operations. At March 31, 2025, certain assessment studies were still in process for which the ultimate outcome may yield different estimates of most likely costs. Therefore, the actual costs incurred will depend on the final amount, type, and extent of contamination discovered at these sites, the final cleanup standards mandated by the EPA or other governmental authorities, and other factors.

The EPA, other federal agencies, and various state regulatory agencies routinely propose and promulgate new rules, issue updated guidance to rules, or revise existing rules. These rulemakings include, but are not limited to, reviews and updates to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, and promulgation of rules for new and existing source performance standards for certain equipment emitting volatile organic compound and methane as well as limitations on emissions of greenhouse gas compounds. Williams continuously monitors these regulatory changes and how they may impact its operations. Implementation of new or revised regulations may result in impacts to Williams’ operations and increase the cost of additions to Property, plant, and equipment – net in the balance sheet for both new and existing facilities in affected areas; however, due to regulatory uncertainty on final rule content or guidance and applicability timeframes, Williams is unable to reasonably estimate the cost of these regulatory impacts at this time.

Continuing operations

Williams’ interstate gas pipelines are involved in remediation and monitoring activities related to certain facilities and locations for polychlorinated biphenyls, mercury, and other hazardous substances. These activities have involved the EPA and various state environmental authorities, resulting in Williams’ identification as a potentially responsible party at various Superfund waste sites. At March 31, 2025, Williams has accrued liabilities of $11 million (see Transco and NWP below) for these costs and expect to recover approximately $3 million through rates.

Williams also accrues environmental remediation costs for natural gas underground storage facilities, primarily related to soil and groundwater contamination. At March 31, 2025, Williams has accrued liabilities totaling $7 million for these costs.

Former operations

Williams has potential obligations in connection with assets and businesses it no longer operates. These potential obligations include remediation activities at the direction of federal and state environmental authorities and the indemnification of the purchasers of certain of these assets and businesses for environmental and other liabilities existing at the time the sale was consummated. At March 31, 2025, Williams has accrued environmental liabilities of $25 million related to these matters.

Transco

Transco has had studies underway for many years to test some of its facilities for the presence of toxic and hazardous substances such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and mercury to determine to what extent, if any, remediation may be necessary. Transco has also similarly evaluated past on-site disposal of hydrocarbons at a number of its facilities. Transco has worked closely with and responded to data requests from the EPA and state agencies regarding such potential contamination of certain of their sites. Transco is conducting environmental assessments and implementing a variety of remedial measures that may result in increases or decreases in the total estimated costs. Transco also has a program for monitoring certain environmental activities at their Eminence storage facility. At March 31, 2025, Transco has accrued liabilities of approximately $10 million for the expected ongoing remediation and monitoring costs.

Transco has been identified as a potentially responsible party (PRP) at various Superfund and state waste disposal sites. Based on present volumetric estimates and other factors, their estimated aggregate exposure for remediation of these sites is less than $1 million. The estimated remediation costs for all of these sites are included in the environmental liabilities discussed above. Liability under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act and applicable state law can be joint and several with other PRPs. Although volumetric allocation is a factor in assessing liability, it is not necessarily determinative; thus, the ultimate liability could be substantially greater than the amounts described above.

Transco considers prudently incurred environmental assessment and remediation costs and the costs associated with compliance with environmental standards to be recoverable through rates. Historically, with limited exceptions, it has been permitted recovery of environmental costs, and it is Transco’s intent to continue seeking recovery of such costs through future rate filings.

NWP

Beginning in the mid-1980s, NWP evaluated many of its facilities for the presence of toxic and hazardous substances to determine to what extent, if any, remediation might be necessary. NWP identified PCB contamination in air compressor systems, soils, and related properties at certain compressor station sites. Similarly, it identified hydrocarbon impacts at these facilities due to the former use of earthen pits, lubricating oil leaks or spills, and excess pipe coating released to the environment. In addition, heavy metals have been identified at these sites due to the former use of mercury containing meters and paint and welding rods containing lead, cadmium, and arsenic. The PCBs were remediated pursuant to a Consent Decree with the EPA in the late 1980s, and NWP conducted a voluntary clean-up of the hydrocarbon and mercury impacts in the early 1990s. In 2005, the Washington Department of Ecology required NWP to re-evaluate previous clean-ups in Washington. During 2006 to 2015, 129 meter stations were evaluated, of which 82 required remediation. As of March 31, 2025, two meter stations are still being remediated. During 2006 to 2018, 14 compressor stations were evaluated, of which 11 required remediation. As of March 31, 2025, four compressor stations are still being remediated. NWP had accrued liabilities totaling approximately $1 million at March 31, 2025 for the ongoing remediation. NWP is conducting environmental assessments and implementing a variety of remedial measures that may result in increases or decreases in the total estimated costs.

Environmental expenditures are expensed or capitalized depending on their future economic benefit and potential for rate recovery. NWP believes that, with respect to any expenditures required to meet applicable

standards and regulations, the FERC would grant the requisite rate relief so that substantially all of such expenditures would be permitted to be recovered through rates.

Washington State Climate Commitment Act

In 2021, the state of Washington passed its Climate Commitment Act establishing a market-based cap-and-invest program to reduce carbon emissions. This program took effect on January 1, 2023, and sets a limit, or cap, on overall carbon emissions in the state and requires businesses like NWP to obtain allowances equal to their annual covered carbon emissions. The state’s cap will be reduced over time to meet the state’s carbon emissions reduction targets, which means fewer carbon emissions allowances will be available to purchase each year. These allowances can be purchased through quarterly auctions hosted by the state or bought and sold on a secondary market. In 2023, NWP began purchasing allowances for the carbon emissions from nine of its thirteen compressor stations within the state whose annual carbon emissions have exceeded 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent at least once since 2015. NWP also began purchasing allowances for NWP’s delivery of natural gas to certain of their customers and certain of their facilities in the state whose annual carbon emissions are insufficient to require their direct participation in the program. NWP’s latest rate case settlement allows them to recover the costs of purchasing allowances under the program in their next rate case.

At March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, a total of $46 million and $38 million, respectively, were included in Regulatory assets was comprised of the cost of the purchased allowances held, the estimated difference between the allowances held and the allowances required, and the interest income component of the regulatory asset. At March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, $4 million and $3 million, respectively, were recorded in Other current liabilities as the estimated difference. Interest income of $1 million and less than $1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and March 31, 2024 is reflected in Other income (expense) – net.

Other Divestiture Indemnifications

Pursuant to various purchase and sale agreements relating to divested businesses and assets, Williams has indemnified certain purchasers against liabilities that they may incur with respect to the businesses and assets acquired. The indemnities provided to the purchasers are customary in sale transactions and are contingent upon the purchasers incurring liabilities that are not otherwise recoverable from third parties.

At March 31, 2025, other than as previously disclosed, Williams is not aware of any material claims against it involving the above-described indemnities. Any claim for indemnity brought against Williams in the future may have a material adverse effect on Williams’ results of operations in the period in which the claim is made.

In addition to the foregoing, various other proceedings are pending against Williams that are incidental to its operations, none of which are expected to be material to Williams’ expected future annual results of operations, liquidity, and financial position.

Summary

Williams, Transco, and NWP have disclosed estimated ranges of reasonably possible losses for certain matters above, as well as all significant matters for which they are unable to reasonably estimate a range of possible loss. Williams, Transco, and NWP estimate that for all other matters for which they are able to reasonably estimate a range of loss, the aggregate reasonably possible losses beyond amounts accrued are immaterial to expected future annual results of operations, liquidity, and financial position. These calculations have been made without consideration of any potential recovery from third parties.