Derivatives (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

The Company is exposed to fluctuations in the price of numerous commodities, such as crude oil (its principal raw material) and natural gas, as well as the sales prices of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Given the historical volatility of commodity prices, these fluctuations can significantly impact sales, gross profit and net income. Therefore, the Company utilizes derivative instruments primarily to minimize its price risk and volatility of cash flows associated with the purchase of crude oil and natural gas and the sale of fuel products. The Company employs various hedging strategies and does not hold or issue derivative instruments for trading purposes.

The Company is exposed to price risks due to fluctuations in the price of crude oil, refined products (primarily in the Company’s fuel products segment), natural gas and precious metals. The Company uses various strategies to reduce its exposure to commodity price risk. The strategies to reduce the Company’s risk utilize both physical forward contracts and financially settled derivative instruments, such as swaps, collars and options, to attempt to reduce the Company’s exposure with respect to:


•	crude oil purchases and sales;


•	fuel product sales and purchases;


•	natural gas purchases;


•	precious metals purchases: and


•	fluctuations in the value of crude oil between geographic regions and between the different types of crude oil such as NYMEX West Texas Intermediate (“NYMEX WTI”), Light Louisiana Sweet (“LLS”), Western Canadian Select (“WCS”), Mixed Sweet Blend (“MSW”) and ICE Brent (“Brent”).

The Company manages its exposure to commodity markets, credit, volumetric and liquidity risks to manage its costs and volatility of cash flows as conditions warrant or opportunities become available. These risks may be managed in a variety of ways that may include the use of derivative instruments. Derivative instruments may be used for the purpose of mitigating risks associated with an asset, liability and anticipated future transactions. The changes in fair value of the Company’s derivative instruments will affect its earnings and cash flows; however, such changes should be offset by price or rate changes related to the underlying commodity or financial transaction that is part of the risk management strategy. The Company does not speculate with derivative instruments or other contractual arrangements that are not associated with its business objectives. Speculation is defined as increasing the Company’s natural position above the maximum position of its physical assets or trading in commodities, currencies or other risk bearing assets that are not associated with the Company’s business activities and objectives. The Company’s positions are monitored routinely by a risk management committee to ensure compliance with its stated risk management policy and documented risk management strategies. All strategies are reviewed on an ongoing basis by the Company’s risk management committee, which will add, remove or revise strategies in anticipation of changes in market conditions and/or in risk profiles. These changes in strategies are to position the Company in relation to its risk exposures in an attempt to capture market opportunities as they arise.

The Company recognizes all derivative instruments at their fair values (see Note 9) as either current assets or current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. Fair value includes any premiums paid or received and unrealized gains and losses. Fair value does not include any amounts receivable from or payable to counterparties, or collateral provided to counterparties. Derivative asset and liability amounts with the same counterparty are netted against each other for financial reporting purposes. The Company’s financial results are subject to the possibility that changes in a derivative’s fair value could result in significant ineffectiveness and potentially no longer qualify portions or all of its derivative instruments for hedge accounting.

Derivative Instruments Designated as Cash Flow Hedges

The Company accounts for certain derivatives hedging purchases of crude oil and sales of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel swaps as cash flow hedges. The derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges that are hedging sales and purchases are recorded to sales and cost of sales, respectively, in the consolidated statements of operations upon recording the related hedged transaction in sales or cost of sales. The Company assesses, both at inception of the cash flow hedge and on an ongoing basis, whether the derivatives that are used in hedging transactions are highly effective in offsetting changes in cash flows of hedged items. Periodically, the Company may enter into crude oil and fuel product basis swaps to more effectively hedge its crude oil purchases, crude oil sales and fuel products sales. These derivatives can be combined with a swap contract in order to create a more effective cash flow hedge.

To the extent a derivative instrument designated as a cash flow hedge is determined to be effective as a cash flow hedge of an exposure to changes in the fair value of a future transaction, the change in fair value of the derivative is deferred in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), a component of partners’ capital in the consolidated balance sheets, until the underlying transaction hedged is recognized in the consolidated statements of operations.

Ineffectiveness is inherent in the hedging of crude oil and fuel products. Due to the volatility in the markets for crude oil and fuel products, the Company is unable to predict the amount of ineffectiveness each period, determined on a derivative by derivative basis or in the aggregate for a specific commodity, and has the potential for the future loss of cash flow hedge accounting. Ineffectiveness has resulted, and the loss of cash flow hedge accounting has resulted, in increased volatility in the Company’s financial results. However, even though certain derivative instruments may not qualify for cash flow hedge accounting, the Company intends to continue to utilize such instruments as management believes such derivative instruments continue to provide the Company with the opportunity to more effectively stabilize cash flows.

Cash flow hedge accounting is discontinued when it is determined that a derivative no longer qualifies as an effective hedge or when it is no longer probable that the hedged forecasted transaction will occur. When cash flow hedge accounting is discontinued because the derivative instrument no longer qualifies as an effective cash flow hedge, the derivative instrument is subject to the mark-to-market method of accounting prospectively. Changes in the mark-to-market fair value of the derivative instrument are recorded to unrealized gain (loss) on derivative instruments in the consolidated statements of operations. Unrealized gains and losses related to discontinued cash flow hedges that were previously deferred in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) will remain in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) until the underlying transaction is reflected in earnings, unless it is probable that the hedged forecasted transaction will not occur, at which time, associated deferred amounts in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) are immediately recognized in unrealized gain (loss) on derivative instruments.

Derivative Instruments Designated as Fair Value Hedges

For derivative instruments that are designated and qualify as a fair value hedge (which are limited to interest rate swaps), the effective gain or loss on the derivative instrument, as well as the offsetting gain or loss on the hedged item attributable to the hedged risk are recognized as interest expense in the consolidated statements of operations. No hedge ineffectiveness was recognized as the interest rate swap qualifies for the “shortcut” method and, as a result, changes in the fair value of the derivative instrument offset the changes in the fair value of the underlying hedged debt. In addition, the differential to be paid or received on the interest rate swap arrangement is accrued and recognized as an adjustment to interest expense in the consolidated statements of operations. The Company assesses at the inception of the fair value hedge whether the derivatives that are used in the hedging transactions are highly effective in offsetting changes in fair values of hedged items.

Fair value hedge accounting is discontinued when it is determined that a derivative no longer qualifies as an effective hedge or when it is no longer probable that the hedged forecasted transaction will occur. When fair value hedge accounting is discontinued because the derivative instrument no longer qualifies as effective fair value hedge, the derivative instrument is still subject to mark-to-market method of accounting, however the Company will cease to adjust the hedged asset or liability for changes in fair value.

Derivative Instruments Not Designated as Hedges

For derivative instruments not designated as hedges, the change in fair value of the asset or liability for the period is recorded to unrealized gain (loss) on derivative instruments in the consolidated statements of operations. Upon the settlement of a derivative not designated as a hedge, the gain or loss at settlement is recorded to realized gain (loss) on derivative instruments in the consolidated statements of operations. The Company has entered into crude oil basis swaps that do not qualify as cash flow hedges for accounting purposes as they were not entered into simultaneously with a corresponding NYMEX WTI derivative contract. Additionally, the Company has entered into diesel crack spread collars, gasoline crack spread collars, natural gas collars, and certain other crude oil swaps, diesel swaps, gasoline swaps, natural gas swaps and platinum swaps that do not qualify as cash flow hedges for accounting purposes as they are determined not to be highly effective in offsetting changes in the cash flows associated with crude oil purchases and gasoline and diesel sales at the Company’s Superior refinery.