Description Of Business	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2011
Description Of Business [Abstract]
Description Of Business	NOTE B – DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS We have three principal processing facilities, all of which we own, located in Houston, Texas, Port Neches, Texas and Baytown, Texas. The Houston and Port Neches facilities, which process crude C4 into butadiene and related products, are strategically located near most of the significant petrochemical consumers in Texas and Louisiana. Our Baytown facility primarily produces nonene and tetramer. All three locations provide convenient access to other Gulf Coast petrochemicals producers and are connected to several of our customers and raw materials suppliers through an extensive pipeline network. In addition, our Houston and Port Neches facilities are serviced by rail, tank truck, barge and ocean-going vessel. The products in our C4 Processing segment include butadiene, primarily used to produce synthetic rubber that is mainly used in tires and other automotive products; butene-1, primarily used in the manufacture of plastic resins and synthetic alcohols; raffinates, primarily used in the manufacturing of alkylate, a component of premium unleaded gasoline; and methyl tertiary butyl ether ("MTBE"), primarily used as a gasoline blending stock. The products in our Performance Products segment include high purity isobutylenes ("HPIB"), primarily used in the production of synthetic rubber, lubricant additives, surfactants and coatings; conventional polyisobutylenes ("PIB") and highly reactive polyisobutylenes ("HR-PIB"), primarily used in the production of fuel and lubricant additives, caulks, adhesives, sealants and packaging; diisobutylene ("DIB"), primarily used in the manufacture of surfactants, plasticizers and resins; and nonene and tetramer, primarily used in the production of plasticizers, surfactants and lubricant additives. We sell our products primarily to chemical and petroleum based companies in North America. Our principal raw material feedstocks are crude C4, crude isobutylene and propylene. The pricing under our supply contracts and sales contracts is usually linked to a commodity price index, such as indices based on the price of unleaded regular gasoline, butane, isobutane or propylene, or to the price at which we sell the finished product. Our supply and sales contracts, which link pricing to commodity price indices, are considered normal purchase and sales contracts under applicable accounting guidance and are therefore not considered to be derivative instruments. This determination has been made based on the following criteria: (a) the supply and sales contracts conform to normal industry pricing and quantity terms; (b) the underlying price indices are considered clearly and closely related to the product being purchased or sold since they are directly relevant to the market value of the product being purchased or sold; (c) the contracts are settled via physical delivery; (d) the magnitude of the price adjustments based on the changes in the underlying commodity price indices are proportionate to the impact on the fair value of the asset being purchased or sold; and (e) these contracts have been documented as normal supply and sales contracts.

NOTE B – DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

We have three principal processing facilities, all of which we own, located in Houston, Texas, Port Neches, Texas and Baytown, Texas. The Houston and Port Neches facilities, which process crude C4 into butadiene and related products, are strategically located near most of the significant petrochemical consumers in Texas and Louisiana. Our Baytown facility primarily produces nonene and tetramer. All three locations provide convenient access to other Gulf Coast petrochemicals producers and are connected to several of our customers and raw materials suppliers through an extensive pipeline network. In addition, our Houston and Port Neches facilities are serviced by rail, tank truck, barge and ocean-going vessel.

The products in our C4 Processing segment include butadiene, primarily used to produce synthetic rubber that is mainly used in tires and other automotive products; butene-1, primarily used in the manufacture of plastic resins and synthetic alcohols; raffinates, primarily used in the manufacturing of alkylate, a component of premium unleaded gasoline; and methyl tertiary butyl ether ("MTBE"), primarily used as a gasoline blending stock. The products in our Performance Products segment include high purity isobutylenes ("HPIB"), primarily used in the production of synthetic rubber, lubricant additives, surfactants and coatings; conventional polyisobutylenes ("PIB") and highly reactive polyisobutylenes ("HR-PIB"), primarily used in the production of fuel and lubricant additives, caulks, adhesives, sealants and packaging; diisobutylene ("DIB"), primarily used in the manufacture of surfactants, plasticizers and resins; and nonene and tetramer, primarily used in the production of plasticizers, surfactants and lubricant additives. We sell our products primarily to chemical and petroleum based companies in North America.

Our principal raw material feedstocks are crude C4, crude isobutylene and propylene. The pricing under our supply contracts and sales contracts is usually linked to a commodity price index, such as indices based on the price of unleaded regular gasoline, butane, isobutane or propylene, or to the price at which we sell the finished product. Our supply and sales contracts, which link pricing to commodity price indices, are considered normal purchase and sales contracts under applicable accounting guidance and are therefore not considered to be derivative instruments. This determination has been made based on the following criteria: (a) the supply and sales contracts conform to normal industry pricing and quantity terms; (b) the underlying price indices are considered clearly and closely related to the product being purchased or sold since they are directly relevant to the market value of the product being purchased or sold; (c) the contracts are settled via physical delivery; (d) the magnitude of the price adjustments based on the changes in the underlying commodity price indices are proportionate to the impact on the fair value of the asset being purchased or sold; and (e) these contracts have been documented as normal supply and sales contracts.