Commitments and Contingencies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure

Commitments and Contingencies

(a) Commitments

In the normal course of business, the Company has long-term commitments to purchase utilities such as natural gas, electricity and water for use by the refinery. The Company is also party to various refined product and crude oil supply and exchange agreements. These agreements are typically short-term in nature or provide terms for cancellation.

(b) Environmental

The Company is subject to loss contingencies pursuant to federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations. These rules regulate the discharge of materials into the environment and may require the Company to incur future obligations to investigate the effects of the release or disposal of certain petroleum, chemical, and mineral substances at various sites; to remediate or restore these sites; to compensate others for damage to property and natural resources and for remediation and restoration costs. These possible obligations relate to sites owned by the Company and are associated with past or present operations. The Company is currently participating in environmental investigations, assessments and cleanups under these regulations at its refinery. The Company may in the future be involved in additional environmental investigations, assessments and cleanups. The magnitude of future costs will depend on factors such as the unknown nature and contamination at many sites, the unknown timing, extent and method of the remedial actions which may be required, and the determination of the Company’s liability in proportion to other responsible parties.

Environmental expenditures are expensed or capitalized depending on their future economic benefit. Expenditures that relate to an existing condition caused by past operations and that have no future economic benefit are expensed. Liabilities for expenditures of a non-capital nature are recorded when environmental assessment and/or remediation is probable, and the costs can be reasonably estimated. Substantially all amounts accrued are expected to be paid out over the next five years. The level of future expenditures for environmental remediation obligations cannot be determined with any degree of reliability.

The Company has accrued environmental remediation obligations of $362 non-current liability at September 30, 2011, and $385 non-current liability at December 31, 2010.

(c) Litigation Matters

The Company is a party to claims and legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. Management believes that there is only a remote likelihood that future costs related to known contingent liabilities related to these legal proceedings would have a material adverse impact on the Company’s results of operations or financial position.