COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2022

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Other Commitments

In addition to commitments related to lease obligations accounted for in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 842, Leases and disclosed in “Note 12 - Leases”, the Company is party to third party agreements which provide for the treatment of wastewater and the supply of hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, chemical, and steam for certain of its refineries as well as minimum volume commitments under certain affiliate agreements with PBFX.

The fixed and determinable amounts related to obligations under these agreements are as follows:


Year Ending December 31,	(in millions)
2023	$	152.6
2024	119.0
2025	114.7
2026	21.7
2027	21.7
Thereafter	186.2
Total obligations	$	615.9

Employment Agreements

The Company has entered into various employment agreements with members of executive management and certain other key personnel that include automatic annual renewals, unless canceled. Under some of the agreements, certain of the executives would receive a lump sum payment of between 1.50 to 2.99 times their base salary and continuation of certain employee benefits for the same period upon termination by the Company “Without Cause”, or by the employee “For Good Reason”, or upon a “Change in Control”, as defined in the agreements. Upon death or disability, certain of the Company’s executives, or their estates, would receive a lump sum payment of at least one half of their base salary.

Environmental Matters

The Company’s refineries, pipelines and related operations are subject to extensive and frequently changing federal, state and local laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, those relating to the discharge of materials into the environment or that otherwise relate to the protection of the environment (including in response to the potential impacts of climate change), waste management and the characteristics and the compositions of fuels. Compliance with existing and anticipated laws and regulations can increase the overall cost of operating the refineries, including remediation, operating costs and capital costs to construct, maintain and upgrade equipment and facilities.

These laws and permits raise potential exposure to future claims and lawsuits involving environmental and safety matters which could include soil and water contamination, air pollution, personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by substances which the Company manufactured, handled, used, released or disposed of, transported, or that relate to pre-existing conditions for which the Company has assumed responsibility. The Company believes that its current operations are in compliance with existing environmental and safety requirements. However, there have been and will continue to be ongoing discussions about environmental and safety matters between the Company and federal and state authorities, including notices of violations, citations and other enforcement actions, some of which have resulted or may result in changes to operating procedures and in capital expenditures. While it is often difficult to quantify future environmental or safety related expenditures, the Company anticipates that continuing capital investments and changes in operating procedures will be required for the foreseeable future to comply with existing and new requirements, as well as evolving interpretations and more strict enforcement of existing laws and regulations.

In connection with the acquisition of the Torrance refinery and related logistics assets, the Company assumed certain pre-existing environmental liabilities. The estimated costs related to these remediation obligations totaled $117.0 million as of December 31, 2022 ($118.5 million as of December 31, 2021) and related primarily to remediation obligations to address existing soil and groundwater contamination and the related monitoring and clean-up activities. Costs related to these obligations are reassessed periodically or when changes to our remediation approach are identified. The current portion of the environmental liability is recorded in Accrued expenses and the non-current portion is recorded in Other long-term liabilities.

The aggregate environmental liability reflected in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets was $155.6 million and $155.3 million at December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively, of which $141.5 million and $141.0 million, respectively, were classified as Other long-term liabilities. These liabilities include remediation and monitoring costs expected to be incurred over an extended period of time. Estimated liabilities could increase in the future when the results of ongoing investigations become known, are considered probable and can be reasonably estimated.

Applicable Federal and State Regulatory Requirements

The Company’s operations and many of the products it manufactures are subject to certain specific requirements of the Clean Air Act (the “CAA”) and related state and local regulations. The CAA contains provisions that require capital expenditures for the installation of certain air pollution control devices at the Company’s refineries. Subsequent rule making authorized by the CAA or similar laws or new agency interpretations of existing rules, may necessitate additional expenditures in future years.

The Company is required to comply with the RFS. Pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, EPA has issued the RFS, implementing mandates to blend renewable fuels into the petroleum fuels produced and sold in the United States. Under the RFS, the volume of renewable fuels that obligated refineries must blend into their finished petroleum fuels historically has increased on an annual basis. In addition, certain states have passed legislation that requires minimum biodiesel blending in finished distillates. On October 13, 2010, EPA raised the maximum amount of ethanol allowed under federal law from 10% to 15% for cars and light trucks manufactured since 2007. The maximum amount allowed under federal law currently remains at 10% ethanol for all other vehicles. Existing laws and regulations could change, and the minimum volumes of renewable fuels that must be blended with refined petroleum fuels may increase. Because we do not currently produce renewable fuels, increasing the volume of renewable fuels that must be blended into our products displaces an increasing volume of our refinery’s product pool, potentially resulting in lower earnings and profitability. In addition, in order to meet certain of these and future EPA requirements, we may be required to purchase RINs, which may have fluctuating costs based on market conditions. Our RINs purchase obligation is dependent on our actual shipment of on-road transportation fuels domestically and the amount of blending achieved which can cause variability in our profitability. On June 3, 2022, EPA finalized the volumes of renewable fuels that obligated refineries must blend into their final petroleum fuels for years 2020, 2021 and 2022. On December 1, 2022, EPA proposed volume requirements and percentage standards under the RFS program for 2023, 2024, and 2025, as well as making a series of .important modifications to strengthen and expand the RFS program. As a result, we could also experience fluctuating compliance costs in the future if the volumes finalized by EPA differ from what has been proposed.

EPA published a Final Rule to the Clean Water Act Section 316(b) in August 2014 regarding cooling water intake structures, which includes requirements for petroleum refineries. The purpose of this rule is to prevent fish from being trapped against cooling water intake screens (impingement) and to prevent fish from being drawn through cooling water systems (entrainment). Facilities will be required to implement best technology available as soon as possible, but state agencies have the discretion to establish implementation time lines. The Company has evaluated, and continues to evaluate, the impact of this regulation, and at this time does not expect this regulation to materially impact the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

The Company is subject to greenhouse gas emission control regulations in the state of California pursuant to AB 32. AB 32 imposes a statewide cap on greenhouse gas emissions, including emissions from transportation fuels, with the aim of returning the state to 1990 emission levels by 2020. AB 32 is implemented through two market mechanisms including the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (“LCFS”) and Cap and Trade. The Company is responsible for the AB 32 obligations related to the Torrance refinery beginning on July 1, 2016 and the Martinez refinery beginning on February 1, 2020 and must purchase emission credits to comply with these obligations. Additionally, in September 2016, the state of California enacted Senate Bill 32 (“SB 32”) which further reduces greenhouse gas emissions targets to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. California Air Resources Board also amended the LCFS in 2018 to require a 20% reduction by 2030.

The Company recovers the majority of these costs from its customers, and does not expect these obligations to materially impact the Company’s financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. To the degree there are unfavorable changes to AB 32 or SB 32 regulations or the Company is unable to recover such compliance costs from customers, these regulations could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

The Company is subject to obligations to purchase RINs. On February 15, 2017, the Company received a notification that EPA records indicated that PBF Holding used potentially invalid RINs that were in fact verified under EPA’s RIN Quality Assurance Program (“QAP”) by an independent auditor as QAP A RINs. Under the regulations, use of potentially invalid QAP A RINs provided the user with an affirmative defense from civil penalties provided certain conditions are met. The Company has asserted the affirmative defense and if accepted by EPA will not be required to replace these RINs and will not be subject to civil penalties under the program. It is reasonably possible that EPA will not accept the Company’s defense and may assess penalties in these matters but any such amount is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

As of January 1, 2011, the Company is required to comply with EPA’s Control of Hazardous Air Pollutants From Mobile Sources, or MSAT2, regulations on gasoline that impose reductions in the benzene content of its produced gasoline. The Company purchases benzene credits to meet these requirements when necessary. The Company may implement capital projects to reduce the amount of benzene credits that the Company needs to purchase. In additions, the RFS mandate the blending of prescribed percentages of renewable fuels (e.g., ethanol and biofuels) into the Company’s produced gasoline and diesel. These requirements, other requirements of the CAA and other presently existing or future environmental regulations may cause the Company to make substantial capital expenditures as well as the purchase of credits at significant cost, to enable its refineries to produce products that meet applicable requirements.

The federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (“CERCLA”), also known as “Superfund,” imposes liability, without regard to fault or the legality of the original conduct, on certain classes of persons who are considered to be responsible for the release of a “hazardous substance” into the environment. These persons include the current or former owner or operator of the disposal site or sites where the release occurred and companies that disposed of or arranged for the disposal of the hazardous substances. Under CERCLA, such persons may be subject to joint and several liability for investigation and the costs of cleaning up the hazardous substances that have been released into the environment, for damages to natural resources and for the costs of certain health studies. As discussed more fully above, certain of the Company’s sites are subject to these laws and the Company may be held liable for investigation and remediation costs or claims for natural resource damages. It is not uncommon for neighboring landowners and other third parties to file claims for personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by hazardous substances or other pollutants released into the environment. Analogous state laws impose similar responsibilities and liabilities on responsible parties. In the Company’s current normal operations, it has generated waste, some of which falls within the statutory definition of a “hazardous substance” and some of which may have been disposed of at sites that may require cleanup under Superfund.

The Company is also currently subject to certain other existing environmental claims and proceedings. The Company believes that it is unlikely that future costs related to any of these other known contingent liability exposures would have a material impact on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Contingent Consideration

In connection with the Martinez Acquisition, the Sale and Purchase Agreement dated June 11, 2019 includes an earn-out provision based on certain earnings thresholds of the Martinez refinery. Pursuant to the agreement, the Company will make payments to the Equilon Enterprises LLC d/b/a Shell Oil Products US based on future earnings at the Martinez refinery in excess of certain thresholds, as defined in the agreement, for a period of up to four years following the acquisition closing date (the “Martinez Contingent Consideration”). The Company recorded the acquisition date fair value of the earn-out provision as contingent consideration of $77.3 million within “Other long-term liabilities” within the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets. Subsequent changes in the fair value of the Martinez Contingent Consideration are recorded in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The fair value of the Martinez Contingent Consideration was estimated to be $147.3 million as of December 31, 2022 (of which $81.6 million is included within Accrued expenses) and $29.4 million as of December 31, 2021 (all of which was included within Other long-term liabilities) on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Tax Receivable Agreement

PBF Energy (the Company’s indirect parent) entered into a tax receivable agreement with the PBF LLC Series A and PBF LLC Series B unitholders (the “Tax Receivable Agreement”) that provides for the payment by PBF Energy to such persons of an amount equal to 85% of the amount of the benefits, if any, that PBF Energy is deemed to realize as a result of (i) increases in tax basis, as described below, and (ii) certain other tax benefits related to entering into the Tax Receivable Agreement, including tax benefits attributable to payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement. For purposes of the Tax Receivable Agreement, the benefits deemed realized by PBF Energy will be computed by comparing the actual income tax liability of PBF Energy (calculated with certain assumptions) to the amount of such taxes that PBF Energy would have been required to pay had there been no increase to the tax basis of the assets of PBF LLC as a result of purchases or exchanges of PBF LLC Series A Units for shares of PBF Energy Class A common stock and had PBF Energy not entered into the Tax Receivable Agreement. The term of the Tax Receivable Agreement will continue until all such tax benefits have been utilized or expired unless: (i) PBF Energy exercises its right to terminate the Tax Receivable Agreement, (ii) PBF Energy breaches any of its material obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement or (iii) certain changes of control occur, in which case all obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement will generally be accelerated and due as calculated under certain assumptions.

The payment obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement are obligations of PBF Energy and not of PBF LLC or PBF Holding. In general, PBF Energy expects to obtain funding for these annual payments from PBF LLC, primarily through tax distributions, which PBF LLC makes on a pro-rata basis to its owners. Such owners include PBF Energy, which holds a 99.3% interest in PBF LLC as of December 31, 2022 (99.2% as of December 31, 2021). PBF LLC generally obtains funding to pay its tax distributions by causing PBF Holding to distribute cash to PBF LLC and from distributions it receives from PBFX. As of December 31, 2022 PBF Energy recognized $338.6 million liability for the Tax Receivable Agreement obligation, reflecting the estimate of the undiscounted amounts that PBF Energy expects to pay under the agreement, net of the impact of any deferred tax asset valuation allowance recognized in accordance with ASC 470, Income Taxes ($48.3 million as of December 31, 2021).