Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2024

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments

We have commitments (some of which are leases) related to real property, equipment and operating facilities. We also incur costs associated with leased land, rights-of-way, permits and regulatory fees. Future noncancelable commitments related to these items at December 31, 2024 are summarized below (in millions):


	2025		2026		2027		2028		2029		Thereafter		Total
Leases (1)	$	95	$	72	$	70	$	66	$	49	$	367	$	719
Other commitments (2)	515		266		241		128		130		369		1,649
Total	$	610	$	338	$	311	$	194	$	179	$	736	$	2,368

(1)Includes both operating and finance leases as defined by FASB guidance. Leases are primarily for (i) railcars, (ii) office space, (iii) land, (iv) vehicles, (v) storage tanks and (vi) tractor trailers. See Note 13 for additional information.

(2)Primarily includes storage, transportation and pipeline throughput agreements, as well as certain rights-of-way easements. Expense associated with our storage, transportation and pipeline throughput agreements was approximately $387 million, $396 million and $336 million for 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. A majority of the storage, transportation and pipeline throughput commitments are associated with agreements to store crude oil at facilities and transport crude oil on pipelines owned by equity method investees at posted tariff rates or prices that we believe approximate market. A portion of our commitment to transport is supported by crude oil buy/sell or other agreements with third parties with commensurate quantities. Other commitments for 2025 also include amounts associated with an agreement to purchase a crude oil gathering business in the Delaware Basin for $161 million (approximately $105 million net to our 65% interest in the Permian JV), net of a cash deposit of approximately $16 million paid in December 2024. See Note 7 for additional information.

Loss Contingencies — General

To the extent we are able to assess the likelihood of a negative outcome for a contingency, our assessments of such likelihood range from remote to probable. If we determine that a negative outcome is probable and the amount of loss is reasonably estimable, we accrue an undiscounted liability equal to the estimated amount. If a range of probable loss amounts can be reasonably estimated and no amount within the range is a better estimate than any other amount, then we accrue an undiscounted liability equal to the minimum amount in the range. In addition, we estimate legal fees that we expect to incur associated with loss contingencies and accrue those costs when they are material and probable of being incurred.

We do not record a contingent liability when the likelihood of loss is probable but the amount cannot be reasonably estimated or when the likelihood of loss is believed to be only reasonably possible or remote. For contingencies where an unfavorable outcome is reasonably possible and the impact would be material to our consolidated financial statements, we disclose the nature of the contingency and, where feasible, an estimate of the possible loss or range of loss.

Legal Proceedings — General

In the ordinary course of business, we are involved in various legal proceedings, including those arising from regulatory and environmental matters. In connection with determining the probability of loss associated with such legal proceedings and whether any potential losses associated therewith are estimable, we take into account what we believe to be all relevant known facts and circumstances, and what we believe to be reasonable assumptions regarding the application of those facts and circumstances to existing agreements, laws and regulations. Although we are insured against various risks to the extent we believe it is prudent, there is no assurance that the nature and amount of such insurance will be adequate, in every case, to fully protect us from losses arising from current or future legal proceedings.

Accordingly, we can provide no assurance that the outcome of the various legal proceedings that we are currently involved in, or will become involved with in the future, will not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Environmental — General

We currently own or lease, and in the past have owned and leased, properties where hazardous liquids, including hydrocarbons, are or have been handled. These properties and the hazardous liquids or associated wastes disposed thereon may be subject to the U.S. federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, as amended, and the U.S. federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as amended, as well as state and Canadian federal and provincial laws and regulations. Under such laws and regulations, we could be required to remove or remediate hazardous liquids or associated wastes (including wastes disposed of or released by prior owners or operators) and to clean up contaminated property (including contaminated groundwater). Assets we have acquired or will acquire in the future may have environmental remediation liabilities for which we are not indemnified or insured.

Although we have made significant investments in our maintenance and integrity programs, we have experienced (and likely will experience future) releases of hydrocarbon products into the environment from our pipeline, rail, storage and other facility operations. These releases can result from accidents or from unpredictable man-made or natural forces and may reach surface water bodies, groundwater aquifers or other sensitive environments. We also may discover environmental impacts from past releases that were previously unidentified. Damages and liabilities associated with any such releases from our existing or future assets could be significant and could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

We record environmental liabilities when environmental assessments and/or remedial efforts are probable and the amounts can be reasonably estimated. Generally, our recording of these accruals coincides with our completion of a feasibility study or our commitment to a formal plan of action. We do not discount our environmental remediation liabilities to present value. We also record environmental liabilities assumed in business combinations based on the estimated fair value of the environmental obligations caused by past operations of the acquired company. We record receivables for amounts we believe are recoverable from insurance or from third parties under indemnification agreements in the period that we determine the costs are probable of recovery.

Environmental expenditures that pertain to current operations or to future revenues are expensed or capitalized consistent with our capitalization policy for property and equipment. Expenditures that result from the remediation of an existing condition caused by past operations and that do not contribute to current or future profitability are expensed.

Our estimated undiscounted reserve for environmental liabilities (excluding liabilities related to the Line 901 incident, as discussed further below) were reflected on our Consolidated Balance Sheets as follows (in millions):


	December 31, 2024		December 31, 2023
Other current liabilities	$	15	$	10
Other long-term liabilities and deferred credits (1)	81		46
Total	$	96	$	56

(1) The 2024 balance reflects an increase in estimated costs for long-term environmental remediation obligations.

In some cases, the actual cash expenditures associated with these liabilities may not occur for several years. Our estimates used in determining these reserves are based on information currently available to us and our assessment of the ultimate outcome. Among the many uncertainties that impact our estimates are the necessary regulatory approvals for, and potential modification of, our remediation plans, the limited amount of data available upon initial assessment of the impact of soil or water contamination, changes in costs associated with environmental remediation services and equipment and the possibility of existing or future legal claims giving rise to additional liabilities. Therefore, although we believe that the reserve is adequate, actual costs incurred (which may ultimately include costs for contingencies that are currently not reasonably estimable or costs for contingencies where the likelihood of loss is currently believed to be only reasonably possible or remote) may be in excess of the reserve and may potentially have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Specific Legal, Environmental or Regulatory Matters

Line 901 Incident. In May 2015, we experienced a crude oil release from our Las Flores to Gaviota Pipeline (Line 901) in Santa Barbara County, California. A portion of the released crude oil reached the Pacific Ocean at Refugio State Beach through a drainage culvert. Following the release, we shut down the pipeline and initiated our emergency response plan. A Unified Command, which included the United States Coast Guard, the EPA, the State of California Department of Fish and Wildlife (“CDFW”), the California Office of Spill Prevention and Response and the Santa Barbara Office of Emergency Management, was established for the response effort. Clean-up and remediation operations with respect to impacted shoreline and other areas were determined by the Unified Command to be complete in 2016, and the Unified Command was dissolved. Our estimate of the amount of oil spilled, based on relevant facts, data and information, and as set forth in the Consent Decree described below, is approximately 2,934 barrels; of this amount, we estimate that 598 barrels reached the Pacific Ocean.

As a result of the Line 901 incident, several governmental agencies and regulators initiated investigations into the Line 901 incident, various claims have been made against us and a number of lawsuits have been filed against us, most of which have been resolved. Set forth below is a brief summary of actions and matters that are currently pending or recently resolved.

Several pending or recently resolved lawsuits and claims were filed by companies, governmental agencies and individuals alleging damages arising out of the Line 901 incident. These lawsuits and claims generally seek restitution, compensatory and punitive damages, and/or injunctive relief. Most of these lawsuits have been settled or dismissed by the court. We recently settled the following two lawsuits (the “2024 Settlements”): (i) a lawsuit in California Superior Court in Santa Barbara County for lost revenue or profit asserted by a former oil producer that declared bankruptcy and shut in its offshore production platform following the Line 901 incident; and (ii) a lawsuit filed by the California State Land Commission in California Superior Court in Santa Barbara County seeking lost royalties following the shut-down of Line 901, as well as costs related to the decommissioning of such platform. In connection with the 2024 Settlements, we recognized additional costs related to the Line 901 incident of $120 million. Our remaining Line 901 lawsuits include various lawsuits filed in California Superior Court in Santa Barbara County by (x) companies and individuals who provided labor, goods, or services associated with oil production activities they claim were disrupted following the Line 901 incident and (y) a landowner on an adjacent pipeline alleging property damage from the “stigma” of the Line 901 incident. We are vigorously defending these remaining lawsuits, which have not yet been set for trial, and believe we have strong defenses. The ultimate outcome of such matters is uncertain, and an unfavorable resolution could have a material impact on our results of operations.

In November 2022, we submitted claims to several of our insurance carriers seeking reimbursement for a $230 million payment made in October of 2022 to settle a class action lawsuit stemming from the Line 901 incident (the “Class Action Settlement”). We had previously received payment of approximately $3.6 million from one insurer, which represented the final payment obligation of such insurer and brought the total amount collected from all insurers under such program to $275 million of the $500 million policy limits. In response to denials of coverage or other failures to timely tender payment, we initiated final and binding insurance arbitration proceedings against the insurers responsible for the remaining $225 million of coverage. Such insurers generally alleged that some or all damages encompassed by the Class Action Settlement were not covered by their policies and that all or some portion of the $275 million for which we had already received insurance reimbursement did not, for purposes of determining whether their policies were triggered, properly exhaust the underlying policies that paid those sums.

As of December 31, 2023, we believed that our claim for reimbursement was probable of recovery despite the ongoing arbitration proceedings. Our belief at that time was based on: (i) our analysis of the terms of the underlying insurance policies as applied to the facts and circumstances that comprised our claim for reimbursement, (ii) our experience with the cost submissions and timely collection of claims for the $275 million previously collected for this incident under the same insurance program as the denied claims, including from some of the same insurers who were then denying claims, (iii) our extensive legal review and assessment of the insurer’s claimed basis for denial of coverage, which review and assessment included the advice of external legal counsel experienced in these type of matters that supported our belief that our insurers were required to provide coverage based on the terms of the policies and the nature of our claims, and (iv) the financial strength of the insurance carriers as determined by an independent credit ratings agency. However, at that time we also noted that various factors could impact the timing and amount of recovery of our insurance receivable, including future developments that adversely impacted our assessment of the strength of our coverage claims, the outcome of any dispute resolution proceedings with respect to our coverage claims (including arbitration proceedings) and the extent to which insurers may become insolvent in the future.

A binding arbitration hearing with respect to our insurance claim against insurers representing $175 million of our total $225 million reimbursement claim concluded in early October 2024, and the arbitration panel’s final and binding decision was returned in January 2025. The panel ruled that a substantial portion of our claims subject to the proceeding were not covered under the applicable policy and therefore we were not entitled to reimbursement of our $175 million claim against the applicable insurers. With respect to our remaining $50 million claim against different insurance carriers, we now regard collection of those claims as being less than “probable.” As a result, we have written off the entire $225 million receivable and will recognize any future collections as and if they are received.

In connection with the foregoing, including the 2024 Settlements, we have made adjustments to our total estimated Line 901 costs and the portion of such costs that we believe are probable of recovery from insurance carriers, net of deductibles. Effective as of December 31, 2024, we estimate that the aggregate total costs we have incurred or will incur with respect to the Line 901 incident will be approximately $870 million, which includes actual and projected emergency response and clean-up costs, natural resource damage assessments, fines and penalties incurred, certain third-party claims settlements (including the Class Action Settlement and the 2024 Settlements), and estimated costs associated with our remaining Line 901 lawsuits and claims as described above, as well as estimates for certain legal fees and statutory interest where applicable. We accrue such estimates of aggregate total costs to “Field operating costs” in our Consolidated Statements of Operations. This estimate considers our prior experience in environmental investigation and remediation matters and available data from, and in consultation with, our environmental and other specialists, as well as currently available facts and presently enacted laws and regulations. We have made assumptions for (i) the resolution of certain third-party claims and lawsuits, but excluding claims and lawsuits with respect to which losses are not probable and reasonably estimable, and (ii) the nature, extent and cost of legal services that will be required in connection with all lawsuits, claims and other matters requiring legal or expert advice associated with the Line 901 incident. Our estimate does not include any lost revenue associated with the shutdown of Line 901 or 903 and does not include any liabilities or costs that are not reasonably estimable at this time or that relate to contingencies where we currently regard the likelihood of loss as being only reasonably possible or remote. We believe we have accrued adequate amounts for all probable and reasonably estimable costs; however, this estimate is subject to uncertainties associated with the assumptions that we have made. For example, with respect to potential losses that we regard as only reasonably possible or remote, we have made assumptions regarding the strength of our legal position based on our assessment of the relevant facts and applicable law and precedent; if our assumptions regarding such matters turn out to be inaccurate (i.e., we are found to be liable under circumstances where we regard the likelihood of loss as being only reasonably possible or remote), we could be responsible for significant costs and expenses that are not currently included in our estimates and accruals. In addition, for any potential losses that we regard as probable and for which we have accrued an estimate of the potential losses, our estimates regarding damages, legal fees, court costs and interest could turn out to be inaccurate and the actual losses we incur could be significantly higher than the amounts included in our estimates and accruals. Also, the amount of time it takes for us to resolve all of the current and future lawsuits and claims that relate to the Line 901 incident could turn out to be significantly longer than we have assumed, and as a result the costs we incur for legal services could be significantly higher than we have estimated. Accordingly, our assumptions and estimates may turn out to be inaccurate and our total costs could turn out to be materially higher; therefore, we can provide no assurance that we will not have to accrue significant additional costs in the future with respect to the Line 901 incident.

During the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, we recognized costs, net of amounts probable of recovery from insurance (as applicable), of $345 million, $10 million, and $95 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, we had a remaining undiscounted gross liability of approximately $5 million and $94 million, respectively, related to the Line 901 incident, which aggregate amounts are reflected in “Current liabilities” on our Consolidated Balance Sheet.

As discussed above, we maintain insurance coverage, which is subject to certain exclusions and deductibles, in the event of such liabilities. As of December 31, 2023, we had recognized a receivable of approximately $225 million for the portion of the release costs that we believed were probable of recovery from insurance, net of deductibles and amounts already collected (approximately $280 million out of the $505 million submitted, including the 2015 insurance program and our directors and officers (D&O) insurance policies). Of this amount, we had classified $175 million as a short-term asset in “Trade accounts receivable and other receivables, net” with the remaining $50 million recognized as a long-term asset in “Other long-term assets, net” on our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2023.

Following the arbitration panel ruling discussed above, we wrote off the full $225 million insurance receivable in the fourth quarter of 2024. Therefore, as of December 31, 2024, we no longer have any amounts recorded as receivables related to the Line 901 incident recognized on our Consolidated Balance Sheet.

We have completed the required clean-up and remediation work as determined by the Unified Command and the Unified Command has been dissolved; however, we expect to make payments for additional legal, professional and regulatory costs during future periods. Taking into account the costs that we have included in our total estimate of costs for the Line 901 incident and considering what we regard as very strong defenses to the claims made in our remaining Line 901 lawsuits, we do not believe the ultimate resolution of such remaining lawsuits will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Other Litigation Matters. On July 19, 2022, Hartree Natural Gas Storage, LLC (“Hartree”) filed a lawsuit under seal in the Superior Court for the State of Delaware asserting claims against PAA Natural Gas Storage, L.P. and PAA arising out of a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement relating to the 2021 sale of the Pine Prairie Energy Center natural gas storage facility to Hartree. We have entered into a confidential settlement agreement and anticipate that in connection with the settlement, all of Hartree’s claims will be dismissed with prejudice and without any admission of wrongdoing by Plains.

Various coastal parishes, the State of Louisiana and some of its departments have filed lawsuits in Louisiana against a number of energy companies seeking damages for coastal erosion in connection with oil and gas operations in Louisiana. One of our subsidiaries has been named in such a lawsuit filed by The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (“LADWF”). LADWF filed a lawsuit in the 24th Judicial District Court of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana on October 30, 2023 against our subsidiary, Plains Pipeline, L.P., Chevron Pipe Line Company, BP Oil Pipeline Company and Arrowhead Gulf Coast Pipeline, LLC (collectively, “Defendants”), as the former and current parties to certain pipeline right of way agreements (“ROWs”) in the vicinity of the Elmer Island Wildlife Refuge. LADWF alleges that the Defendants breached the terms of the ROWs by failing to prevent erosion and seeks restoration of the Wildlife Refuge or alternatively monetary damages in an unspecified amount. Our subsidiary owned and operated a pipeline in the vicinity of the refuge from 2006 through 2016. The damages have not been quantified and are not yet reasonably estimable, but we believe the claims in the lawsuit lack merit and intend to vigorously defend this lawsuit in coordination with the other Defendants.