2.4.0.81010 - Disclosure - ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATIONtruefalsefalse1false falsefalseD2013Q2YTDhttp://www.sec.gov/CIK0000805022duration2013-01-01T00:00:002013-06-30T00:00:001true 1us-gaap_AccountingPoliciesAbstractus-gaap_truenadurationfalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalse1falsefalsefalse00falsefalsefalsexbrli:stringItemTypestringfalse0ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION2false 2us-gaap_OrganizationConsolidationAndPresentationOfFinancialStatementsDisclosureAndSignificantAccountingPoliciesTextBlockus-gaap_truenadurationfalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalseterseLabel1falsefalsefalse00<div style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;"> 1.  ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION   Organization   Buckeye Partners, L.P. is a publicly traded Delaware master limited partnership and its limited partnership units representing limited partner interests (“LP Units”) are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the ticker symbol “BPL.”  Buckeye GP LLC (“Buckeye GP”) is our general partner.  As used in these Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, “we,” “us,” “our” and “Buckeye” mean Buckeye Partners, L.P. and, where the context requires, includes our subsidiaries.   We were formed in 1986 and own and operate one of the largest independent refined petroleum products pipeline systems in the United States in terms of volumes delivered, miles of pipeline and active product terminals. In addition, we operate and/or maintain third-party pipelines under agreements with major oil and gas, petrochemical and chemical companies, and perform certain engineering and construction management services for third parties.  We also own and operate a natural gas storage facility in Northern California, and are a wholesale distributor of refined petroleum products in the United States in areas also served by our pipelines and terminals.  Beginning in late 2012, we began to provide fuel oil supply and distribution services to third parties in the Caribbean.  Our flagship marine terminal in The Bahamas, Bahamas Oil Refining Company International Limited (“BORCO”), is one of the largest marine crude oil and petroleum products storage facilities in the world, serving the international markets as a global logistics hub.   Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation   The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and the rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).  Accordingly, our financial statements reflect all normal and recurring adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of our results of operations for the interim periods.  The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of our subsidiaries controlled by us and variable interest entities of which we are the primary beneficiary. We have eliminated all intercompany transactions in consolidation.   We believe that the disclosures in these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements are adequate to make the information presented not misleading.  These interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012.   Recent Accounting Developments   Reclassification Adjustments Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (“AOCI”).  In February 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance requiring entities to disclose additional information about reclassification adjustments, including changes in AOCI balances by component and significant items reclassified out of AOCI.  Under the new guidance, an entity would (i) disaggregate the total change of each component of other comprehensive income (“OCI”) and separately present reclassification adjustments and current-period OCI, and (ii) present information about significant items reclassified out of AOCI by component either on the face of the statement where net income is presented or as a separate disclosure in the notes to the financial statements.  This guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2012.  We adopted this guidance on January 1, 2013, which did not have an impact on our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, or a material impact on our disclosures, as there were no significant reclassification adjustments during the three and six months ended June 30, 2013.   Balance Sheet: Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities.  In December 2011, the FASB issued guidance requiring an entity to provide enhanced disclosures that will enable users of its financial statements to evaluate the effect or potential effect of netting arrangements on an entity’s financial position.  In January 2013, the FASB issued an update to this guidance clarifying that the scope of disclosures applied to derivatives accounted for in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 815, Derivative and Hedging, including bifurcated embedded derivatives, repurchase agreements and reverse purchase agreements and securities lending transactions that are either offset in accordance with FASB ASC Section 210-20-45 or Section 815-10-45 or subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement or similar agreement.  This guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013 and should be applied retrospectively. We adopted this guidance on January 1, 2013, which did not have an impact on our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, or a material impact on our disclosures. See Note 7 for information about our netting policy for derivatives. </div>falsefalsefalsenonnum:textBlockItemTypenaThe entire disclosure for the organization, consolidation and basis of presentation of financial statements disclosure, and significant accounting policies of the reporting entity. May be provided in more than one note to the financial statements, as long as users are provided with an understanding of (1) the significant judgments and assumptions made by an enterprise in determining whether it must consolidate a VIE and/or disclose information about its involvement with a VIE, (2) the nature of restrictions on a consolidated VIE's assets reported by an enterprise in its statement of financial position, including the carrying amounts of such assets, (3) the nature of, and changes in, the risks associated with an enterprise's involvement with the VIE, and (4) how an enterprise's involvement with the VIE affects the enterprise's financial position, financial performance, and cash flows. Describes procedure if disclosures are provided in more than one note to the financial statements.Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 275 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6927468&loc=d3e6003-108592 false0ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATIONfalseORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATIONUnKnownUnKnownUnKnownUnKnowntruefalsefalseSheethttp://www.buckeye.com/role/DisclosureOrganizationAndBasisOfPresentation12