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Other Contingencies and Commitments
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Other Contingencies and Commitments
Other Contingencies and Commitments
Income Taxes The company calculates its income tax expense and liabilities quarterly. These liabilities generally are subject to audit and are not finalized with the individual taxing authorities until several years after the end of the annual period for which income taxes have been calculated. Refer to Note 16, beginning on page 74, for a discussion of the periods for which tax returns have been audited for the company’s major tax jurisdictions and a discussion for all tax jurisdictions of the differences between the amount of tax benefits recognized in the financial statements and the amount taken or expected to be taken in a tax return.
Settlement of open tax years, as well as other tax issues in countries where the company conducts its businesses, are not expected to have a material effect on the consolidated financial position or liquidity of the company and, in the opinion of management, adequate provisions have been made for all years under examination or subject to future examination.
Guarantees The company has two guarantees to equity affiliates totaling $968. Of this amount, $637 is associated with a financing arrangement with an equity affiliate. Over the approximate 3-year remaining term of this guarantee, the maximum amount will be reduced as payments are made by the affiliate. The remaining amount of $331 is associated with certain payments under a terminal use agreement entered into by an equity affiliate. Over the approximate 9-year remaining term of this guarantee, the maximum guarantee amount will be reduced as certain fees are paid by the affiliate. There are numerous cross-indemnity agreements with the affiliate and the other partners to permit recovery of amounts paid under the guarantee. Chevron has recorded no liability for either guarantee.
Indemnifications In the acquisition of Unocal, the company assumed certain indemnities relating to contingent environmental liabilities associated with assets that were sold in 1997. The acquirer of those assets shared in certain environmental remediation costs up to a maximum obligation of $200, which had been reached at December 31, 2009. Under the indemnification agreement, after reaching the $200 obligation, Chevron is solely responsible until April 2022, when the indemnification expires. The environmental conditions or events that are subject to these indemnities must have arisen prior to the sale of the assets in 1997.
Although the company has provided for known obligations under this indemnity that are probable and reasonably estimable, the amount of additional future costs may be material to results of operations in the period in which they are recognized. The company does not expect these costs will have a material effect on its consolidated financial position or liquidity.
Long-Term Unconditional Purchase Obligations and Commitments, Including Throughput and Take-or-Pay Agreements The company and its subsidiaries have certain contingent liabilities with respect to long-term unconditional purchase obligations and commitments, including throughput and take-or-pay agreements, some of which relate to suppliers’ financing arrangements. The agreements typically provide goods and services, such as pipeline and storage capacity, drill ships, utilities, and petroleum products, to be used or sold in the ordinary course of the company’s business. The aggregate approximate amounts of required payments under these various commitments are: 2019 – $1,300; 2020 – $1,200; 2021 – $1,300; 2022 – $1,000; 2023 – $800; 2023 and after – $4,700. A portion of these commitments may ultimately be shared with project partners. Total payments under the agreements were approximately $1,400 in 2018, $1,300 in 2017 and $1,300 in 2016.
As part of the implementation of ASU 2016-02 (Topic 842) effective January 1, 2019, the company will reclassify some contracts, currently incorporated into the unconditional purchase obligations disclosure, as operating leases in first quarter 2019 results.
Environmental The company is subject to loss contingencies pursuant to laws, regulations, private claims and legal proceedings related to environmental matters that are subject to legal settlements or that in the future may require the company to take action to correct or ameliorate the effects on the environment of prior release of chemicals or petroleum substances, including MTBE, by the company or other parties. Such contingencies may exist for various operating, closed and divested sites, including, but not limited to, federal Superfund sites and analogous sites under state laws, refineries, chemical plants, marketing facilities, crude oil fields, and mining sites.
Although the company has provided for known environmental obligations that are probable and reasonably estimable, it is likely that the company will continue to incur additional liabilities. The amount of additional future costs are not fully determinable due to such factors as the unknown magnitude of possible contamination, the unknown timing and extent of the corrective actions that may be required, the determination of the company’s liability in proportion to other responsible parties, and the extent to which such costs are recoverable from third parties. These future costs may be material to results of
operations in the period in which they are recognized, but the company does not expect these costs will have a material effect on its consolidated financial position or liquidity.
Chevron’s environmental reserve as of December 31, 2018, was $1,327. Included in this balance was $258 related to remediation activities at approximately 144 sites for which the company had been identified as a potentially responsible party under the provisions of the federal Superfund law or analogous state laws which provide for joint and several liability for all responsible parties. Any future actions by regulatory agencies to require Chevron to assume other potentially responsible parties’ costs at designated hazardous waste sites are not expected to have a material effect on the company’s results of operations, consolidated financial position or liquidity.
Of the remaining year-end 2018 environmental reserves balance of $1,069, $748 is related to the company’s U.S. downstream operations, $24 to its international downstream operations, $296 to upstream operations and $1 to other businesses. Liabilities at all sites were primarily associated with the company’s plans and activities to remediate soil or groundwater contamination or both.
The company manages environmental liabilities under specific sets of regulatory requirements, which in the United States include the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and various state and local regulations. No single remediation site at year-end 2018 had a recorded liability that was material to the company’s results of operations, consolidated financial position or liquidity.
Refer to Note 24 on page 88 for a discussion of the company’s asset retirement obligations.
Other Contingencies Governmental and other entities in California and other jurisdictions have filed legal proceedings against fossil fuel producing companies, including Chevron, purporting to seek legal and equitable relief to address alleged impacts of climate change. Further such proceedings are likely to be filed by other parties. The unprecedented legal theories set forth in these proceedings entail the possibility of damages liability and injunctions against the production of all fossil fuels that, while we believe remote, could have a material adverse effect on the company’s results of operations and financial condition. Management believes that these proceedings are legally and factually meritless and detract from constructive efforts to address the important policy issues presented by climate change, and will vigorously defend against such proceedings.
Chevron receives claims from and submits claims to customers; trading partners; joint venture partners; U.S. federal, state and local regulatory bodies; governments; contractors; insurers; suppliers; and individuals. The amounts of these claims, individually and in the aggregate, may be significant and take lengthy periods to resolve, and may result in gains or losses in future periods.
The company and its affiliates also continue to review and analyze their operations and may close, abandon, sell, exchange, acquire or restructure assets to achieve operational or strategic benefits and to improve competitiveness and profitability. These activities, individually or together, may result in significant gains or losses in future periods.