Item 1. Business.
The terms “we,” “our,” “us” and “Spectra Energy Partners” as used in this report refer collectively to Spectra Energy Partners, LP and its subsidiaries unless the context suggests otherwise. These terms are used for convenience only and are not intended as a precise description of any separate legal entity within Spectra Energy Partners.
The term “Enbridge” as used in this report refers collectively to Enbridge Inc. and its subsidiaries other than us, unless the context suggests otherwise.
Our operations and activities are managed by our general partner Spectra Energy Partners (DE) GP, LP (our general partner or GP, LP), which in turn is managed by its general partner Spectra Energy Partners GP, LLC (GP, LLC). GP, LLC is indirectly wholly owned by Spectra Energy Corp (Spectra Energy). The term “General Partner” means, as context requires, GP, LP in its capacity as our general partner, or GP, LP and GP, LLC collectively, with GP, LLC acting in its capacity as general partner of GP, LP, in GP,LP.
On February 27, 2017, Enbridge Inc. and Spectra Energy completed a merger transaction (the Merger) resulting in Spectra Energy being a wholly-owned subsidiary of Enbridge. As a result of the Merger, we became an indirect subsidiary of Enbridge through Enbridge’s ownership of Spectra Energy. As of December 31, 2017, Enbridge, through its ownership of Spectra Energy, collectively owned 74% of us and the remaining 26% was publicly owned.
On January 21, 2018, we entered into an Equity Restructuring Agreement, with our GP, LP, (the Equity Restructuring Agreement), pursuant to which the incentive distribution rights and the 2% general partner interest in us held by our GP, LP were converted into 172,500,000 newly issued common units and a non-economic general partner interest in us (the GP/IDR Restructuring). Distributions by us with a record date after January 31, 2018, including the distribution with respect to the fourth quarter 2017, will be made based on the terms of our limited partnership agreement, in effect at the time a distribution is declared. Immediately after the execution of our Equity Restructuring Agreement, a new limited partnership agreement was entered into. As of January 21, 2018, as a result of GP/IDR Restructuring, Enbridge, through its ownership of Spectra Energy, collectively owns approximately 83% of our outstanding common units.
General
Spectra Energy Partners, through its subsidiaries and equity affiliates, is engaged in the transmission, storage and gathering of natural gas, and the transportation and storage of crude oil, through interstate pipeline systems in the United States and Canada with approximately 16,000 miles of transmission and transportation pipelines, the storage of natural gas in underground facilities with aggregate working gas storage capacity of approximately 170 billion cubic feet (Bcf) and crude oil storage of approximately 5.6 million barrels.
We own and operate natural gas transmission, gathering and storage assets, and crude oil transportation and storage assets in central, southern and eastern United States as well as western Canada. Our assets are strategically located in geographic regions of the United States and Canada where demand, primarily for natural gas used in electricity generation, and crude oil, is expected to increase steadily. We have a broad mix of customers, including local gas distribution companies (LDC), municipal utilities, interstate and intrastate pipelines, direct industrial users, electric power generators, marketers and producers, oil refineries, and exploration and production companies. Our interstate gas transmission pipeline and storage operations and our crude oil transportation and storage operations are regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), or the National Energy Board (NEB) with the exception of Moss Bluff
intrastate storage operations and Ozark gathering facilities, which are subject to oversight by various state commissions.
In March 2013, Spectra Energy acquired 100% of the ownership interests in the Express-Platte crude oil pipeline system from third-parties. Later in 2013, we acquired a 40% ownership interest in the U.S. portion of Express-Platte (Express US) and a 100% ownership interest in the Canadian portion of Express-Platte (Express Canada) (collectively, Express-Platte) from subsidiaries of Spectra Energy (the Express-Platte acquisition).
In November 2013, we acquired substantially all of Spectra Energy’s remaining U.S. transmission, storage and liquids assets, including Spectra Energy’s remaining 60% interest in Express US (the U.S. Assets Dropdown). The pipeline systems include Texas Eastern Transmission, LP (Texas Eastern), Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC (Algonquin), the remaining ownership interest in Express US, an additional 39% interest in Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, L.L.C (M&N U.S.), 33% interests in both DCP Sand Hills Pipeline, LLC (Sand Hills) and DCP Southern Hills Pipeline, LLC (Southern Hills), an additional 1% interest in Gulfstream Natural Gas System, L.L.C. (Gulfstream) and a 24.95% interest in Southeast Supply Header, LLC (SESH). The natural gas and crude oil storage businesses include Bobcat Gas Storage (Bobcat), the remaining 50% interest in Market Hub Partners Holding, LLC (Market Hub), a 49% interest in Steckman Ridge, LP (Steckman Ridge), and Texas Eastern's and Express-Platte's storage facilities.
In November 2014, we completed the second of the three planned transactions related to the U.S. Assets Dropdown. This transaction consisted of acquiring an additional 24.95% ownership interest in SESH and an additional 1% interest in Steckman Ridge from Spectra Energy.
The final transaction related to the U.S. Assets Dropdown occurred in November 2015, and consisted of the acquisition of Spectra Energy's remaining 0.1% interest in SESH.
The U.S. Assets Dropdown has been accounted for as an acquisition under common control, resulting in the recast of our prior results. See Note 3 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of the transaction.
In October 2015, Spectra Energy acquired our 33.3% ownership interests in Sand Hills and Southern Hills.
Businesses
We manage our business in two reportable segments: U.S. Transmission and Liquids. The remainder of our business operations is presented as “Other,” and consists mainly of certain corporate costs. The following sections describe the operations of each of our businesses. For financial information on our business segments, see Note 5 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
U.S. Transmission
Our U.S. Transmission business primarily provides transmission, storage, and gathering of natural gas for customers in various regions of the northeastern and southeastern United States. Our pipeline systems consist of approximately 14,000 miles of pipelines with nine primary transmission systems: Texas Eastern, Algonquin, East Tennessee Natural Gas, LLC (East Tennessee), M&N U.S., Ozark Gas Transmission, L.L.C. (Ozark Gas Transmission), Big Sandy Pipeline, LLC (Big Sandy), Gulfstream, SESH and Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC. (Sabal Trail). The pipeline systems in our U.S. Transmission business receive natural gas from major North American producing regions for delivery to their respective markets. A majority of contracted transportation volumes are under long-term firm service agreements, where customers reserve capacity in the pipeline. Interruptible services, where customers can use capacity if it is available at the time of the request, are provided on a short-term or seasonal basis.
U.S. Transmission provides natural gas storage services through Saltville Gas Storage Company L.L.C. (Saltville), Market Hub, Steckman Ridge, Bobcat and Texas Eastern's facilities. Gathering services are provided through Ozark Gas Gathering, L.L.C. (Ozark Gas Gathering). In the course of providing transportation services, U.S. Transmission also processes natural gas on our Texas Eastern system.
Demand on the natural gas pipeline and storage systems is seasonal, with the highest throughput occurring during colder periods in the first and fourth quarters, and storage injections occurring primarily during the summer periods. Actual throughput and storage injections/withdrawals do not have a significant effect on revenues or earnings.
Most of U.S. Transmission’s pipeline and storage operations are regulated by the FERC and are subject to the jurisdiction of various federal, state and local environmental agencies.
Texas Eastern
The Texas Eastern natural gas transmission system extends approximately 1,700 miles from producing fields in the Gulf Coast region of Texas and Louisiana to Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. It consists of two parallel systems, the first of which has one to four large-diameter parallel pipelines and the other with one to three large-diameter pipelines. Texas Eastern’s onshore system consists of approximately 9,070 miles of pipeline and associated compressor stations (facilities that increase the pressure of gas to facilitate its pipeline transmission). Texas Eastern also owns and operates two offshore Louisiana pipeline systems, which extend approximately 100 miles into the Gulf of Mexico and include approximately 400 miles of pipeline. Texas Eastern has two storage facilities in Pennsylvania held through joint ventures and one 100%-owned and operated storage facility in Maryland. Texas Eastern’s total working joint venture capacity in these three facilities is 74 Bcf. In addition, Texas Eastern’s system is connected to Steckman Ridge, a 12 Bcf joint venture storage facility in Pennsylvania, and three affiliated storage facilities in Texas and Louisiana, aggregating 75 Bcf, owned by Market Hub and Bobcat.
Algonquin
The Algonquin natural gas transmission system, which we directly own 92%, connects with Texas Eastern’s facilities in New Jersey and extends approximately 250 miles through New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts where it connects to M&N U.S. The system consists of approximately 1,140 miles of pipeline with associated compressor stations.
East Tennessee
East Tennessee’s natural gas transmission system crosses Texas Eastern’s system at two locations in Tennessee and consists of two mainline systems totaling approximately 1,500 miles of pipeline in Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia, with associated compressor stations. East Tennessee has a liquefied natural gas, (LNG), natural gas that has been converted to liquid form, storage facility in Tennessee with a total working capacity of 1 Bcf. East Tennessee also connects to the Saltville storage facilities in Virginia.
Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline
M&N U.S. is owned 78% directly by us, with affiliates of Emera, Inc. and Exxon Mobil Corporation directly owning the remaining 13% and 9% interests, respectively. M&N U.S. is an approximately 350-mile mainline interstate natural gas transmission system which extends from northeastern Massachusetts to the border of Canada near Baileyville, Maine. M&N U.S. is connected to the Canadian portion of the Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline system, Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline Limited Partnership (M&N Canada), which is owned 78% by Spectra Energy. M&N U.S. facilities include compressor stations, with a market delivery capability of approximately 0.8 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas. The pipeline’s location and key interconnects with our transmission system link regional natural gas supplies to the northeast U.S. markets.
Ozark
Ozark Gas Transmission consists of an approximately 365-mile natural gas transmission system extending from southeastern Oklahoma through Arkansas to southeastern Missouri. Ozark Gas Gathering consists of an approximately 330-mile natural gas gathering system, with associated compressor stations, that primarily serves Arkoma basin producers in eastern Oklahoma.
Big Sandy
Big Sandy is an approximately 70-mile natural gas transmission system, with associated compressor stations, located in eastern Kentucky. Big Sandy’s interconnection with the Tennessee Gas Pipeline system links the Huron Shale and Appalachian Basin natural gas supplies to the mid-Atlantic and northeast markets.
Gulfstream
Gulfstream is an approximately 745-mile interstate natural gas transmission system, with associated compressor stations, operated jointly by us and The Williams Companies, Inc. (Williams). Gulfstream transports natural gas from Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas, crossing the Gulf of Mexico to markets in central and southern Florida. Gulfstream is owned 50% directly by us and 50% by affiliates of Williams. Our investment in Gulfstream is accounted for under the equity method of accounting.
Sabal Trail
Sabal Trail is an approximately 515-mile interstate natural gas transmission system, with associated laterals and compressor stations, and provides natural gas transportation services for power generation needs to markets in Florida. Sabal Trail is owned 50% directly by us, 42.5% by US Southeastern Gas Infrastructure, LLC (NextEra), and 7.5% by Duke Energy Corporation (Duke) and operated by us. As of July 1, 2017, our investment in Sabal Trail is accounted for under the equity method of accounting.
Southeast Supply Header
SESH, an approximately 290-mile natural gas transmission system, with associated compressor stations, is operated jointly by Spectra Energy and Enable Gas Transmission, LLC (Enable). SESH extends from the Perryville Hub in northeastern Louisiana where the emerging shale gas production of eastern Texas, northern Louisiana and Arkansas, along with conventional production, is reached from six major interconnections. SESH extends to Alabama, interconnecting with 14 major north-south pipelines and three high-deliverability storage facilities. SESH is owned 50% directly by us and 50% by Enable Midstream Partners, LP, collectively. Our investment in SESH is accounted for under the equity method of accounting.
Market Hub
Market Hub owns and operates two natural gas storage facilities, Moss Bluff and Egan, with a total storage capacity of approximately 46 Bcf. The Moss Bluff facility consists of four salt dome storage caverns located in southeast Texas, with access to five pipeline systems including the Texas Eastern system. The Egan facility consists of four salt dome storage caverns located in south central Louisiana, with ten interconnections serving eight pipeline systems, including the Texas Eastern system.
Saltville
Saltville owns and operates natural gas storage facilities in Virginia with a total storage capacity of approximately 5 Bcf, interconnecting with East Tennessee’s system. This salt cavern facility offers high-deliverability capabilities and is strategically located near markets in Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina.
Bobcat
Bobcat, an approximately 29 Bcf salt dome facility, is strategically located on the Gulf Coast near Henry Hub, interconnecting with five major interstate pipelines, including Texas Eastern.
Steckman Ridge
Steckman Ridge is an approximately 12 Bcf depleted reservoir storage facility located in south central Pennsylvania that interconnects with the Texas Eastern and Dominion Transmission, Inc. systems. Steckman Ridge is owned 50% by us and 50% by NJR Steckman Ridge Storage Company. Our investment in Steckman Ridge is accounted for under the equity method of accounting.
Competition
Our natural gas transmission and storage businesses compete with similar facilities that serve our supply and market areas in the transmission and storage of natural gas. The principal elements of competition are location, rates, terms of service, flexibility and reliability of service.
The natural gas transported in our transmission business competes with other forms of energy available to our customers and end-users, including electricity, coal, propane, fuel oils and renewable energy. Factors that influence
the demand for natural gas include price changes, the availability of natural gas and other forms of energy, levels of business activity, long-term economic conditions, conservation, legislation, governmental regulations, the ability to convert to alternative fuels, weather and other factors.
Customers and Contracts
In general, our natural gas pipelines provide transmission and storage services for LDCs (companies that obtain a major portion of their revenues from retail distribution systems for the delivery of natural gas for ultimate consumption), electric power generators, exploration and production companies, and industrial and commercial customers, as well as energy marketers. Transmission and storage services are generally provided under firm agreements where customers reserve capacity in pipelines and storage facilities. The vast majority of these agreements provide for fixed reservation charges that are paid monthly regardless of the actual volumes transported on the pipelines or injected or withdrawn from our storage facilities, plus a small variable component that is based on volumes transported, injected or withdrawn, which is intended to recover variable costs.
We also provide interruptible transmission and storage services where customers can use capacity if it is available at the time of the request. Interruptible revenues depend on the amount of volumes transported or stored and the associated rates for this interruptible service. New projects placed into service may initially have higher levels of interruptible services at inception. Storage operations also provide a variety of other value-added services including natural gas parking, loaning and balancing services to meet our customers’ needs. See Note 2 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion on our significant customer.
Liquids
Our Liquids business provides transportation and storage of crude oil for customers in central United States and Canada. Our Liquids pipeline system consists of Express-Platte.
Most of Liquids’ pipeline and storage operations are regulated by the FERC or the NEB, and are subject to the jurisdiction of various federal, state and local environmental agencies.
Express-Platte
The Express-Platte pipeline system, an approximately 1,700-mile crude oil transportation system, which begins in Hardisty, Alberta, and terminates in Wood River Illinois, is comprised of both the Express and Platte crude oil pipelines and crude oil storage of approximately 5.6 million barrels. The Express pipeline carries crude oil to U.S. refining markets in the Rocky Mountains area, including Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah. The Platte pipeline, which interconnects with the Express pipeline in Casper, Wyoming transports crude oil predominantly from the Bakken shale and western Canada to refineries in the Midwest.
Competition
Our crude oil transportation business competes with pipelines, rail, truck and barge facilities that transport crude oil from production areas to refinery markets. The principal elements of competition are location, rates, terms of service, flexibility and reliability of service.
Customers and Contracts
Customers on the Express-Platte system are primarily refineries located in the Rocky Mountain and Midwestern states of the United States. Other customers include oil producers and marketing entities. Express pipeline capacity is typically contracted under long-term committed contracts where customers reserve capacity and pay commitment charges based on a contracted volume even if they do not ship. A small amount of Express pipeline capacity and all Platte pipeline capacity is used by uncommitted shippers who only pay for the pipeline capacity that is actually used in a given month.
Supplies and Raw Materials
We purchase a variety of manufactured equipment and materials for use in operations and expansion projects. The primary equipment and materials utilized in operations and project execution processes are steel pipe, compression engines, pumps, valves, fittings, gas meters and other consumables.
We utilize Enbridge’s supply chain management function which operates a North American supply chain management network. The supply chain management group uses the economies-of-scale available to Enbridge to maximize the efficiency of supply networks where applicable. The price of equipment and materials may vary substantially from year to year.
Regulations
Most of our U.S. gas transmission, crude oil pipeline and storage operations are regulated by the FERC. The FERC regulates natural gas transmission and crude oil transportation in U.S. interstate commerce including the establishment of rates for services. The FERC also regulates the construction of U.S. interstate natural gas pipelines and storage facilities, including the extension, enlargement and abandonment of facilities. In addition, certain operations are subject to oversight by state regulatory commissions. To the extent that the natural gas intrastate pipelines that transport or store natural gas in interstate commerce provide services under Section 311 of the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978, they are subject to FERC regulations. The FERC may propose and implement new rules and regulations affecting interstate natural gas transmission and storage companies, which remain subject to the FERC’s jurisdiction. These initiatives may also affect certain transmission of gas by intrastate pipelines.
Our gas transmission and storage operations are subject to the jurisdiction of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and various other federal, state and local environmental agencies. See “Environmental Matters” for a discussion of environmental regulation. Our interstate natural gas pipelines are also subject to the regulations of the DOT concerning pipeline safety. For more information on pipeline safety matters, see Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Express-Platte rates and tariffs are subject to regulation by the NEB in Canada and the FERC in the United States. In addition, the Platte pipeline also operates as an intrastate pipeline in Wyoming and is subject to jurisdiction by the Wyoming Public Service Commission.
Environmental Matters
We are subject to various U.S. federal, state and local laws and regulations, as well as Canadian federal and provincial regulations regarding air and water quality, hazardous and solid waste disposal and other environmental matters.
Environmental laws and regulations affecting our U.S. based operations include, but are not limited to:
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The Clean Air Act (CAA) and the 1990 amendments to the CAA, as well as state laws and regulations affecting air emissions (including State Implementation Plans related to existing and new national ambient air quality standards), which may limit new sources of air emissions. Our natural gas transmission, storage and gathering assets are considered sources of air emissions and are thereby subject to the CAA. Owners and/or operators of air emission sources, like us, are responsible for obtaining permits for existing and new sources of air emissions and for annual compliance and reporting.
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The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Clean Water Act), which requires permits for facilities that discharge wastewaters into the environment. The Oil Pollution Act (OPA) amended parts of the Clean Water Act and other statutes as they pertain to the prevention of and response to oil spills. The OPA imposes certain spill prevention, control and countermeasure requirements. Although we are primarily a natural gas business, the OPA affects our business primarily because of the presence of liquid hydrocarbons (condensate) in our offshore pipelines.
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The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), which imposes liability for remediation costs associated with environmentally contaminated sites. Under CERCLA, any individual or entity that currently owns or in the past owned or operated a disposal site can be held liable and required to share in remediation costs, as well as transporters, generators or arrangers of hazardous substances sent to a disposal site. Because of the geographical extent of our operations, we have disposed of waste at many different sites and therefore have CERCLA liabilities.
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The Solid Waste Disposal Act, as amended by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which requires certain solid wastes, including hazardous wastes, to be managed, transported and disposed pursuant to a comprehensive regulatory regime. As part of our business, we generate solid waste within the scope of these regulations and therefore must comply with such regulations.
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The Toxic Substances Control Act, which requires that polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminated materials be managed in accordance with a comprehensive regulatory regime. Because of the historical use of lubricating oils containing PCBs, the internal surfaces of some of our pipeline systems are contaminated with PCBs, and liquids and other materials removed from these pipelines must be managed, transported and disposed in compliance with such regulations.
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U.S. Department of the Interior regulations, which relate to offshore oil and natural gas operations in U.S. waters and impose obligations for establishing financial assurances for decommissioning activities, liabilities for pollution cleanup costs resulting from operations, and potential liabilities for pollution damages. Our offshore facilities operating in federal waters are subject to these regulatory obligations and liabilities.
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The National Environmental Policy Act, which requires federal agencies to consider potential environmental effects in their decisions, including site approvals. Many of our capital projects require federal agency review, and therefore the environmental effects of proposed projects are a factor in determining whether we will be permitted to complete proposed projects.
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The Endangered Species Act, which restricts activities that may affect federally identified endangered and threatened species or their habitats through the implementation of operating restrictions or a temporary, season, or permanent ban in affected areas. Our expansion and other construction activities must consider the potential impact of those activities on endangered and threatened species or their habitats.
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Environmental laws and regulations affecting our Canadian-based operations include, but are not limited to:
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The Canadian Environmental Protection Act, which, among other things, requires the reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from our operations in Canada. Additional regulations to be promulgated under this Act may require the reduction of GHGs, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter.
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The Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 (CEAA 2012) requires the NEB to consider potential environmental effects in its decisions for designated projects. The NEB under its enabling statute also
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conducts environmental assessments for projects that are not specifically designated under CEAA 2012. In either case, prior to receiving an approval to construct or operate a federally-regulated pipeline or facility, the NEB must consider a series of environmental factors, in particular whether the project has the potential to have adverse environmental effects. These types of assessments occur in relation to both maintenance and capital projects.
For more information on environmental matters, including possible liability and capital costs, see Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors and Part II. Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, Notes 6 and 18 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Except to the extent discussed in Notes 6 and 18, compliance with international, federal, state, provincial and local provisions regulating the discharge of materials into the environment, or otherwise protecting the environment, is incorporated into the routine cost structure of our partnership and is not expected to have a material effect on our competitive position or consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows.
Geographic Regions
For a discussion of our Canadian operations and the risks associated with them, see Notes 5 and 16 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Employees
We do not have any employees. We are managed by the directors and officers of our General Partner. As of
December 31, 2017
, our General Partner and its affiliates have approximately 2,100 employees performing services for our operations, and are solely responsible for providing the employees and other personnel necessary to conduct our operations.
Insurance
Our operations are subject to many hazards inherent in the natural gas gathering and processing, transmission and storage activities and crude oil transportation and storage industry. Our assets may experience physical damage as a result of an accident or natural disaster. These hazards can also cause personal injury and loss of life, severe damage to and destruction of property and equipment, pollution or environmental damage, and suspension of operations. We are included in the comprehensive insurance program maintained by Enbridge for its subsidiaries. This program includes insurance coverage in types and amounts and with terms and conditions that are generally consistent with coverage considered customary for our industry.
In the unlikely event multiple insurable incidents occur which exceed coverage limits within the same insurance period, the total insurance coverage will be allocated among the Enbridge entities on an equitable basis based on an insurance allocation agreement we have entered into with Enbridge and other Enbridge subsidiaries.
We can make no assurance that the insurance coverage we maintain will be available or adequate for any particular risk or loss or that we will be able to maintain adequate insurance in the future at rates we consider reasonable. Although we believe that our assets are adequately covered by insurance, a substantial uninsured loss could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
Our Partnership Agreement
On January 21, 2018, immediately after the entry into the Equity Restructuring Agreement, our General Partner executed and delivered the Third Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Spectra Energy Partners, LP (our partnership agreement) to, among other matters, reflect the GP/IDR Restructuring
.
Set forth below is a summary of the material provision of our partnership agreement that relates to available cash:
Available Cash
.
For any quarter ending prior to liquidation:
(a) the sum of:
(1) all cash and cash equivalents of the partnership and our subsidiaries on hand at the end of that quarter; and
(2) if our General Partner so determines, all or a portion of any additional cash or cash equivalents of our partnership and our subsidiaries on hand on the date of determination of Available Cash for that quarter;
(b) less the amount of cash reserves established by our General Partner to:
(1) provide for the proper conduct of the business of the partnership and our subsidiaries (including reserves for future capital expenditures and for future credit needs of the partnership and our subsidiaries) after that quarter;
(2) comply with applicable law or any debt instrument or other agreement or obligation to which we or any of our subsidiaries or a part of our assets are subject; and
(3) provide funds for distributions for any one or more of the next four quarters;
provided, however
, that disbursements made by us or any of our subsidiaries or cash reserves established, increased or reduced after the end of that quarter but on or before the date of determination of Available Cash for that quarter shall be deemed to have been made, established, increased or reduced, for purposes of determining Available Cash, within that quarter if our General Partner so determines.
Additional Information
We were formed on March 19, 2007 as a Delaware master limited partnership. Our principal executive offices are located at 5400 Westheimer Court, Houston, Texas 77056 and our telephone number is 713-627-5400. We electronically file various reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to such reports. The public may read and copy any materials that we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains an internet site that contains reports and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at
http://www.sec.gov.
Additionally, information about us, including our reports filed with the SEC, is available through our website at
http://www.spectraenergypartners.com.
Such reports are accessible at no charge through our website and are made available as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is filed with or furnished to the SEC. Our website and the information contained on that site, or connected to that site, are not incorporated by reference into this report.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Discussed below are the material risk factors relating to us.
Risks Related to our Business
Our cash distributions are not guaranteed. The cash from operations that we generate could decrease or fail to meet expectations, either of which could reduce our ability to pay quarterly cash distributions
The amount of cash we can distribute on our units principally depends upon the amount of cash we generate from operations, which will fluctuate based on, among other things:
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the rates charged to, and the volumes contracted by customers for natural gas transmission, storage and gathering services and crude oil transportation;
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the overall demand for natural gas in the southeastern, mid-Continent, and Northeast regions of the United States, and the quantities of natural gas available for transport, especially from the Gulf of Mexico, Appalachian and mid-Continent areas, as well as the overall demand for crude oil in central United States and Canada;
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regulatory action affecting the demand for natural gas and crude oil, the supply of natural gas and crude oil, the rates we can charge, contracts for services, existing contracts, operating costs and operating flexibility;
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changes in environmental, safety and other laws and regulations;
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shareholder activism and activities by non-governmental organizations to limit certain sources of funding for the energy sector or restrict the exploration, development and production of oil and gas;
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regulatory and economic limitations on the development of import and export LNG terminals in the Gulf Coast region; and
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the level of operating and maintenance, and general and administrative costs.
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In addition, the actual amount of Available Cash will depend on other factors, some of which are beyond our control, including:
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the level of capital expenditures to complete construction projects;
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the cost and form of payment of acquisitions;
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debt service requirements and other liabilities;
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fluctuations in working capital needs;
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the ability to borrow funds and access capital markets;
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restrictions on distributions contained in debt agreements; and
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the amount of cash reserves established by our General Partner.
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Ou
r distributable cash flow does not depend solely on profitability, which is affected by non-cash items. As a result, we could pay cash distributions during periods when we record net losses and could be unable to pay cash distributions during periods when we record net income. In addition, the amount of cash we generate from operations is affected by numerous factors beyond our control, fluctuates from quarter to quarter and may change over time. Significant or sustained reductions in the cash generated by our operations could reduce our ability to pay quarterly distributions. Any failure to pay distributions at expected levels could result in a loss of investor confidence and a decrease in the value of our unit price.
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Our subsidiaries and equity investments conduct operations and own our operating assets, which may affect our ability to make distributions to our unitholders. In addition, we cannot control the amount of cash that will be received from our equity investments, and we may be required to contribute significant cash to fund their operations.
We are a partnership holding company and our operating subsidiaries conduct all of our operations and own all of our operating assets. We have no significant assets other than the ownership interests in our subsidiaries and our equity investments. As a result, our ability to make distributions to our unitholders depends on the performance of these subsidiaries and equity investments and their ability to distribute funds to us. The ability of our subsidiaries and equity investments to make distributions to us may be restricted by, among other things, the provisions of
existing and future indebtedness, applicable state partnership and limited liability company laws and other laws and regulations, including FERC policies.
Our equity investments generated approximately 13% of our distributable cash flow in 2017. We operate Steckman Ridge and Sabal Trail. Spectra Energy shares operations of SESH with Enable, and we share operations of Gulfstream with Williams. Accordingly, we do not control the amount of cash distributed to us nor do we control ongoing operational decisions, including the incurrence of capital expenditures that we may be required to fund.
Our lack of control over the operations of our equity investments may mean that we do not receive the amount of cash we expect to be distributed to us. In addition, we may be required to provide additional capital, and these contributions may be material. The equity investments are not prohibited from incurring indebtedness by the terms of their respective limited liability company agreement and general partnership agreements. If they were to incur significant additional indebtedness, it could inhibit their respective abilities to make distributions to us. This lack of control may significantly and adversely affect our ability to distribute cash.
Our natural gas transmission pipeline systems, crude oil transportation pipeline systems and certain of our storage facilities and related assets are subject to regulation by the FERC and the NEB, which could have an adverse effect on our ability to establish transmission, transportation, storage and gathering rates that would allow us to recover the full cost of operating our pipelines, including a reasonable return, and our ability to make distributions.
Our natural gas transmission pipeline systems, crude oil transportation pipeline systems and certain of our storage facilities and related assets are subject to regulation by the FERC with respect to operations in the U. S. and the NEB with respect to operations in Canada. The regulators have authority to regulate natural gas pipeline transmission and crude oil pipeline transportation services, including; the rates charged for the services, terms and conditions of service, certification and construction of new facilities, the extension or abandonment of services and facilities, the maintenance of accounts and records, the acquisition and disposition of facilities, the initiation and discontinuation of services, and various other matters.
Action by the FERC and the NEB on currently pending regulatory matters as well as matters arising in the future could adversely affect our ability to establish or charge rates that would cover future increase in their costs, such as additional costs related to environmental matters including any climate change regulation, or even to continue to collect rates that cover current costs, including a reasonable return. We cannot assure unitholders that our pipeline systems will be able to recover all of their costs through existing or future rates.
Effective January 2018, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act changed several provisions of the federal tax code, including a reduction in the maximum corporate tax rate. Following the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act being signed into law, filings have been made at FERC requesting that FERC require natural gas and liquids pipelines to lower their transportation rates to account for lower taxes. Following the effective date of the law, FERC orders granting certificates to construct proposed natural gas pipeline facilities have directed pipelines proposing new rates for service on those facilities to re-file such rates so that the rates reflect the reduction in the corporate tax rate, and FERC has issued data requests in pending certificate proceedings for proposed natural gas pipeline facilities requesting pipelines to explain the impacts of the reduction in the corporate tax rate on the rate proposals in those proceedings and to provide re-calculated initial rates for service on the proposed pipeline facilities. FERC may enact other regulations or issue further requests to pipelines regarding the impact of the corporate tax rate change on the rates. However, FERC’s establishment of a just and reasonable rate is based on many components, and the reduction in the corporate tax rate may only impact two of such components, the allowance for income taxes and the amount for accumulated deferred income taxes. Because our existing jurisdictional rates were established based on a higher corporate tax rate, FERC or our shippers may challenge these rates in the future, and the resulting new rate may be lower than the rates we currently charge.
In addition, we cannot give assurance regarding the likely future regulations under which we will operate our natural gas transmission, crude oil transportation, storage and gathering businesses or the effect such regulation could have on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows, including our ability to make distributions.
Certain transmission services are subject to long-term, fixed-price “negotiated rate” contracts that are not subject to adjustment, even if our cost to perform services exceeds the revenues received from such contracts, and, as a result, our costs could exceed our revenues received under such contracts.
Under FERC policy, a regulated service provider and a customer may mutually agree to sign a contract for service at a “negotiated rate” which may be above or below the FERC-regulated “recourse rate” for that service. For 2017, 53% of U.S. Transmission’s firm revenues were derived from such negotiated rate contracts. These negotiated rate contracts are not subject to adjustment for increased costs which could be produced by inflation or other factors relating to the specific facilities being used to perform the services. It is possible that the costs to perform services under these negotiated rate contracts will exceed the negotiated rates. If this occurs, it could decrease cash flows from U.S. Transmission.
Increased competition from alternative natural gas transmission, storage and gathering options and alternative fuel sources could have a significant financial effect on us.
We compete primarily with other interstate and intrastate pipelines, storage and gathering facilities in the transmission, storage and gathering of natural gas. Some of these competitors may expand or construct transmission, storage and gathering systems that would create additional competition for the services we provide to our customers. Moreover, Enbridge and its affiliates are not limited in their ability to compete with us. Further, natural gas also competes with other forms of energy available to our customers, including electricity, coal, fuel oils and renewable energy.
The principal elements of competition among natural gas transmission, storage and gathering assets are location, rates, terms of service, access to natural gas supplies, flexibility and reliability. The FERC’s policies promoting competition in natural gas markets are having the effect of increasing the natural gas transmission, storage and gathering options for our traditional customer base. As a result, we could experience some “turnback” of firm capacity as existing agreements expire. If our pipelines and storage facilities are unable to remarket this capacity or can remarket it only at substantially discounted rates compared to previous contracts, they may have to bear the costs associated with the turned back capacity. Increased competition could reduce the volumes of natural gas transported, stored or gathered by our systems or, in cases where we do not have long-term fixed rate contracts, could force us to lower our transmission, storage or gathering rates. Competition could intensify the negative effect of factors that significantly decrease demand for natural gas in the markets served by our pipeline systems, such as competing or alternative forms of energy, a recession or other adverse economic conditions, higher fuel costs and taxes or other governmental or regulatory actions that directly or indirectly increase the cost or limit the use of natural gas. Our ability to renew or replace existing contracts at rates sufficient to maintain current revenues and cash flows could be adversely affected by the activities of our competitors. All of these competitive pressures could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or cash flows
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including our ability to make distributions.
The lack of availability of natural gas and oil resources in our areas of operation may cause customers to seek alternative energy resources, which could materially affect our revenues, earnings and cash flows.
Our business is dependent on the continued availability of oil and natural gas production and reserves. The development of additional oil and natural gas reserves requires significant capital expenditures by others for exploration and development drilling and the installation of production, gathering, storage, transportation and other facilities that permit oil and natural gas to be produced and delivered to our assets. Low prices for oil and natural gas, regulatory limitations or the lack of available capital for these projects could adversely affect the development and production of additional reserves, as well as gathering, storage, pipeline transmission and import and export of oil and natural gas supplies, which could adversely impact our ability to fill the capacities of our gathering, transmission, storage and processing facilities.
Production from existing wells and oil and natural gas supply basins with access to our pipeline systems and storage facilities will naturally decline over time. The amount of oil and natural gas reserves underlying these wells may also be less than anticipated, and the rate at which production from these reserves declines may be greater than anticipated. Additionally, the competition for oil and natural gas supplies to serve other markets could reduce the amount of oil and natural gas supply for our customers. Accordingly, to maintain or increase the contracted capacity or the volume of oil and natural gas transported or stored in our assets, our customers must compete with others to obtain adequate supplies of oil and natural gas.
Demand for our services depends on the ability and willingness of customers with access to our facilities to satisfy demand in the markets we serve by deliveries through our pipelines. Any decrease in this demand could
adversely affect our business. Demand for oil and natural gas is also affected by weather, future industrial and economic conditions, fuel conservation measures, alternative fuel requirements, governmental regulation, and technological advances in fuel economy and energy generation devices, all of which are matters beyond our control.
If new supplies of oil and natural gas are not obtained to replace the natural decline in volumes from existing supply areas, or if oil and natural gas supplies are diverted to serve other markets, the overall volume of oil and natural gas transported or stored in our assets would decline, which could have a material effect on our revenues, earnings and cash flows, including our ability to make distributions.
We may be unable to secure renewals of long-term transportation or storage agreements at favorable rates or on a long-term basis or at all.
We may be unable to secure renewals of long-term transportation or storage agreements in the future for our natural gas transmission and crude oil transportation businesses as a result of economic factors, changing gas supply flow patterns in North America, increased competition or changes in regulation. If an existing customer breaches its long-term transportation or storage contract or terminates such contract at the expiration of its term, we may be subject to a loss of revenue if we are unable to promptly resell the capacity to other customers. Our ability to execute a long-term transportation or storage contract with one or more replacement customers on substantially equivalent terms and conditions is uncertain and depends on a number of factors beyond our control, including:
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the timing, volume and location of new market demands;
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competition from alternative sources of fuels and other supply basins;
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the supply and price of oil and natural gas accessible by our system;
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the demand for oil and natural gas in markets served by us;
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whether the market will continue to support long-term firm contracts;
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the effects of state regulation on customer contracting practices; and
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the availability and competitiveness of alternative transportation and storage services in the markets we serve.
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Any failure to extend or replace a significant portion of our existing contracts may have a material adverse effect on our business, earnings, financial condition and cash flows.
If third-party pipelines and other facilities interconnected to our pipelines become unavailable to transport natural gas, our revenues and Available Cash could be adversely affected.
We depend upon third-party pipelines and other facilities that provide delivery options to and from our pipelines and storage facilities. Because we do not own these third-party pipelines or facilities, their continuing operation is not within our control. If these or any other pipeline connection were to become unavailable for current or future volumes of natural gas due to repairs, damage to the facility, lack of capacity or any other reason, our ability to operate efficiently and continue shipping natural gas to end-markets could be restricted, thereby reducing revenues. Any temporary or permanent interruption at any key pipeline interconnect could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or cash flows, including our ability to make distributions.
We may face opposition to the operation or expansion of our pipelines and facilities from various groups.
We may face opposition to the operation or expansion of our pipelines and facilities from environmental groups, landowners, tribal groups, local groups and other advocates. Such opposition could take many forms, including organized protests, attempts to block or sabotage our operations, intervention in regulatory or administrative proceedings involving our assets, or lawsuits or other actions designed to prevent, disrupt or delay the operation of our assets and business. For example, repairing our pipelines often involves securing consent from individual landowners to access their property; one or more landowners may resist our efforts to make needed repairs, which could lead to an interruption in the operation of the affected pipeline or facility for a period of time that is significantly longer than would have otherwise been the case. In addition, acts of sabotage or eco-terrorism could cause significant damage or injury to people, property or the environment or lead to extended interruptions of our operations. Any event that interrupts the revenues generated by our operations, that delays or reduces anticipated revenues, or that causes us to make significant expenditures not covered by insurance, could reduce our cash available for paying distributions and adversely affect our financial condition.
If we do not complete expansion projects or make and integrate acquisitions our future growth may be limited.
A principal focus of our strategy is to continue to grow the cash distributions on our units by expanding our business. Our ability to grow depends on our ability to complete expansion projects and make acquisitions that result in an increase in cash generated. We may be unable to complete successful, accretive expansion projects or acquisitions for any of the following reasons:
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an inability to identify attractive expansion projects or acquisition candidates or we are outbid by competitors;
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an inability to obtain necessary rights-of-way or government approvals, including regulatory agencies;
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an inability to successfully integrate the businesses we build or acquire;
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we are unable to raise financing for such expansion projects or acquisitions on economically acceptable terms;
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incorrect assumptions about volumes, reserves, revenues and costs, including synergies and potential growth; or
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we are unable to secure adequate customer commitments to use the newly expanded or acquired facilities.
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We rely on access to short-term and long-term capital markets to finance capital requirements and support liquidity needs, and access to those markets can be affected, particularly if we or our rated subsidiaries are unable to maintain an investment-grade credit rating, which could affect our cash flows or restrict business.
Our business is financed to a large degree through debt. The maturity and repayment profile of debt used to finance investments often does not correlate to cash flows from assets. Accordingly, we rely on access to both short-term and long-term capital markets as a source of liquidity for capital requirements not satisfied by cash flows from operations and to fund investments originally financed through debt. Our senior unsecured long-term debt is currently rated investment-grade by various rating agencies. If the rating agencies were to rate us or our rated subsidiaries below investment-grade, our borrowing costs would increase, perhaps significantly. Consequently, we would likely be required to pay a higher interest rate in future financings and our potential pool of investors and funding sources could decrease.
We maintain a revolving credit facility to provide back-up for our commercial paper program, for borrowings and/or letters of credit. This facility requires us to maintain a consolidated leverage ratio of consolidated indebtedness to consolidated earnings from continuing operations before interest, taxes, and depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), as defined in the agreement. Failure to maintain this covenant could preclude us from issuing commercial paper or letters of credit or borrowing under the revolving credit facility which could affect cash flows or restrict business. Furthermore, if Spectra Energy Partner’s short-term debt rating were to be below tier 2 (for example, A-2 for Standard and Poor’s, P-2 for Moody’s Investor Service and F2 for Fitch Ratings), access to the commercial paper market could be significantly limited. Although this would not affect our ability to draw under our credit facility, borrowing costs could be significantly higher.
If we are not able to access capital at competitive rates, our ability to finance operations and implement our strategy may be affected. Restrictions on our ability to access financial markets may also affect our ability to execute our business plan as scheduled. An inability to access capital may limit our ability to pursue improvements or acquisitions that we may otherwise rely on for future growth. Any downgrade or other event negatively affecting the credit ratings of our subsidiaries could make their costs of borrowing higher or access to funding sources more limited, which in turn could increase our need to provide liquidity in the form of capital contributions or loans to such subsidiaries, thus reducing the liquidity and borrowing availability of the consolidated group.
We may incur significant costs and liabilities as a result of pipeline integrity management program testing and any necessary pipeline repair or preventative or remedial measures.
The DOT has adopted regulations requiring pipeline operators to develop integrity management programs for transmission pipelines located where a leak or rupture could do the most harm in “high consequence areas.” The regulations require operators to:
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perform ongoing assessments of pipeline integrity;
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identify and characterize applicable threats to pipeline segments that could affect a high consequence area;
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improve data collection, integration and analysis;
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repair and remediate the pipeline as necessary; and
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implement preventive and mitigating actions.
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Our actual implementation costs may be affected by industry-wide demand for the associated contractors and service providers. Additionally, should we fail to comply with DOT regulations, we could be subject to penalties and fines.
Our operations are subject to pipeline safety laws and regulations, compliance with which may require significant capital expenditures, increase our cost of operations and affect or limit our business plans.
Our interstate pipeline operations in the U.S. are subject to pipeline safety laws and regulations administered by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) of the DOT. These laws and regulations require us to comply with a significant set of requirements for the design, construction, maintenance and operation of our interstate pipelines. These regulations, among other things, include requirements to monitor and maintain the integrity of our pipelines, including those pipelines where a leak or rupture could harm high consequence areas such as high population areas and unusually sensitive ecological areas. The regulations determine the pressures at which our pipelines can operate.
New legislation or regulations adopted by PHMSA may impose more stringent requirements applicable to integrity management programs and other pipeline safety aspects of our operations, which could cause us to incur increased capital costs, operational delays and costs of operations. PHMSA adopted pipeline safety legislation in 2011 and, more recently, in 2016 that, among other things, increased the penalties for safety violations, established additional safety requirements for newly constructed pipelines and required studies of safety issues that could result in the adoption of new regulatory requirements by PHMSA for existing pipelines, and empowered PHMSA to address imminent hazards by imposing emergency restrictions, prohibitions and safety measures on owners and operators of regulated pipeline facilities without prior notice or an opportunity for a hearing. PHMSA issued interim regulations in October 2016 to implement the agency’s expanded authority to address unsafe pipeline conditions or practices that pose an imminent hazard to life, property, or the environment.
PHMSA is designing an Integrity Verification Process intended to create standards to verify maximum allowable operating pressure, and to improve and expand integrity management processes. Additionally, PHMSA will establish standards for storage facilities. Proposed rulemaking on these matters has not been finalized and there remains uncertainty as to how these standards will be implemented, but it is expected that the changes will impose additional costs on new pipeline projects as well as on existing operations. In this climate of increasingly stringent regulation, pipeline failures or failures to comply with applicable regulations could result in reduction of allowable operating pressures as authorized by PHMSA, which would reduce available capacity on our pipelines. Should any of these risks materialize, it may have an adverse effect on our operations, earnings, financial condition or cash flows.
PHMSA was recently granted authority by the U.S. Congress to govern safety relating to underground natural gas storage facilities, and in particular, relating to downhole facilities, including well integrity, wellbore tubing, and casing. In December 2016, PHMSA issued final interim rules that impose new safety-related requirements on downhole facilities of new and existing underground natural gas storage facilities. The regulations incorporate standards for design, operations, and functional integrity of underground storage wells. PHMSA indicated when it issued the interim final rule that the adoption of these safety standards for natural gas storage facilities represent a first step in a multi-phase process to enhance the safety of underground natural gas storage, with more standards likely forthcoming. Most recently, in response to a petition for reconsideration of the interim final rule received in January 2017, PHMSA published a notice in June 2017, advising that the agency intends to consider the issues raised by the petitioners in a final rule, which it currently expects to issue in 2018. At this time, we cannot predict the impact of any future regulatory actions in this area and can provide no assurance that our future costs to comply with existing or new standards relating to underground natural gas storage facilities will not have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results.
In Canada, our pipeline operations are subject to pipeline safety regulations overseen by the NEB. Applicable legislation and regulation require us to comply with a significant set of requirements for the design, construction, maintenance and operation of our pipeline. Among other obligations, this regulatory framework imposes requirements to monitor and maintain the integrity of our pipelines.
As in the U.S., several legislative changes addressing pipeline safety in Canada have recently come into force. The changes evidence an increased focus on the implementation of management systems to address key areas such as emergency management, integrity management, safety, security and environmental protection. Other legislative changes have created authority for the NEB to impose administrative monetary penalties for non-compliance with the regulatory regime it administers.
Compliance with these legislative changes may impose additional costs on new Canadian pipeline projects as well as on existing operations. Failure to comply with applicable regulations could result in a number of consequences which may have an adverse effect on our operations, earnings, financial condition and cash flows.
Restrictions in our financing arrangements may limit our ability to make distributions and may limit our ability to capitalize on acquisition and other business opportunities.
The operating and financial restrictions and covenants in our credit facility and any future financing agreements could restrict our ability to finance future operations or capital needs or to expand or pursue business activities associated with our subsidiaries and equity investments. Our credit facility contains covenants that restrict or limit our ability to:
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make distributions if any default or event of default, as defined, occurs;
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make other restricted distributions or dividends on account of the purchase, redemption, retirement, acquisition, cancellation or termination of partnership interests;
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incur additional indebtedness or guarantee other indebtedness;
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grant liens or make certain negative pledges;
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make certain loans or investments;
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engage in transactions with affiliates;
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make any material change to the nature of our business from the midstream energy business;
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make a disposition of assets; or
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enter into a merger, consolidate, liquidate, wind up or dissolve.
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The credit facility contains covenants requiring us to maintain certain financial ratios and tests. The ability to comply with the covenants and restrictions contained in the credit facility may be affected by events beyond our control, including prevailing economic, financial and industry conditions. If market or other economic conditions deteriorate, our ability to comply with these covenants may be impaired. If we violate any of the restrictions, covenants, ratios or tests in our credit facility, the lenders will be able to accelerate the maturity of all borrowings under the credit facility and demand repayment of amounts outstanding, the lenders’ commitment to make further loans to us may terminate, and the operating partnership may be prohibited from making any distributions. We might not have, or be able to obtain, sufficient funds to make these accelerated payments. Any subsequent replacement of our credit facility or any new indebtedness could have similar or greater restrictions.
The credit and risk profile of our General Partner and its owner, Enbridge, could adversely affect our credit ratings and risk profile, which could increase our borrowing costs or hinder our ability to raise capital.
The credit and business risk profiles of our General Partner and Enbridge may be factors considered in credit evaluations of us. This is because our General Partner controls our business activities, including our cash distribution policy, acquisition strategy and business risk profile. Another factor that may be considered is the financial condition of Enbridge, including the degree of its financial leverage and its dependence on cash flow from the partnership to service its indebtedness.
Our credit rating could be adversely affected by the leverage of our General Partner or Enbridge, as credit rating agencies may consider the leverage and credit profile of Enbridge and its affiliates because of their ownership interest in and control of us, and the strong operational links between Enbridge and us. Any adverse effect on our credit rating would increase our cost of borrowing or hinder our ability to raise financing in the capital markets, which would impair our ability to grow our business and make distributions.
We are involved in numerous legal proceedings, the outcome of which are uncertain, and resolutions adverse to us could negatively affect our earnings, financial condition and cash flows.
We are subject to numerous legal proceedings. Litigation is subject to many uncertainties, and we cannot predict the outcome of individual matters with assurance. It is reasonably possible that the final resolution of some of the matters in which we are involved could require additional expenditures, in excess of established reserves, over an extended period of time and in a range of amounts that could have a material effect on our earnings and cash flows.
Protecting against potential terrorist activities, including cyber-terrorism, requires significant capital expenditures and a successful terrorist attack could affect our business.
Acts of terrorism and any possible reprisals as a consequence of any action by the U.S. and its allies could be directed against companies operating in the U.S. This risk is particularly relevant for companies, like ours, operating in any energy infrastructure industry that handles volatile gaseous and liquid hydrocarbons. The potential for terrorism, including cyber-terrorism, has subjected our operations to increased risks that could have an adverse effect on our business. In particular, we may experience increased capital and operating costs to implement increased security for our facilities and pipelines, such as additional physical facility and pipeline security, and additional security personnel. Moreover, any physical damage to high profile facilities resulting from acts of terrorism may not be covered, or covered fully, by insurance. We may be required to expend material amounts of capital to repair any facilities, the expenditure of which could adversely affect our business and cash flows. A cyber attack could also lead to a significant interruption in our operations or unauthorized release of confidential or otherwise protected information, which could damage our reputation or lead to financial losses.
Changes in the insurance markets attributable to terrorist attacks may make certain types of insurance more difficult for us to obtain. Moreover, the insurance that may be available to us may be significantly more expensive than our existing insurance coverage. Instability in the financial markets as a result of terrorism or war could also affect our ability to raise capital.
Cyber-attacks or security breaches could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Our business is dependent upon information systems and other digital technologies for controlling our plants and pipelines, processing transactions and summarizing and reporting results of operations. The secure processing, maintenance and transmission of information is critical to our operations. A security breach of our network or systems could result in improper operation of our assets, potentially including delays in the delivery or availability of our customers’ products, contamination or degradation of the products we transport, store or distribute, or releases of hydrocarbon products for which we could be held liable. Furthermore, we collect and store sensitive data in the ordinary course of our business, including personal identification information of our employees as well as our proprietary business information and that of our customers, suppliers, investors and other stakeholders. We conduct cyber security audits from time to time and continuously monitor our systems in an effort to mitigate the risk of cyber-attacks or security breaches. Enbridge has a Cybersecurity controls framework in place which has been derived from the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and ISO 27001 standards. We monitor our control effectiveness in an increasing threat landscape and continuously take action to improve our security posture. We have implemented a 7X24 security operations center to monitor, detect and investigate any anomalous activity in our network together with an incident response process that we test on a monthly basis. We conduct independent cyber security audits and penetration tests on a regular basis to test that our preventative and detective controls are working as designed. Despite our security measures, our information systems may become the target of cyber-attacks or security breaches (including employee error, malfeasance or other breaches), which could compromise our network or systems and result in the release or loss of the information stored therein, misappropriation of assets, disruption to our operations or damage to our facilities. Enbridge’s current insurance coverage programs do not contain specific coverage for cyber-attacks or security breaches. As a result of a cyber-attack or security breach, we could also be liable under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, subject to regulatory penalties, experience damage to our reputation or a loss of consumer confidence in our products and services, or incur additional costs for remediation and modification or enhancement of our information systems to prevent future occurrences, all of which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We do not insure against all potential losses and could be seriously harmed by unexpected liabilities or by the inability of our insurers to satisfy our claims.
Our assets and operations are covered under insurance programs maintained by Enbridge for its subsidiaries and affiliates. Enbridge’s comprehensive insurance programs are maintained on a consolidated basis to include the operations of its subsidiaries, including us. We are not fully insured against all risks inherent to our business, including environmental accidents that might occur. If a significant accident or event occurs that is not fully insured, it could adversely affect our operations and financial condition. In addition, we may not be able to maintain or obtain insurance of the type and amount we desire at reasonable rates. Changes in the insurance markets occasionally make it more difficult for us to obtain certain types of coverage at reasonable rates, and we may elect to self-insure a portion of our asset portfolio. In addition, we do not maintain offshore business interruption insurance. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain the levels or types of insurance we would otherwise have obtained prior to these market changes or that the insurance coverage we do obtain will not contain large deductibles or fail to cover certain hazards or cover all potential losses. The occurrence of any operating risks not fully covered by insurance could have a material adverse effect on our cash flows, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, in the unlikely event there is a total or partial loss of our assets or storage facilities, any insurance proceeds that we may receive in respect thereof may not be sufficient in any particular situation to effect a restoration of our assets or facilities to the condition that existed prior to such loss or sufficient to satisfy our obligations under the notes. In addition, in the event that multiple insurable incidents that, in the aggregate, exceed coverage limits and occur within the same insurance period, the total insurance coverage will be allocated among the Enbridge entities covered thereby on an equitable basis based on an insurance allocation agreement we have entered into with Enbridge and other Enbridge subsidiaries.
Reductions in demand for natural gas and oil and low market prices of commodities adversely affect our operations and cash flows.
Our regulated businesses are generally economically stable; they are not significantly affected in the short term by changing commodity prices. However, our businesses can all be negatively affected in the long-term by sustained downturns in the economy or long-term conservation efforts, which could affect long-term demand and market prices for natural gas and oil. These factors are beyond our control and could impair the ability to meet long-term goals.
Most of our revenues are based on regulated tariff rates, which include the recovery of certain fuel costs. However, lower overall economic output could reduce the volume of natural gas transported or gathered, and the volume of oil transported, resulting in lower earnings and cash flows. Transmission revenues could be affected by long-term economic declines, resulting in the non-renewal of long-term contracts at the time of expiration. Lower demand, along with lower prices for natural gas and oil, could result from multiple factors that affect the markets where we operate, including:
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weather conditions, such as abnormally mild winter or summer weather, resulting in lower energy usage for heating or cooling purposes, respectively;
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supply of and demand for energy commodities, including any decrease in the production of natural gas and oil could negatively affect our processing and transmission businesses due to lower throughput; and
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capacity and transmission service into, or out of, our markets.
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Our business is subject to extensive regulation that affects our revenues, operations and costs.
Our U.S. assets and operations are subject to regulation by various federal, state and local authorities, including regulation by the FERC and by various authorities under federal, state and local environmental laws. Our operations in Canada are subject to regulation by the NEB, and by federal and provincial authorities under environmental laws. Regulation affects almost every aspect of our business, including, among other things, the ability to determine terms and rates for services provided by some of our businesses, make acquisitions, construct, expand and operate facilities, issue equity or debt securities, and make distributions.
In addition, regulators in the U.S. have taken actions to strengthen market forces in the gas pipeline industry, which have led to increased competition. In a number of key markets, natural gas pipeline and storage operators are facing competitive pressure from a number of new industry participants, such as renewable energy, as well as traditional pipeline competitors. Increased competition driven by regulatory changes could have a material effect on our business, earnings, financial condition and cash flows.
Execution of our capital projects subjects us to construction risks, increases in labor and material costs, and other risks that may affect our financial results.
A significant portion of our growth is accomplished through the construction of new pipelines and storage facilities as well as the expansion of existing facilities. Construction of these facilities is subject to various regulatory, development, operational and market risks, including:
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the ability to obtain necessary approvals and permits by regulatory agencies on a timely basis and on acceptable terms and to maintain those approvals and permits issued and satisfy the terms and conditions imposed therein;
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the availability of skilled labor, equipment and materials to complete expansion projects;
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potential changes in federal, state and local statutes and regulations, including environmental requirements, that may delay or prevent a project from proceeding or increase the anticipated cost of the project;
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impediments on our ability to acquire rights-of-way or land rights on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; and
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the ability to construct projects within anticipated costs, including the risk of cost overruns resulting from inflation or increased costs of equipment, materials or labor, weather, geologic conditions or other factors beyond our control, that may be material; and
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general economic factors that affect the demand for natural gas infrastructure.
The current FERC Chairman announced in December 2017 that FERC will review its policies on certification of natural gas pipelines, including an examination of its long-standing Policy Statement on Certification of New Interstate Natural Gas Pipeline Facilities, issued in 1999, that is used to determine whether to grant certificates for new pipeline projects. We are unable to predict what, if any, changes may be proposed that will affect our natural gas pipeline business or when such proposals, if any, might become effective. We do not expect that any change in this policy would affect us in a materially different manner than any other similarly sized natural gas pipeline company operating in the United States.
Any of these risks could prevent a project from proceeding, delay its completion or increase its anticipated cost. As a result, new facilities may not achieve their expected investment return, which could affect our earnings, financial position and cash flows.
Market-based storage operations are subject to commodity price risk, which could result in a decrease in our earnings and reduced cash flows.
We have market-based rates for some of our storage operations and sell our storage services based on natural gas market spreads and volatility. If natural gas market spreads or volatility deviate from historical norms or there is significant growth in the amount of storage capacity available to natural gas markets relative to demand, our approach to managing our market-based storage contract portfolio may not protect us from significant variations in storage revenues, including possible declines, as contracts renew.
Our operations are subject to numerous environmental laws and regulations, compliance with which may require significant capital expenditures, increase our cost of operations and affect or limit our business plans, or expose us to environmental liabilities.
We are subject to numerous environmental laws and regulations affecting many aspects of our present and future operations, including air emissions, water quality, wastewater discharges, solid waste and hazardous waste. These laws and regulations can result in increased capital, operating and other costs. These laws and regulations generally require us to obtain and comply with a wide variety of environmental licenses, permits, inspections and other approvals. Compliance with environmental laws and regulations can require significant expenditures, including expenditures for cleanup costs and damages arising out of contaminated properties. In particular, compliance with major CAA regulatory programs is likely to cause us to incur significant capital expenditures to obtain permits, evaluate offsite impacts of our operations, install, upgrade or replace pollution control equipment, and otherwise assure compliance. Some states in which we operate are implementing new emissions limits to comply with 2008 ozone standards regulated under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. In 2015, the ozone standards were lowered even further from 75 parts per billion (ppb) to 70 ppb. The EPA published a final rule in November 2017 that issued area designations with respect to ground-level ozone for approximately 85% of the U.S. counties as either “attainment/unclassifiable” or “unclassifiable” and is expected to issue non-attainment designations for the remaining areas of the U.S. not addressed under the November 2017 final rule in the first half
of 2018. States are also expected to implement regulations implementing the NAAQS rule that may be more stringent than the federal standards
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The precise nature of these compliance obligations at each of our facilities has not been finally determined and may depend in part on future regulatory changes. In addition, compliance with new and emerging environmental regulatory programs is likely to significantly increase our operating costs compared to historical levels.
In the U.S., climate change continues to attract considerable public and scientific attention. As a result, numerous proposals have been made and could continue to be made at the federal, regional and state levels of government to monitor and limit emissions of GHGs through consideration of cap-and-trade programs, carbon taxes, GHG reporting and tracking programs, and regulations that directly limit GHG emissions from certain sources. The Supreme Court decision in
Massachusetts v. EPA
in 2007 established that GHGs were pollutants subject to regulation under the Clean Air Act. Pursuant to federal regulations, we are currently subject to an obligation to report our GHG emissions at our largest emitting facilities, but are not generally subject to limits on permitted emissions of GHGs, (except to the extent that some GHGs consist of volatile organic compounds and nitrous oxides that are subject to emission limits). In June 2016, the EPA published a final rule requiring certain new, modified or reconstructed facilities in the oil and natural gas sector to reduce these methane gas and volatile organic compound emissions. However, in June 2017, the EPA proposed a rule to stay certain portions of the June 2016 rule for two years and reconsider the entirety of the 2016 rule but has not yet published a final rule and, as a result, the 2016 rule remains in effect but future implementation of that rule is uncertain at this time. Additionally, while the U.S. joined the international community in meeting on climate change issues and preparing an agreement that became known as the “Paris Agreement,” which set non-binding GHG emissions reduction goals for member counties and was signed by the U.S. in November 2016, with the change in Presidential Administrations, the U.S. State Department informed the United Nations in August 2017 of the intent of the U.S. to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. In Canada, the federal government has committed to reducing GHGs and emissions, including becoming signatory and being committed to the Paris Agreement. In addition, a number of Canadian provinces have joined regional GHG initiatives or are developing their own programs that would mandate reductions in GHG emissions. In the U.S., Canada and other countries, public interest groups and regulatory agencies are increasingly focusing on the emission of methane associated with natural gas development and transmission as a source of GHG emissions. Both the US and Canada have developed regulations to find and fix methane leaks. However, as the key details of future GHG restrictions and compliance mechanisms remain undefined, the likely future effects on our business are uncertain. Recently, activists concerned about the potential effects of climate change have directed their attention at sources of funding for fossil-fuel energy companies, which has resulted in certain financial institutions, funds and other sources of capital restricting or eliminating their investment in oil and natural gas activities. Ultimately, this could make it more difficult to secure funding for exploration and production or midstream activities. Notwithstanding potential risks related to climate change, the International Energy Agency estimates that global energy demand will continue to rise and will not peak until after 2040 and that oil and natural gas will continue to represent a substantial percentage of global energy use over that time
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Failure to comply with environmental regulations may result in the imposition of fines, penalties and injunctive measures affecting our operating assets. In addition, changes in environmental laws and regulations or the enactment of new environmental laws or regulations could result in a material increase in our cost of compliance with such laws and regulations. We may not be able to obtain or maintain all required environmental regulatory approvals for our operating assets or development projects. If there is a delay in obtaining any required environmental regulatory approvals, if we fail to obtain or comply with them or if environmental laws or regulations change or are administered in a more stringent manner, the operations of facilities or the development of new facilities could be prevented, delayed or become subject to additional costs. We expect that costs we incur to comply with environmental regulations in the future will have a significant effect on our earnings and cash flows.
Due to the speculative outlook regarding any U.S. federal and state policies, we cannot estimate the potential effect of proposed GHG policies on our future consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows. However, such legislation or regulation could materially increase our operating costs, require material capital expenditures or create additional permitting requirements, which could delay proposed construction projects.
Natural gas transmission and storage and crude oil transportation and storage activities involve numerous risks that may result in accidents or otherwise affect our operations.
There are a variety of hazards and operating risks inherent in natural gas gathering and processing, transmission and storage activities, and crude oil transportation and storage, such as leaks, explosions, mechanical problems, activities of third parties and damage to pipelines, facilities and equipment caused by hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires and other natural disasters, that could cause substantial financial losses. In addition, these
risks could result in significant injury, loss of life, significant damage to property, environmental pollution and impairment of operations, any of which could result in substantial losses. For pipeline and storage assets located near populated areas, including residential areas, commercial business centers, industrial sites and other public gathering areas, the level of damage resulting from these risks could be greater. Therefore, should any of these risks materialize, it could have a material effect on our business, earnings, financial condition and cash flows.
We do not maintain insurance coverage against all of these risks and losses, and any insurance coverage we might maintain may not fully cover the damages caused by those risks and losses. We may elect to self insure a portion of our asset portfolio. Therefore, should any of these risks materialize, it could have a material effect on our business, earnings, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows, including our ability to make distributions.
We do not own all of the land on which our pipelines and facilities are located, which could result in disruptions to our operations.
We do not own all of the land on which our pipelines and facilities have been constructed, and we are, therefore, subject to the possibility of more onerous terms and/or increased costs to retain necessary land use if we do not have valid rights-of-way or if such rights-of-way lapse or terminate. We obtain the rights to construct and operate our pipelines on land owned by third parties and governmental agencies for a specific period of time. Additionally, following a recent decision issued in May 2017 by the federal Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, tribal ownership of even a very small fractional interest in an allotted land, that is, tribal land owned or at one time owned by an individual Indian landowner, bars condemnation of any interest in the allotment. Consequently, the inability to condemn such allotted lands under circumstances where an existing pipeline rights-of-way may soon lapse or terminate serves as an additional impediment for pipeline operators. We cannot guarantee that we will always be able to renew existing rights-of-way or obtain new rights-of-way without experiencing significant costs. Any loss of rights with respect to our real property, our loss of these rights, through our inability to renew right-of-way contracts or otherwise, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial position and ability to make cash distributions to our unitholders.
We are exposed to the credit risk of our customers.
We are exposed to the credit risk of our customers in the ordinary course of our business. Generally, our customers are rated investment-grade, are otherwise considered creditworthy or provide us security to satisfy credit concerns. A significant amount of our credit exposures for transmission, storage and gathering services are with customers who have an investment-grade rating (or the equivalent based on our evaluation) or are secured by collateral. However, we cannot predict to what extent our business would be impacted by deteriorating conditions in the economy, including possible declines in our customers’ creditworthiness. As a result of future capital projects for which natural gas and oil producers may be the primary customer, our credit exposure with below investment-grade customers may increase. While we monitor these situations carefully and take appropriate measures when deemed necessary, it is possible that customer payment defaults, if significant, could have a material effect on our earnings and cash flows.
Our long-term firm transportation and storage contracts obligate our customers to pay reservation charges regardless of whether they transport oil or natural gas on our pipeline systems or store oil or natural gas in our storage facilities, subject to the customer’s right to receive a credit to the extent we are unable, due to an event of force majeure, to transport or store volumes of oil or natural gas up to the customer’s contracted capacity. As a result, absent an event of force majeure, a significant portion of our business will generally depend on our customers’ financial condition and ability to pay rather than upon the amount of natural gas transported or stored. A customer subject to a bankruptcy filing may elect to reject its transportation or storage contract. Prior to such an election, we will not be able to terminate the bankrupt customer’s transportation or storage contract and replace the customer absent approval of the bankruptcy court. In addition, a bankruptcy court may avoid security provided, or certain payments made, by a bankrupt customer and deny us priority status with respect to volumes paid for but not delivered.
Risks Inherent in an Investment in Us
Enbridge controls our General Partner, which has sole responsibility for conducting our business and managing our operations. Our General Partner and its affiliates, including Enbridge, have conflicts of interest with us and limited fiduciary duties, and may favor their own interests to the detriment of us.
Enbridge owns and controls our General Partner. Some of our General Partner’s directors, and some of its executive officers, are directors or officers of Enbridge or its affiliates. Although our General Partner has a fiduciary duty to manage us in a manner beneficial to Enbridge and our unitholders, the directors and officers of our General Partner have a fiduciary duty to manage our General Partner in a manner beneficial to Enbridge. Therefore, conflicts of interest may arise between Enbridge and its affiliates, including our General Partner, on the one hand, and us and our unitholders, on the other hand. In resolving these conflicts of interest, our General Partner may favor its own interests and the interests of its affiliates over the interests of our unitholders. These conflicts include, among others, the following situations:
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neither our partnership agreement nor any other agreement requires Enbridge to pursue a business strategy that favors us. Enbridge’s directors and officers have a fiduciary duty to make these decisions in the best interests of the owners of Enbridge, which may be contrary to our interests;
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our General Partner is allowed to take into account the interests of parties other than us, such as Enbridge and its affiliates, in resolving conflicts of interest;
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Enbridge and its affiliates are not limited in their ability to compete with us;
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some officers of Enbridge who provide services to us also devote significant time to the business of Enbridge and will be compensated by Enbridge for the services rendered to it;
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our General Partner has limited its liability and reduced its fiduciary duties, and has also restricted the remedies available to our unitholders for actions that, without the limitations, might constitute breaches of fiduciary duty. By purchasing common units, unitholders will be deemed to have consented to some actions and conflicts of interest that might otherwise constitute a breach of fiduciary or other duties under applicable law;
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our General Partner determines the amount and timing of asset purchases and sales, borrowings, issuances of additional partnership securities and reserves, each of which can affect the amount of cash that is distributed to unitholders;
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our General Partner determines the amount and timing of any capital expenditures and, the amount of any cash reserves that in its reasonable discretion are necessary to fund our future operating expenditures. In addition, our partnership agreement permits our General Partner to reduce available cash by establishing cash reserves for the proper conduct of our business, to comply with applicable laws or agreements to which we are a party or to provide funds for future distributions to partners. These determinations can affect the amount of cash that is distributed to our unitholders;
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our General Partner determines which costs incurred by it and its affiliates are reimbursable by us;
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in some instances, our General Partner may cause us to borrow funds in order to permit the payment of cash distributions, even if the purpose or effect of the borrowing is to make distributions;
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our partnership agreement does not restrict our General Partner from causing us to pay it or our affiliates for any services rendered to us or entering into additional contractual arrangements with any of these entities on our behalf;
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our General Partner intends to limit its liability regarding our contractual and other obligations and, in some circumstances, is entitled to be indemnified by us;
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our General Partner may exercise its limited right to call and purchase common units if it and its affiliates own more than 90% of the common units;
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our General Partner controls the enforcement of obligations owed to us by our General Partner and its affiliates; and
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our General Partner decides whether to retain separate counsel, accountants or others to perform services for us.
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Affiliates of our General Partner are not limited in their ability to compete with us, which could limit commercial activities or our ability to acquire additional assets or businesses.
Neither our partnership agreement nor the omnibus agreement among us, Enbridge and others prohibits affiliates of our General Partner from owning assets or engaging in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us. In addition, Enbridge and its affiliates may acquire, construct or dispose of additional transmission, storage and gathering or other assets in the future, without any obligation to offer us the opportunity to purchase or construct any of those assets. Each of these entities is a large, established participant in the midstream energy business and each has significantly greater resources and experience than we have, which may make it more difficult for us to compete with these entities with respect to commercial activities as well as for acquisition candidates. As a result, competition from these entities could adversely affect our results of operations and available cash.
If a unitholder is not an Eligible Holder, such unitholder will not be entitled to receive distributions or allocations of income or loss on common units and those common units will be subject to redemption at a price that may be below the current market price.
In order to comply with certain FERC rate-making policies applicable to entities that pass through taxable income to their owners, we have adopted certain requirements regarding those investors who may own our common units. Eligible Holders are individuals or entities subject to United States federal income taxation on the income generated by us or entities not subject to United States federal income taxation on the income generated by us, so long as all of the entity’s owners are subject to such taxation. If a unitholder is not a person who fits the requirements to be an Eligible Holder, such unitholder may not receive distributions or allocations of income and loss on the unitholder’s units and the unitholder runs the risk of having the units redeemed by us at the lower of the unitholder’s purchase price cost or the then-current market price. The redemption price will be paid in cash or by delivery of a promissory note, as determined by our General Partner.
Cost reimbursements to our General Partner and its affiliates for services provided, which will be determined by our General Partner, will be substantial and will reduce our distributable cash flow.
Pursuant to an omnibus agreement we entered into with Spectra Energy, our General Partner and certain of their affiliates, Spectra Energy will receive reimbursement from us for the payment of operating expenses related to our operations and for the provision of various general and administrative services for our benefit, including costs for rendering administrative staff and support services, and overhead allocated to us. These amounts will be determined by our General Partner in its sole discretion. Payments for these services will be substantial and will reduce the amount of distributable cash flow. In addition, under Delaware partnership law, our General Partner has unlimited liability for our obligations, such as our debts and environmental liabilities, except for contractual obligations that are expressly made without recourse to our General Partner. To the extent our General Partner incurs obligations on our behalf, we are obligated to reimburse or indemnify it. If we are unable or unwilling to reimburse or indemnify our General Partner, our General Partner may take actions to cause us to make payments of these obligations and liabilities. Any such payments could reduce the amount of our cash otherwise available for distribution.
Our partnership agreement limits our General Partner’s fiduciary duties to holders of our common units, and restricts the remedies available to holders of our common units for actions taken by our General Partner that might otherwise constitute breaches of fiduciary duty.
Our partnership agreement contains provisions that reduce the fiduciary standards to which our General Partner would otherwise be held by state fiduciary duty laws. For example, our partnership agreement:
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permits our General Partner to make a number of decisions in its individual capacity, as opposed to in its capacity as our General Partner. This entitles our General Partner to consider only the interests and factors that it desires, and it has no duty or obligation to give any consideration to any interest of, or factors affecting us, our affiliates or any limited partner;
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provides that our General Partner will not have any liability to us or our unitholders for decisions made in its capacity as a General Partner so long as it acted in good faith, meaning it believed the decision was in the best interests of our partnership;
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generally provides that affiliated transactions and resolutions of conflicts of interest not approved by the Conflicts Committee of the board of directors of our General Partner acting in good faith and not involving a vote of unitholders must be on terms no less favorable to us than those generally being provided to or
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available from unrelated third parties or must be “fair and reasonable” to us, as determined by our General Partner in good faith. In determining whether a transaction or resolution is “fair and reasonable,” the General Partner may consider the totality of the relationships between the parties involved, including other transactions that may be particularly advantageous or beneficial to unitholders;
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provides that our General Partner and its officers and directors will not be liable for monetary damages to us, our limited partners or assignees for any acts or omissions unless there has been a final and non-appealable judgment entered by a court of competent jurisdiction determining that the General Partner or those other persons acted in bad faith or engaged in fraud or willful misconduct or, in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the conduct was criminal; and
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provides that in resolving conflicts of interest, it will be presumed that in making its decision the General Partner or its Conflicts Committee acted in good faith, and in any proceeding brought by or on behalf of any limited partner or us, the person bringing or prosecuting such proceeding will have the burden of overcoming such presumption.
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Holders of our common units have limited voting rights and are not entitled to elect our General Partner or its directors, which could reduce the price at which the common units will trade.
Unlike the holders of common stock in a corporation, unitholders have only limited voting rights on matters affecting our business and, therefore, limited ability to influence management’s decisions regarding our business. Unitholders will not elect our General Partner or the board of directors of our General Partner (the Board of Directors), and will have no right to elect our General Partner or Board of Directors on an annual or other continuing basis. The Board of Directors, including the independent directors, will be chosen entirely by owners of the General Partner and not by our unitholders. Furthermore, if the unitholders were dissatisfied with the performance of the general partner of our general partner, they will have little ability to remove the General Partner. As a result of these limitations, the price at which the common units will trade could be diminished because of the absence or reduction of a takeover premium in the trading price.
Even if holders of our common units are dissatisfied, they cannot presently remove our General Partner without its consent.
The unitholders will be unable to remove our General Partner without its consent because our General Partner and its affiliates own sufficient units to be able to prevent its removal. The vote of the holders of at least 66 2/3% of all outstanding units voting together as a single class is required to remove our General Partner. As of January 31, 2018, our General Partner and its affiliates own 83% of our aggregate outstanding common units.
Our partnership agreement restricts the voting rights of unitholders owning 20% or more of our common units.
Our partnership agreement restricts unitholders’ voting rights by providing that any units held by a person that owns 20% or more of any class of units then outstanding, other than our General Partner, its affiliates, their transferees and persons who acquired such units with the prior approval of the board of directors of our General Partner, cannot vote on any matter. Our partnership agreement also contains provisions limiting the ability of unitholders to call meetings or to acquire information about our operations, as well as other provisions limiting the unitholders’ ability to influence the manner or direction of management.
If we are deemed an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, it would adversely affect the price of our common units and could have an adverse effect on our business.
Our assets include 100% ownership interests in various pipelines, as well as 50% equity interests in Gulfstream, SESH, Steckman Ridge and Sabal Trail. If a sufficient amount of our assets that are comprised of equity investments, other assets acquired in the future, are deemed to be “investment securities” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (Investment Company Act), we would either have to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, obtain exemptive relief from the SEC or modify the organizational structure or contract rights to fall outside the definition of an investment company. Although general partner interests are typically not considered “securities” or “investment securities,” there is a risk that our 50% general partner interest in Steckman Ridge could be deemed to be an investment security. In that event, it is possible that our ownership of this interest, combined with all of our current equity investments or assets acquired in the future, could result in us being required to register under the Investment Company Act if we were not successful in obtaining exemptive relief or otherwise modifying the organizational structure or applicable contract rights. Registering as an investment company could, among other things, materially limit our ability to engage in
transactions with affiliates, including the purchase and sale of certain securities or other property to or from our affiliates, restrict our ability to borrow funds or engage in other transactions involving leverage and require us to add additional directors who are independent of us or our affiliates. The occurrence of some or all of these events would adversely affect the price of the common units and could have an adverse effect on our business.
Control of our General Partner may be transferred to a third party without unitholder consent.
Our General Partner may transfer its general partner interest to a third party in a merger or in a sale of all or substantially all of its assets without the consent of the unitholders. Furthermore, our partnership agreement does not restrict the ability of the owners of our General Partner or its parent from transferring all or a portion of their respective ownership interest in our General Partner or its parent to a third party. The new owners of our General Partner or its parent would then be in a position to replace the board of directors and officers of its parent with its own choices and thereby influence the decisions taken by the board of directors and officers.
Increases in interest rates could adversely affect our unit price and our ability to issue additional equity to make acquisitions, incur debt or for other purposes.
In recent years, the U.S. credit markets have experienced 50-year record lows in interest rates. Interest rates on future credit facilities and debt offerings could be higher than current levels, causing our financing costs to increase accordingly. As with other yield-oriented securities, our unit price is affected by the level of our cash distributions and implied distribution yield. Therefore, changes in interest rates may affect the yield requirements of investors who invest in our units, and a rising interest rate environment could have an adverse effect on our unit price and the ability to issue additional equity to make acquisitions, to incur debt or for other purposes.
We may issue additional units without our unitholders’ approval, which would dilute our existing unitholders’ ownership interests.
Our partnership agreement does not limit the number of additional limited partner interests that we may issue at any time without the approval of our unitholders. The issuance by us of additional common units or other equity securities of equal or senior rank will have the following effects:
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each unitholder’s proportionate ownership interest in us will decrease;
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the amount of distributable cash flow on each unit may decrease;
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the ratio of taxable income to distributions may increase;
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the relative voting strength of each previously outstanding unit may be diminished; and
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the market price of the common units may decline.
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Enbridge and its affiliates may sell units in the public or private markets, which sales could have an adverse effect on the trading price of the common units.
As of January 31, 2018, Enbridge and its affiliates hold an aggregate of 402,989,862 common units. The sale of any of these units in the public or private markets could have an adverse effect on the price of the common units or on any trading market that may develop.
Our General Partner has a limited call right that may require our unitholder to sell the units at an undesirable time or price.
If at any time our General Partner and its affiliates own more than 90% of the common units, our General Partner will have the right, but not the obligation, which it may assign to any of its affiliates or to us, to acquire all, but not less than all, of the common units held by unaffiliated persons at a price not less than their then-current market price. As a result, our unitholders may be required to sell their common units at an undesirable time or price and may not receive any return on their investment. A unitholder may also incur a tax liability upon a sale of their units. As of January 31, 2018, our General Partner and its affiliates own approximately 83% of our outstanding common units.
Our unitholders’ liability may not be limited if a court finds that unitholder action constitutes control of our business.
A general partner of a partnership generally has unlimited liability for the obligations of the partnership, except for those contractual obligations of the partnership that are expressly made without recourse to the general partner. We are organized under Delaware law and conduct business in a number of other states. The limitations on the liability of holders of limited partner interests for the obligations of a limited partnership have not been clearly established in some of the states in which we do business. Our unitholders could be liable for any and all of our obligations as if our unitholders were a general partner if a court or government agency determined that:
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we were conducting business in a state but had not complied with that particular state’s partnership statute; or
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our unitholders’ right to act with other unitholders to remove or replace the general partner, to approve some amendments to our partnership agreement or to take other actions under our partnership agreement constitutes “control” of our business.
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Unitholders may have liability to repay distributions that were wrongfully distributed to them.
Under certain circumstances, unitholders may have to repay amounts wrongfully returned or distributed to them. Under Section 17-607 of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, we may not make a distribution to the unitholder if the distribution would cause our liabilities to exceed the fair value of our assets. Delaware law provides that for a period of three years from the date of the impermissible distribution, limited partners who received the distribution and who knew at the time of the distribution that it violated Delaware law will be liable to the limited partnership for the distribution amount. Substituted limited partners are liable for the obligations of the assignor to make contributions to the partnership that are known to the substituted limited partner at the time it became a limited partner and for unknown obligations if the liabilities could be determined from our partnership agreement.
Liabilities to partners on account of their partnership interest and liabilities that are non-recourse to the partnership are not counted for purposes of determining whether a distribution is permitted.
Tax Risks to Unitholders
Our tax treatment depends on our status as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, as well as not being subject to a material amount of entity-level taxation. If the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) treats us as a corporation or we otherwise become subject to a material amount of entity-level taxation for federal and state tax purposes, it would substantially reduce the amount of distributable cash flow.
The anticipated after-tax economic benefit of an investment in our common units depends largely on us being treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes and not becoming subject to a material amount of federal or state taxation. We have not requested, and do not plan to request, a ruling from the IRS on this or any other tax matter affecting us.
If we were treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes, we would pay federal income tax on our taxable income at the corporate tax rate, which is currently 21% and would likely pay state income tax at varying rates. Distributions would generally be taxed again as corporate distributions, and no income, gains, losses or deductions would flow through to the unitholders. Because a tax would be imposed upon us as a corporation, our distributable cash flow would be substantially reduced. Therefore, treatment of us as a corporation would result in a material reduction in the anticipated cash flow and after-tax return to a unitholder, likely causing a substantial reduction in the value of our common units.
Under current law, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, we may be required to pay federal income tax as the result of an audit adjustment (as further described below). Furthermore, current law may change so as to cause us to be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes or otherwise subject us to other entity-level taxation. In addition, because of widespread state budget deficits and other reasons, several states are evaluating ways to subject partnerships to entity-level taxation through the imposition of state income, franchise and other forms of taxation.
Our partnership agreement provides that if a law is enacted or existing law is modified or interpreted in a manner that subjects us to taxation as a corporation or otherwise subjects us to entity-level taxation for federal,
state or local income tax purposes, the minimum quarterly distribution amount and the target distribution levels may be adjusted to reflect the effect of that law.
The U.S. federal income tax treatment of publicly traded partnerships or an investment in our common units could be subject to potential legislative, judicial, or administrative changes and differing interpretations, possibly on a retroactive basis.
The present federal income tax treatment of publicly traded partnerships, including us, or an investment in our common units may be modified by administrative or legislative action or judicial interpretation at any time. From time to time, members of the U.S. Congress, the Treasury Department and the IRS have proposed and considered substantive changes to the existing federal income tax laws that affect publicly traded partnerships. Although there is no current legislative proposal, a prior legislative proposal would have eliminated the qualifying income exception to the treatment of all publicly traded partnerships as corporations
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upon which we rely for our treatment as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We are unable to predict whether similar legislative or regulatory changes or other proposals will ultimately be enacted or adopted. However, it is possible that a change in the law could affect us and may be applied retroactively. Any such changes could negatively impact the value of an investment in our units. Moreover, while we believe the income that we treat as qualifying income satisfies the requirements for qualifying income under applicable legal requirements, including the recently-finalized qualifying income Treasury Regulations, the IRS could take a position that is contrary to our interpretation of (a) Section 7704 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, (b) the final qualifying income Treasury Regulations, or (c) other applicable guidance.
If for any reason we are taxable as a corporation in any taxable year, our items of income, gain, loss and deduction would be taken into account by us, in determining the amount of our liability for federal income tax, rather than being passed through to our unitholders. Our taxation as a corporation would materially reduce the cash available for distribution to unitholders and thus would likely substantially reduce the value of our units. Any distribution made to a unitholder at a time we are treated as a corporation would be (i) a taxable dividend to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, then (ii) a nontaxable return of capital to the extent of the unitholder's adjusted tax basis in its units (determined separately for each unit), and thereafter (iii) taxable capital gain.
You are urged to consult with your own tax advisor with respect to the status of regulatory or administrative developments and proposals and their potential effect on your investment in our common units.
If the IRS makes audit adjustments to our income tax returns for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, it (and some states) may assess and collect any taxes (including any applicable penalties and interest) resulting from such audit adjustments directly from us, in which case our cash available for distribution to our unitholders might be substantially reduced and our current and former unitholders may be required to indemnify us for any taxes (including any applicable penalties and interest) resulting from such audit adjustments that were paid on such unitholders’ behalf.
Pursuant to the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, if the IRS makes audit adjustments to our income tax returns, it (and some states) may assess and collect any taxes (including any applicable penalties and interest) resulting from such audit adjustments directly from us. To the extent possible under the new rules, our General Partner may elect to either pay the taxes (including any applicable penalties and interest) directly to the IRS or, if we are eligible, issue a revised information statement to each unitholder and former unitholder with respect to an audited and adjusted return. Although our General Partner may elect to have our unitholders and former unitholders take such audit adjustment into account and pay any resulting taxes (including applicable penalties or interest in accordance with their interests in us during the tax year under audit, but there can be no assurance that such election will be practical, permissible or effective in all circumstances. As a result, our current unitholders may bear some or all of the tax liability resulting from such audit adjustment, even if such unitholders did not own units in us during the tax year under audit. If, as a result of any such audit adjustment, we are required to make payments of taxes, penalties and interest, our cash available for distribution to our unitholders might be substantially reduced and our current and former unitholders may be required to indemnify us for any taxes (including any applicable penalties and interest) resulting from such audit adjustments that were paid on such unitholders’ behalf. These rules are not applicable for tax years beginning on or prior to December 31, 2017.
If the tax authorities contest the federal income tax positions we take, it may adversely affect the market for our common units, and the cost of any tax authority contest would reduce our distributable cash flow.
We have not requested a ruling from the IRS with respect to our treatment as a partnership for federal income tax purposes or any other matter. The IRS may adopt positions that differ from our conclusions. It may be necessary to resort to administrative or court proceedings to sustain some or all of our counsel’s conclusions or the positions we take. A court may not agree with all of our conclusions or positions we take. Any contest with the IRS may materially and adversely affect the market for our common units and the price at which they trade. In addition, the costs of any contest with the IRS would be borne indirectly by the unitholders and our General Partner because the costs would reduce our distributable cash flow.
The unitholder may be required to pay taxes on the unitholder’s share of our income even if the unitholder does not receive any cash distributions.
Because the unitholders are treated as partners to whom we allocate taxable income which could be different in amount than the cash distributed, unitholders are required to pay any federal income taxes and, in some cases, state and local income taxes on the unitholder’s share of taxable income even if the unitholders receive no cash distributions from us. The unitholder may not receive cash distributions from us equal to the unitholder’s share of taxable income or even equal to the actual tax liability that results from that income.
Tax gain or loss on disposition of our common units could be more or less than expected.
If the unitholder sells its common units, the unitholder will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and the unitholder’s tax basis in those common units. Because distributions in excess of the unitholder’s allocable share of our net taxable income decrease the unitholder’s tax basis in the common units, the amount, if any, of such prior excess distributions with respect to the units the unitholder sells will, in effect, become taxable income to the unitholder if the unitholder sells such units at a price greater than the tax basis, even if the price the unitholder receives is less than the original cost. In addition, because the amount realized includes the share of our nonrecourse liabilities, if the unitholder sells the units, the unitholder may incur a tax liability in excess of the amount of cash the unitholder received from the sale.
A substantial portion of the amount realized from a unitholder’s sale of our common units, whether or not representing gain, may be taxed as ordinary income to such unitholder due to potential recapture items, including depreciation recapture. Thus, a unitholder may recognize both ordinary income and capital loss from the sale of common units if the amount realized on a sale of such common units is less than such unitholder’s adjusted basis in the common units. Net capital loss may only offset capital gains and, in the case of individuals, up to $3,000 of ordinary income per year. In the taxable period in which a unitholder sells its common units, such unitholder may recognize ordinary income from our allocations of income and gain to such unitholder prior to the sale and from recapture items that generally cannot be offset by any capital loss recognized upon the sale of common units.
Tax-exempt entities face unique tax issues from owning common units that may result in adverse tax consequences to them.
Investment in common units by tax-exempt entities, such as employee benefit plan and individual retirement accounts (IRAs), raises issues unique to them. For example, virtually all of our income allocated to organizations that are exempt from federal income tax, including IRAs and other retirement plans, will be unrelated business taxable income and will be taxable to them. Further, with respect to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, a tax-exempt entity with more than one unrelated trade or business (including by attribution from investment in a partnership such as ours that is engaged in one or more unrelated trade or business) is required to compute the unrelated business taxable income of such tax-exempt entity separately with respect to each such trade or business (including for purposes of determining any net operating loss deduction). As a result, for years beginning after December 31, 2017, it may not be possible for tax-exempt entities to utilize losses from an investment in our partnership to offset unrelated business taxable income from another unrelated trade or business and vice versa. Tax-exempt entities should consult a tax advisor before investing in our common units.
Non-U.S. Unitholders will be subject to U.S. taxes and withholding with respect to their income and gain from owning our units.
Non-U.S. unitholders are generally taxed and subject to income tax filing requirements by the United States on income effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business (“effectively connected income”). Income allocated to our unitholders and any gain from the sale of our units will generally be considered to be “effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. As a result, distributions to a Non-U.S. unitholder will be subject to withholding at the highest applicable effective tax rate and a Non-U.S. unitholder who sells or otherwise disposes of a unit will also be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the gain realized from the sale or disposition of that unit.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act imposes a withholding obligation of 10% of the amount realized upon a Non- U.S. unitholder’s sale or exchange of an interest in a partnership that is engaged in a U.S. trade or business. However, due to challenges of administering a withholding obligation applicable to open market trading and other complications, the IRS has temporarily suspended the application of this withholding rule to open market transfers of interest in publicly traded partnerships pending promulgation of regulations or other guidance that resolves the challenges. It is not clear if or when such regulations or other guidance will be issued. Non-U.S. unitholders should consult a tax advisor before investing in our common units.
We treat each purchaser of our common units as having the same tax benefits without regard to the actual common units purchased. The IRS may challenge this treatment, which could adversely affect the value of the common units.
Because we cannot match transferors and transferees of common units and because of other reasons, we have adopted depreciation and amortization positions that may not conform to all aspects of existing U.S. Treasury Regulations. A successful IRS challenge to those positions could adversely affect the amount of tax benefits available to the unitholder. It also could affect the timing of these tax benefits or the amount of gain from the sale of our common units and could have a negative effect on the value of our common units or result in audit adjustments to the tax returns.
We have adopted certain valuation methodologies that may result in a shift of income, gain, loss and deduction between the General Partner and the unitholders. The IRS may challenge this treatment, which could adversely affect the value of the common units.
When we issue additional units or engage in certain other transactions, we determine the fair market value of our assets and allocate any unrealized gain or loss attributable to our assets to the capital accounts of the unitholders and our General Partner. Our methodology may be viewed as understating the value of our assets. In that case, there may be a shift of income, gain, loss and deduction between certain unitholders and the General Partner, which may be unfavorable to such unitholders. Moreover, subsequent purchasers of common units may have a greater portion of their Internal Revenue Code Section 743(b) adjustment allocated to our tangible assets and a lesser portion allocated to our intangible assets. The IRS may challenge our valuation methods, or our allocation of the Section 743(b) adjustment attributable to tangible and intangible assets, and allocations of income, gain, loss and deduction between the General Partner and certain of the unitholders.
A successful IRS challenge to these methods or allocations could adversely affect the amount of taxable income or loss being allocated to the unitholders. It also could affect the amount of gain from the unitholders’ sale of common units and could have a negative effect on the value of the common units or result in audit adjustments to unitholders’ tax returns without the benefit of additional deductions.
We generally prorate our items of income, gain, loss and deduction between transferors and transferees of our units each month based upon the ownership of our units on the first day of each month, instead of on the basis of the date a particular unit is transferred. The IRS may challenge this treatment, which could change the allocation of items of income, gain, loss and deduction among our unitholders.
We generally prorate our items of income, gain, loss and deduction for federal income tax purposes between transferors and transferees of our units each month based upon the ownership of our units on the first day of each month (the Allocation Date), instead of on the basis of the date a particular unit is transferred. Similarly, we generally allocate certain deductions for depreciation of capital additions, gain or loss realized on a sale or other disposition of our assets and, in the discretion of the General Partner, any other extraordinary item of income, gain, loss or deduction based upon ownership on the Allocation Date. The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the IRS issued final Treasury Regulations in 2015 that permit publicly traded partnerships to use a monthly simplifying convention that is similar to ours, but those regulations do not specifically authorize all aspects of the proration
method we have adopted. If the IRS were to challenge this method, we could be required to change the allocation of items of income, gain, loss and deduction among our unitholders.
A unitholder whose units are the subject of a securities loan (e.g. loaned to a “short seller”) to cover a short sale of units may be considered as having disposed of those units. If so, the unitholder would no longer be treated for tax purposes as a partner with respect to those units during the period of the loan and may recognize gain or loss from the disposition.
Because there are no specific rules governing the U.S. federal income tax consequence of loaning a partnership interest, a unitholder whose units are the subject of a securities loan may be considered to have disposed of the loaned units. In that case, the unitholder may no longer be treated for tax purposes as a partner with respect to those units during the period of the loan and the unitholder may recognize gain or loss from such disposition. Moreover, during the period of the loan, any of our income, gain, loss or deduction with respect to those units may not be reportable by the unitholder and any cash distributions received by the unitholder as to those units could be fully taxable as ordinary income. Unitholders desiring to assure their status as partners and avoid the risk of gain recognition from a securities loan are urged to consult a tax advisor to determine whether it is advisable to modify any applicable brokerage account agreements to prohibit their brokers from borrowing and lending their units.
A unitholder will likely be subject to state and local taxes and return filing requirements in states where the unitholder does not live as a result of investing in our common units.
In addition to federal income taxes, a unitholder will likely be subject to other taxes, including foreign, state and local taxes, unincorporated business taxes and estate, inheritance or intangible taxes that are imposed by the various jurisdictions in which we do business or own property, even if the unitholder does not live in any of those jurisdictions. The unitholder will likely be required to file foreign, state and local income tax returns and pay state and local income taxes in some or all of these jurisdictions. Further, the unitholder may be subject to penalties for failure to comply with those requirements. It is the unitholder’s responsibility to file all United States federal, foreign, state and local tax returns.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.
Item 2. Properties.
At December 31, 2017, we had over 100 primary facilities located in the United States and Canada. We generally own sites associated with our major pipeline facilities, such as compressor stations. However, we generally operate our transmission pipelines using rights of way pursuant to easements to install and operate pipelines, but we do not own the land. Except as described in Part II. Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, Note 14 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, none of our properties were secured by mortgages or other material security interests at December 31, 2017.
Our principal executive offices are located at 5400 Westheimer Court, Houston, Texas 77056, which is a facility leased by Spectra Energy. We also maintain offices in, among other places, Calgary, Alberta. For a description of our material properties, see Part I. Item 1. Business.