UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017

OR

For the transition period from _____ to _____

Commission File Number: 001-34991

TARGA RESOURCES CORP.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

(713) 584-1000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

Securities registered pursuant to section 12(b) of the Act:

 

 

Securities registered pursuant to section 12(g) of the Act: None

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☑ No ☐

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☑

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  ☑    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  ☑    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ☑

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ☐    No  ☑

The aggregate market value of the common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $9,571.8 million on June 30, 2017, based on $45.20 per share, the closing price of the common stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on such date.

As of February 12, 2018, there were 218,830,282 shares of the registrant’s common stock, $0.001 par value, outstanding.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

None

 

 

 

 

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Targa Resources Corp.’s (together with its subsidiaries, including Targa Resources Partners LP (“the Partnership” or “TRP”), “we,” “us,” “our,” “Targa,” “TRC,” or the “Company”) reports, filings and other public announcements may from time to time contain statements that do not directly or exclusively relate to historical facts. Such statements are “forward-looking statements.” You can typically identify forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, by the use of forward-looking statements, such as “may,” “could,” “project,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “potential,” “plan,” “forecast” and other similar words.

All statements that are not statements of historical facts, including statements regarding our future financial position, business strategy, budgets, projected costs and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements.

These forward-looking statements reflect our intentions, plans, expectations, assumptions and beliefs about future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside our control. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements include known and unknown risks. Known risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following risks and uncertainties:

Although we believe that the assumptions underlying our forward-looking statements are reasonable, any of the assumptions could be inaccurate, and, therefore, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report will prove to be accurate. Some of these and other risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements are more fully described in “Item 1A. Risk Factors.” in this Annual Report. Except as may be required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or advise of any change in any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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As generally used in the energy industry and in this Annual Report, the identified terms have the following meanings:

 

 

Price Index Definitions

 

 

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PART I

Item 1. Business.

Overview

Targa Resources Corp. (NYSE: TRGP) is a publicly traded Delaware corporation formed in October 2005. Targa is a leading provider of midstream services and is one of the largest independent midstream energy companies in North America. We own, operate, acquire, and develop a diversified portfolio of complementary midstream energy assets.

The following should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto. We have prepared our accompanying consolidated financial statements under GAAP and the rules and regulations of the SEC. Our accounting records are maintained in U.S. dollars and all references to dollars in this report are to U.S. dollars, except where stated otherwise. Our consolidated financial statements include our accounts and those of our majority-owned and/or controlled subsidiaries, and all significant intercompany items have been eliminated in consolidation. The address of our principal executive offices is 811 Louisiana Street, Suite 2100, Houston, Texas 77002, and our telephone number at this address is (713) 584-1000.

Organization Structure

On February 17, 2016, TRC completed its acquisition of all of the outstanding common units of Targa Resources Partners LP (NYSE: NGLS), pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “TRC/TRP Merger Agreement”, and such transaction, the “TRC/TRP Merger” or “Buy-in Transaction”). We issued 104,525,775 shares of common stock in exchange for all of the outstanding common units of the Partnership that we previously did not own. As a result of the completion of the TRC/TRP Merger, the TRP common units are no longer publicly traded. The Partnership’s 9.00% Series A Fixed-to-Floating Rate Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Units (the “Preferred Units”) that were issued in October 2015 remain outstanding as preferred limited partner interests in TRP and continue to trade on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “NGLS PRA.” TRC also maintains a 2% general partner interest in the Partnership.

On October 19, 2016, TRP executed the Third Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership (the “Third A&R Partnership Agreement”), effective as of December 1, 2016. In connection with the Third A&R Partnership Agreement, TRP issued to Targa Resources GP LLC (the “General Partner”) (i) 20,380,286 common units and 424,590 General Partner units in exchange for the cancellation of the incentive distribution rights (“IDRs”) and (ii) 11,267,485 common units and 234,739 General Partner units in exchange for cancellation of the Special GP Interest. The Partnership Agreement with us governs our relationship regarding certain reimbursement and indemnification matters. See “Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence.”

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The diagram below shows our corporate structure as of February 12, 2018, which reflects the effect of the TRC/TRP Merger:

Our Operations

We are engaged in the business of:

To provide these services, we operate in two primary segments: (i) Gathering and Processing, and (ii) Logistics and Marketing (also referred to as the Downstream Business).

Our Gathering and Processing segment includes assets used in the gathering of natural gas produced from oil and gas wells and processing this raw natural gas into merchantable natural gas by extracting NGLs and removing impurities; and assets used for crude oil gathering and terminaling. The Gathering and Processing segment's assets are located in the Permian Basin of West Texas and Southeast New Mexico; the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas; the Barnett Shale in North Texas; the Anadarko, Ardmore, and Arkoma Basins in Oklahoma (including exposure to the SCOOP and STACK plays) and South Central Kansas; the Williston Basin in North Dakota and in the onshore and near offshore regions of the Louisiana Gulf Coast and the Gulf of Mexico.

 

Our Logistics and Marketing segment includes the activities and assets necessary to convert mixed NGLs into NGL products and also includes other assets and value-added services such as storing, fractionating, terminaling, transporting and marketing of NGLs and NGL products, including services to LPG exporters; storing and terminaling of refined petroleum products and crude oil and certain natural gas supply and marketing activities in support of our other businesses. The Logistics and Marketing segment includes Grand Prix, as well as our equity interest in GCX, which are both currently under construction. The associated assets, including these pipeline projects, are generally connected to and supplied in part by our Gathering and Processing segment and, except for the pipeline projects and smaller terminals, are located predominantly in Mont Belvieu and Galena Park, Texas, and in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

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Organic Growth Projects and Acquisitions

Since 2010, the year of our initial public offering, we have expanded our midstream natural gas and NGL services footprint substantially. The expansion of our business has been fueled by a combination of major organic growth investments in our businesses and third-party acquisitions. Third-party acquisitions included our 2012 acquisition of Saddle Butte Pipeline LLC’s crude oil pipeline and terminal system and natural gas gathering and processing operations in North Dakota (referred to by us as “Badlands”) and our 2015 acquisition of Atlas Pipeline Partners L.P. (“APL,” renamed by us as Targa Pipeline Partners LP or “TPL”). In these transactions, we acquired (1) natural gas gathering, processing and treating assets in West Texas, South Texas, North Texas, Oklahoma and North Dakota, and (2) crude oil gathering and terminal assets in North Dakota. In 2017, we acquired additional gas gathering and processing and crude gathering systems located in the Permian Basin (the “Permian Acquisition”). See further discussion of the Permian Acquisition in the “Recent Developments” section below.

We also continue to invest significant capital to expand through organic growth projects. We have invested approximately $5.3 billion in growth capital expenditures since 2007, including approximately $1.4 billion in 2017. These expansion investments were distributed across our businesses, with 42% related to Logistics and Marketing and 58% to Gathering and Processing. We expect to continue to invest in both large and small organic growth projects in 2018. We currently estimate that we will invest at least $1.6 billion in organic growth capital expenditures for announced projects in 2018.

The map below highlights our more significant assets:

 

 

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Recent Developments

 

Gathering and Processing Segment Expansion

 

Permian Acquisition

 

On March 1, 2017, we completed the purchase of 100% of the membership interests of Outrigger Delaware Operating, LLC, Outrigger Southern Delaware Operating, LLC (together “New Delaware”) and Outrigger Midland Operating, LLC (“New Midland” and together with New Delaware, the “Permian Acquisition”).

 

We paid $484.1 million in cash at closing on March 1, 2017, and paid an additional $90.0 million in cash on May 30, 2017 (collectively, the "initial purchase price"). Subject to certain performance-based measures and other conditions, additional cash of up to $935.0 million may be payable to the sellers of New Delaware and New Midland in potential earn-out payments that would occur in April 2018 and April 2019. The potential earn-out payments will be based upon a multiple of realized gross margin from contracts that existed on March 1, 2017.

 

New Delaware's gas gathering and processing and crude gathering assets are located in Loving, Winkler, Pecos and Ward counties. The operations are backed by producer dedications of more than 145,000 acres under long-term, largely fee-based contracts, with an average weighted contract life of 14 years. The New Delaware assets include 70 MMcf/d of processing capacity. In addition, the Oahu Plant, a 60 MMcf/d plant in the Delaware Basin, which is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2018, will be added to New Delaware’s footprint. Currently, there is 40 MBbl/d of crude gathering capacity on the New Delaware system.

 

New Midland's gas gathering and processing and crude gathering assets are located in Howard, Martin and Borden counties. The operations are backed by producer dedications of more than 105,000 acres under long-term, largely fee-based contracts, with an average weighted contract life of 13 years. The New Midland assets include 10 MMcf/d of processing capacity. Currently, there is 40 MBbl/d of crude gathering capacity on the New Midland system.

 

New Delaware's gas gathering and processing assets were connected to our Sand Hills system in the first quarter of 2017, and New Midland's gas gathering and processing assets were connected to our existing WestTX system in the fourth quarter of 2017. We believe connecting the acquired assets to our legacy Permian footprint creates operational and capital synergies, and is expected to afford enhanced flexibility in serving producers.

 

Additional Permian System Processing Capacity

 

In November 2016, we announced plans to build the 200 MMcf/d Joyce Plant in the Midland Basin, which is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2018. We expect total net growth capital expenditures for the Joyce Plant to be approximately $80 million.

 

In the first quarter of 2017, we restarted the idled 45 MMcf/d Benedum cryogenic processing plant. We also added 20 MMcf/d of capacity at our Midkiff Plant in the second quarter of 2017 and increased overall plant capacity of the Midkiff/Consolidator Plant complex in Reagan County, Texas from 210 MMcf/d to 230 MMcf/d.

 

In May 2017, we announced plans to build a new plant and further expand the gathering footprint of our Permian Midland system. This project includes a new 200 MMcf/d cryogenic processing plant, known as the Johnson Plant, which is expected to begin operations in the third quarter of 2018. We expect total net growth capital expenditures for the Johnson Plant to be approximately $100 million.

 

Also in May 2017, we announced plans to build a new plant and further expand the gathering footprint of our Permian Delaware system. This project includes a new 250 MMcf/d cryogenic processing plant, known as the Wildcat Plant, which is expected to begin operations in the second quarter of 2018. We expect total net growth capital expenditures for the Wildcat Plant to be approximately $130 million.

 

On February 6, 2018, we announced plans to construct two new 250 MMcf/d cryogenic natural gas processing plants in the Midland Basin to support increasing production. The two plants are expected to begin operations in the first and third quarters of 2019, respectively.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Eagle Ford Shale Natural Gas Gathering and Processing Joint Ventures

 

The Raptor Plant, a gas processing facility with an initial capacity of 200 MMcf/d, and 45 miles of associated gathering pipelines, both part of a 50/50 joint venture with Sanchez Midstream Partners, L.P. (“SNMP”), which is associated with Sanchez Energy Corporation (“Sanchez”),  began operations in the second quarter of 2017. In February 2017, we announced that we were going to add compression to increase the processing capacity of the Raptor Plant to 260 MMcf/d, which was completed in the fourth quarter of 2017. The Raptor Plant accommodates growing production from Sanchez’s premier Eagle Ford Shale acreage position in Dimmit, La Salle and Webb Counties, Texas and from other third party producers. The plant and high pressure gathering pipelines are supported by long-term, firm, fee-based contracts and acreage dedications with Sanchez. We manage operations of the high pressure gathering lines as well as the plant. Prior to the Raptor Plant being placed in service, we benefited from Sanchez natural gas volumes that were processed at our Silver Oak facilities in Bee County, Texas.

 

Eagle Ford Shale Acquisition of Flag City Natural Gas Processing Plant

 

In May 2017, we acquired a 150 MMcf/d natural gas processing plant (the “Flag City Plant”) and associated assets from subsidiaries of Boardwalk Pipeline Partners, L.P. (“Boardwalk”) for $60.0 million, subject to customary closing adjustments. The gas processing activities under commercial contracts related to the Flag City Plant have been redirected to our Silver Oak facilities. The Flag City Plant has been shut down and disassembled and will be installed as part of our SouthOK operations. See further details below in “SouthOK Expansion.”

 

SouthOK Expansion

 

In December 2017, ownership of the Flag City Plant assets located in Jackson County, Texas, was transferred to Centrahoma Processing, LLC (“Centrahoma”), a joint venture that we operate, and in which we have a 60% ownership interest; the remaining 40% ownership interest is held by MPLX, LP. In conjunction with Targa’s contribution of the plant assets, MPLX, LP made a cash contribution to Centrahoma in order to maintain its 40% ownership interest. The former Flag City Plant assets will be relocated to, and installed in, Hughes County, Oklahoma, in 2018 as a new 150 MMcf/d cryogenic natural gas processing plant (the “Hickory Hills Plant”). The Hickory Hills Plant will process natural gas production from the Arkoma Woodford Basin and is expected to begin operations in the second half of 2018. Targa will also contribute the 120 MMcf/d cryogenic Tupelo Plant in Coal County, Oklahoma to Centrahoma upon the in-service date of the Hickory Hills Plant.

Badlands

 

During 2017, we invested approximately $125 million to expand our crude gathering and natural gas processing business in the Williston Basin, North Dakota. The expansion included the addition of pipelines, LACT units, compression and other infrastructure to support continued growth in producer activity.

 

In January 2018, we announced the formation of a 50/50 joint venture with Hess Midstream Partners LP to construct a new 200 MMcf/d natural gas processing plant (“LM4 Plant”) at Targa’s existing Little Missouri facility.  The LM4 Plant is expected to have a total cost of approximately $150 million and is anticipated to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2018.  Targa will manage construction of, and operate, the LM4 Plant.

 

Sale of Venice Gathering System, L.L.C.

 

Through our 76.8% ownership interest in Venice Energy Services Company, L.L.C. (“VESCO”), we have operated the Venice Gas Plant and the Venice gathering system. On April 4, 2017, VESCO entered into a purchase and sale agreement with Rosefield Pipeline Company, LLC, an affiliate of Arena Energy, LP, to sell its 100% ownership interests in Venice Gathering System, L.L.C. (“VGS”), a Delaware limited liability company engaged in the business of transporting natural gas in interstate commerce, under authorization granted by and subject to the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”), for approximately $0.4 million in cash. Additionally, the VGS asset retirement obligations were assumed by the buyer. VGS owns and operates a natural gas gathering system in the Gulf of Mexico. Historically, VGS has been reported in our Gathering and Processing segment. After the sale of VGS, we continue to operate the Venice Gas Plant through our ownership in VESCO.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Downstream Segment Expansion

 

Grand Prix NGL Pipeline

 

In May 2017, we announced plans to construct a new common carrier NGL pipeline. The NGL pipeline (“Grand Prix”) will transport volumes from the Permian Basin and North Texas to our fractionation and storage complex in the NGL market hub at Mont Belvieu, Texas. Grand Prix will be supported by our volumes and other third-party customer commitments, and is expected to be in service in the second quarter of 2019. The capacity of the pipeline from the Permian Basin will be approximately 300 MBbl/d, expandable to 550 MBbl/d.

 

In September 2017, we sold a 25% interest in our consolidated subsidiary, Grand Prix Pipeline LLC (the "Grand Prix Joint Venture") to funds managed by Blackstone Energy Partners (“Blackstone”). We are the operator and construction manager of Grand Prix. Our share of total growth capital expenditures for Grand Prix is expected to be approximately $728 million.

 

Concurrent with the sale of the minority interest in the Grand Prix Joint Venture to Blackstone, we and EagleClaw Midstream Ventures, LLC ("EagleClaw"), a Blackstone portfolio company, executed a long-term Raw Product Purchase Agreement whereby EagleClaw has dedicated and committed significant NGLs associated with EagleClaw's natural gas volumes produced or processed in the Delaware Basin.

 

Gulf Coast Express Pipeline

In December 2017, we entered into definitive joint venture agreements with Kinder Morgan Texas Pipeline LLC (“KMTP”) and DCP Midstream Partners, LP (“DCP”) with respect to the joint development of the Gulf Coast Express Pipeline (“GCX”), which will provide an outlet for increased natural gas production from the Permian Basin to growing markets along the Texas Gulf Coast. Under the terms of the agreements, we and DCP will each own a 25% interest, and KMTP will own a 50% interest in GCX. Shipper Apache Corporation has an option to purchase up to a 15% equity stake from KMTP. KMTP will serve as the construction manager and operator of GCX. We have committed significant volumes to GCX. In addition, Pioneer Natural Resources Company, a joint owner in our WestTX Permian Basin system, has committed volumes to the project. GCX is designed to transport up to 1.98 Bcf/d of natural gas and is expected to cost approximately $1.75 billion. GCX is expected to be in service in the fourth quarter of 2019.

 

Channelview Splitter

 

On December 27, 2015, we and Noble Americas Corp., an affiliate of Noble Group Ltd., entered into a long-term, fee-based agreement (“Splitter Agreement”) under which Targa Terminals will build and operate a 35,000 Bbl/d crude oil and condensate splitter at our Channelview Terminal on the Houston Ship Channel (“Channelview Splitter”). The Channelview Splitter will have the capability to split approximately 35,000 Bbl/d of crude oil and condensate into its various components, including naphtha, kerosene, gas oil, jet fuel, and liquefied petroleum gas and will provide segregated storage for the crude, condensate and components. In January 2018, Vitol US Holding Co. acquired Noble Americas Corp.

The Channelview Splitter is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2018, and has an estimated total cost of approximately $140 million. The first and second annual payments due under the Splitter Agreement were received in October 2016 and October 2017 and are reflected in deferred revenue as a component of other long-term liabilities on our Consolidated Balance Sheet.

 

Fractionation Expansion

 

On February 6, 2018, we announced plans to construct a new 100 MBbl/d fractionation train in Mont Belvieu, Texas, expected to begin operations in the first quarter of 2019. The total cost of the fractionation train and related infrastructure is expected to be approximately $350 million.

 

Development Joint Ventures

 

On February 6, 2018, we also announced the formation of three development joint ventures (the “DevCo JVs”) with investment vehicles affiliated with Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners (“Stonepeak”). Stonepeak will own an 80% interest in both the GCX DevCo JV, which will own our 25% interest in GCX, and the Fractionation DevCo JV, which will own a 100% interest in some of the assets associated with the fractionation train. Stonepeak will own a 95% interest in the Grand Prix DevCo JV, which will own a 20% interest in Grand Prix. We will hold the remaining interest of each DevCo JV, as well as control the management, construction and operation of Grand Prix and the fractionation train. The Fractionation DevCo JV will fund the fractionation train while we will fund 100% of the required brine, storage and other infrastructure that will support the fractionation train’s operations.

 

Stonepeak committed a maximum of approximately $960 million of capital to the DevCo JVs, including an initial contribution of approximately $190 million that will be distributed to the Partnership to reimburse it for a portion of capital spent to date.

 

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For a four-year period beginning on the earlier of the date that all three projects have commenced commercial operations or January 1, 2020, Targa has the option to acquire all or part of Stonepeak’s interests in the DevCo JVs. Targa may acquire up to 50% of Stonepeak’s invested capital in multiple increments with a minimum of $100 million, and would be required to buy Stonepeak’s remaining 50% interest in a single final purchase. The purchase price payable for such partial or full interests would be based on a predetermined fixed return or multiple on invested capital, including distributions received by Stonepeak from the DevCo JVs.

2017 Financing Activities

On January 26, 2017, we completed a public offering of 9,200,000 shares of common stock (including underwriters’ overallotment option) at a price to the public of $57.65, providing net proceeds after underwriting discounts, commissions and other expenses of $524.2 million. We used the net proceeds from this public offering to fund the cash portion of the Permian Acquisition purchase price due upon closing and for general corporate purposes.

 

On February 23, 2017, we amended the Partnership’s account receivable securitization facility (the “Securitization Facility”) to increase the facility size to $350.0 million from $275.0 million. In December 2017, the Securitization Facility was amended to extend the maturity to December 7, 2018.

 

On March 14, 2017, we used borrowings under our senior secured revolving credit facility (the “TRC Revolver”) to repay in full the $160.0 million outstanding balance on our senior secured term loan.

  

On May 9, 2017, we entered into an equity distribution agreement under the May 2016 Shelf (as defined below) (the “May 2017 EDA”), pursuant to which we may sell through our sales agents, at our option, up to an aggregated amount of $750.0 million of our common stock. For the year ended December 31, 2017, no shares of common stock have been issued under the May 2017 EDA.

 

On June 1, 2017, we issued 17,000,000 shares of our common stock at a price to the public of $46.10, providing net proceeds after underwriting discounts, commissions and other expenses of $777.3 million. We used the net proceeds from this public offering to fund a portion of the capital expenditures related to the construction of Grand Prix, repay outstanding borrowings under our credit facilities, redeem the Partnership’s 6⅜% Senior Notes, and for general corporate purposes.

 

On June 26, 2017, the Partnership redeemed its 6⅜% Senior Notes due August 2022 (the “6⅜% Senior Notes”). The redemption price was 103.188% of the principal amount. The $278.7 million principal amount outstanding was redeemed on June 26, 2017 for a total redemption payment of $287.6 million, excluding accrued interest.

 

On October 17, 2017, the Partnership issued $750.0 million aggregate principal amount of 5% senior notes due January 2028 (the “5% Senior Notes due 2028”). The Partnership used the net proceeds of $744.1 million after costs from this offering to redeem its 5% Senior Notes due 2018, reduce borrowings under its credit facilities and for general partnership purposes.

 

On October 30, 2017, the Partnership redeemed its outstanding 5% Senior Notes due 2018 at par value plus accrued interest through the redemption date.

 

During the year ended December 31, 2017, we issued 6,433,561 shares through an equity distribution agreement under the May 2016 Shelf (the “December 2016 EDA”) associated with our ATM program, resulting in net proceeds of $343.1 million.

 

Growth Drivers

We believe that our near-term growth will be driven by the level of producer activity in the basins where our gathering and processing infrastructure is located and by the level of demand for services provided by our Downstream Business. We believe our assets are not easily duplicated and are located in many attractive and active areas of exploration and production activity and are near key markets and logistics centers. Over the longer term, we expect our growth will continue to be driven by the strong position of our quality assets which will benefit from production from shale plays and by the deployment of shale exploration and production technologies in both liquids-rich natural gas and crude oil resource plays that will also provide additional opportunities for our Downstream Business. We expect that organic growth and third-party acquisitions will also continue to be a focus of our growth strategy.

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Attractive Asset Positions

We believe that our positioning in some of the most attractive basins will allow us to capture increased natural gas supplies for processing and increased crude oil supplies for gathering and terminaling. Producers continue to focus drilling activity on their most attractive acreage, especially in the Permian Basin where we have a large and well positioned footprint, and are benefiting from increasing activity as rigs have been added in the basin in and around our systems.

The development of shale and unconventional resource plays has resulted in increasing NGL supplies that continue to generate demand for our fractionation services at the Mont Belvieu market hub and for LPG export services at our Galena Park Marine Terminal on the Houston Ship Channel. Since 2010, in response to increasing demand we added 278 MBbl/d of additional fractionation capacity with the additions of Cedar Bayou Fractionator (“CBF”) Trains 3, 4 and 5. We believe that the higher volumes of fractionated NGLs will also result in increased demand for other related fee-based services provided by our Downstream Business. Continued demand for fractionation capacity is expected to lead to other growth opportunities.

As domestic producers have focused their drilling in crude oil and liquids-rich areas, new gas processing facilities are being built to accommodate liquids-rich gas, which results in an increasing supply of NGLs. As drilling in these areas continues, the supply of NGLs requiring transportation and fractionation to market hubs is expected to continue. As the supply of NGLs increases, our integrated Mont Belvieu and Galena Park Marine Terminal assets allow us to provide the raw product, fractionation, storage, interconnected terminaling, refrigeration and ship loading capabilities to support exports by third party customers. Grand Prix will transport volumes from the Permian Basin and our North Texas system to our fractionation and storage complex in the NGL market hub at Mont Belvieu, Texas, further enhancing the integration of our gathering and processing assets with our Downstream Business.  Grand Prix positions us to offer an integrated midstream service across the NGL value chain to our customers by linking supply to key markets. Grand Prix is expected to be in service in the second quarter of 2019.

Drilling and production activity from liquids-rich natural gas shale plays and similar crude oil resource plays

We are actively pursuing natural gas gathering and processing and NGL fractionation opportunities associated with liquids-rich natural gas from shale and other resource plays and are also actively pursuing crude gathering and natural gas gathering and processing and NGL fractionation opportunities from active crude oil resource plays. We believe that our leadership position in the Downstream Business, which includes our fractionation and export services and will be complemented by Grand Prix, provides us with a competitive advantage relative to other midstream companies without these capabilities.

Organic growth and third-party acquisitions

We have a demonstrated track record of completing organic growth and third-party acquisitions. Since our initial public offering in 2010, we have executed on approximately $5.1 billion of growth capital projects and approximately $7.2 billion in third-party acquisitions. We expect that organic growth and third-party acquisitions will continue to be a focus of our strategy.

Competitive Strengths and Strategies

We believe that we are well positioned to execute our business strategies due to the following competitive strengths:

Strategically located gathering and processing asset base

Our gathering and processing businesses are strategically located in attractive oil and gas producing basins and are well positioned within each of those basins. Activity in the shale resource plays underlying our gathering assets is driven by the economics of oil, condensate, gas and NGL production from the particular reservoirs in each play. Activity levels for most of our gathering and processing assets are driven primarily by commodity prices. If drilling and production activities in these areas continue, the volumes of natural gas and crude oil available to our gathering and processing systems will likely increase.

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Leading fractionation, LPG export and NGL infrastructure position

We are one of the largest fractionators of NGLs in the Gulf Coast. Our fractionation assets are primarily located in Mont Belvieu, Texas, and to a lesser extent Lake Charles, Louisiana, which are key market centers for NGLs. Our logistics operations at Mont Belvieu, the major U.S. hub of NGL infrastructure, include connections to a number of mixed NGL (“mixed NGLs” or “Y-grade”) supply pipelines, storage, interconnection and takeaway pipelines and other transportation infrastructure. Our logistics assets, including fractionation facilities, storage wells, low ethane propane de-ethanizer, and our Galena Park Marine Terminal and related pipeline systems and interconnects, are also located near and connected to key consumers of NGL products including the petrochemical and industrial markets. Once in service, Grand Prix will connect the very active Permian Basin to Mont Belvieu. The location and interconnectivity of these assets are not easily replicated, and we have additional capability to expand their capacity. We have extensive experience in operating these assets and developing, permitting and constructing new midstream assets.

Comprehensive package of midstream services

We provide a comprehensive package of services to natural gas and crude oil producers. These services are essential to gather crude, gather, process and treat wellhead gas to meet pipeline standards, and extract NGLs for sale into petrochemical, industrial, commercial and export markets. We believe that our ability to provide these integrated services provides us with an advantage in competing for new supplies because we can provide substantially all of the services that producers, marketers and others require for moving natural gas, NGLs and crude oil from wellhead to market on a cost-effective basis. Both Grand Prix and GCX further enhance our position to offer an integrated midstream service across the natural gas and NGL value chain by linking supply to key markets. Additionally, we believe the barriers to enter the midstream sector on a scale similar to ours are reasonably high due to the high cost of replicating or acquiring assets in key strategic positions and the difficulty of developing the expertise necessary to operate them.

High quality and efficient assets

Our gathering and processing systems and logistics assets consist of high-quality, well-maintained facilities, resulting in low-cost, efficient operations. Advanced technologies have been implemented for processing plants (primarily cryogenic units utilizing centralized control systems), measurements (essentially all electronic and electronically linked to a central data-base) and operations and maintenance to manage work orders and implement preventative maintenance schedules (computerized maintenance management systems). These applications have allowed proactive management of our operations resulting in lower costs and minimal downtime. We have established a reputation in the midstream industry as a reliable and cost-effective supplier of services to our customers and have a track record of safe, efficient, and reliable operation of our facilities. We will continue to pursue new contracts, cost efficiencies and operating improvements of our assets. Such improvements in the past have included new production and acreage commitments, reducing fuel gas and flare volumes and improving facility capacity and NGL recoveries. We will also continue to optimize existing plant assets to improve and maximize capacity and throughput.

In addition to routine annual maintenance expenses, our maintenance capital expenditures have averaged approximately $94.8 million per year over the last three years. We believe that our assets are well-maintained and anticipate that a similar level of maintenance capital expenditures will be sufficient for us to continue to operate our existing assets in a prudent, safe and cost-effective manner.

Large, diverse business mix with favorable contracts and increasing fee-based business

We maintain gas gathering and processing positions in strategic oil and gas producing areas across multiple basins and provide these and other services under attractive contract terms to a diverse mix of producers across our areas of operation. Consequently, we are not dependent on any one oil and gas basin or counterparty. Our Logistics and Marketing assets are typically located near key market hubs and near most of our NGL customers. They also serve must-run portions of the natural gas value chain, are primarily fee-based and have a diverse mix of customers.

Our contract portfolio has attractive rate and term characteristics including a significant fee-based component, especially in our Downstream Business. Our expected continued growth of the fee-based Downstream Business may result in increasing fee-based cash flow. The Permian Acquisition resulted in increased fee-based cash flow as the entities acquired have primarily fee-based gathering and processing contracts.

Financial flexibility

We have historically managed our leverage ratio, maintained sufficient liquidity and have funded our growth investments with a mix of equity and debt over time. Disciplined management of leverage, liquidity and commodity price volatility allow us to be flexible in our long-term growth strategy and enable us to pursue strategic acquisitions and large growth projects.

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Experienced and long-term focused management team

Our current executive management team includes a number of individuals who formed us in 2004, and several others who managed many of our businesses prior to acquisition by Targa. They possess a breadth and depth of experience working in the midstream energy business. Other officers and key operational, commercial and financial employees have significant experience in the industry and with our assets and businesses.

Attractive cash flow characteristics

We believe that our strategy, combined with our high-quality asset portfolio, allows us to generate attractive cash flows. Geographic, business and customer diversity enhances our cash flow profile. Our Gathering and Processing segment has a contract mix that is primarily percent-of-proceeds, but also has increasing components of fee-based margin driven by fees added to percent-of-proceeds contracts for natural gas treating and compression, by new/amended contracts with a combination of percent-of-proceeds and fee-based components and by essentially fully fee-based crude oil gathering and gas gathering and processing in certain areas where fee-based contracts are prevalent such as the Williston Basin, South Oklahoma, South Texas and parts of the Permian Basin. Contracts in our Coastal Gathering and Processing segment are primarily hybrid (percent-of-liquids with a fee floor) or percent-of-liquids contracts. Contracts in the Downstream Business are predominately fee-based based on volumes and contracted rates, with a large take-or-pay component. Our contract mix, along with our commodity hedging program, serves to mitigate the impact of commodity price movements on cash flow.

We have hedged the commodity price risk associated with a portion of our expected natural gas, NGL and condensate equity volumes and future commodity purchases and sales through 2020 by entering into financially settled derivative transactions. These transactions include swaps, futures, purchased puts (or floors) and costless collars. The primary purpose of our commodity risk management activities is to hedge our exposure to price risk and to mitigate the impact of fluctuations in commodity prices on cash flow. We have intentionally tailored our hedges to approximate specific NGL products and to approximate our actual NGL and residue natural gas delivery points. Although the degree of hedging will vary, we intend to continue to manage some of our exposure to commodity prices by entering into similar hedge transactions. We also monitor and manage our inventory levels with a view to mitigate losses related to downward price exposure.

Asset base well-positioned for organic growth

We believe that our asset platform and strategic locations allow us to maintain and potentially grow our volumes and related cash flows as our supply areas benefit from continued exploration and development over time. Technology advances have resulted in increased domestic oil and liquids-rich gas drilling and production activity. The location of our assets provides us with access to natural gas and crude oil supplies and proximity to end-user markets and liquid market hubs while positioning us to capitalize on drilling and production activity in those areas. We believe that as domestic supply and demand for natural gas, crude oil and NGLs, and services for each grows over the long term, our infrastructure will increase in value as such infrastructure takes on increasing importance in meeting that growing supply and demand.

While we have set forth our strategies and competitive strengths above, our business involves numerous risks and uncertainties which may prevent us from executing our strategies. These risks include the adverse impact of changes in natural gas, NGL and condensate/crude oil prices, the supply of or demand for these commodities, and our inability to access sufficient additional production to replace natural declines in production. For a more complete description of the risks associated with an investment in us, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Our Business Operations

 

Our operations are reported in two segments: (i) Gathering and Processing, and (ii) Logistics and Marketing (also referred to as the Downstream Business).

 

Gathering and Processing Segment

Our Gathering and Processing segment consists of gathering, compressing, dehydrating, treating, conditioning, processing, and marketing natural gas and gathering crude oil. The gathering of natural gas consists of aggregating natural gas produced from various wells through small diameter gathering lines to processing plants. Natural gas has a widely varying composition depending on the field, the formation and the reservoir from which it is produced. The processing of natural gas consists of the extraction of imbedded NGLs and the removal of water vapor and other contaminants to form (i) a stream of marketable natural gas, commonly referred to as residue gas, and (ii) a stream of mixed NGLs. Once processed, the residue gas is transported to markets through pipelines that are owned by either the gatherers and processors or third parties. End-users of residue gas include large commercial and industrial customers, as well as natural gas and electric utilities serving individual consumers. We sell our residue gas either directly to such end-users or to marketers into intrastate or interstate pipelines, which are typically located in close proximity or with ready access to our facilities. The gathering of crude oil consists of aggregating crude oil production primarily through gathering pipeline systems, which deliver crude oil to a combination of other pipelines, rail and truck.

We continually seek new supplies of natural gas and crude oil, both to offset the natural decline in production from connected wells and to increase throughput volumes. We obtain additional natural gas and crude oil supply in our operating areas by contracting for production from new wells or by capturing existing production currently gathered by others. Competition for new natural gas and crude oil supplies is based primarily on location of assets, commercial terms including pre-existing contracts, service levels and access to markets. The commercial terms of natural gas gathering and processing arrangements and crude oil gathering are driven, in part, by capital costs, which are impacted by the proximity of systems to the supply source and by operating costs, which are impacted by operational efficiencies, facility design and economies of scale.

The Gathering and Processing segment's assets are located in the Permian Basin of West Texas and Southeast New Mexico; the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas; the Barnett Shale in North Texas; the Anadarko, Ardmore, and Arkoma Basins in Oklahoma (including the SCOOP and STACK) and South Central Kansas; the Williston Basin in North Dakota and in the onshore and near offshore regions of the Louisiana Gulf Coast and the Gulf of Mexico.

The natural gas processed in this segment is supplied through our gathering systems which, in aggregate, consist of approximately 27,000 miles of natural gas pipelines and include 37 owned and operated processing plants. During 2017, we processed an average of 3,473.6 MMcf/d of natural gas and produced an average of 333.2 MBbl/d of NGLs. In addition to our natural gas gathering and processing, our Badlands operations include a crude oil gathering system and four terminals with crude oil operational storage capacity of 125 MBbl, and our Permian operations include a crude oil gathering system and two terminals with crude oil operational storage capacity of 20 MBbl. During 2017, we gathered an average of 143.4 MBbl/d of crude oil.

The Gathering and Processing segment’s operations consist of Permian Midland, Permian Delaware, SouthTX, North Texas, SouthOK, WestOK, Coastal and Badlands each as described below:

 

Permian Midland

 

The Permian Midland operations consist of the San Angelo Operating Unit (“SAOU”) and WestTX:

SAOU

SAOU includes approximately 1,700 miles of pipelines in the Permian Basin that gather natural gas for delivery to the Mertzon, Sterling, Tarzan and High Plains processing plants. SAOU’s processing facilities are refrigerated cryogenic processing plants with an aggregate processing capacity of approximately 354 MMcf/d. These plants have residue gas connections to pipelines owned by affiliates of Atmos Energy Corporation (“Atmos”), Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (“Enterprise”), Kinder Morgan, Inc. (“Kinder Morgan”), Northern Natural Gas Company (“Northern”) and ONEOK, Inc. (“ONEOK”). SAOU has gathering lines that extend across nine counties.

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WestTX

The WestTX gathering system has approximately 4,500 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines located across nine counties within the Permian Basin in West Texas. We have an approximate 72.8% ownership in the WestTX system. Pioneer, the largest active driller in the Spraberry and Wolfberry Trends and a major producer in the Permian Basin, owns the remaining interest in the WestTX system.

The WestTX system includes six separate plants: the Consolidator, Driver, Midkiff, Benedum, Edward and Buffalo processing facilities. The WestTX processing operations currently have an aggregate processing nameplate capacity of 875 MMcf/d. Two additional plants in the Permian Basin are currently under construction: 1) the 200 MMcf/d Joyce Plant, which is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2018, and 2) the 200 MMcf/d Johnson Plant, which is expected to begin operations in the third quarter of 2018. In addition, two recently announced 250 MMcf/d plants are expected to begin operations in the first and third quarters of 2019, respectively.

The WestTX system has access to natural gas takeaway pipelines owned by affiliates of Atmos; Kinder Morgan; ONEOK; Enterprise; and Northern.

 

Permian Delaware

 

The Permian Delaware operations consist of Sand Hills and Versado:

Sand Hills

The Sand Hills operations consist of the Sand Hills and Loving gas processing plants and related gathering systems in West Texas. These systems consist of approximately 1,900 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines. These gathering systems are primarily low-pressure gathering systems with significant compression assets. The Sand Hills and Loving refrigerated cryogenic processing plants have aggregate processing capacity of 235 MMcf/d. These plants have residue gas connections to pipelines owned by affiliates of Enterprise, Kinder Morgan and ONEOK. Two additional plants in the Delaware Basin are currently under construction: 1) the 60 MMcf/d Oahu Plant, which is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2018, and 2) the 250 MMcf/d Wildcat Plant, which is expected to begin operations in the second quarter of 2018.

Versado

Versado consists of the Saunders, Eunice and Monument gas processing plants and related gathering systems in Southeastern New Mexico and in West Texas. Versado includes approximately 3,600 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines. The Saunders, Eunice and Monument refrigerated cryogenic processing plants have aggregate processing capacity of 255 MMcf/d. These plants have residue gas connections to pipelines owned by affiliates of Kinder Morgan and MidAmerican Energy Company.

SouthTX

The SouthTX system processes natural gas through the Silver Oak I, Silver Oak II and Raptor gas processing plants. The Silver Oak I and II facilities are each 200 MMcf/d cryogenic plants located in Bee County, Texas. The Raptor facility includes a 260 MMcf/d cryogenic plant located in La Salle County, Texas, and approximately 45 miles of high pressure gathering pipelines. As of December 31, 2017, the Raptor gas processing plant and gas gathering facilities are complete and operational. The gathering facilities connect SNMP’s Catarina gathering system to the Raptor plant. We operate the Carnero gas gathering and processing facilities.

The SouthTX gathering system includes approximately 800 miles of gathering pipelines located in the Eagle Ford Shale in southern Texas. Included in the total SouthTX pipeline mileage is our 75% interest in T2 LaSalle Gathering Company L.L.C. (“T2 LaSalle”), which has approximately 60 miles of gathering pipelines, and our 50% interest in T2 Eagle Ford Gathering Company L.L.C. (“T2 Eagle Ford”), which has approximately 120 miles of gathering pipelines. T2 LaSalle and T2 Eagle Ford are operated by a subsidiary of Southcross Holdings, L.P. (“Southcross”), which owns the remaining interests.

The SouthTX assets also include a 50% interest in T2 EF Cogeneration Holdings L.L.C. (“T2 Cogen”, together with T2 LaSalle and T2 Eagle Ford, the “T2 Joint Ventures”), which owns a cogeneration facility. T2 Cogen is operated by Southcross, which owns the remaining interest in T2 Cogen.

The SouthTX system has access to natural gas takeaway pipelines owned by affiliates of Enterprise; Kinder Morgan; Williams Partners L.P.; CPS Energy; and Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. (“Energy Transfer”).

 

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North Texas

 

North Texas includes two interconnected gathering systems in the Fort Worth Basin, Chico and Shackelford, and includes gas from the Barnett Shale and Marble Falls plays. The systems consist of approximately 4,600 miles of pipelines gathering wellhead natural gas. These plants have residue gas connections to pipelines owned by affiliates of Atmos, Energy Transfer, and Enterprise.

 

The Chico gathering system gathers natural gas for the Chico and Longhorn plants. The Chico plant has an aggregate processing capacity of 265 MMcf/d and an integrated fractionation capacity of 15 MBbl/d. The Longhorn plant has processing capacity of 200 MMcf/d. The Shackelford gathering system gathers wellhead natural gas largely for the Shackelford plant. Natural gas gathered from the northern and eastern portions of the Shackelford gathering system is typically transported to the Chico plant for processing. The Shackelford plant has processing capacity of 13 MMcf/d.

SouthOK

The SouthOK gathering system is located in the Ardmore and Anadarko Basins and includes the Golden Trend, SCOOP, and Woodford Shale areas of southern Oklahoma. The gathering system has approximately 1,500 miles of active pipelines.

The SouthOK system includes five separate operational processing plants: Velma, Velma V-60, Coalgate, Stonewall and Tupelo. The SouthOK processing operations currently have a total nameplate capacity of 560 MMcf/d. The 150 MMcf/d Hickory Hills Plant is currently under construction and expected to begin operations in the second half of 2018. The Coalgate, Stonewall, and Hickory Hills facilities are owned by Centrahoma. The SouthOK system has access to natural gas takeaway pipelines owned by affiliates of Enable Midstream Partners, L.P. (“Enable”); MPLX, LP; Kinder Morgan; ONEOK; and Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, Inc. (“Southern Star”).

WestOK

The WestOK gathering system is located in north central Oklahoma and southern Kansas’ Anadarko Basin and includes the Woodford shale and the STACK. The gathering system expands into 13 counties with approximately 6,500 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines.

The WestOK system processes natural gas through three separate cryogenic natural gas processing plants located at the Waynoka I and II and Chester facilities, and one refrigeration plant at the Chaney Dell facility, with total nameplate capacity of 458 MMcf/d. The WestOK system has access to natural gas takeaway pipelines owned by affiliates of Enable; Energy Transfer; and Southern Star.

Coastal

Our Coastal assets, located in and offshore South Louisiana, gather and process natural gas produced from shallow-water central and western Gulf of Mexico natural gas wells and from deep shelf and deep-water Gulf of Mexico production via connections to third-party pipelines or through pipelines owned by us. They consist of approximately 4,445 MMcf/d of natural gas processing capacity, 11 MBbl/d of integrated fractionation capacity, 980 miles of onshore gathering system pipelines, and 200 miles of offshore gathering system pipelines. The processing plants are comprised of five wholly-owned and operated plants (including one idled), one partially owned and operated plant, and three partially owned plants which are not operated by us. Our Coastal plants have access to markets across the U.S. through the interstate natural gas pipelines to which they are interconnected. The industry continues to rationalize gas processing capacity along the western Louisiana Gulf Coast with most of the producer volumes going to more efficient plants such as our Barracuda and Gillis plants.

Badlands

The Badlands operations are located in the Bakken and Three Forks Shale plays of the Williston Basin in North Dakota and include approximately 460 miles of crude oil gathering pipelines, 40 MBbl of operational crude oil storage capacity at the Johnsons Corner Terminal, 30 MBbl of operational crude oil storage capacity at the Alexander Terminal, 30 MBbl of operational crude oil storage at New Town and 25 MBbl of operational crude oil storage at Stanley. The Badlands assets also includes approximately 200 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines and the Little Missouri natural gas processing plant with a current gross processing capacity of approximately 90 MMcf/d. Additionally, the 200 MMcf/d LM4 Plant, in which we own a 50% interest and will operate, is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2018.

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The following table lists the Gathering and Processing segment’s processing plants and related volumes for the year ended December 31, 2017:

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Logistics and Marketing Segment

Our Logistics and Marketing segment is also referred to as our Downstream Business. Our Downstream Business includes the activities and assets necessary to convert mixed NGLs into NGL products and also includes other assets and value-added services described below. The Logistics and Marketing segment includes Grand Prix, as well as our equity interest in GCX, which are both currently under construction. The associated assets, including these pipeline projects, are generally connected to and supplied in part by our Gathering and Processing segment and, except for the pipeline projects and smaller terminals, are located predominantly in Mont Belvieu and Galena Park, Texas, and in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

The Logistics and Marketing segment also transports, distributes and markets NGLs via terminals and transportation assets across the U.S. We own or commercially manage terminal facilities in a number of states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arizona, Nevada, California, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, New Jersey, Washington and Maryland. The geographic diversity of our assets provides direct access to many NGL customers as well as markets via trucks, barges, ships, rail cars and open-access regulated NGL pipelines owned by third parties, and by Grand Prix once it is completed.

Additional description of the Logistics and Marketing segment assets and business activities associated with Fractionation, NGL Storage and Terminaling, Petroleum Logistics, NGL Distribution and Marketing, Wholesale Domestic Marketing, Refinery Services, Commercial Transportation and Natural Gas Marketing follows below.

Fractionation

After being extracted in the field, mixed NGLs are typically transported to a centralized facility for fractionation where the mixed NGLs are separated into discrete NGL products: ethane, ethane-propane mix, propane, normal butane, iso-butane and natural gasoline.

Our NGL fractionation business is under fee-based arrangements. These fees are subject to adjustment for changes in certain fractionation expenses, including energy costs. The operating results of our NGL fractionation business are dependent upon the volume of mixed NGLs fractionated, the level of fractionation fees charged and product gains/losses from fractionation.

We believe that sufficient volumes of mixed NGLs will be available for fractionation in commercially viable quantities for the foreseeable future due to historical increases in NGL production from shale plays and other shale-technology-driven resource plays in areas of the U.S. that include Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and the Rockies and certain other basins accessed by pipelines to Mont Belvieu, as well as from conventional production of NGLs in areas such as the Permian Basin, Mid-Continent, East Texas, South Louisiana and shelf and deep-water Gulf of Mexico. Hydrocarbon dew point specifications implemented by individual natural gas pipelines and the Policy Statement on Provisions Governing Natural Gas Quality and Interchangeability in Interstate Natural Gas Pipeline Company Tariffs enacted in 2006 by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) should result in volumes of mixed NGLs being available for fractionation because natural gas requires processing or conditioning to meet pipeline quality specifications. These requirements establish a base volume of mixed NGLs during periods when it might be otherwise uneconomical to process certain sources of natural gas. Furthermore, significant volumes of mixed NGLs are contractually committed to our NGL fractionation facilities.

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Although competition for NGL fractionation services is primarily based on the fractionation fee, the ability of an NGL fractionator to obtain mixed NGLs and distribute NGL products is also an important competitive factor. This ability is a function of the existence of storage infrastructure and supply and market connectivity necessary to conduct such operations. We believe that the location, scope and capability of our logistics assets, including our transportation and distribution systems, give us access to both substantial sources of mixed NGLs and a large number of end-use markets.

Our fractionation assets include ownership interests in three stand-alone fractionation facilities that are located on the Gulf Coast, two of which we operate, one at Mont Belvieu, Texas and the other at Lake Charles, Louisiana. We have an equity investment in the third fractionator, Gulf Coast Fractionators LP (“GCF”), also located at Mont Belvieu. In addition to the three stand-alone facilities in the Logistics Assets segment, we own fractionation assets at Chico and LOU in our Gathering and Processing segment.

In June 2016, we commissioned an additional fractionator, CBF Train 5, in Mont Belvieu, Texas. This expansion added 100 MBbl/d of fractionation capacity and is fully integrated with our existing Gulf Coast NGL storage, terminaling and delivery infrastructure, which includes an extensive network of connections to key petrochemical and industrial customers as well as our LPG export terminal at Galena Park on the Houston Ship Channel. In addition, we recently announced another 100 MBbl/d fractionator, which will be connected to most of our other Mont Belvieu and Galena Park facilities. The additional fractionator is expected to begin operations in the first quarter of 2019.

We also have a natural gasoline hydrotreater at Mont Belvieu, Texas that removes sulfur from natural gasoline, allowing customers to meet new, more stringent environmental standards. The facility has a capacity of 35 MBbl/d and is supported by long-term fee-based contracts that have certain guaranteed volume commitments or provisions for deficiency payments.

The following table details the Logistics and Marketing segment’s fractionation and treating facilities:

 

 

NGL Storage and Terminaling

In general, our NGL storage assets provide warehousing of mixed NGLs, NGL products and petrochemical products in underground wells, which allows for the injection and withdrawal of such products at various times in order to meet supply and demand cycles. Similarly, our terminaling operations provide the inbound/outbound logistics and warehousing of mixed NGLs, NGL products and petrochemical products in above-ground storage tanks. Our NGL underground storage and terminaling facilities serve single markets, such as propane, as well as multiple products and markets. For example, the Mont Belvieu and Galena Park facilities have extensive pipeline connections for mixed NGL supply and delivery of component NGLs, including Grand Prix once it is operational. In addition, some of our facilities are connected to marine, rail and truck loading and unloading facilities that provide services and products to our customers. We provide long and short-term storage and terminaling services and throughput capability to third-party customers for a fee.

Across the Logistics and Marketing segment, we own or operate a total of 39 storage wells at our facilities with a gross storage capacity of approximately 69 MMBbl, the usage of which may be limited by brine handling capacity, which is utilized to displace NGLs from storage.

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We operate our storage and terminaling facilities to support our key fractionation facilities at Mont Belvieu and Lake Charles for receipt of mixed NGLs and storage of fractionated NGLs to service the petrochemical, refinery, export and heating customers/markets as well as our wholesale domestic terminals that focus on logistics to service the heating market customer base. Our international export project includes our facilities at both Mont Belvieu and the Galena Park Marine Terminal near Houston, Texas. The facilities have export capacity of approximately 7 MMBbl per month of propane and/or butane with the capability to export international grade low ethane propane. We have the capability to load VLGC vessels alongside small and medium sized export vessels. We continue to experience demand growth for US-based NGLs (both propane and butane) for export into international markets.

The following table details the Logistics and Marketing segment’s NGL storage and terminaling facilities:

 

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Our fractionation, storage and terminaling business includes approximately 900 miles of company-owned pipelines to transport mixed NGLs and specification products.

Petroleum Logistics

Our Petroleum Logistics business owns and operates storage and terminaling facilities in Texas, Maryland and Washington. These facilities not only serve the refined petroleum products and crude oil markets, but also include LPGs and biofuels. The following table details the Logistics and Marketing segment’s petroleum logistics facilities:

 

 

In addition, the Channelview Splitter, which is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2018, will be part of our Petroleum Logistics business once in service.

 

NGL Distribution and Marketing

We market our own NGL production and also purchase component NGL products from other NGL producers and marketers for resale. Additionally, we also purchase product for resale in our Logistics and Marketing segment, including exports. During the year ended December 31, 2017, our distribution and marketing services business sold an average of 490.0 MBbl/d of NGLs.

We generally purchase mixed NGLs at a monthly pricing index less applicable fractionation, transportation and marketing fees and resell these component products to petrochemical manufacturers, refineries and other marketing and retail companies. This is primarily a physical settlement business in which we earn margins from purchasing and selling NGL products from customers under contract. We also earn margins by purchasing and reselling NGL products in the spot and forward physical markets. To effectively serve our distribution and marketing customers, we contract for and use many of the assets included in our Logistics and Marketing segment.

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Wholesale Domestic Marketing

Our wholesale domestic propane marketing operations primarily sell propane and related logistics services to major multi-state retailers, independent retailers and other end-users. Our propane supply primarily originates from both our refinery/gas supply contracts and our other owned or managed logistics and marketing assets. We sell propane at a fixed posted price or at a market index basis at the time of delivery and in some circumstances, we earn margin on a netback basis.

The wholesale domestic propane marketing business is significantly impacted by seasonal and weather-driven demand, particularly in the winter, which can impact the price and volume of propane sold in the markets we serve.

Refinery Services

In our refinery services business, we typically provide NGL balancing services via contractual arrangements with refiners to purchase and/or market propane and to supply butanes. We use our commercial transportation assets (discussed below) and contract for and use the storage, transportation and distribution assets included in our Logistics and Marketing segment to assist refinery customers in managing their NGL product demand and production schedules. This includes both feedstocks consumed in refinery processes and the excess NGLs produced by other refining processes. Under typical netback purchase contracts, we generally retain a portion of the resale price of NGL sales or receive a fixed minimum fee per gallon on products sold. Under netback sales contracts, fees are earned for locating and supplying NGL feedstocks to the refineries based on a percentage of the cost to obtain such supply or a minimum fee per gallon.

Key factors impacting the results of our refinery services business include production volumes, prices of propane and butanes, as well as our ability to perform receipt, delivery and transportation services in order to meet refinery demand.

Commercial Transportation

Our NGL transportation and distribution infrastructure includes a wide range of assets supporting both third-party customers and the delivery requirements of our marketing and asset management business. We provide fee-based transportation services to refineries and petrochemical companies throughout the Gulf Coast area. Our assets are also deployed to serve our wholesale domestic distribution terminals, fractionation facilities, underground storage facilities and pipeline injection terminals. These distribution assets provide a variety of ways to transport products to and from our customers.

Our transportation assets, as of December 31, 2017, include approximately 640 railcars that we lease and manage, approximately 130 leased and managed transport tractors and 18 company-owned pressurized NGL barges.

The following table details the Logistics and Marketing segment’s raw NGL, propane and butane terminaling facilities:

 

 

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Natural Gas Marketing

We also market natural gas available to us from the Gathering and Processing segment, purchase and resell natural gas in selected U.S. markets and manage the scheduling and logistics for these activities.

 

Seasonality

 

Overall, parts of our business are impacted by seasonality. Our downstream marketing business can be significantly impacted by seasonal and weather-driven demand, which can impact the price and volume of product sold in the markets we serve, as well as the level of inventory we hold in order to meet anticipated demand. See further discussion of the extent to which our business is affected by seasonality in “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”

 

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Operational Risks and Insurance

We are subject to all risks inherent in the midstream natural gas, crude oil and petroleum logistics businesses. These risks include, but are not limited to, explosions, fires, mechanical failure, terrorist attacks, product spillage, weather, nature and inadequate maintenance of rights of way and could result in damage to or destruction of operating assets and other property, or could result in personal injury, loss of life or environmental pollution, as well as curtailment or suspension of operations at the affected facility. We maintain, on behalf of ourselves and our subsidiaries, including the Partnership, general public liability, property, boiler and machinery and business interruption insurance in amounts that we consider to be appropriate for such risks. Such insurance is subject to deductibles that we consider reasonable and not excessive given the current insurance market environment.

The occurrence of a significant loss that is not insured, fully insured or indemnified against, or the failure of a party to meet its indemnification obligations, could materially and adversely affect our operations and financial condition. While we currently maintain levels and types of insurance that we believe to be prudent under current insurance industry market conditions, our inability to secure these levels and types of insurance in the future could negatively impact our business operations and financial stability, particularly if an uninsured loss were to occur. No assurance can be given that we will be able to maintain these levels of insurance in the future at rates considered commercially reasonable, particularly named windstorm coverage and contingent business interruption coverage for our onshore operations.

Competition

We face strong competition in acquiring new natural gas or crude oil supplies. Competition for natural gas and crude oil supplies is primarily based on the location of gathering and processing facilities, pricing arrangements, reputation, efficiency, flexibility, reliability and access to end-use markets or liquid marketing hubs. Competitors to our gathering and processing operations include other natural gas gatherers and processors, such as major interstate and intrastate pipeline companies, master limited partnerships and oil and gas producers. Our major competitors for natural gas supplies in our current operating regions include Enterprise, Kinder Morgan, WTG Gas Processing, L.P. (“WTG”), DCP, Devon Energy Corporation (“Devon”), Enbridge Inc., Enlink Midstream Partners LP, Energy Transfer, ONEOK, J-W Operating Company, Louisiana Intrastate Gas Company L.L.C., Enable, Medallion Midstream, LLC and several other interstate pipeline companies. Our competitors for crude oil gathering services in North Dakota include Crestwood Equity Partners LP, Kinder Morgan, Tesoro Corporation, Caliber Midstream Partners, L.P., Bridger Pipeline LLC, Paradigm Energy Partners, LLC and Summit Midstream Partners, LLC. Our competitors may have greater financial resources than we possess.

We also compete for NGL supplies for our NGL pipeline currently under construction. Competition for NGL supplies is primarily based on the location of gathering and processing facilities and their connectivity to NGL pipeline takeaway options, access to end-use markets or liquid marketing hubs, pricing and contractual arrangements, reputation, efficiency, flexibility, and reliability. Competitors to our NGL pipeline include other midstream providers with NGL transportation capabilities, such as major interstate and intrastate pipeline companies, master limited partnerships and midstream natural gas and NGL companies. Our major competitors for NGL supplies in our current operating regions include Energy Transfer, Enterprise, ONEOK and DCP.

Additionally, we face competition for mixed NGLs supplies at our fractionation facilities. Our competitors include large oil, natural gas and petrochemical companies. The fractionators in which we own an interest in the Mont Belvieu region compete for volumes of mixed NGLs with other fractionators also located at Mont Belvieu, Texas. Among the primary competitors are Enterprise, ONEOK and LoneStar NGL LLC. In addition, certain producers fractionate mixed NGLs for their own account in captive facilities. The Mont Belvieu fractionators also compete on a more limited basis with fractionators in Conway, Kansas and a number of decentralized, smaller fractionation facilities in Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico. Our other fractionation facilities compete for mixed NGLs with the fractionators at Mont Belvieu as well as other fractionation facilities located in Louisiana. Our customers who are significant producers of mixed NGLs and NGL products or consumers of NGL products may develop their own fractionation facilities in lieu of using our services. Our primary competitors in providing export services to our customers are Enterprise, Phillips 66 and LoneStar NGL LLC.

We also compete for NGL products to market through our Logistics and Marketing segment. Our competitors include major oil and gas producers who market NGL products for their own account and for others. Additionally, we compete with several other NGL marketing companies, including Enterprise, Energy Transfer, DCP, ONEOK and BP p.l.c.

 

 

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Regulation of Operations

Regulation of pipeline gathering and transportation services, natural gas, NGL and crude oil sales, and transportation of natural gas, NGLs and crude oil may affect certain aspects of our business and the market for our products and services.

Regulation of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines

We own (in conjunction with Pioneer) and operate the Driver Residue Pipeline, a gas transmission pipeline extending from our Driver processing plant in West Texas just over ten miles to points of interconnection with intrastate and interstate natural gas transmission pipelines. We have obtained a limited jurisdiction certificate of public convenience and necessity under the Natural Gas Act of 1938 (“NGA”) for the Driver Residue Pipeline. In the certificate order, among other things, FERC waived requirements pertaining to the filing of an initial rate for service, the filing of a tariff and compliance with specified accounting and reporting requirements. As such, the Driver Residue Pipeline is not currently subject to conventional rate regulation; to requirements FERC imposes on “open access” interstate natural gas pipelines; to the obligation to file and maintain a tariff; or to the obligation to conform to certain business practices and to file certain reports. If, however, we receive a bona fide request for firm service on the Driver Residue Pipeline from a third party, FERC would reexamine the waivers it has granted us and would require us to file for authorization to offer “open access” transportation under its regulations, which would impose additional costs upon us.

Gathering Pipeline Regulation

Our natural gas gathering operations are typically subject to ratable take and common purchaser statutes in the states in which we operate. The common purchaser statutes generally require gathering pipelines to purchase or take without undue discrimination as to source of supply or producer. These statutes are designed to prohibit discrimination in favor of one producer over another or one source of supply over another. The regulations under these statutes can have the effect of imposing some restrictions on our ability as an owner of gathering facilities to decide with whom we contract to gather natural gas. The states in which we operate have adopted complaint-based regulation of natural gas gathering activities, which allows natural gas producers and shippers to file complaints with state regulators in an effort to resolve grievances relating to gathering access and rate discrimination. The rates we charge for gathering are deemed just and reasonable unless challenged in a complaint. We cannot predict whether such a complaint will be filed against us in the future. Failure to comply with state regulations can result in the imposition of administrative, civil and criminal penalties.

Section 1(b) of the NGA exempts natural gas gathering facilities from regulation as a natural gas company by FERC under the NGA. We believe that the natural gas pipelines in our gathering systems, including the gas gathering systems that are part of the Badlands and of the Pelican and Seahawk gathering systems, meet the traditional tests FERC has used to establish a pipeline’s status as a gatherer not subject to regulation as a natural gas company. However, to the extent our gathering systems buy and sell natural gas, such gatherers, in their capacity as buyers and sellers of natural gas, are now subject to Order No. 704. See “—Other Federal Laws and Regulations Affecting Our Industry—FERC Market Transparency Rules.”  

Intrastate Pipeline Regulation

Though our natural gas intrastate pipelines are not subject to regulation by FERC as natural gas companies under the NGA, our intrastate pipelines may be subject to certain FERC-imposed reporting requirements depending on the volume of natural gas purchased or sold in a given year. See “—Other Federal Laws and Regulations Affecting Our Industry—FERC Market Transparency Rules.”

Our intrastate pipelines located in Texas are regulated by the Railroad Commission of Texas (the “RRC”). Our Texas intrastate pipeline, Targa Intrastate Pipeline LLC (“Targa Intrastate”), owns the intrastate pipeline that transports natural gas from its Shackelford processing plant to an interconnect with Atmos Pipeline-Texas that in turn delivers gas to the West Texas Utilities Company’s Paint Creek Power Station. Targa Intrastate also owns a 1.65-mile, ten-inch diameter intrastate pipeline that transports natural gas from a third-party gathering system into the Chico system in Denton County, Texas. Targa Intrastate is a gas utility subject to regulation by the RRC and has a tariff on file with such agency. Our other Texas intrastate pipeline, Targa Gas Pipeline LLC, owns a multi-county intrastate pipeline that transports gas in Crane, Ector, Midland, and Upton Counties, Texas, as well as some lines in North Texas. Targa Gas Pipeline LLC is a gas utility subject to regulation by the RRC.

Our Louisiana intrastate pipeline, Targa Louisiana Intrastate LLC owns an approximately 60-mile intrastate pipeline system that receives all of the natural gas it transports within or at the boundary of the State of Louisiana. Because all such gas ultimately is consumed within Louisiana, and since the pipeline’s rates and terms of service are subject to regulation by the Office of Conservation of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (“DNR”), the pipeline qualifies as a Hinshaw pipeline under Section 1(c) of the NGA and thus is exempt from most FERC regulation.

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We have an ownership interest of 50% of the capacity in a 50-mile long intrastate natural gas transmission pipeline, which extends from the tailgate of three natural gas processing plants located near Pettus, Texas to interconnections with existing intrastate and interstate natural gas pipelines near Refugio, Texas. The capacity is held by our subsidiary, TPL SouthTex Transmission Company LP (“TPL SouthTex Transmission”), which is entitled to transport natural gas through its capacity on behalf of third parties to both intrastate and interstate markets. Because the jointly owned pipeline system was initially interconnected only with intrastate markets, each of the capacity holders qualified as an “intrastate pipeline” within the meaning of the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 (“NGPA”) and therefore is able to provide transportation of natural gas to interstate markets under Section 311 of the NGPA. Under Sections 311 and 601 of the NGPA, an intrastate pipeline may transport natural gas in interstate commerce without becoming subject to FERC regulation as a “natural-gas company” under the Natural Gas Act. Transportation of natural gas under authority of Section 311 must be filed with FERC and must be shown to be “fair and equitable.” TPL SouthTex Transmission has a Statement of Operating Conditions on file with FERC, and FERC has accepted the rates, which TPL SouthTex Transmission’s predecessor filed, as being in accordance with the “fair and equitable” standard. On November 6, 2017, TPL SouthTex Transmission filed a petition for approval of its existing rates applicable to NGPA Section 311 service. We anticipate that the GCX Project, which is expected to be completed in 2019 and will transport natural gas from the Permian Basin to markets on the Texas Gulf Coast, will be subject to regulation by the RRC and under Section 311 of the NGPA.

 

We also operate natural gas pipelines that extend from the tailgate of our processing plants to interconnections with both intrastate and interstate natural gas pipelines. Although these “plant tailgate” pipelines may operate at transmission pressure levels and may transport “pipeline quality” natural gas, we believe they are generally exempt from FERC’s jurisdiction under the Natural Gas Act under FERC’s “stub” line exemption. However, Targa Midland Gas Pipeline LLC operates our Tarzan plant residue gas pipeline, which provides NGPA Section 311 service and falls outside of the “stub” line exemption. We are currently in the process of filing all required registrations and rate documentation with the Texas RRC.

 

Texas and Louisiana have adopted complaint-based regulation of intrastate natural gas transportation activities, which allows natural gas producers and shippers to file complaints with state regulators in an effort to resolve grievances relating to pipeline access and rate discrimination. The rates we charge for intrastate transportation are deemed just and reasonable unless challenged in a complaint. We cannot predict whether such a complaint will be filed against us in the future. Failure to comply with state regulations can result in the imposition of administrative, civil and criminal penalties.

 

Our intrastate NGL pipelines in Texas transport mixed and purity NGL streams between Targa’s Mont Belvieu and Galena Park, Texas facilities. Additionally, we expect to begin operating portions of the Grand Prix pipeline in 2018, which would transport mixed NGLs from the Permian Basin to intermediate points in Texas and, beginning in 2019, to Mont Belvieu, Texas. Further, we operate crude gathering pipelines in the Permian Basin. With respect to intrastate movements, these pipelines are not subject to FERC regulation, but are subject to rate regulation by the Texas Railroad Commission. They are also subject to United States Department of Transportation (“DOT”) safety regulations.

 

Our intrastate NGL pipelines in Louisiana gather mixed NGLs streams that we own from processing plants in Louisiana and deliver such streams to the Gillis fractionators in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where the mixed NGLs streams are fractionated into various products. We deliver such refined petroleum products (ethane, propane, butanes and natural gasoline) out of our fractionator to and from Targa-owned storage, to other third-party facilities and to various third-party pipelines in Louisiana. Additionally, through our 50% ownership interest in Cayenne Pipeline, LLC, we operate the Cayenne pipeline, which transports mixed NGLs from the Venice gas plant in Venice, Louisiana, to an interconnection with a third party NGL pipeline in Toca, Louisiana. These pipelines are not subject to FERC regulation or rate regulation by the DNR, but are subject to DOT safety regulations. Certain of our Louisiana intrastate NGL pipelines are subject to the Louisiana Public Service Commission 2015 General Order (the “LPSC Order”) Docket No. R-33390. We are currently in the process of registering such lines in accordance with Section 1 of the LPSC Order.

 

Our intrastate pipelines in North Dakota are subject to the various regulations of the State of North Dakota. In addition, various federal agencies within the U.S. Department of the Interior, particularly the federal Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”), Office of Natural Resources Revenue (formerly the Minerals Management Service) and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, as well as the Three Affiliated Tribes, promulgate and enforce regulations pertaining to operations on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. Please see “Other State and Local Regulation of Operations” below.

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Natural Gas Processing

Our natural gas gathering and processing operations are not presently subject to FERC regulation. However, since May 2009, we have been required to report to FERC information regarding natural gas sale and purchase transactions for some of our operations depending on the volume of natural gas transacted during the prior calendar year. See “—Other Federal Laws and Regulations Affecting Our Industry—FERC Market Transparency Rules.” There can be no assurance that our processing operations will continue to be exempt from other FERC regulation in the future.

Sales of Natural Gas, NGLs and Crude Oil

The price at which we buy and sell natural gas, NGLs and crude oil is currently not subject to federal rate regulation and, for the most part, is not subject to state rate regulation. However, with regard to our physical purchases and sales of these energy commodities and any related hedging activities that we undertake, we are required to observe anti-market manipulation laws and related regulations enforced by FERC and/or the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”). See “—Other Federal Laws and Regulations Affecting Our Industry—EP Act of 2005.” Since May 2009, we have been required to report to FERC information regarding natural gas sale and purchase transactions for some of our operations depending on the volume of natural gas transacted during the prior calendar year. See “—Other Federal Laws and Regulations Affecting Our Industry—FERC Market Transparency Rules.” Should we violate the anti-market manipulation laws and regulations, we could also be subject to related third-party damage claims by, among others, market participants, sellers, royalty owners and taxing authorities.

Other State and Local Regulation of Operations

Our business activities are subject to various state and local laws and regulations, as well as orders of regulatory bodies pursuant thereto, governing a wide variety of matters, including marketing, production, pricing, community right-to-know, protection of the environment, safety and other matters. In addition, the Three Affiliated Tribes promulgate and enforce regulations pertaining to operations on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, on which we operate a significant portion of our Badlands gathering and processing assets. The Three Affiliated Tribes is a sovereign nation having the right to enforce certain laws and regulations independent from federal, state and local statutes and regulations. For additional information regarding the potential impact of federal, state, tribal or local regulatory measures on our business, see “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business.”

Interstate Common Carrier Liquids Pipeline Regulation

Targa NGL Pipeline Company LLC (“Targa NGL”) has interstate NGL pipelines that are considered common carrier pipelines subject to regulation by FERC under the Interstate Commerce Act (the “ICA”). More specifically, Targa NGL owns a regulated twelve-inch diameter pipeline that runs between Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Mont Belvieu, Texas. This pipeline can move mixed NGLs and purity NGL products. Targa NGL also owns an eight-inch diameter pipeline and a twenty-inch diameter pipeline, each of which run between Mont Belvieu, Texas, and Galena Park, Texas. The eight-inch and the twenty-inch pipelines are also regulated and are part of an extensive mixed NGL and purity NGL pipeline receipt and delivery system that provides services to domestic and foreign import and export customers. In 2018, Targa NGL will complete another pipeline for exports at Targa’s Galena Park dock.

Additionally, we expect to begin operating portions of the Grand Prix pipeline in 2018, which would transport mixed NGLs from the Permian Basin, including points in New Mexico, to intermediate points in Texas, and beginning in 2019, to Mont Belvieu, Texas.  

The ICA requires that we maintain tariffs on file with FERC for each of these pipelines described above. Those tariffs set forth the rates we charge for providing transportation services as well as the rules and regulations governing these services. The ICA requires, among other things, that rates on interstate common carrier pipelines be “just and reasonable” and non-discriminatory. Several of these pipelines would qualify for a waiver of filing of the FERC tariffs.

Targa NGL also owns a twelve-inch diameter pipeline that runs between Mont Belvieu, Texas, and Galena Park, Texas, that transports NGLs and that has qualified for a waiver of applicable FERC regulatory requirements under the ICA based on current circumstances. The crude oil pipeline system that is part of the Badlands assets also qualifies for such a waiver. Although we do not presently make any interstate movements on our Texas crude oil pipeline system, in 2018 Targa Crude Pipeline LLC may construct a new pipeline connecting to interstate crude pipelines and, thus, make interstate movements of crude oil. We presently anticipate such movements would also qualify for a waiver.

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All such waivers are subject to revocation, however, should a particular pipeline’s circumstances change. FERC could, either at the request of other entities or on its own initiative, assert that some or all of the transportation on these pipelines is within its jurisdiction. In the event that FERC were to determine that one or both of these pipelines no longer qualified for waiver, we would likely be required to file a tariff with FERC for one or both of these pipelines, as applicable, provide a cost justification for the transportation charge, and provide service to all potential shippers without undue discrimination. Such a change in the jurisdictional status of transportation on these pipelines could adversely affect our results of operations.

Other Federal Laws and Regulations Affecting Our Industry

EP Act of 2005

The EP Act of 2005 is a comprehensive compilation of tax incentives, authorized appropriations for grants and guaranteed loans, and significant changes to the statutory policy that affects all segments of the energy industry. Among other matters, the EP Act of 2005 amends the NGA to add an anti-market manipulation provision which makes it unlawful for any entity to engage in prohibited behavior to be prescribed by FERC, and furthermore provides FERC with additional civil penalty authority. The EP Act of 2005 provides FERC with the power to assess civil penalties of up to $1 million per day for violations of the NGA and $1 million per violation per day for violations of the NGPA. The civil penalty provisions are applicable to entities that engage in the sale of natural gas for resale in interstate commerce. In 2006, FERC issued Order No. 670 to implement the anti-market manipulation provision of the EP Act of 2005. Order No. 670 does not apply to activities that relate only to intrastate or other non-jurisdictional sales or gathering, but does apply to activities of gas pipelines and storage companies that provide interstate services, as well as otherwise non-jurisdictional entities to the extent the activities are conducted “in connection with” gas sales, purchases or transportation subject to FERC jurisdiction, which includes the annual reporting requirements under a final rule on the annual natural gas transaction reporting requirements, as amended by subsequent orders on rehearing (Order No. 704), and the quarterly reporting requirement under Order No. 735. The anti-market manipulation rule and enhanced civil penalty authority reflect an expansion of FERC’s NGA enforcement authority.

FERC Market Transparency Rules

Beginning in 2007, FERC has issued a number of rules intended to provide for greater marketing transparency in the natural gas industry, including Order Nos. 704, 720, and 735. Under Order No. 704, wholesale buyers and sellers of more than 2.2 Bcf of physical natural gas in the previous calendar year, including interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines, natural gas gatherers, natural gas processors and natural gas marketers, are now required to report, on May 1 of each year, aggregate volumes of natural gas purchased or sold at wholesale in the prior calendar year to the extent such transactions utilize, contribute to, or may contribute to the formation of price indices.

Under Order No. 720, certain non-interstate pipelines delivering, on an annual basis, more than an average of 50 million MMBtu of gas over the previous three calendar years, are required to post on a daily basis certain information regarding the pipeline’s capacity and scheduled flows for each receipt and delivery point that has a design capacity equal to or greater than 15,000 MMBtu/d and interstate pipelines are required to post information regarding the provision of no-notice service. In October 2011, Order No. 720 as clarified was vacated by the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. We take the position that, at this time, all of our entities are exempt from Order No. 720 as currently effective.

Under Order No. 735, intrastate pipelines providing transportation services under Section 311 of the NGPA and Hinshaw pipelines operating under Section 1(c) of the NGA are required to report on a quarterly basis more detailed transportation and storage transaction information, including: rates charged by the pipeline under each contract; receipt and delivery points and zones or segments covered by each contract; the quantity of natural gas the shipper is entitled to transport, store, or deliver; the duration of the contract; and whether there is an affiliate relationship between the pipeline and the shipper. Order No. 735 also extends FERC’s periodic review of the rates charged by the subject pipelines from three years to five years. On rehearing, FERC reaffirmed Order No. 735 with some modifications. As currently written, this rule does not apply to our Hinshaw pipelines.

Additional proposals and proceedings that might affect the natural gas industry are pending before Congress, FERC and the courts. We cannot predict the ultimate impact of these or the above regulatory changes to our natural gas operations. We do not believe that we would be affected by any such FERC action materially differently than other midstream natural gas companies with whom we compete.

 

 

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Environmental and Operational Health and Safety Matters

General

Our operations are subject to numerous federal, tribal, state and local laws and regulations governing the discharge of materials into the environment, worker health and safety, or otherwise relating to environmental protection. As with the industry generally, compliance with current and anticipated environmental laws and regulations increases our overall cost of business, including our costs to construct, maintain, upgrade and decommission equipment and facilities. We have implemented programs and policies designed to monitor and pursue operation of our pipelines, plants and other facilities in a manner consistent with existing environmental laws and regulations. The trend in environmental regulation is to place more restrictions and limitations on activities that may adversely affect the environment and thus, any changes in environmental laws and regulations or reinterpretation of enforcement policies that result in more stringent and costly waste management or disposal, pollution control or remediation requirements could have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial position. We may be unable to pass on such increased compliance costs to our customers. We review regulatory and environmental issues as they pertain to us and we consider regulatory and environmental issues as part of our general risk management approach. See Risk Factor “Failure to comply with environmental laws or regulations or an accidental release into the environment may cause us to incur significant costs and liabilities” under Item 1A of this Form 10-K for further discussion on environmental compliance matters. See “Item 3. Legal Proceedings – Environmental Proceedings” for a discussion of certain recent or pending proceedings related to environmental matters.

Historically, our environmental compliance costs have not had a material adverse effect on our results of operations; however, there can be no assurance that such costs will not become material in the future. The following is a summary of the more significant existing environmental and worker health and safety laws and regulations, as amended from time to time, to which our business operations are subject and for which compliance may have a material adverse impact on our capital expenditures, results of operations or financial position.

Hazardous Substances and Waste

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), and comparable state laws impose joint and several, strict liability on certain classes of persons who are considered to be responsible for the release of a “hazardous substance” into the environment. These persons include current and prior owners or operators of the site where the release occurred and entities that disposed or arranged for the disposal of the hazardous substances found at the site. Liability of these “responsible persons” under CERCLA may include the costs of cleaning up the hazardous substances that have been released into the environment, for damages to natural resources and for the costs of certain health studies. CERCLA also authorizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and, in some instances, third-parties to act in response to threats to the public health or the environment and to seek to recover from these responsible persons the costs they incur. It is not uncommon for neighboring landowners and other third-parties to file claims under CERCLA for personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by the release of hazardous substances into the environment. We generate materials in the course of our operations that are regulated as “hazardous substances” under CERCLA or similar state statutes and, as a result, may be jointly and severally liable under CERCLA or similar state statutes for all or part of the costs required to clean up releases of hazardous substance into the environment.  

We also generate solid wastes, including hazardous wastes that are subject to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”) and comparable state statutes. While RCRA regulates both solid and hazardous wastes, it imposes additional stringent requirements on the generation, storage, treatment, transportation and disposal of hazardous wastes. In the course of our operations, we generate petroleum product wastes and ordinary industrial wastes that are regulated as hazardous wastes. Although certain materials generated in the exploration, development or production of crude oil and natural gas are excluded from RCRA’s hazardous waste regulations, there have been efforts from time to time to remove this exclusion. For example, in response to a lawsuit filed by several non-governmental environmental groups against the EPA for the agency’s failure to timely assess its RCRA Subtitle D criteria regulations for oil and gas wastes, the EPA and the environmental groups entered into an agreement that was finalized in a consent decree issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in December 2016. Under the decree, the EPA is required to propose no later than March 15, 2019, a rulemaking for revision of certain Subtitle D criteria regulations pertaining to oil and gas wastes or sign a determination that revision of the regulations is not necessary. If EPA proposes a rulemaking for revised oil and gas waste regulations, the Consent Decree requires that the EPA take final action following notice and comment rulemaking no later than July 15, 2021. Any future changes in law or regulation that result in these wastes, including wastes currently generated during our or our customers’ operations, being designated as “hazardous wastes” and therefore subject to more rigorous and costly disposal requirements, could have a material adverse effect on our capital expenditures and operating expenses and, with respect to such adverse effects on our customers, could reduce the demand for our services.

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We currently own or lease, and have in the past owned or leased, properties that for many years have been used for midstream natural gas, NGL and crude oil activities and refined petroleum product and crude oil storage and terminaling activities. Hydrocarbons or other substances and wastes may have been released on or under the properties owned or leased by us or on or under the other locations where these hydrocarbons or other substances and wastes have been taken for treatment or disposal. In addition, certain of these properties have been operated by third parties whose treatment and release of hydrocarbons or other substances and wastes was not under our control. These properties and any hydrocarbons, substances and wastes released thereon may be subject to CERCLA, RCRA and analogous state laws. Under these laws, we could be required to remove or remediate previously disposed wastes (including wastes released by prior owners or operators), to clean up contaminated property (including contaminated groundwater) and to perform remedial operations to prevent future contamination, the costs of which activities could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Air Emissions

The federal Clean Air Act (“CAA”) and comparable state laws and regulations restrict the emission of air pollutants from many sources, including processing plants and compressor stations and also impose various monitoring and reporting requirements. These laws and regulations may require us to obtain pre-approval for the construction or modification of certain projects or facilities expected to produce or significantly increase air emissions, obtain and strictly comply with stringent air permit requirements or utilize specific equipment or technologies to control emissions. The need to obtain permits has the potential to delay the development of oil and natural gas related projects. Over the next several years, we may be required to incur certain capital expenditures for air pollution control equipment or other air emissions related issues. For example, in 2015, the EPA issued a final rule under the CAA, lowering the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ground-level ozone to 70 parts per billion under both the primary and secondary standards to provide requisite protection of the public health and welfare. 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. Also, states are expected to implement more stringent regulations, which could apply to our operations. Additionally, in June 2016, the EPA (1) published a final rule updating federal permitting regulations for stationary sources in the oil and natural gas industry by defining and clarifying the meaning of the term “adjacent” for determining when separate surface sites and the equipment at those sites will be aggregated for permitting purposes; and (2) published a final Federal Implementation Plan to implement a minor new source review permitting program for oil and natural gas stationary sources on certain Indian reservations, including the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota. Compliance with these or other new regulations could, among other things, require installation of new emission controls on some of our equipment, result in longer permitting timelines, and significantly increase our capital expenditures and operating costs, which could adversely impact our business.

Climate Change

The EPA has determined that greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions endanger public health and the environment because emissions of such gases are contributing to warming of the earth’s atmosphere and other climatic changes. Based on these findings, the EPA has adopted regulations under the CAA related to GHG emissions. See Risk Factor “The adoption and implementation of climate change legislation and regulations restricting emissions of GHGs could result in increased operating costs and reduced demand for the products and services we provide” under Item 1A of this Form 10-K for further discussion on climate change and regulation of GHG emissions.

Water Discharges

The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (“Clean Water Act” or “CWA”) and analogous state laws impose restrictions and strict controls regarding the discharge of pollutants into navigable waters. Pursuant to the CWA and analogous state laws, permits must be obtained to discharge pollutants into state waters or waters of the United States. Any such discharge of pollutants into regulated waters must be performed in accordance with the terms of the permit issued by the EPA or the analogous state agency. Spill prevention, control and countermeasure requirements under federal law require appropriate containment berms and similar structures to help prevent the contamination of navigable waters in the event of a petroleum hydrocarbon tank spill, rupture or leak. In addition, the CWA and analogous state laws require individual permits or coverage under general permits for discharges of storm water runoff from certain types of facilities and such permits may require us to monitor and sample the storm water runoff. The CWA also prohibits the discharge of dredge and fill material in regulated waters, including wetlands, unless authorized by permit. The CWA and analogous state laws also may impose substantial civil and criminal penalties for non-compliance including spills and other non-authorized discharges.  

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In June 2015, the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the “Corps”) published a final rule attempting to clarify the federal jurisdictional reach over waters of the United States, including wetlands, but legal challenges to this rule followed. The June 2015 rule was stayed nationwide to determine whether federal district or appellate courts had jurisdiction to hear cases in the matter and, in January 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case.  Recently, on January 22, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision finding that jurisdiction resides with the federal district courts; consequently, while implementation of the June 2015 rule currently remains stayed, the previously filed district court cases will be allowed to proceed. Additionally, the EPA and Corps proposed a rulemaking in June 2017 to repeal the June 2015 rule, and announced their intent to issue a new rule defining the scope of the Clean Water Act’s jurisdiction. Further, in November 2017, the EPA and the Corps published a proposed rule specifying that the contested June 2015 rule will not take effect until two years after the November 2017 proposed rule is finalized and published in the Federal Register. As a result, future implementation of the June 2015 rule is uncertain at this time. To the extent this rule or a revised rule expands the scope of the CWA’s jurisdiction, we could face increased costs and delays with respect to obtaining permits for dredge and fill activities in wetland areas in connection with any expansion activities.

The Federal Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (“OPA”) which amends the CWA, establishes strict liability for owners and operators of facilities that are the site of a release of oil into waters of the United States. The OPA and its associated regulations impose a variety of requirements on responsible parties related to the prevention of oil spills and liability for damages resulting from such spills. A “responsible party” under the OPA includes owners and operators of onshore facilities, such as our plants and our pipelines. Under the OPA, owners and operators of facilities that handle, store, or transport oil are required to develop and implement oil spill response plans, and establish and maintain evidence of financial responsibility sufficient to cover liabilities related to an oil spill for which such parties could be statutorily responsible.

Hydraulic Fracturing

Hydraulic fracturing involves the injection of water, sand and chemical additives under pressure into rock formations to stimulate gas production. The process is typically regulated by state oil and gas commissions, but several federal agencies, including the EPA and the BLM have asserted regulatory authority over aspects of the process. Also, Congress has considered, and some states and local governments have adopted legal requirements that could impose more stringent permitting, disclosure or well construction requirements on hydraulic fracturing activities. While we do not conduct hydraulic fracturing, if new or more stringent federal, state, or local legal restrictions or prohibitions relating to the hydraulic fracturing process are adopted in areas where our oil and natural gas exploration and production customers operate, those customers could incur potentially significant added costs to comply with such requirements and experience delays or curtailment in the pursuit of exploration, development or production activities, which could reduce demand for our gathering, processing and fractionation services. See Risk Factor “Increased regulation of hydraulic fracturing could result in reductions or delays in drilling and completing new oil and natural gas wells, which could adversely impact our revenues by decreasing the volumes of natural gas, NGLs or crude oil through our facilities and reducing the utilization of our assets” under Item 1A of this Form 10-K for further discussion on hydraulic fracturing.

Endangered Species Act Considerations

The federal Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) restricts activities that may affect endangered or threatened species or their habitats. Some of our facilities may be located in areas that are designated as habitat for endangered or threatened species. If endangered species are located in areas of the underlying properties where we plan to conduct development activities, such work could be prohibited or delayed or expensive mitigation may be required. Similar protections are offered to migrating birds under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Moreover, as a result of one or more settlements approved by the federal government, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“FWS”) must make determinations within specified timeframes on the listing of numerous species as endangered or threatened under the ESA. The designation of previously unprotected species as threatened or endangered in areas where we or our customers operate could cause us or our customers to incur increased costs arising from species protection measures and could result in delays or limitations in our customers’ performance of operations, which could reduce demand for our services. Certain of our operations occur within areas of American Burying Beetle habitat. In July 2017, the FWS issued Incidental Take Permits to certain of our subsidiaries operating in Oklahoma that requested participation in the Amended Oil and Gas Industry Conservation Plan Associated with Issuance of Endangered Species Act Section 10(a)(1)(B) Permits for the American Burying Beetle in Oklahoma.

 

 

 

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Employee Health and Safety

We are subject to a number of federal and state laws and regulations, including the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act and comparable state statutes, whose purpose is to protect the health and safety of workers, both generally and within the pipeline industry. In addition, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (“OSHA”) hazard communication standard, the EPA community right-to-know regulations under Title III of the Federal Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act and comparable state statutes require that information be maintained concerning hazardous materials used or produced in our operations and that this information be provided to employees, state and local government authorities and citizens. On November 24, 2017, OSHA published a final rule in the Federal Register delaying the initial compliance deadline for the electronic submission of worker injury and illness logs to December 15, 2017. We have timely complied with these electronic reporting requirements. We and the entities in which we own an interest are also subject to OSHA Process Safety Management regulations, which are designed to prevent or minimize the consequences of catastrophic releases of toxic, reactive, flammable or explosive chemicals. The regulations apply to any process that (1) involves a listed chemical in a quantity at or above the threshold quantity specified in the regulation for that chemical, or (2) involves certain flammable gases or flammable liquids present on site in one location in a quantity of 10,000 pounds or more. Flammable liquids stored in atmospheric tanks below their normal boiling point without the benefit of chilling or refrigeration are exempt. We have implemented an internal program of inspection designed to monitor and pursue operations in a manner consistent with worker safety requirements.

Pipeline Safety Matters

Many of our natural gas, NGL and crude pipelines are subject to regulation by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (“PHMSA”), an agency under the DOT (or state analogs), under the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968, as amended (“NGPSA”), with respect to natural gas, and the Hazardous Liquids Pipeline Safety Act of 1979, as amended (“HLPSA”), with respect to crude oil, NGLs and condensates. The NGPSA and HLPSA govern the design, installation, testing, construction, operation, replacement and management of natural gas, crude oil, NGL and condensate pipeline facilities. Pursuant to these acts, PHMSA has promulgated regulations governing, among other things, pipeline wall thicknesses, design pressures, maximum operating pressures, pipeline patrols and leak surveys, minimum depth requirements and emergency procedures, as well as other matters intended to ensure adequate protection for the public and to prevent accidents and failures. Additionally, PHMSA has promulgated regulations requiring pipeline operators to develop and implement integrity management programs for certain natural gas and hazardous liquids pipelines that, in the event of a pipeline leak or rupture, could affect “high consequence areas,” which are areas where a release could have the most significant adverse consequences, including high-population areas, certain drinking water sources and unusually sensitive ecological areas. In the past, we have not incurred material costs in connection with complying with these NGPSA and HLPSA requirements. If, however, PHMSA imposes new or amended regulations, reinterprets or changes enforcement practices, or revises or issues new guidance with respect thereto, future compliance with the NGPSA and HLPSA could result in increased costs that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial position.

The Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011 (“2011 Pipeline Safety Act”), which became law in January 2012, amended the NGPSA and HLPSA by increasing the penalties for safety violations, establishing additional safety requirements for newly constructed pipelines and requiring studies of safety issues that could result in the adoption of new regulatory requirements for existing pipelines. In June 2016, President Obama signed the Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act of 2016 (“2016 Pipeline Safety Act”), further amending the NGPSA and HLPSA, extending PHMSA’s statutory mandate through 2019 and, among other things, requires PHMSA to complete certain of its outstanding mandates under the 2011 Pipeline Safety Act and develop new safety standards for natural gas storage facilities by June 22, 2018. The 2016 Pipeline Safety Act also empowers PHMSA to address imminent hazards by imposing emergency restrictions, prohibitions and safety measures on owners and operators of gas or hazardous liquid pipeline facilities without prior notice or an opportunity for a hearing. PHMSA published an interim rule 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.  

We, or the entities in which we own an interest, inspect our pipelines regularly in a manner consistent with state and federal maintenance requirements. Nonetheless, the adoption of new or amended regulations by PHMSA that result in more stringent or costly pipeline integrity management or safety standards could have a significant adverse effect on us. The safety enhancement requirements and other provisions of the 2016 Pipeline Safety Act as well as any implementation of PHMSA rules thereunder could require us to install new or modified safety controls, pursue additional capital projects, or conduct maintenance programs on an accelerated basis, any or all of which tasks could result in our incurring increased operating costs or operational delays that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial position.

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In addition, states have adopted regulations, similar to existing PHMSA regulations, for intrastate gathering and transmission lines. Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico, for example, have developed regulatory programs that parallel the federal regulatory scheme and are applicable to intrastate pipelines transporting natural gas, NGLs and crude oil. North Dakota has similarly implemented regulatory programs applicable to intrastate natural gas pipelines. We currently estimate an annual average cost of $3.3 million for the years 2018 through 2020 to perform necessary integrity management program testing on our pipelines required by existing PHMSA and state regulations. This estimate does not include the costs, if any, of any repair, remediation, or preventative or mitigating actions that may be determined to be necessary as a result of the testing program, which costs could be substantial. However, we do not currently expect that any such costs would be material to our financial condition or results of operations.

See Risk Factors “We may incur significant costs and liabilities resulting from performance of pipeline integrity programs and related repairs” and “Federal and state legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to pipeline safety that require the use of new or more stringent safety controls or result in more stringent enforcement of applicable legal requirements could subject us to increased capital costs, operational delays and costs of operation” under Item 1A of this Form 10-K for further discussion on pipeline safety standards, including integrity management requirements.

Title to Properties and Rights of Way

Our real property falls into two categories: (1) parcels that we own in fee and (2) parcels in which our interest derives from leases, easements, rights of way, permits or licenses from landowners or governmental authorities permitting the use of such land for our operations. Portions of the land on which our plants and other major facilities are located are owned by us in fee title and we believe that we have satisfactory title to these lands. The remainder of the land on which our plant sites and major facilities are located are held by us pursuant to ground leases between us, as lessee, and the fee owner of the lands, as lessors. We and our predecessors have leased these lands for many years without any material challenge known to us relating to the title to the land upon which the assets are located, and we believe that we have satisfactory leasehold estates to such lands. We have no knowledge of any challenge to the underlying fee title of any material lease, easement, rights of way, permit, lease or license, and we believe that we have satisfactory title to all of our material leases, easements, rights of way, permits, leases and licenses.

Employees

Through a wholly-owned subsidiary of ours, we employ approximately 2,130 people who primarily support our operations. None of those employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements. We consider our employee relations to be good.

Financial Information by Reportable Segment

See “Segment Information” included under Note 26 of the “Consolidated Financial Statements” for a presentation of financial results by reportable segment and see “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations– Results of Operations– By Reportable Segment” for a discussion of our financial results by segment.

Available Information

We make certain filings with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments and exhibits to those reports. We make such filings available free of charge through our website, http://www.targaresources.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed with the SEC. The filings are also available through the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549 or by calling 1-800-SEC-0330. Also, these filings are available on the internet at http://www.sec.gov. Our press releases and recent analyst presentations are also available on our website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Item 1A. Risk Factors.

The nature of our business activities subjects us to certain hazards and risks. You should consider carefully the following risk factors together with all the other information contained in this report. If any of the following risks were to occur, then our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

We have a substantial amount of indebtedness which may adversely affect our financial position.

We have a substantial amount of indebtedness. As of December 31, 2017, we had $4,223.0 million outstanding under the Partnership’s senior unsecured notes and $54.6 million of outstanding senior notes of TPL, excluding $0.4 million of unamortized net discounts and premiums. We also had $350.0 million outstanding under the Partnership’s Securitization Facility. In addition, we had (i) $20.0 million of borrowings outstanding, $27.2 million of letters of credit outstanding and $1,552.8 million of additional borrowing capacity available under the TRP Revolver, (ii) $435.0 million of borrowings outstanding, and $235.0 million of additional borrowing capacity available under the TRC Revolver. For the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, our consolidated interest expense, net was $233.7 million, $254.2 million and $231.9 million.

This substantial level of indebtedness increases the possibility that we may be unable to generate cash sufficient to pay, when due, the principal of, interest on or other amounts due in respect of indebtedness. This substantial indebtedness, combined with lease and other financial obligations and contractual commitments, could have other important consequences to us, including the following:

Our long-term unsecured debt is currently rated by Standard & Poor’s Corporation (“S&P”) and Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”). As of December 31, 2017, the Partnership’s senior unsecured debt was rated “BB-” by S&P. As of December 31, 2017, the Partnership’s senior unsecured debt was rated “Ba3” by Moody’s. Any future downgrades in our credit ratings could negatively impact our cost of raising capital, and a downgrade could also adversely affect our ability to effectively execute aspects of our strategy and to access capital in the public markets.

Our ability to service our debt will depend upon, among other things, our future financial and operating performance, which will be affected by prevailing economic conditions and financial, business, regulatory and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. If our operating results are not sufficient to service our current or future indebtedness, we will be forced to take actions such as reducing or delaying business activities, acquisitions, investments or capital expenditures, selling assets, restructuring or refinancing debt, or seeking additional equity capital, and such results may adversely affect our ability to make cash dividends. We may not be able to affect any of these actions on satisfactory terms, or at all.

Despite current indebtedness levels, we may still be able to incur substantially more debt. This could increase the risks associated with compliance with our financial covenants.

We may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future. The TRP Revolver and TRC Revolver allow us to request increases in commitments up to an additional $500 million and $200 million, respectively. Although our debt agreements contain restrictions on the incurrence of additional indebtedness, these restrictions are subject to a number of significant qualifications and exceptions, and any indebtedness incurred in compliance with these restrictions could be substantial. If we incur additional debt, this could increase the risks associated with compliance with our financial covenants.

 

 

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Increases in interest rates could adversely affect our business and may cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

We have significant exposure to increases in interest rates. As of December 31, 2017, our total indebtedness was $5,082.6 million, excluding $0.4 million of net premiums and $30.0 million of net debt issuance costs, of which $4,277.6 million was at fixed interest rates and $805.0 million was at variable interest rates. A one percentage point increase in the interest rate on our variable interest rate debt would have increased our consolidated annual interest expense by approximately $8.1 million. As a result of this amount of variable interest rate debt, our financial condition could be negatively affected by increases in interest rates.

Additionally, like all equity investments, an investment in our common stock is subject to certain risks. In exchange for accepting these risks, investors may expect to receive a higher rate of return than would otherwise be obtainable from lower-risk investments. Accordingly, as interest rates rise, the ability of investors to obtain higher risk-adjusted rates of return by purchasing government-backed debt securities may cause a corresponding decline in demand for riskier investments generally, including yield-based equity investments. Reduced demand for our common stock resulting from investors seeking other more favorable investment opportunities may cause the trading price of our common stock to decline.

The terms of our debt agreements may restrict our current and future operations, particularly our ability to respond to changes in business or to take certain actions, including to pay dividends to our stockholders

The agreements governing our outstanding indebtedness contain, and any future indebtedness we incur will likely contain, a number of restrictive covenants that impose significant operating and financial restrictions, including restrictions on our ability to engage in acts that may be in our best long-term interests. These agreements include covenants that, among other things, restrict our ability to:

In addition, certain of our debt agreements require us to satisfy and maintain specified financial ratios and other financial condition tests. Our ability to meet those financial ratios and tests can be affected by events beyond our control, and we cannot assure you that we will meet those ratios and tests.

A breach of any of these covenants could result in an event of default under our debt agreements. Upon the occurrence of such an event of default, all amounts outstanding under the applicable debt agreements could be declared to be immediately due and payable and all applicable commitments to extend further credit could be terminated. For example, if we are unable to repay the accelerated debt under the TRP Revolver, the lenders under the TRP Revolver could proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure that indebtedness. If we are unable to repay the accelerated debt under the Securitization Facility, the lenders under the Securitization Facility could proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure the indebtedness. We have pledged the assets and equity of certain of the Partnership’s subsidiaries as collateral under the TRP Revolver and the accounts receivables of Targa Receivables LLC under the Securitization Facility. If the indebtedness under our debt agreements is accelerated, we cannot assure you that we will have sufficient assets to repay the indebtedness. The operating and financial restrictions and covenants in these debt agreements and any future financing agreements may adversely affect our ability to finance future operations or capital needs or to engage in other business activities.

 

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Our cash flow is affected by supply and demand for natural gas and NGL products and by natural gas, NGL, crude oil and condensate prices, and decreases in these prices could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Our operations can be affected by the level of natural gas and NGL prices and the relationship between these prices. The prices of crude oil, natural gas and NGLs have been volatile and we expect this volatility to continue. Beginning in the third quarter of 2014, crude oil and natural gas prices significantly declined and continued to decline during 2015 and remained depressed in 2016 before starting to recover in 2017. Our future cash flow may be materially adversely affected if we experience significant, prolonged price deterioration. The markets and prices for crude oil, natural gas and NGLs depend upon factors beyond our control. These factors include supply and demand for these commodities, which fluctuates with changes in market and economic conditions, and other factors, including: