Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
General Upstream operations consist primarily of exploring for, developing and producing crude oil and natural gas; liquefaction, transportation and regasification associated with liquefied natural gas (LNG); transporting crude oil by major international oil export pipelines; processing, transporting, storage and marketing of natural gas; and a gas-to-liquids project. Downstream operations relate primarily to refining crude oil into petroleum products; marketing of crude oil and refined products; transporting crude oil and refined products by pipeline, marine vessel, motor equipment and rail car; and manufacturing and marketing of commodity petrochemicals, plastics for industrial uses, and additives for fuels and lubricant oils.
The company’s Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These require the use of estimates and assumptions that affect the assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses reported in the financial statements, as well as amounts included in the notes thereto, including discussion and disclosure of contingent liabilities. Although the company uses its best estimates and judgments, actual results could differ from these estimates as future confirming events occur.
Subsidiary and Affiliated Companies The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of controlled subsidiary companies more than 50 percent-owned and any variable-interest entities in which the company is the primary beneficiary. Undivided interests in oil and gas joint ventures and certain other assets are consolidated on a proportionate basis. Investments in and advances to affiliates in which the company has a substantial ownership interest of approximately 20 percent to 50 percent, or for which the company exercises significant influence but not control over policy decisions, are accounted for by the equity method. As part of that accounting, the company recognizes gains and losses that arise from the issuance of stock by an affiliate that results in changes in the company’s proportionate share of the dollar amount of the affiliate’s equity currently in income.
Investments are assessed for possible impairment when events indicate that the fair value of the investment may be below the company’s carrying value. When such a condition is deemed to be other than temporary, the carrying value of the investment is written down to its fair value, and the amount of the write-down is included in net income. In making the determination as to whether a decline is other than temporary, the company considers such factors as the duration and extent of the decline, the investee’s financial performance, and the company’s ability and intention to retain its investment for a period that will be sufficient to allow for any anticipated
recovery in the investment’s market value. The new cost basis of investments in these equity investees is not changed for subsequent recoveries in fair value.
Differences between the company’s carrying value of an equity investment and its underlying equity in the net assets of the affiliate are assigned to the extent practicable to specific assets and liabilities based on the company’s analysis of the various factors giving rise to the difference. When appropriate, the company’s share of the affiliate’s reported earnings is adjusted quarterly to reflect the difference between these allocated values and the affiliate’s historical book values.
Derivatives The majority of the company’s activity in derivative commodity instruments is intended to manage the financial risk posed by physical transactions. For some of this derivative activity, generally limited to large, discrete or infrequently occurring transactions, the company may elect to apply fair value or cash flow hedge accounting. For other similar derivative instruments, generally because of the short-term nature of the contracts or their limited use, the company does not apply hedge accounting, and changes in the fair value of those contracts are reflected in current income. For the company’s commodity trading activity, gains and losses from derivative instruments are reported in current income. The company may enter into interest rate swaps from time to time as part of its overall strategy to manage the interest rate risk on its debt. Interest rate swaps related to a portion of the company’s fixed-rate debt, if any, may be accounted for as fair value hedges. Interest rate swaps related to floating-rate debt, if any, are recorded at fair value on the balance sheet with resulting gains and losses reflected in income. Where Chevron is a party to master netting arrangements, fair value receivable and payable amounts recognized for derivative instruments executed with the same counterparty are generally offset on the balance sheet.
Short-Term Investments All short-term investments are classified as available for sale and are in highly liquid debt securities. Those investments that are part of the company’s cash management portfolio and have original maturities of three months or less are reported as “Cash equivalents.” Bank time deposits with maturities greater than 90 days are reported as “Time deposits.” The balance of short-term investments is reported as “Marketable securities” and is marked-to-market, with any unrealized gains or losses included in “Other comprehensive income.”
Inventories Crude oil, petroleum products and chemicals inventories are generally stated at cost, using a last-in, first-out method. In the aggregate, these costs are below market. “Materials, supplies and other” inventories generally are stated at average cost.
Properties, Plant and Equipment The successful efforts method is used for crude oil and natural gas exploration and production activities. All costs for development wells, related plant and equipment, proved mineral interests in crude oil and natural gas properties, and related asset retirement obligation (ARO) assets are capitalized. Costs of exploratory wells are capitalized pending determination of whether the wells found proved reserves. Costs of wells that are assigned proved reserves remain capitalized. Costs also are capitalized for exploratory wells that have found crude oil and natural gas reserves even if the reserves cannot be classified as proved when the drilling is completed, provided the exploratory well has found a sufficient quantity of reserves to justify its completion as a producing well and the company is making sufficient progress assessing the reserves and the economic and operating viability of the project. All other exploratory wells and costs are expensed. Refer to Note 19, beginning on page FS-46, for additional discussion of accounting for suspended exploratory well costs.
Long-lived assets to be held and used, including proved crude oil and natural gas properties, are assessed for possible impairment by comparing their carrying values with their associated undiscounted, future net before-tax cash flows. Events that can trigger assessments for possible impairments include write-downs of proved reserves based on field performance, significant decreases in the market value of an asset, significant change in the extent or manner of use of or a physical change in an asset, and a more-likely-than-not expectation that a long-lived asset or asset group will be sold or otherwise disposed of significantly sooner than the end of its previously estimated useful life. Impaired assets are written down to their estimated fair values, generally their discounted, future net before-tax cash flows. For proved crude oil and natural gas properties in the United States, the company generally performs an impairment review on an individual field basis. Outside the United States, reviews are performed on a country, concession, development area or field basis, as appropriate. In Downstream, impairment reviews are performed on the basis of a refinery, a plant, a marketing/lubricants area or distribution area, as appropriate. Impairment amounts are recorded as incremental “Depreciation, depletion and amortization” expense.
Long-lived assets that are held for sale are evaluated for possible impairment by comparing the carrying value of the asset with its fair value less the cost to sell. If the net book value exceeds the fair value less cost to sell, the asset is considered impaired and adjusted to the lower value. Refer to Note 9, beginning on page FS-32, relating to fair value measurements.
The fair value of a liability for an ARO is recorded as an asset and a liability when there is a legal obligation associated with the retirement of a long-lived asset and the amount can be reasonably estimated. Refer also to Note 24, on page FS-56, relating to AROs.
Depreciation and depletion of all capitalized costs of proved crude oil and natural gas producing properties, except mineral interests, are expensed using the unit-of-production method, generally by individual field, as the proved developed reserves are produced. Depletion expenses for capitalized costs of proved mineral interests are recognized using the unit-of-production method by individual field as the related proved reserves are produced. Periodic valuation provisions for impairment of capitalized costs of unproved mineral interests are expensed.
The capitalized costs of all other plant and equipment are depreciated or amortized over their estimated useful lives. In general, the declining-balance method is used to depreciate plant and equipment in the United States; the straight-line method is generally used to depreciate international plant and equipment and to amortize all capitalized leased assets.
Gains or losses are not recognized for normal retirements of properties, plant and equipment subject to composite group amortization or depreciation. Gains or losses from abnormal retirements are recorded as expenses, and from sales as “Other income.”
Expenditures for maintenance (including those for planned major maintenance projects), repairs and minor renewals to maintain facilities in operating condition are generally expensed as incurred. Major replacements and renewals are capitalized.
Goodwill Goodwill resulting from a business combination is not subject to amortization. The company tests such goodwill at the reporting unit level for impairment on an annual basis and between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of the reporting unit below its carrying amount.
Environmental Expenditures Environmental expenditures that relate to ongoing operations or to conditions caused by past operations are expensed. Expenditures that create future benefits or contribute to future revenue generation are capitalized.
Liabilities related to future remediation costs are recorded when environmental assessments or cleanups or both are probable and the costs can be reasonably estimated. For the company’s U.S. and Canadian marketing facilities, the accrual is based in part on the probability that a future remediation commitment will be required. For crude oil, natural gas and
mineral-producing properties, a liability for an ARO is made in accordance with accounting standards for asset retirement and environmental obligations. Refer to Note 24, on page FS-56, for a discussion of the company’s AROs.
For federal Superfund sites and analogous sites under state laws, the company records a liability for its designated share of the probable and estimable costs, and probable amounts for other potentially responsible parties when mandated by the regulatory agencies because the other parties are not able to pay their respective shares.
The gross amount of environmental liabilities is based on the company’s best estimate of future costs using currently available technology and applying current regulations and the company’s own internal environmental policies. Future amounts are not discounted. Recoveries or reimbursements are recorded as assets when receipt is reasonably assured.
Currency Translation The U.S. dollar is the functional currency for substantially all of the company’s consolidated operations and those of its equity affiliates. For those operations, all gains and losses from currency remeasurement are included in current period income. The cumulative translation effects for those few entities, both consolidated and affiliated, using functional currencies other than the U.S. dollar are included in “Currency translation adjustment” on the Consolidated Statement of Equity.
Revenue Recognition Revenues associated with sales of crude oil, natural gas, coal, petroleum and chemicals products, and all other sources are recorded when title passes to the customer, net of royalties, discounts and allowances, as applicable. Revenues
from natural gas production from properties in which Chevron
has an interest with other producers are generally recognized using the entitlement method. Excise, value-added and similar taxes assessed by a governmental authority on a revenue-producing transaction between a seller and a customer are presented on a gross basis. The associated amounts are shown as a footnote to the Consolidated Statement of Income, on page FS-22. Purchases and sales of inventory with the same counterparty that are entered into in contemplation of one another (including buy/sell arrangements) are combined and recorded on a net basis and reported in “Purchased crude oil and products” on the Consolidated Statement of Income.
Stock Options and Other Share-Based Compensation The company issues stock options and other share-based compensation to certain employees. For equity awards, such as stock options, total compensation cost is based on the grant date fair value, and for liability awards, such as stock appreciation rights, total compensation cost is based on the settlement value. The company recognizes stock-based compensation expense for all awards over the service period required to earn the award, which is the shorter of the vesting period or the time period an employee becomes eligible to retain the award at retirement. Stock options and stock appreciation rights granted under the company’s Long-Term Incentive Plan have graded vesting provisions by which one-third of each award vests on the first, second and third anniversaries of the date of grant. The company amortizes these graded awards on a straight-line basis.
