MPLX LPMPLX
MPLX LP Commitments Disclosure
Commitments and Contingencies
MPLX is the subject of, or a party to, a number of pending or threatened legal actions, contingencies and commitments involving a variety of matters, including laws and regulations relating to the environment. Some of these matters are discussed below. For matters for which MPLX has not recorded a liability, MPLX is unable to estimate a range of possible loss because the issues involved have not been fully developed through pleadings, discovery or court proceedings. However, the ultimate resolution of some of these contingencies could, individually or in the aggregate, be material.
Environmental Matters
MPLX is subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the environment. These laws generally provide for control of pollutants released into the environment and require responsible parties to undertake remediation of hazardous waste disposal sites. Penalties may be imposed for non-compliance.
At December 31, 2025 and 2024, accrued liabilities for remediation totaled $ and $, respectively. It is not presently possible to estimate the ultimate amount of all remediation costs that might be incurred or the penalties, if any, that may be imposed.
MPLX is involved in environmental enforcement matters arising in the ordinary course of business. While the outcome and impact to MPLX cannot be predicted with certainty, management believes the resolution of these environmental matters will not, individually or collectively, have a material adverse effect on its consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows.
Other Legal Proceedings
Tesoro High Plains Pipeline
In July 2020, Tesoro High Plains Pipeline Company, LLC (“THPP”), a subsidiary of MPLX, received a Notification of Trespass Determination from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (“BIA”) relating to a portion of the Tesoro High Plains Pipeline. The notification demanded the immediate cessation of pipeline operations and assessed trespass damages of approximately $187 million. After subsequent appeal proceedings and in compliance with a new order issued by the BIA, THPP paid approximately $4 million in assessed trespass damages and ceased use of the portion of the pipeline that crosses the property at issue. In March 2021, the BIA issued an order purporting to vacate the BIA's prior orders related to THPP’s alleged trespass and directed the Regional Director of the BIA to reconsider the issue of THPP’s alleged trespass and issue a new order. In April 2021, THPP filed a lawsuit in the District of North Dakota against the United States of America, the U.S. Department of the Interior and the BIA (collectively, the “U.S. Government Parties”) challenging the March 2021 order purporting to vacate all previous orders related to THPP’s alleged trespass. The case will proceed on the merits of THPP’s challenge to the March 2021 order purporting to vacate all previous orders related to THPP’s alleged trespass.
MPLX is also a party to a number of other lawsuits and other proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. While the ultimate outcome and impact to MPLX cannot be predicted with certainty, management believes the resolution of these other lawsuits and proceedings will not, individually or collectively, have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
Guarantees
Over the years, MPLX has sold various assets in the normal course of its business. Certain of the related agreements contain performance and general guarantees, including guarantees regarding inaccuracies in representations, warranties, covenants and agreements, and environmental and general indemnifications that require MPLX to perform upon the occurrence of a triggering event or condition. These guarantees and indemnifications are part of the normal course of selling assets. MPLX is typically not able to calculate the maximum potential amount of future payments that could be made under such contractual provisions because of the variability inherent in the guarantees and indemnities. Most often, the nature of the guarantees and indemnities is such that there is no appropriate method for quantifying the exposure because the underlying triggering event has little or no past experience upon which a reasonable prediction of the outcome can be based.
Dakota Access Pipeline
We hold a 9.19 percent indirect interest in Dakota Access, which owns and operates the Bakken Pipeline system. In 2020, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (the “D.D.C.”) ordered the United States Army Corps of Engineers (“Army Corps”), which granted permits and an easement for the Bakken Pipeline system, to prepare an environmental impact statement (“EIS”) relating to an easement under Lake Oahe in North Dakota. The D.D.C. later vacated the easement. The Army Corps issued the final EIS in late 2025 and recommended the continued operation of the pipeline. The Army Corps may issue a Record of Decision now that the final EIS has been issued. New litigation may be filed now that the final EIS has been issued.
We have entered into a Contingent Equity Contribution Agreement whereby MPLX LP, along with the other joint venture owners in the Bakken Pipeline system, has agreed to make equity contributions to the joint venture upon certain events occurring to allow the entities that own and operate the Bakken Pipeline system to satisfy their senior note payment obligations.
If the vacatur of the easement results in a temporary shutdown of the pipeline, MPLX would have to contribute its 9.19 percent pro rata share of funds required to pay interest accruing on the notes and any portion of the principal that matures while the pipeline is shut down. MPLX also expects to contribute its 9.19 percent pro rata share of any costs to remediate any deficiencies to reinstate the easement and/or return the pipeline into operation. If the vacatur of the easement results in a permanent shutdown of the pipeline, MPLX would have to contribute its 9.19 percent pro rata share of the cost to redeem the bonds (including the one percent redemption premium required pursuant to the indenture governing the notes) and any accrued and unpaid interest. As of December 31, 2025, our maximum potential undiscounted payments under the Contingent Equity Contribution Agreement were approximately $78 million.
WPC Parent, LLC
MPLX’s maximum exposure to loss for WPC Parent, LLC includes an $109 million commitment to indemnify a joint venture member for our pro rata share of any payments made under a performance guarantee for construction of a pipeline by an equity method investee.
Contractual Commitments and Contingencies
At December 31, 2025, MPLX’s contractual commitments to acquire property, plant and equipment totaled $311 million. In addition, from time to time and in the ordinary course of business, MPLX and its affiliates provide guarantees of MPLX’s
subsidiaries’ payment and performance obligations in the Natural Gas and NGL Services segment. Certain natural gas processing and gathering arrangements require MPLX to construct new natural gas processing plants, natural gas gathering pipelines and NGL pipelines and contain certain fees and charges if specified construction milestones are not achieved for reasons other than force majeure. In certain cases, certain producers may have the right to cancel the processing arrangements if there are significant delays that are not due to force majeure. As of December 31, 2025, management does not believe there are any indications that MPLX will not be able to meet the construction milestones, that force majeure does not apply or that such fees and charges will otherwise be triggered.
Other Contractual Obligations
MPLX executed various third-party transportation, terminalling, and gathering and processing agreements that obligate us to minimum volume, throughput or payment commitments over the remaining terms, which range from less than one year to seven years. After the minimum volume commitments are met in these agreements, MPLX pays additional amounts based on throughput. These agreements may include escalation clauses based on various inflationary indices; however, those potential increases have not been incorporated in minimum fees due under these agreements presented below. The minimum future payments under these agreements as of December 31, 2025 are as follows:
| (In millions) | |||||
| 2026 | $ | 163 | |||
| 2027 | 146 | ||||
| 2028 | 132 | ||||
| 2029 | 46 | ||||
| 2030 | 12 | ||||
| 2031 and thereafter | 10 | ||||
| Total | $ | 509 | |||
Historical Timeline
| Fiscal Year | Filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Feb 26, 2026 | Showing above |
| 2024 | Feb 27, 2025 | |
| 2023 | Feb 28, 2024 | |
| 2022 | Feb 23, 2023 | |
| 2021 | Feb 24, 2022 | |
| 2020 | Feb 26, 2021 | |
| 2019 | Feb 28, 2020 | |
| 2018 | Feb 28, 2019 | |
| 2017 | Feb 28, 2018 | |
| 2016 | Feb 24, 2017 | |
| 2015 | Feb 26, 2016 | |
About Commitments Disclosures
Commitments and contingencies disclosures catalog a company's off-balance-sheet obligations and legal exposures — purchase commitments, guarantee arrangements, pending litigation, and regulatory proceedings. These items represent potential future cash outflows that may not appear as liabilities on the balance sheet until they become probable and estimable.
Key signals: litigation reserves and disclosed loss ranges quantify management's estimate of legal exposure, but unquantified "reasonably possible" losses often represent the larger risk. Watch for changes in language around pending cases — shifts from "remote" to "reasonably possible" or increases in estimated loss ranges signal deteriorating outcomes. Unconditional purchase obligations and take-or-pay contracts create fixed cost structures that reduce operational flexibility. Guarantee arrangements for subsidiaries or joint ventures can create cascading obligations. Compare the total commitment schedule against projected free cash flow to assess whether the company can meet its obligations without additional financing.