Calumet Specialty Products Partners (CLMT) 10-K2020 FY Annual report

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This Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Annual Report”) includes certain “forward-looking statements.” These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology including “may,” “intend,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “continue,” “plan,” “should,” “could,” “would,” or other similar words. The statements regarding (i) the effect, impact, potential duration or other implications of the ongoing novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic and global crude oil production levels on our business and operations, (ii) demand for refined petroleum products in markets we serve, (iii) estimated capital expenditures as a result of required audits or required operational changes or other environmental and regulatory liabilities, (iv) our anticipated levels of, use and effectiveness of derivatives to mitigate our exposure to crude oil price changes, natural gas price changes and fuel products price changes, (v) estimated costs of complying with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (“EPA”) Renewable Fuel Standard (“RFS”), including the prices paid for Renewable Identification Numbers (“RINs”) and the amount of RINs we may be required to purchase in any given compliance year, (vi) our ability to meet our financial commitments, debt service obligations, debt instrument covenants, contingencies and anticipated capital expenditures, (vii) our access to capital to fund capital expenditures and our working capital needs and our ability to obtain debt or equity financing on satisfactory terms, (viii) our access to inventory financing under our supply and offtake agreements, (ix) our ability to remediate the identified material weakness and further strengthen the overall controls surrounding information systems (x) the future effectiveness of our enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) system to further enhance operating efficiencies and provide more effective management of our business operations and (xi) potential costs and savings associated with our cost reduction plan to reduce overall operating expenses, as well as other matters discussed in this Annual Report that are not purely historical data, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our expectations and beliefs as of the date hereof concerning future developments and their potential effect on us. While management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made, there can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we anticipate. All comments concerning our current expectations for future sales and operating results are based on our forecasts for our existing operations and do not include the potential impact of any future acquisition or disposition transactions. Our forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical experience and our present expectations or projections. Known material factors that could cause our actual results to differ from those in the forward-looking statements are those described in Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” of this Annual Report. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date they are made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

References in this Annual Report to “Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P.,” “Calumet,” “the Company,” “we,” “our,” “us” or like terms refer to Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P. and its subsidiaries. References to “Predecessor” in this Annual Report refer to Calumet Lubricants Co., Limited Partnership and its subsidiaries, the assets and liabilities of which were contributed to Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P. and its subsidiaries upon the completion of our initial public offering in 2006. References in this Annual Report to “our general partner” refer to Calumet GP, LLC, the general partner of Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P.

We are a leading independent producer of high-quality, specialty hydrocarbon products in North America. We are headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, and own specialty and fuel products facilities primarily located in northwest Louisiana, northern Montana, western Pennsylvania, Texas and eastern Missouri. We own and lease additional facilities, primarily related to production and distribution of our products throughout the United States (“U.S.”). Our business is organized into three segments: our core specialty products segment, fuel products segment and corporate segment. In our specialty products segment, we process crude oil and other feedstocks into a wide variety of customized lubricating oils, solvents, waxes, synthetic lubricants, and other products. Our specialty products are sold to domestic and international customers who purchase them primarily as raw material components for various industrial and consumer-facing applications. We also blend, package, and market specialty products through our Royal Purple, Bel-Ray, and TruFuel brands. In our fuel products segment, we process crude oil into a variety of fuel and fuel-related products, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt and other products, and from time to time resell purchased crude oil to third-party customers. Our corporate segment primarily consists of general and administrative expenses not allocated to the specialty products or fuel products segments. Please read Note 20 - “Segments and Related Information” for further information under Part II, Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

Our management team is dedicated to improving our operations by executing the following strategies:

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

Consistent with our business growth strategy, we are continuously engaged in discussions with potential sellers regarding the possible purchase of assets and operations that are strategic and complementary to our existing operations. These acquisition efforts may involve participation by us in processes that have been made public and involve a number of potential buyers, commonly referred to as “auction” processes, as well as situations in which we believe we are the only potential buyer or one of a limited number of potential buyers in negotiations with the potential seller. These acquisition efforts often involve assets and operations which, if acquired, could have a material effect on our financial condition and results of operations and require special financing.

Our acquisition program targets properties that management believes will be financially accretive, and we intend to focus in particular on strategic acquisitions of specialty products assets that leverage existing core competencies and/or that have an identifiable competitive advantage we can exploit as the new owner.

As part of our portfolio strategy, we continuously evaluate our portfolio which allows an objective assessment of potential divestiture candidates that are non-core to our business and/or worth more to a buyer than to us. The combination of acquisition and divestment activity intends to maximize our return on invested capital by creating and maintaining a portfolio of core assets with significant potential to generate more stable and growing cash flows, optimize our assets, improve our operating efficiency and capture increased feedstock advantages.

As we continue to seek to optimize our asset portfolio, which may include the divestiture of certain non-core assets, we intend to redeploy capital into projects to develop assets that are better suited to our core specialty products business strategy.

There were no material acquisitions or divestitures completed during 2020. During 2019, we completed the following divestitures:

Going forward, we intend to tailor our approach toward owning businesses with stable cash flows and growing end markets. As a result, we may pursue potential arrangements with third parties to divest certain assets to enable us to further reduce the amount of our required capital commitments and potential capital expenditures. For example, while we continue to evaluate our entire asset portfolio, we are evaluating strategic options for our remaining standalone fuels refinery in Great Falls, Montana. We expect that any potential divestitures of assets could provide us with cash to reinvest in our business and repay debt.

We typically do not announce a transaction until we have executed a definitive agreement. However, in certain cases in order to protect our business interests or for other reasons, we may defer public announcement of an acquisition or divestiture until closing or a later date. Past experience has demonstrated that discussions and negotiations regarding a potential acquisition or divestiture can advance or terminate in a short period of time. Moreover, the closing of any transaction for which we have entered into a definitive agreement will be subject to customary and other closing conditions, which may not ultimately be satisfied or waived. Accordingly, we can give no assurance that our current or future acquisition or divestiture efforts will be successful. Although we expect the acquisitions we make to be accretive in the long term, we can provide no assurance that our expectations will ultimately be realized.

Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P. is a Delaware limited partnership formed on September 27, 2005. Our general partner is Calumet GP, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. As of March 2, 2021, we have 78,640,380 common units and 1,604,904 general partner units outstanding. Our general partner owns 2% of Calumet Specialty Products, L.P. and all incentive distribution rights and has sole responsibility for conducting our business and managing our operations. For more information about our general partner’s board of directors and executive officers, please read Part III, Item 10 “Directors, Executive Officers of Our General Partner and Corporate Governance.”

The following table sets forth information about our continuing operations. Facility production volume differs from sales volume due to changes in inventories and the sale of purchased fuel product blendstocks, such as ethanol and biodiesel, and the resale of crude oil in our fuel products segment. The historical results of operations of the San Antonio Refinery are included through the effective date of its disposition, November 10, 2019.

The following table sets forth information about our sales of principal products by segment:

Please read Note 20 “Segments and Related Information” in Part II, Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report for additional financial information about each of our segments and the geographic areas in which we conduct business.

The following table sets forth historical information about production at our Shreveport refinery:

The Shreveport refinery has a flexible operational configuration and operating personnel that facilitate development of new product opportunities. Product mix may fluctuate from one period to the next to capture market opportunities. The refinery has an idle residual fluid catalytic cracking unit and a number of idle towers that can be utilized for future project needs.

The Shreveport refinery receives crude oil via tank truck, railcar and a common carrier pipeline system that is operated by a subsidiary of Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. (“Plains”) and is connected to the Shreveport refinery’s facilities. The Plains pipeline system delivers local supplies of crude oil and condensates from north Louisiana and east Texas. The Plains pipeline also connects to a Plains terminal in Longview, TX, which gives the refinery access to crude oil in west Texas and access to the Cushing, Oklahoma storage hub. Crude oil is also purchased from various suppliers, including local producers, who deliver crude oil to the Shreveport refinery via tank truck.

The Shreveport refinery also has direct pipeline access to the Enterprise Products Partners L.P. pipeline (“TEPPCO pipeline”), on which it can ship certain grades of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Further, the refinery has direct access to the Red River Terminal facility, which provides the refinery with barge access, via the Red River, to major feedstock and petroleum products logistics networks on the Mississippi River and Gulf Coast inland waterway system. The Shreveport refinery also ships its finished products throughout the U.S. through both truck and railcar service.

The following table sets forth historical information about production at the Great Falls refinery:

Currently, the Great Falls refinery produces naphtha, gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and asphalt. The Great Falls refinery ships finished fuel and asphalt by railcar and truck service. Finished fuel and asphalt sales are primarily made through spot agreements and short-term contracts.

The Great Falls refinery purchases crude oil from various suppliers and receives crude oil through the Interprovincial Bow River South and Rangeland pipeline systems, providing reliable access to high quality crude oil from western Canada.

The following table sets forth historical information about production at our Cotton Valley refinery:

The Cotton Valley refinery has a flexible operational configuration and operating personnel that facilitate development of new product opportunities. Product mix may fluctuate from one period to the next to capture market opportunities, which allows us to respond to market changes and customer demands by modifying the refinery’s product mix. The reconfigured fractionation train also allows the refinery to satisfy demand fluctuations efficiently without large finished product inventory requirements.

The Cotton Valley refinery receives crude oil via tank truck. The Cotton Valley refinery’s feedstock is primarily low sulfur and paraffinic crude oil originating from north Louisiana and is purchased from various marketers and gatherers. In addition, the Cotton Valley refinery receives interplant feedstocks for solvent production from the Shreveport refinery. The Cotton Valley refinery ships finished products by both truck and railcar service.

The following table sets forth historical information about production at our Princeton refinery:

The Princeton refinery has a hydrotreater and significant fractionation capability enabling the refining of high quality naphthenic lubricating oils at numerous distillation ranges. The Princeton refinery’s processing capabilities consist of atmospheric and vacuum distillation, hydrotreating, asphalt oxidation processing and clay/acid treating. In addition, we have the necessary tankage and technology to process our asphalt into higher value product applications such as coatings, road paving and specialty applications.

The Princeton refinery receives crude oil via tank truck, railcar and the Plains pipeline system. Its crude oil supply primarily originates from east Texas, south Texas and north Louisiana, purchased directly from third-party suppliers under month-to-month evergreen supply contracts and on the spot market. The Princeton refinery ships its finished products throughout the U.S. via truck, barge and railcar service.

The Missouri facility utilizes the latest batch esterification processes designed to ensure blending accuracy while maintaining production flexibility to meet customer needs.

These facilities each receive their base oil feedstocks by railcar and truck under supply agreements or spot purchases with various suppliers, the most significant of which is a long-term supply agreement with Phillips 66. Please read “— Our Crude Oil and Feedstock Supply” below for further discussion of the long-term supply agreement with Phillips 66.

The following table sets forth the combined historical information about production at our Karns City, Dickinson and certain other facilities:

Terminals are complementary to our refineries and play a key role in moving our products to end-user markets by providing services including distribution and blending to achieve specified products and storage and inventory management. In addition to the below terminal, we own and lease additional facilities, primarily related to distribution of finished products, throughout the U.S. We operate the following terminal:

We use approximately 2,200 railcars leased from various lessors. This fleet of railcars enables us to receive and ship crude oil and distribute various specialty products and fuel products throughout the U.S. and Canada to and from each of our facilities.

We purchase crude oil and other feedstocks from major oil companies as well as from various crude oil gatherers and marketers in Texas, north Louisiana and Canada. Crude oil supplies at our refineries are as follows:

We have short-term and long-term contracts with our crude oil suppliers. For example, a majority of our crude oil supply contracts with Plains are currently month-to-month and terminable upon 90 days’ notice. Additionally, our crude oil supply agreement with BP was amended and restated in December 2016 for a term ending March 2020, and automatically renews for successive one-year terms unless terminated by either party upon 90 days’ notice (“BP Purchase Agreement”). This agreement has not been terminated by either party. We also purchase foreign crude oil when its spot market price is attractive relative to the price of crude oil from domestic sources.

We have various long-term feedstock supply agreements with Phillips 66, with some agreements operating under the option to continue on a month-to-month basis thereafter, for feedstocks that are key to the operations of our Karns City and Dickinson facilities. In addition, certain products of our refineries can be used as feedstocks by these facilities.

We believe that adequate supplies of crude oil and feedstocks will continue to be available to us.

Our cost to acquire crude oil and feedstocks and the prices for which we ultimately can sell refined products depend on a number of factors beyond our control, including regional and global supply of and demand for crude oil, other feedstocks and specialty and fuel products. These, in turn, are dependent upon, among other things, the availability of imports, overall economic conditions, production levels of domestic and foreign suppliers, U.S. relationships with foreign governments, political affairs and the extent of governmental regulation. We have historically been able to pass on the costs associated with increased crude oil and feedstock prices to our specialty products customers, although the increase in selling prices for specialty products typically lags the rising cost of crude oil. From time to time, we use a hedging program to manage a portion of our commodity price risk.

We produce a full line of specialty products, including lubricating oils, solvents, waxes, packaged and synthetic specialty products and other products, as well as a variety of fuel and fuel related products, including asphalt and heavy fuel oils. Our customers purchase specialty products primarily as raw material components for basic industrial, consumer and automotive goods.

The following table depicts a representative sample of the diversity of end-use applications for the products we produce:

Our salespeople regularly visit customers, and our marketing department works closely with both the laboratories at our production facilities and our technical services department to help create specialized blends that will work optimally for our customers.

Our specialty products are utilized in applications across a broad range of industries, including:

Fuel products produced at our Shreveport refinery can be sold locally or to the Midwest region of the U.S. through the TEPPCO pipeline. Local sales are made from the TEPPCO terminal in Bossier City, Louisiana, located approximately 15 miles from the Shreveport refinery, as well as from our own Shreveport refinery terminal.

Gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from the Shreveport refinery are sold primarily into the Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas markets, and any excess volumes are sold to marketers further up the TEPPCO pipeline. Should the appropriate market conditions arise, we have the capability to redirect and sell additional volumes into the Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas markets rather than transport them to the Midwest region via the TEPPCO pipeline.

The Shreveport refinery has the capacity to produce about 9,000 bpd of commercial jet fuel that can be marketed to the U.S. Department of Defense, sold as Jet-A locally or sold via the TEPPCO pipeline, or occasionally transferred to the Cotton Valley refinery to be processed further as a feedstock to produce solvents.

Additionally, we produce a number of fuel-related products including fluid catalytic cracking (“FCC”) feedstock, vacuum residuals and mixed butanes. FCC feedstock is sold to other refiners as a feedstock for their FCC units to make fuel products. Vacuum residuals are blended or processed further to make asphalt products. Volumes of vacuum residuals which we cannot process are sold locally into the fuel oil market or sold via railcar to other refiners. Mixed butanes are primarily available in the summer months and are primarily sold to local marketers. If the mixed butanes are not sold, they are blended into our gasoline production.

Fuel products produced at our Great Falls refinery can be sold locally and in Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, Washington, Nevada, California and Canada. Seasonally, the Great Falls refinery transports fuel products to terminals in Washington and Utah.

Competition in our markets is from a combination of large, integrated petroleum companies, independent refiners and wax production companies. Many of our competitors are substantially larger than us and are engaged on a national or international basis in many segments of the petroleum products business, including exploration and production, refining, transportation and marketing. These competitors may have greater flexibility in responding to or absorbing market changes occurring in one or more of these business segments. We distinguish our competitors according to the products that they produce. Set forth below is a description of our significant competitors according to product category.

Our ability to compete effectively depends on our responsiveness to customer needs and our ability to maintain competitive prices and product and service offerings. We believe that our flexibility and customer responsiveness differentiates us from many of our larger competitors. However, it is possible that new or existing competitors could enter the markets in which we operate, which could negatively affect our financial performance.

From time to time, we are a party to certain claims and litigation incidental to our business, including claims made by various taxation and regulatory authorities, such as the IRS, the EPA and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”), as well as various state environmental regulatory bodies and state and local departments of revenue, as the result of audits or reviews of our business. In addition, we have property, business interruption, general liability and various other insurance policies that may result in certain losses or expenditures being reimbursed to us.

We conduct crude oil and specialty hydrocarbon refining, blending and terminal operations, which activities are subject to stringent federal, regional, state and local laws and regulations governing worker health and safety, the discharge of materials into the environment and environmental protection. These laws and regulations impose legal standards and obligations that are applicable to our operations, such as requiring the acquisition of permits to conduct regulated activities, restricting the manner in which we may release materials into the environment, requiring remedial activities to mitigate pollution from former or current operations that may include incurring capital expenditures to limit or prevent unauthorized releases from our equipment and facilities, requiring the application of specific health and safety criteria addressing worker protection and imposing substantial liabilities for pollution resulting from our operations. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in the assessment of sanctions, including administrative, civil and criminal penalties; the imposition of investigatory, remedial or corrective action obligations or the incurrence of capital expenditures; the occurrence of restrictions, delays or cancellations in the permitting, development or expansion of projects; and the issuance of injunctive relief limiting or prohibiting our activities in a particular area.

In connection with the acquisition of the Great Falls refinery from Connacher Oil and Gas Limited (“Connacher”), we became a party to an existing 2002 Refinery Initiative Consent Decree (the “Great Falls Consent Decree”) with the EPA and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (the “MDEQ”). The material obligations imposed by the Great Falls Consent Decree have been completed. On September 27, 2012, Montana Refining Company, Inc., received a final Corrective Action Order on Consent, replacing the refinery’s previously held hazardous waste permit. This Corrective Action Order on Consent governs the investigation and remediation of contamination at the Great Falls refinery. We believe the majority of damages related to such contamination at the Great Falls refinery are covered by a contractual indemnity provided by a subsidiary of HollyFrontier Corporation (“the Seller”), the owner and operator of the Great Falls refinery prior to its acquisition by Connacher, under an asset purchase agreement between the Seller and Connacher, pursuant to which Connacher acquired the Great Falls refinery. Under this asset purchase agreement, the Seller agreed to indemnify Connacher and Montana Refining Company, Inc., subject to timely notification, certain conditions and certain monetary baskets and caps, for environmental conditions arising under the Seller’s ownership and operation of the Great Falls refinery and existing as of the date of sale to Connacher. During 2014, HollyFrontier Corporation (“Holly”) provided us a notice challenging our position that the Seller is obligated to indemnify our remediation expenses for environmental conditions to the extent arising under Holly’s ownership and operation of the refinery and existing as of the date of sale to Connacher. On September 22, 2015, we initiated a lawsuit against Holly and the Sellers. On November 24, 2015, Holly and the Sellers filed a motion to dismiss the case pending arbitration. On February 10, 2016, the court ordered that all of the claims be addressed in arbitration. The arbitration panel conducted the first phase of the arbitration in July 2018 and issued its ruling on September 13, 2018. In its ruling, the arbitration panel confirmed that the sellers of the Great Falls refinery retained the liability for all pre-closing contamination with respect to third-party claims indefinitely and with respect to first party claims for which the sellers received notice within five years after the sale of the refinery, which claims are subject to the requirements otherwise set forth in the asset purchase agreement. The second phase of the arbitration regarding damages began in April 2019. The arbitration panel issued its final ruling on August 25, 2019. Among other things, the panel denied the Company’s demands for reimbursement for costs already incurred by the Company but left open the Company’s ability to make future claims. The Company expects that it may incur costs to remediate other environmental conditions at the Great Falls refinery. The Company currently believes that these other costs it may incur will not be material to its financial position or results of operations.

Our operations are subject to the federal Clean Air Act, as amended (“CAA”), and comparable state and local laws. Amendments made to the CAA in 1990 require most industrial operations in the U.S. to incur capital expenditures to meet the air emission control standards that are developed and implemented by the EPA and state environmental agencies. Under the CAA, facilities that emit regulated air pollutants are subject to stringent regulations, including requirements to install various levels of control technology on sources of pollutants. In addition, in recent years, the petroleum refining sector has become subject to stringent federal regulations that impose maximum achievable control technology (“MACT”) on refinery equipment emitting certain listed hazardous air pollutants. Some of our facilities have been included within the categories of sources regulated by MACT rules. Our refining and terminal operations that emit regulated air pollutants are also subject to air emissions permitting requirements that incorporate stringent control technology requirements for which we may incur significant capital expenditures. Any renewal of those air emissions permits or a need to modify existing or obtain new air emissions permits has the potential to delay the development of our projects. We can provide no assurance that future compliance with existing or any new laws, regulations or permit requirements will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position or results of operations. For example, in 2015, the EPA issued a final rule under the CAA making the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (“NAAQS”) for ground-level ozone more stringent. Since that time, the EPA has issued area designations with respect to ground-level ozone and final requirements that apply to state, local and tribal air agencies for implementing the 2015 NAAQS for ground-level ozone. States are expected to implement more stringent requirements as a result of this new final rule, which could apply to our operations. Also, in 2015, the EPA published a final rule that amended three refinery standards already in effect, imposing additional or, in some cases, new emission control requirements on subject refineries. The final rule requires, among other things, the monitoring of air concentrations of benzene around the refinery fence line perimeter and submittal of the fence line monitoring data to the EPA on a quarterly basis; upgraded emissions controls for storage tanks, including controls for smaller capacity storage vessels and storage vessels storing materials with lower vapor pressures than previously regulated; enhanced performance requirements for flares including the use of a minimum of three pollution prevention measures, continuous monitoring of flares and pressure release devices and analysis and remedy of flare release events; and compliance with emissions standards for delayed coking units. These final rules and any other future air emissions rulemakings could impact us by requiring installation of new emission controls on some of our equipment, resulting in longer permitting timelines, and significantly increasing our capital expenditures and operating costs, which could adversely impact our business.

From time to time the CAA authorizes the EPA to require modifications in the formulation of the refined transportation fuel products we manufacture in order to limit the emissions associated with the fuel product’s final use. For example, in February 2000, the EPA published regulations limiting the sulfur content allowed in gasoline. These regulations, referred to as “Tier 2 Standards,” required the phase-in of gasoline sulfur standards beginning in 2004, with special provisions for small refiners and for refiners serving those western U.S. states exhibiting lesser air quality problems. Similarly, the EPA published regulations that limit the sulfur content of highway diesel beginning in 2006 from its former level of 500 parts per million (“ppm”) to 15 ppm (the “ultra-low sulfur standard”). Our Shreveport and Great Falls refineries have implemented the sulfur standard with respect to produced gasoline and produced diesel meeting the ultra-low sulfur standard. In 2014, the EPA published more stringent sulfur standards, referred to as “Tier 3 Standards,” including requiring that motor gasoline will not contain more than 10 ppm of sulfur on an annual average basis by January 1, 2017, except in those instances where refineries received a “small refinery” exemption, in which event the deadline was extended to January 1, 2020. Our Shreveport and Great Falls refineries are fully compliant with the 10 ppm sulfur standard with respect to produced gasoline. In addition, we are required to meet the MSAT II Standards adopted by the EPA to reduce the benzene content of motor gasoline produced at our facilities and have completed capital projects at our Shreveport and Great Falls refineries to comply with those fuel quality requirements.

Climate change continues to attract considerable public, governmental and scientific attention in the U.S. and foreign countries. As a result, numerous proposals have been made and are likely to continue to be made at the international, national, regional and state levels of government to monitor and limit emissions of greenhouse gases (“GHG”) or to control such future emissions. Consequently, it is possible that our operations as well as the operations of our customers may become subject to a series of regulatory, political, litigation and financial risks associated with the processing of fossil fuels and/or emissions of GHGs. The adoption of international, federal, regional or state legislation or regulations or other regulatory initiatives that impose more stringent standards for GHG emissions could require us to incur increased compliance costs or affect the price or availability of certain of our feedstocks or products.

At the federal level, no comprehensive climate change legislation has been implemented to date. However, the EPA has determined that GHG emissions present a danger to public health and the environment and has adopted regulations under existing provisions of the federal CAA that, among other things: establish that Prevention of Significant Deterioration (“PSD”) construction permit programs and Title V operating permit programs will include reviews for GHG emissions from certain large stationary sources that are also potential major sources of criteria pollutant emissions; require the monitoring and annual reporting of GHG emissions from certain petroleum and natural gas system sources; implement CAA emission new source performance standards (“NSPS”) directing the reduction of methane from certain new, modified or reconstructed facilities in the oil and natural gas sector; and together with the U.S. Department of Transportation (“DOT”), implement GHG emissions limits on vehicles manufactured for operation in the United States. Additionally, various states and groups of states have adopted or are considering adopting legislation, regulations or other regulatory initiatives that are focused on such areas as GHG cap and trade programs, carbon taxes, reporting and tracking programs, and restriction of emissions. At the international level, there exists the United Nations-sponsored “Paris Agreement,” which is a non-binding agreement for nations to limit their GHG emissions through individually determined reduction goals every five years after 2020. Although the United States had announced its withdrawal from such agreement, effective November 4, 2020, the United States announced that it has rejoined the Paris Agreement effective February 19, 2021.

There are also increasing financial risks for fossil fuel producers, as stockholders and bondholders currently invested in fossil-fuel energy companies may elect in the future to shift some or all of their investments into non-fossil fuel energy related sectors. Institutional lenders who provide financing to fossil-fuel energy companies are beginning to define sustainable lending practices and there is the possibility that financial institutions will adopt policies that limit funding for fossil fuel energy companies, as governmental and nongovernmental institutions focus on addressing climate-related risks in the financial sector.. Although we are not an oil or gas producer, it is possible that limitation of investments in and financings for fossil fuel energy companies could result in the restriction, delay or cancellation of drilling programs or development or production activities which could affect the price or availability of certain of our feedstocks.

It should also be noted that some scientists have concluded that increasing concentrations of GHG in the earth’s atmosphere may produce climate changes that have significant physical effects, such as increased frequency and severity of storms, floods and other climatic events; if any such effects were to occur, they could have an adverse effect on our operations.

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, as amended (“CERCLA”), also known as the “Superfund” law, and comparable state laws impose liability without regard to fault or the legality of the original conduct, on certain classes of persons who are considered to be responsible for the release of a hazardous substance into the environment. Such classes of persons include the current and past owners and operators of sites where a hazardous substance was released and companies that disposed or arranged for disposal of hazardous substances at offsite locations, such as landfills. Under CERCLA, these “responsible persons” may be subject to joint and several, strict liability for 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. It is not uncommon for neighboring landowners and other third parties to file claims for personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by the release of hazardous substances into the environment. In the course of our operations, we generate wastes or handle substances that may be regulated as hazardous substances, and we could become subject to liability under CERCLA and comparable state laws.

We also may incur liability under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as amended (“RCRA”), and comparable state laws, which impose requirements related to the handling, storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes. In the course of our operations, we generate petroleum product wastes and ordinary industrial wastes that may be regulated as hazardous wastes. In addition, our operations also generate non-hazardous solid wastes, which are regulated under RCRA and state laws. Historically, our environmental compliance costs under the existing requirements of RCRA and similar state and local laws have not had a material adverse effect on our results of operations, and the cost involved in complying with these requirements is not material.

We currently own or operate, and have in the past owned or operated, properties that for many years have been used for refining and terminal activities. These properties in the past may have been operated by third parties whose treatment and disposal or release of petroleum hydrocarbons and wastes were not under our control. Although we used operating and disposal practices that were standard in the industry at the time, petroleum hydrocarbons or wastes have been released on or under the properties owned or operated by us. These properties and the materials disposed or released on them may be subject to CERCLA, RCRA and analogous state laws. Under such laws, we could be required to remove or remediate previously disposed wastes or property contamination or to perform remedial activities to prevent future contamination.

In addition, new laws and regulations, amendment of existing laws and regulations, reinterpretation of legal requirements, increased governmental enforcement or other developments could significantly increase our operational or compliance expenditures.

The Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972, as amended, also known as the federal Clean Water Act, and analogous state laws impose restrictions and stringent controls on the discharge of pollutants, including oil, into regulated waters. Such discharges are prohibited, except in accordance with the terms of a permit issued by the EPA or the appropriate state agencies. Any unpermitted release of pollutants, including crude oil or hydrocarbon specialty oils as well as refined products, could result in penalties, as well as significant remedial obligations. Spill prevention, control, and countermeasure requirements of federal laws 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 2017, the EPA issued a questionnaire soliciting data from nine petroleum refining companies related to their wastewater characteristics. The request pertains to the types of processing units, wastewater treatment technologies, and related information. It is our understanding that the EPA is expected to use the data collected in this request to evaluate water use, wastewater generation, pollution prevention, and wastewater management, treatment, and disposal. Historically, our environmental compliance costs under the existing requirements of the federal Clean Water Act and similar state laws have not had a material adverse effect on our results of operations but these laws and their implementing regulations are subject to change and there can be no assurance that such future costs will not be material.

The primary federal law for oil spill liability is the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, as amended (“OPA”), which addresses three principal areas of oil pollution — prevention, containment and cleanup. The OPA applies to vessels, offshore facilities and onshore facilities, including refineries, terminals and associated facilities that may affect waters of the U.S. Under the OPA, responsible parties, including owners and operators of onshore facilities, may be subject to oil cleanup costs and natural resource damages as well as a variety of public and private damages from oil spills. Historically, our past environmental compliance costs under the existing requirements of the OPA have not had a material adverse effect on our results of operations but this law and its implementing regulations are subject to change and there can be no assurance that such future costs will not be material.

We are subject to various laws and regulations relating to occupational health and safety, including the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act, as amended, and comparable state laws. These laws and regulations strictly govern the protection of the health and safety of employees. In addition, OSHA’s hazard communication standard, the EPA’s community right-to-know regulations under Title III of CERCLA and similar state statutes require that we maintain information about hazardous materials used or produced in our operations and provide this information to employees, contractors, state and local government authorities and customers. We maintain safety and training programs as part of our ongoing efforts to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. We conduct periodic audits of Process Safety Management (“PSM”) systems at each of our locations subject to the PSM standard. Our compliance with applicable health and safety laws and regulations has required, and continues to require, substantial expenditures. Changes in occupational safety and health laws and regulations or a finding of non-compliance with current laws and regulations could result in additional capital expenditures or operating expenses, as well as civil penalties and, in the event of a serious injury or fatality, criminal charges.

We perform preventive and normal maintenance on most, if not all, of our refining and terminal assets and make repairs and replacements when necessary or appropriate. We also conduct inspections of these assets as required by law or regulation.

Our operations are subject to certain hazards of operations, including fire, explosion and weather-related perils. We maintain insurance policies, including business interruption insurance for each of our facilities, with insurers in amounts and with coverage and deductibles that we, with the advice of our insurance advisors and brokers, believe are reasonable and prudent. We cannot, however, ensure that this insurance will be adequate to protect us from all material expenses related to potential future claims for personal and property damage or that these levels of insurance will be available in the future at economical prices. We are not fully insured against certain risks because such risks are not fully insurable, coverage is unavailable, or premium costs, in our judgment, do not justify such expenditures.

The operating results for the fuel products segment, including the asphalt products we produce, generally follow seasonal demand trends. Asphalt demand is generally lower in the first and fourth quarters of the year, as compared to the second and third quarters, due to the seasonality of the road construction and roofing industries we supply. Demand for gasoline and diesel is generally higher during the summer months than during the winter months due to seasonal increases in highway traffic. In addition, our natural gas costs can be higher during the winter months, as demand for natural gas as a heating fuel increases during the winter. As a result, our operating results for the first and fourth calendar quarters may be lower than those for the second and third calendar quarters of each year due to seasonality related to these and other products that we produce and sell.

We own and lease the principal properties which are listed below. The principal properties which we own, as well as others not listed below, are pledged as collateral under our Collateral Trust Agreement as discussed in Part II, Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Master Derivative Contracts and Collateral Trust Agreement.” We believe that all properties are suitable for their intended purpose, are being efficiently utilized and provide adequate capacity to meet demand for the next several years.

Our patents relating to our refining operations are not material to us as a whole. Our products consist of composition patents which are integral to the formulas of our products. We own, have registered or applied for registration of a variety of tradenames, service marks and trademarks for us in our business. The trademarks, tradenames and design marks under which we conduct our branded business (including Royal Purple, Bel-Ray and TruFuel) and other trademarks employed in the marketing of our products are integral to our marketing operations. We also license intellectual property rights from third parties. We are not aware of any facts as of the date of this filing which would negatively impact our continuing use of our tradenames, service marks or trademarks.

While we may require additional office space as our business expands, we believe that our existing facilities are adequate to meet our needs for the immediate future and that additional facilities will be available on commercially reasonable terms as needed.

Our principal executive offices are located at 2780 Waterfront Parkway East Drive, Suite 200, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46214 and our telephone number is (317) 328-5660. Our website is located at http://www.calumetspecialty.com.

Our Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filings are available on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish such material to, the SEC. We make available, free of charge on our website, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, our Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). These documents are located on our website at http://www.calumetspecialty.com by selecting the “Investor Relations” link, and then selecting the Financial Reporting” link and then selecting the “SEC Filings” link. We also make available, free of charge on our website, our Charters for the Audit & Finance, Compensation and Conflicts Committees, Related Party Transactions Policy and Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. We intend to satisfy the disclosure requirement under Item 5.05 of Form 8-K relating to amendments to or waivers from any provision of either of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer and other persons performing similar functions by posting such information on our website. These documents are located on our website at http://www.calumetspecialty.com by selecting the “Investor Relations” link and then selecting the “Management” link, and then selecting the “Corporate Governance” link. All reports and documents filed with the SEC are also available via the SEC website, http://www.sec.gov.

The above information is available to anyone who requests it and is free of charge either in print from our website or upon request by contacting Investor Relations using the contact information listed above. Information on our website is not incorporated into this Annual Report or our other securities filings and is not a part of them.

Such macroeconomic factors include:

While it is not possible to predict their extent or duration, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the extended period of low commodity prices and impact on the demand for specialty hydrocarbon products, as the industry is currently experiencing, could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

The costs to acquire our feedstocks and the prices at which we can ultimately sell our products depend upon numerous factors beyond our control. When the margin between product sales prices and feedstock costs tightens, our earnings, profitability and cash flows are negatively impacted.

Our actual fuels product margins may vary from the Gulf Coast crack spread due to the actual crude oil used and products produced, transportation costs, regional differences, and the timing of the purchase of the feedstock and sale of the refined products, but we use the Gulf Coast crack spread as an indicator of the volatility and general levels of fuels refining margins.

Our specialty product margins are influenced by the commodity price of crude oil. If crude oil prices increase, our specialty products segment margins will fall unless we are able to pass through these price increases to our customers. Increases in selling prices for specialty products typically lag behind the rising cost of crude oil and may be difficult to implement quickly enough when crude oil costs increase dramatically over a short period of time. It is possible we may not be able to pass through all or any portion of increased crude oil costs to our customers. In addition, although we hedge a portion of our commodity price risk, it is not our intent to completely eliminate our commodity risk through our hedging activities.

A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim consolidated financial statements may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. As of December 31, 2020, we have identified a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting that pertains to the untimely and insufficient operation of controls in the financial statement close process, including lack of timely account reconciliation, analysis and review related to all financial statement accounts.

Although we have developed and implemented a plan to remediate the material weakness and believe, based on our evaluation to date, that the material weakness will be remediated in a timely fashion, we cannot assure you that this will occur within a specific timeframe. The material weakness will not be remediated until all necessary internal controls have been designed, implemented, tested and determined to be operating effectively. In addition, we may need to take additional measures to address the material weakness or modify the planned remediation steps, and we cannot be certain that the measures we have taken, and expect to take, to improve our internal controls will be sufficient to address the issues identified, to ensure that our internal controls are effective or to ensure that the identified material weakness will not result in a material misstatement of our consolidated financial statements. Moreover, we cannot assure you that we will not identify additional material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting in the future.

Until we remediate the material weakness, our ability to record, process and report financial information accurately, and to prepare financial statements within the time periods specified by the rules and forms of the SEC, could be adversely affected. This failure could negatively affect the market price and trading liquidity of our common units, cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, subject us to civil and criminal investigations and penalties and generally materially and adversely impact our business and financial condition.

From time to time, we utilize derivative financial instruments related to the future price of crude oil, natural gas, fuel products (or their relationship with each other) with the intent of reducing volatility in our cash flows due to fluctuations in commodity prices and spreads. We have also occasionally utilized derivative instruments related to interest rates for future periods with the intent of reducing volatility in our cash flows due to fluctuations in interest rates. We are not able to enter into derivative financial instruments to reduce the volatility of the prices of the specialty products we sell as there is no established derivative market for such products.

We limit our derivative transactions to only a portion of the volume of our expected purchase and sales requirements and, as a result, we will continue to have direct commodity price exposure to the unhedged portion of our expected purchase and sales requirements. Thus, we could be exposed to significant crude oil cost increases on a portion of our purchases.

Our actual future purchase and sales requirements may be significantly higher or lower than we estimate at the time we enter into derivative transactions for such period. If the actual amount is higher than we estimate, we will have greater commodity price exposure than we intended. If the actual amount is lower than the amount that is subject to our derivative financial instruments, we might be forced to satisfy all or a portion of our derivative transactions without the benefit of the cash flow from our sale or purchase of the underlying physical commodity, which may result in a substantial diminution of our liquidity. As a result, our hedging activities may not be as effective as we intend in reducing the volatility of our cash flows. In addition, our hedging activities are subject to the risks that a counterparty may not perform its obligations under the applicable derivative instrument, the terms of the derivative instruments are imperfect, and our hedging policies and procedures are not properly followed. It is possible that the steps we take to monitor our derivative financial instruments may not detect and prevent violations of our risk management policies and procedures, particularly if deception or other intentional misconduct is involved.

We rely on borrowings and letters of credit under our revolving credit facility to purchase crude oil or other feedstocks for our facilities, lease certain precious metals for use in our refinery operations and enter into derivative instruments of crude oil and natural gas purchases and fuel products sales. From time to time, we also rely on our ability to issue letters of credit to enter into certain hedging arrangements in an effort to reduce our exposure to adverse fluctuations in the prices of crude oil, natural gas and crack spreads. The borrowing base under our revolving credit facility is determined weekly or monthly depending upon availability levels or the existence of a default or event of default. Reductions in the value of our inventories as a result of lower crude oil prices could result in a reduction in our borrowing base, which would reduce the amount of financial resources available to meet our operating requirements. If, under certain circumstances, our available capacity under our revolving credit facility falls below certain threshold amounts, or a default or event of default exists, then our cash balances in a dominion account established with the administrative agent will be applied on a daily basis to our outstanding obligations under our revolving credit facility. In addition, decreases in the price of crude oil or increases in crack spreads may require us to post substantial amounts of cash collateral to our hedging counterparties in order to maintain our derivative instruments. If, due to our financial condition or other reasons, the borrowing base under our revolving credit facility decreases, we are limited in our ability to issue letters of credit or we are required to post substantial amounts of cash collateral to our hedging counterparties, our liquidity, financial condition and our ability to resume distributions of cash to our unitholders could be materially and adversely affected. Please read Part II, Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources — Debt and Credit Facilities” for additional information.

Our Shreveport refinery is interconnected to a pipeline that supplies a portion of its crude oil and a pipeline that ships a portion of its refined fuel products to customers, such as pipelines operated by subsidiaries of Enterprise Products Partners L.P. and Plains. Our Great Falls refinery receives crude oil through the Front Range pipeline system via the Bow River Pipeline in Canada. Since we do not own or operate any of these pipelines, their continuing operation is not within our control. The unavailability of any of these third-party pipelines for the transportation of crude oil or our refined fuel products, because of acts of God, accidents, earthquakes or hurricanes, government regulation, terrorism or other third-party events, could lead to disputes or litigation with certain of our suppliers or a decline in our sales, net income and cash available for distributions to our unitholders and payments of our debt obligations.

The volatility in costs of natural gas and other utility services, principally electricity, used by our refinery and other operations affect our net income and cash flows. Natural gas and utility prices are affected by factors outside of our control, such as supply and demand in both local and regional markets. Natural gas prices have historically been volatile.

Our refineries, blending and packaging sites, terminals and related facility operations are subject to certain operating hazards, and our cash flow from those operations could decline if any of our facilities experience a major accident, pipeline rupture or spill, explosion or fire, is damaged by severe weather or other natural disaster, or otherwise is forced to curtail its operations or shut down. These operating hazards could result in substantial losses due to personal injury and/or loss of life, severe damage to and destruction of property and equipment, and pollution or other environmental damage. One or more of these developments may result in significant curtailment or suspension of our related operations.

Although we maintain insurance policies, including personal and property damage and business interruption insurance for each of our facilities, we cannot ensure that this insurance will be adequate to protect us from all material expenses related to potential future claims for personal and property damage or significant interruption of operations. Our business interruption insurance will not apply unless a business interruption exceeds 60 days. Furthermore, we may be unable to maintain or obtain insurance of the type and amount we desire at reasonable rates. As a result of market conditions, premiums and deductibles for certain of our insurance policies have increased and could escalate further. In some instances, certain insurance could become unavailable or available only for reduced amounts of coverage. In addition, we are not fully insured against all risks incident to our business because certain risks are not fully insurable, coverage is unavailable, or premium costs, in our judgment, do not justify such expenditures. For example, we are not insured for all environmental liabilities, including, but not limited to, product spills and other releases at all of our facilities. If we were to incur a significant liability for which we are not insured or fully insured, it could affect our financial condition and diminish our ability to make distributions to our unitholders and payments of our debt obligations.

Our refineries and facilities consist of many processing units, a number of which have been in operation for a long time. One or more of the units may require additional unscheduled downtime for unanticipated maintenance or repairs that are more frequent than our scheduled turnaround for each unit every one to five years. Scheduled and unscheduled maintenance reduce our revenues and increase our operating expenses during the period of time that our processing units are not operating and could limit our ability to resume making distributions to our unitholders and make payments of our debt obligations.

We continually monitor our business, the business environment and the performance of our operations to determine if an event has occurred that indicates that an equity method investment, a long-lived asset or goodwill may be impaired. If an event occurs, which is a determination that involves judgment, we may be required to utilize cash flow projections to assess our ability to recover the carrying value based on the ability to generate future cash flows. Our long-lived assets and goodwill impairment analyses are sensitive to changes in key assumptions used in our analysis, such as expected future cash flows, the degree of volatility in equity and debt markets and our unit price. If the assumptions used in our analysis are not realized, it is possible a material impairment charge may need to be recorded in the future. We cannot accurately predict the amount and timing of any impairment of long-lived assets or goodwill. Further, as we continue to develop our strategy regarding certain of our non-core assets, we will need to continue to evaluate the carrying value of those assets. Any additional impairment charges that we may take in the future could be material to our results of operations and financial condition.

The refining industry is highly competitive. Our competitors include large, integrated, major or independent oil companies that, because of their more diverse operations, larger refineries or stronger capitalization, may be better positioned than we are to withstand volatile industry conditions, including shortages or excesses of crude oil or refined products or intense price competition at the wholesale level. If we are unable to compete effectively, we may lose existing customers or fail to acquire new customers. For example, if a competitor attempts to increase market share by reducing prices, our operating results and cash available for distribution to our unitholders and payments of our debt obligations could be reduced.

Changes in our customers’ products or processes may enable our customers to reduce consumption of the specialty products that we produce or make our specialty products unnecessary. Should a customer decide to use a different product due to price, performance or other considerations, we may not be able to supply a product that meets the customer’s new requirements. In addition, the demand for our customers’ end products could decrease, which could reduce their demand for our specialty products. Our specialty products customers are primarily in the industrial goods, consumer goods and automotive goods industries and we are therefore susceptible to overall economic conditions, which may change demand patterns and products in those industries. Consequently, it is important that we develop and manufacture new products to replace the sales of products that mature and decline in use. If we are unable to manage successfully the maturation of our existing specialty products and the introduction of new specialty products, our revenues, net income and cash available for distribution to our unitholders and payments of our debt obligations could be reduced.

Any sustained decrease in demand for fuel products in the markets we serve could result in a significant reduction in our cash flows, reducing our ability to make distributions to unitholders and payments of our debt obligations. Factors that could lead to a decrease in market demand include, among others:

Substantially all of our operating personnel at our Shreveport, Great Falls, Princeton, Cotton Valley, Karns City, Dickinson, Calumet Packaging and Missouri facilities are employed under collective bargaining agreements. If we are unable to renegotiate these agreements as they expire, any work stoppages or other labor disturbances at these facilities could have an adverse effect on our business and impact our ability to make distributions to our unitholders and payments of our debt obligations. In addition, employees who are not currently represented by labor unions may seek union representation in the future, and any renegotiation of current collective bargaining agreements may result in terms that are less favorable to us.

The nature of our business requires us to maintain substantial quantities of crude oil and refined product inventories. Because crude oil and refined products are essentially commodities, we have no control over the changing market value of these inventories. Because our inventory is valued at the lower of cost or market (“LCM”) value, if the market value of our inventory were to decline to an amount less than our cost, we would record a write-down of inventory and a non-cash charge to cost of sales. In a period of decreasing crude oil or refined product prices, our inventory valuation methodology may result in decreases in net income. For example, due to the decrease in crude oil prices in the fourth quarter of 2019, we recorded an unfavorable LCM inventory adjustment of $35.6 million.

The operating results for our fuel products segment, including the selling prices of asphalt products we produce, can be seasonal. Asphalt demand is generally lower in the first and fourth quarters of the year as compared to the second and third quarters due to the seasonality of road construction. Demand for gasoline is generally higher during the summer months than during the winter months due to seasonal increases in highway traffic. In addition, our natural gas costs can be higher during the winter months. Our operating results for the first and fourth calendar quarters may be lower than those for the second and third calendar quarters of each year as a result of this seasonality.

The loss of the services of any member of senior management or key employee could have an adverse effect on our business and reduce our ability to resume making distributions to our unitholders and payments of our debt obligations. We may not be able to locate or employ on acceptable terms qualified replacements for senior management or other key employees if their services were no longer available. We do not maintain any key-man life insurance.

Threats to information technology systems associated with cybersecurity risks and cyber incidents or attacks continue to grow. We depend on information technology systems. In addition, our use of the internet, cloud services and other public networks exposes our business and that of other third parties with whom we do business to cyber-attacks that attempt to gain unauthorized access to data and systems, intentional or inadvertent releases of confidential information, corruption of data and disruption of critical systems and operations. Despite the security measures we have in place and any additional measures we may implement in the future, our facilities and systems, and those of our third-party service providers, could be vulnerable to security breaches, computer viruses, lost or misplaced data, programming errors, human errors, acts of vandalism or other events. Any disruption of our systems or security breach or event resulting in the misappropriation, loss or other unauthorized disclosure of confidential information, whether by us directly or our third-party service providers, could damage our reputation, expose us to the risks of litigation and liability, disrupt our business or otherwise affect our results of operations. In addition, as cyber-attacks continue to evolve in magnitude and sophistication, and our reliance on digital technologies continues to grow, we may be required to expend additional resources in order to continue to enhance our cybersecurity measures and to investigate and remediate any digital systems, related infrastructure, technologies and network security vulnerabilities.

We are exposed to risks of loss in the event of nonperformance by our customers and by counterparties of our derivative instruments. Some of our customers and counterparties may be highly leveraged and subject to their own operating and regulatory risks. Even if our credit review and analysis mechanisms work properly, we may experience financial losses in our dealings with other parties. Any increase in the nonpayment or nonperformance by our customers and/or counterparties could reduce our ability to make distributions to our unitholders and payments of our debt obligations.

Our common units are traded publicly on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “CLMT.” However, our common units have a low average daily trading volume compared to many other units representing limited partner interests quoted on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.

The market price of our common units may continue to be volatile and may also be influenced by many factors, some of which are beyond our control, including:

In March 2017, we entered into several agreements with Macquarie Energy North America Trading Inc. (“Macquarie”) to support the operations of the Great Falls refinery (the “Great Falls Supply and Offtake Agreements”). In June 2017, we entered into similar agreements with Macquarie to support the operations of the Shreveport refinery (the “Shreveport Supply and Offtake Agreements”, and together with the Great Falls Supply and Offtake Agreements, the “Supply and Offtake Agreements”). Pursuant to the Supply and Offtake Agreement, Macquarie has agreed to intermediate crude oil supplies and refined product inventories at our Great Falls and Shreveport refineries. Macquarie will own all of the crude oil in our tanks and substantially all of our refined product inventories prior to our sale of the inventories.

When we executed the Supply and Offtake Agreements, the inventories associated with such agreements were taken out of our revolving credit facility borrowing base. As such, these inventories are not part of our revolving credit facility. Should Macquarie choose to exercise its option to terminate the Supply and Offtake Agreements by giving nine months’ notice any time prior to June 2023 of such termination, we would need to seek alternative sources of financing, including putting the inventory back into our revolving credit facility, to meet our obligation to repurchase the inventory at then current market prices. In addition, the cost of repurchasing the inventory may be at higher prices than we sold the inventory. If the price of crude oil is well above the price at which we sold the inventory, we would have to pay more for the inventory than the price we sold the inventory for. If this is the case at the time of termination and we are unable to include the inventory in our borrowing base, we could suffer significant reductions in liquidity when Macquarie terminates the Supply and Offtake Agreements and we have to repurchase the inventories.

Our specialty products provide precise performance attributes for our customers’ products. If a product fails to perform in a manner consistent with the detailed quality specifications required by the customer, the customer could seek replacement of the product or damages for costs incurred as a result of the product failing to perform as guaranteed. A successful claim or series of claims against us could result in a loss of one or more customers and impact our ability to make distributions to unitholders and payments of our debt obligations.

Any of these factors could result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial conditions, results of operations, business prospects and ability to satisfy our obligations under our senior notes and revolving credit facility.

Our ability to service our indebtedness 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 continuing the suspension of distributions to our unitholders, reducing or delaying our business activities, acquisitions, investments and/or capital expenditures, selling assets, restructuring or refinancing our indebtedness, or seeking additional equity capital or bankruptcy protection. We may not be able to effect any of these remedies on satisfactory terms, or at all. Please read Part II, Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources — Debt and Credit Facilities” for additional information regarding our indebtedness.

The operating and financial restrictions and covenants in our financing arrangements, including our revolving credit facility, indentures governing each series of our outstanding senior notes and master derivative contracts, do currently restrict, and any future financing agreements could restrict, our ability to finance future operations or capital needs or to engage, expand or pursue our business activities, including restrictions on our ability to, among other things:

Our revolving credit facility also contains a springing financial covenant which provides that, if availability under the revolving credit facility falls below the sum of the amount of FILO loans outstanding plus the greater of (i) 10.0% of the Borrowing Base (as defined in the Credit Agreement) then in effect, or 15% while the Great Falls, MT refinery is included in the borrowing base, and (ii) $35.0 million (which amount is subject to increase in proportion to revolving commitment increases), then the Company will be required to maintain as of the end of each fiscal quarter a Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio (as defined in the Credit Agreement) of at least 1.0 to 1.0.

Our existing indebtedness imposes, and any future indebtedness may impose, a number of covenants on us regarding collateral maintenance and insurance maintenance. As a result of these covenants and restrictions, we will be limited in the manner in which we conduct our business, and we may be unable to engage in favorable business activities or finance future operations or capital needs.

Our ability to comply with the covenants and restrictions contained in our financing arrangements may be affected by events beyond our control. If market or other economic conditions deteriorate, our ability to comply with these covenants and restrictions may be impaired. A failure to comply with the covenants, ratios or tests in our financing arrangements or any future indebtedness could result in an event of default under these financing arrangements, which, if not cured or waived, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Among other things, in the event of any default on our indebtedness, our debt holders and lenders:

If our existing indebtedness were to be accelerated, there can be no assurance that we would have, or be able to obtain, sufficient funds to repay such indebtedness in full. Even if new financing were available, it may be on terms that are less attractive to us than our then existing indebtedness or it may not be on terms that are acceptable to us. In addition, our obligations under our revolving credit facility are secured by a first-priority lien on our accounts receivable, inventory and substantially all of our cash; our 2024 Secured Notes are secured by a first-priority lien on all of the fixed assets that secure our obligations under our secured hedge agreements; and our obligations under our master derivative contracts are secured by a first-priority lien on our and our subsidiaries’ real property, plant and equipment, fixtures, intellectual property, certain financial assets, certain investment property, commercial tort claims, chattel paper, documents, instruments and proceeds of the forgoing (including proceeds of hedge agreements), and if we are unable to repay our indebtedness under the revolving credit facility or master derivative contracts, the lenders under our revolving credit facility and the counterparties to our master derivative contracts could seek to foreclose on these assets. Please read Part II, Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources — Debt and Credit Facilities,” “— Short-Term Liquidity,” “— Long-Term Financing” and “— Master Derivative Contracts and Collateral Trust Agreement” for additional information regarding our long-term debt.

The domestic and global financial markets and economic conditions are disrupted and volatile from time to time due to a variety of factors, including low consumer confidence, high unemployment, geoeconomic and geopolitical issues, weak economic conditions and uncertainty in the financial services sector. In addition, the fixed-income markets have experienced periods of extreme volatility, which negatively impacted market liquidity conditions. In recent years, the equity and debt markets for many energy industry companies have been adversely affected by low oil prices. As a result, the cost of raising money in the debt and equity capital markets has increased substantially at times while the availability of funds from these markets diminished significantly. In particular, as a result of concerns about the stability of financial markets generally and the solvency of lending counterparties specifically, the cost of obtaining money from the credit markets may increase as many lenders and institutional investors increase interest rates, enact tighter lending standards, refuse to refinance existing debt on similar terms or at all and reduce, or in some cases cease to provide, funding to borrowers. In addition, lending counterparties under any existing revolving credit facility and other debt instruments may be unwilling or unable to meet their funding obligations, or we may experience a decrease in our capacity to issue debt or obtain commercial credit or a deterioration in our credit profile, including a rating agency lowering or withdrawing of our credit ratings if, in its judgment, the circumstances warrant. Due to these factors, we cannot be certain that new debt or equity financing will be available on acceptable terms. If funding is not available when needed, or is available only on unfavorable terms, we may be unable to meet our obligations as they come due or we may be required to sell assets. Moreover, without adequate funding, we may be unable to execute our growth strategy, complete future acquisitions or construction projects, take advantage of other business opportunities or respond to competitive pressures, comply with regulatory requirements, or meet our short-term or long-term working capital requirements, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our revenues and results of operations. Failure to comply with regulatory requirements in a timely manner or meet our short-term or long-term working capital requirements could subject us to regulatory action.

On July 27, 2017, the Chief Executive of the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, announced that it intends to stop persuading or requiring banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021. This announcement, in conjunction with financial benchmark reforms more generally and changes in the interbank lending markets, have resulted in uncertainty about the future of LIBOR and certain other rates or indices which have historically been used as interest rate “benchmarks” in our borrowings as well as our derivatives. Accordingly, the use of an alternative rate on these debt obligations could result in increased interest expense, in addition to costs to amend the agreements and other applicable arrangements to a new reference rate. At this time, no consensus exists as to what rate or rates may become acceptable alternatives to LIBOR and we are unable to predict the effect of any such alternatives on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

There is no restriction in our partnership agreement on the ability of our general partner to enter into a transaction which would trigger the change of control provisions of our revolving credit facility agreement, the indentures governing our senior notes, our Collateral Trust Agreement or our Supply and Offtake Agreements. Certain events relating to a change of control of our general partner, our partnership and our operating subsidiaries would constitute an event of default under our revolving credit facility, the indentures governing our senior notes, our Collateral Trust Agreement and our Supply and Offtake Agreements. In addition, an event of default under our revolving credit facility would likely constitute an event of default under our master derivatives contracts and the BP Purchase Agreement. As a result, upon a change of control event, we may be required immediately to repay the outstanding principal, any accrued interest on and any other amounts owed by us under our revolving credit facility, the senior notes and Supply and Offtake Agreements and the outstanding payment obligations under our master derivatives contracts and the BP Purchase Agreement. The source of funds for these repayments would be our available cash or cash generated from other sources and there can be no assurance that we would have, or be able to obtain, sufficient funds to repay such indebtedness and other payment obligations in full.

In addition, our obligations under our revolving credit facility are secured by a first-priority lien on our accounts receivable, inventory and substantially all of our cash; our 2024 Secured Notes are secured by a first-priority lien on all of the fixed assets that secure our obligations under our secured hedge agreements; and our obligations under our master derivatives contracts and the BP Purchase Agreement are secured by a first-priority lien on our and our subsidiaries’ real property, plant and equipment, fixtures, intellectual property, certain financial assets, certain investment property, commercial tort claims, chattel paper, documents, instruments and proceeds of the forgoing (including proceeds of hedge agreements). If we are unable to repay our indebtedness under the revolving credit facility or the 2024 Secured Notes, satisfy the payment obligations under our master derivative contracts or the payment obligations under the BP Purchase Agreement or obtain waivers of such defaults, then the lenders under our revolving credit facility, the holders of our 2024 Secured Notes, the derivative counterparties under our master derivative contracts and BP, respectively, would have the right to foreclose on those assets, which would have a material adverse effect on us.

Delays or cost increases related to the engineering, procurement and construction of new facilities, or improvements and repairs to our existing facilities and equipment, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or our ability to make distributions to our unitholders and payments on our debt obligations. Such delays or cost increases may arise as a result of unpredictable factors in the marketplace, many of which are beyond our control, including:

Our refineries have been in operation for many years. Equipment, even if properly maintained, may require significant capital expenditures and expenses to keep it operating at optimum efficiency.

Any one or more of these occurrences noted above could have a significant impact on our business. If we were unable to make up the delays or to recover the related costs, or if market conditions change, it could materially and adversely affect our financial position, results of operations or cash flows and, as a result, our ability to make distributions to our unitholders and payments of our debt obligations.

We may dispose of portions of our current business or assets, based on a variety of factors and strategic considerations, consistent with our strategy of preserving liquidity and streamlining our business to better focus on the advancement of our core business. These dispositions, together with any other future dispositions we make, may involve risks and uncertainties, including disruption to other parts of our business, potential loss of employees, customers or revenue, exposure to unanticipated liabilities or result in ongoing obligations and liabilities to us following any such divestiture. Any of the foregoing could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Historically we have grown our business in part through capital projects to reconfigure and enhance our existing refinery assets. For example, in April 2016 we completed an expansion project that increased production capacity at our Great Falls refinery to 30,000 bpd. Such expansion projects and the construction of other additions or modifications to our existing refineries involve numerous regulatory, environmental, political, legal, labor and economic uncertainties beyond our control, which could cause delays in construction or increases in the estimated amounts of capital. Our forecasted internal rates of return on such projects are based on our projections of future market fundamentals, which are not within our control, including changes in general economic conditions, available alternative supply and customer demand. There can be no assurance that investment objectives will be met.

The operation of our refineries, blending and packaging sites, terminals, and related facilities subject us to the risk of incurring significant environmental remediation costs and liabilities due to our handling of petroleum hydrocarbons and wastes, because of air emissions and water discharges related to our operations and activities, and as a result of historical operations and waste disposal practices at our facilities or in connection with our activities, some of which may have been conducted by prior owners or operators. We could incur significant remedial costs in the cleanup of any petroleum hydrocarbons or wastes that may have been released on, under or from the properties owned or operated by us. We believe we have adequately reserved for these possibilities.

Some environmental laws may impose joint and several, strict liability for releases of petroleum hydrocarbons and wastes, which means in some situations, we could be exposed to liability as a result of our conduct that was lawful at the time it occurred or the conduct of, or conditions caused by, prior operators or other third parties. Private parties, including the owners of properties adjacent to our operations and facilities where our petroleum hydrocarbons or wastes are taken for reclamation or disposal, may also have the right to pursue legal actions to enforce compliance as well as to seek damages for non-compliance with environmental laws and regulations or for personal injury or property damage. We may not be able to recover some or any of these costs from insurance or other sources of indemnity. To the extent that the costs associated with meeting any or all of these requirements are significant and not adequately secured or indemnified for, there could be a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our refining, blending and packaging site, terminal and related facility operations are subject to stringent federal, regional, state and local laws and regulations governing worker health and safety, the discharge of materials into the environment and environmental protection. These laws and regulations impose legal requirements that are applicable to our operations, including the obligation to obtain permits to conduct regulated activities, the incurrence of significant capital expenditures for air pollution control equipment to limit or prevent releases of pollutants from our facilities, the expenditure of significant monies in the application of specific health and safety criteria addressing worker protection, the requirement to maintain information about hazardous materials used or produced in our operations and to provide this information to required parties, and the incurrence of significant costs and liabilities for pollution resulting from our operations or from those of prior owners or operators of our facilities. Numerous governmental authorities, such as the EPA, OSHA and LDEQ, have the power to enforce compliance with these laws and regulations and the permits issued under them, often requiring difficult and costly actions. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations as well as any issued permits and orders may result in the assessment of administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions, including monetary penalties, the imposition of remedial or corrective action obligations or the incurrence of capital expenditures, the occurrence of delays or cancellations in the permitting, development or expansion of projects, and the issuance of injunctions limiting or preventing some or all of our operations.

On occasion, we receive notices of violation, other enforcement proceedings and regulatory inquiries from governmental agencies alleging non-compliance with applicable environmental and occupational health and safety laws and regulations.

New worker safety and environmental laws and regulations, revised interpretations of such existing laws and regulations, increased governmental enforcement or other developments could require us to make additional, unforeseen expenditures. The adoption of more stringent environmental laws or regulations could impact us by requiring installation of new emission controls on some of our equipment, resulting in longer permitting timelines, and significantly increasing our capital expenditures and operating costs, which could adversely impact our business, cash flows and results of operation. Please read Items 1 and 2 “Business and Properties — Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Matters” for additional information.

The EPA has issued RFS mandates, requiring refiners to blend renewable fuels into the petroleum fuels they produce and sell in the United States. We, and other refiners subject to RFS requirements, may meet the RFS requirements by blending the necessary volumes of renewable transportation fuels into our production. To the extent that refiners will not or cannot blend renewable fuels into the products they produce in the quantities required to satisfy their obligations under the RFS program, those refiners may purchase renewable credits, referred to as RINs, to maintain compliance.

Under RFS, the volume of renewable fuels that obligated parties are required to blend into their finished petroleum fuels increases annually over time until 2022. Each year the EPA sets volume mandates for the percentage of cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel volume to be blended into all gasoline and diesel produced or imported during the applicable year. Most recently, the EPA has established final volume mandates for RFS program year 2020 under final rules published in February 2020.

The EPA’s implementation of the RFS program has been subject to numerous court challenges in recent years, including with respect to selection of the final volume mandates, movement of the point of compliance, and the granting of small refinery exemptions. In January 2020, the Federal Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit vacated EPA orders granting the small refinery exemption to three refineries that petitioned for the exemption in 2016, finding that those three refineries had failed to receive exemptions in prior years, and remanded the matter to the EPA for further proceedings. The appellate court denied a rehearing in April 2020 and the appellants filed a petition for a writ of certiorari which was accepted by the U.S. Supreme Court, with a ruling expected during 2021.

We cannot predict the outcome of these matters or whether they may result in increased RFS program compliance costs. Moreover, the price of RINs remains subject to extreme volatility, with the potential for significant increases in price. There also continues to be a shortage of advanced biofuel production resulting in increased difficulties meeting RFS program mandates. It is possible we could find ourselves unable to blend sufficient quantities of ethanol and biodiesel to meet our requirements and would, therefore, have to purchase an increasing number of RINs. It is not possible at this time to predict with certainty what those volumes or costs may be, but given the potential increase in volumes and the volatile price of RINs, increases in renewable volume requirements could have an adverse impact on our results of operations.

The inability to receive an exemption under the RFS program for one or more of our refineries, any increase in the final minimum volumes of renewable fuels that must be blended with refined petroleum fuels, and/or any increase in the cost to acquire RINs may, individually or in the aggregate, have the potential to result in significant costs in connection with RIN compliance, which costs could be material.

The threat of climate change continues to attract considerable attention in the United States and foreign countries. As a result, numerous proposals have been made and are likely to continue to be made at the international, national, regional and state levels of government to monitor and limit emissions of GHGs as well as to eliminate such future emissions. As a result, our operations as well as the operations of our fossil-fuel producing customers are subject to a series of regulatory, political, litigation and financial risks associated with the production and processing of fossil fuels and emissions of GHGs. Please see Items 1 and 2 “Business and Properties — Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Matters” for more discussion on the threat of climate change and restriction of GHG emissions.

The adoption and implementation of any international, federal, regional or state executive actions, legislation, regulations or other regulatory initiatives that impose more stringent standards for GHG emissions from the oil and natural gas sector or otherwise restrict the areas in which this sector may produce oil and natural gas or generate GHG emissions could result in increased compliance costs or costs of consuming fossil fuels, as well as reduced demand for some of our services and products. Additionally, political, financial and litigation risks may result in fossil fuel energy customers restricting, delaying or canceling production activities, incurring liability for infrastructure damages as a result of climatic changes, or impairing the ability to continue to operate in an economic manner, which also could reduce demand for our products and services. The occurrence of one or more of these developments could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Moreover, the increased competitiveness of alternative energy sources (such as wind, solar, geothermal and tidal) could reduce demand for hydrocarbons and therefore for our products, which would lead to a reduction in our revenues.

Our operations require numerous permits and authorizations under various occupational, environmental and other laws and regulations. These authorizations and permits are subject to revocation, renewal or modification and can require operational changes to limit impacts or potential impacts on the environment and/or the health or safety of workers. New policy objectives or regulatory initiatives could be pursued under the Biden Administration that could impose more stringent conditions with respect to the acquisition of these authorizations and permits. Additionally, a violation of authorization or permit conditions or other legal or regulatory requirements could result in substantial fines, criminal sanctions, permit revocations, injunctions and/or facility shutdowns. Any or all of these matters could have a negative effect on our business, results of operations and cash flow available for distribution to our unitholders.

We are a holding company, and our subsidiaries conduct all of our operations and own all of our operating assets. We have no significant assets other than the equity interests in our subsidiaries. As a result, our ability to distribute cash to our unitholders and make payments of debt obligations depends on the performance of our subsidiaries and their ability to distribute funds to us. The ability of our subsidiaries to make distributions to us is restricted by our revolving credit facility and the indentures governing our senior notes and may be restricted by, among other things, applicable state laws and other laws and regulations. If we are unable to obtain the funds necessary to distribute cash to our unitholders or make payments of debt obligations, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as a refinancing our indebtedness or incurring borrowings under our revolving credit facility. We cannot assure unitholders that we would be able to refinance our indebtedness or that the terms on which we could refinance our indebtedness would be favorable.

In April 2016, we announced suspension of our quarterly cash distribution to unitholders and have not paid any quarterly distributions since. We may not have sufficient available cash from operations in the future to enable us to resume payment of a distribution to unitholders. The amount of cash we can distribute on our common units principally depends upon the amount of cash we generate from our operations, which will fluctuate from quarter to quarter based on, among other things:

In addition, the actual amount of cash we have available for distribution will depend on other factors, some of which are beyond our control, including:

If we generate insufficient cash from our operations for a sustained period of time and/or forecasts demonstrate expectations of continued future insufficiencies, the board of directors of our general partner may determine not to reinstate our distribution to unitholders. Any such continued suspension or elimination of distributions may cause the trading price of our units to decline.

Unitholders should be aware that the amount of cash we have available for distribution depends primarily upon our cash flow from operating activities, cash on hand and working capital borrowings, and not solely on profitability, which will be affected by non-cash items. As a result, we may make cash distributions during periods when we record net losses and may not make cash distributions during periods when we record net income.

Conflicts of interest may arise between our general partner and its affiliates, on the one hand, and us and our unitholders, on the other hand. As a result of these conflicts, the general partner may favor its own interests and the interests of its affiliates over the interests of our unitholders. These conflicts include, among others, the following situations:

Pursuant to the omnibus agreement we entered into in connection with our initial public offering, The Heritage Group and its controlled affiliates have agreed not to engage in, whether by acquisition or otherwise, the business of refining or marketing specialty lubricating oils, solvents and wax products as well as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel products in the continental U.S. for so long as it controls us. This restriction does not apply to certain assets and businesses which are more fully described under Part III, Item 13 “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence — Omnibus Agreement.”

The owners of our general partner, other than The Heritage Group, are not prohibited from competing with us, except to the extent described above. Currently, The Heritage Group is an active marketer of asphalt products and has been engaged in this business for much longer than us. In certain geographical areas, there can be overlap where both The Heritage Group and we market asphalt.

Our partnership agreement limits our general partner’s fiduciary duties to our unitholders and restricts the remedies available to unitholders for actions taken by our general partner that might otherwise constitute breaches of fiduciary duty.

By purchasing a common unit, a unitholder agrees to be bound by the provisions in the partnership agreement, including the provisions discussed above.

Unitholders’ voting rights are further restricted by the partnership agreement provision providing that any units held by a person that owns 20% or more of any class of units then outstanding, other than our general partner, its affiliates, their transferees, and persons who acquired such units with the prior approval of the board of directors of our general partner, cannot vote on any matter. Our partnership agreement also contains provisions limiting the ability of unitholders to call meetings or to acquire information about our operations, as well as other provisions limiting the unitholders’ ability to influence the manner or direction of management.

Our general partner may transfer its general partner interest to a third party in a merger or in a sale of all or substantially all of its assets without the consent of the unitholders. Furthermore, our partnership agreement does not restrict the ability of the members of our general partner from transferring their respective membership interests in our general partner to a third party. The new members of our general partner would then be in a position to replace the board of directors and officers of our general partner with their own choices and thereby control the decisions taken by the board of directors.

We do not have our own officers and employees and rely solely on the officers and employees of our general partner and its affiliates to manage our business and affairs. We can provide no assurance that our general partner will continue to provide us the officers and employees that are necessary for the conduct of our business nor that such provision will be on terms that are acceptable to us. If our general partner fails to provide us with adequate personnel, our operations could be adversely impacted and our cash available for distribution to unitholders and payments of our debt obligations could be reduced.

We may issue an unlimited number of limited partner interests of any type without the approval of our unitholders. Our partnership agreement does not give our unitholders the right to approve our issuance of common units or equity securities ranking junior to the common units at any time. In addition, our partnership agreement does not prohibit the issuance by our subsidiaries of equity securities, which may effectively rank senior to the common units. The issuance of additional common units or other equity securities of equal or senior rank to the common units will have the following effects:

Our partnership agreement requires our general partner to deduct from operating surplus cash reserves that it establishes are necessary to fund our future operating expenditures. In addition, our partnership agreement also permits our general partner to reduce available cash by establishing cash reserves for the proper conduct of our business, to comply with applicable law or agreements to which we are a party, or to provide funds for future distributions to partners. These reserves will affect the amount of cash available for distribution to unitholders.

Prior to making any distribution on the common units, we will reimburse our general partner and its affiliates for all expenses they incur on our behalf. Any such reimbursement will be determined by our general partner and will reduce the cash available for distribution to unitholders and payments of our debt obligations. These expenses will include all costs incurred by our general partner and its affiliates in managing and operating us. Please read Part III, Item 13 “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence.”

If at any time our general partner and its affiliates own more than 80% of the issued and outstanding common units, our general partner will have the right, but not the obligation, which right it may assign to any of its affiliates or to us, to acquire all, but not less than all, of the common units held by unaffiliated persons at a price not less than their then-current market price. As a result, unitholders may be required to sell their common units to our general partner, its affiliates or us at an undesirable time or price and may not receive any return on their investment. Unitholders may also incur a tax liability upon a sale of their common units. At March 2, 2021, our general partner and its affiliates own approximately 20.8% of our common units.

A general partner of a partnership generally has unlimited liability for the obligations of the partnership, except for those contractual obligations of the partnership that are expressly made without recourse to the general partner. Our partnership is organized under Delaware law and we conduct business in a number of other states. The limitations on the liability of holders of limited partner interests for the obligations of a limited partnership have not been clearly established in some of the other states in which we do business. Unitholders could be liable for any and all of our obligations as if they were a general partner if:

Under certain circumstances, unitholders may have to repay amounts wrongfully returned or distributed to them. Under Section 17-607 of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, which we call the Delaware Act, we may not make a distribution to our unitholders if the distribution would cause our liabilities to exceed the fair value of our assets. Delaware law provides that for a period of three years from the date of the impermissible distribution, limited partners who received the distribution and who knew at the time of the distribution that it violated Delaware law will be liable to the limited partnership for the distribution amount. Purchasers of units who become limited partners are liable for the obligations of the transferring limited partner to make contributions to the partnership that are known to the purchaser of the units at the time it became a limited partner and for unknown obligations if the liabilities could be determined from the partnership agreement. Liabilities to partners on account of their partnership interest and liabilities that are non-recourse to the partnership are not counted for purposes of determining whether a distribution is permitted.

The anticipated after-tax economic benefit of an investment in our common units depends largely on our being treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Despite the fact that we are organized as a limited partnership under Delaware law, we would be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes unless we satisfy a “qualifying income” requirement. We have requested and obtained a favorable private letter ruling from the IRS to the effect that, based on facts presented in the private letter ruling request, our income from refining, blending, processing, packaging, marketing and distribution of lubricants will constitute “qualifying income” within the meaning of Section 7704 of the Code. Based upon our current operations and private letter rulings we have received with respect to certain aspects of our business, we believe we satisfy the qualifying income requirement. However, no ruling has been or will be requested regarding our treatment as a partnership for U.S. Federal income tax purposes. Failing to meet the qualifying income requirement or a change in current law could cause us to be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes or otherwise subject us to taxation as an entity.

If we were treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes, we would pay federal income tax on our taxable income at the corporate tax rate. Distributions to our unitholders would generally be taxed again as corporate distributions, and no income, gains, losses, deductions or credits would flow through to our unitholders. Because a tax would be imposed upon us as a corporation, our cash available for distribution to our unitholders could be substantially reduced. Therefore, treatment of us as a corporation would result in a material reduction in the anticipated cash flow and after-tax return to the unitholders, likely causing a substantial reduction in the value of our common units.

Our partnership agreement provides that if a law is enacted or existing law is modified or interpreted in a manner that subjects us to taxation as a corporation or otherwise subjects us to a material amount of entity-level taxation for federal, state or local income tax purposes, the anticipated quarterly distribution amount and the target distribution amounts may be adjusted to reflect the impact of that law or interpretation on us. At the state level, several states have been evaluating ways to subject partnerships to entity-level taxation through the imposition of state income, franchise, or other forms of taxation. Imposition of a similar tax on us in the jurisdictions in which we operate or in other jurisdictions to which we may expand could substantially reduce our cash available for distribution to our unitholders.

The present U.S. federal income tax treatment of publicly-traded partnerships, including us, or an investment in our common units may be modified by administrative, legislative or judicial changes or differing interpretations at any time. From time to time, members of Congress have proposed and considered substantive changes to the existing U.S. federal income tax laws that affect publicly-traded partnerships, including the repeal of the qualifying income exception within Section 7704(d)(1)(E) of the Code upon which we rely for our treatment as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Moreover, the Treasury Department has issued, and in the future may issue, regulations interpreting those laws that affect publicly-traded partnerships.

In addition, on January 24, 2017, final regulations regarding which activities give rise to qualifying income within the meaning of Section 7704 of the Code (the “Final Regulations”) were published in the Federal Register. The Final Regulations reflect a number of changes from the proposed regulations that are responsive to our requests for clarifications to the proposed regulations. Although we anticipate that the vast majority of our income will qualify under new standards adopted by the Final Regulations, because of our private letter rulings portions of our income that may not qualify under the Final Regulations can be treated as qualifying throughout a ten-year transition period. However, there can be no assurance that there will not be further changes to the IRS’s interpretation of the qualifying income rules that could impact our ability to qualify as a partnership in the future.

Any modification to the U.S. federal income tax laws may be applied retroactively and could make it more difficult or impossible for us to meet the exception for certain publicly-traded partnerships to be treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We are unable to predict whether any of these changes or other proposals will ultimately be enacted. Any similar or future legislative changes could negatively impact the value of an investment in our common units. Unitholders are encouraged to consult with their tax advisor with respect to the status of legislative, regulatory and administrative developments and proposals and any potential effect on an investment in our common units.

The IRS may adopt positions that differ from the positions we take. It may be necessary to resort to administrative or court proceedings to sustain some or all of the positions we take. A court may not agree with some or all of the positions we take. Any contest by the IRS may materially and adversely impact the market for our common units and the price at which they trade. Our costs of any contest by the IRS will be borne indirectly by our unitholders and our general partner because the costs will reduce our cash available for distribution.

Pursuant to the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, if the IRS makes audit adjustments to our income tax returns, it (and some states) may assess and collect any taxes (including any applicable penalties and interest) resulting from such audit adjustments directly from us. To the extent possible under the new rules, our general partner may elect to either pay the taxes (including any applicable penalties and interest) directly to the IRS or, if we are eligible, issue a revised information statement to each unitholder and former unitholder with respect to an audited and adjusted return. Although our general partner may elect to have our unitholders and former unitholders take such audit adjustment into account in accordance with their interests in us during the tax year under audit, there can be no assurance that such election will be practical, permissible or effective in all circumstances. As a result, our current unitholders may bear some or all of the tax liability resulting from such audit adjustment, even if such unitholders did not own units in us during the tax year under audit. If, as a result of any such audit adjustment, we are required to make payments of taxes, penalties and interest, our cash available for distribution to our unitholders might be substantially reduced and our current and former unitholders may be required to indemnify us for any taxes (including any applicable penalties and interest) resulting from such audit adjustments that were paid on such unitholders’ behalf. These rules are not applicable for tax years beginning on or prior to December 31, 2017.

Unitholders will be required to pay federal income taxes and, in some cases, state and local income taxes on their share of our taxable income, whether or not they receive any cash distributions from us. During periods in which the partnership suspends or suppresses cash distributions or reinvests cash in its business, the ratio of the partnership’s allocable taxable income to cash distributions will increase. Unitholders may not receive cash distributions from us equal to their share of our taxable income or even equal to the actual tax liability which results from that income.

Additionally, in response to current market conditions, we may engage in transactions to de-lever and manage our liquidity, which may result in income and gain to our unitholders without a corresponding cash distribution. For example, if we sell assets and use the proceeds to repay existing debt or fund capital expenditures, you may be allocated taxable income and gain resulting from the sale without receiving a cash distribution. Further, taking advantage of opportunities to reduce our existing debt, such as debt exchanges, debt repurchases or modifications of our existing debt, could result in “cancellation of indebtedness income” (also referred to as “COD income”) being allocated to our unitholders as taxable income. Unitholders may be allocated COD income, and income tax liabilities arising therefrom may exceed cash distributions. The ultimate effect of any such allocations will depend on the unitholder’s individual tax position with respect to its units. Unitholders are encouraged to consult their tax advisors with respect to the consequences to them of COD income.

If our unitholders sell their common units, they will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and their tax basis in those common units. Because distributions in excess of a unitholder’s allocable share of our net taxable income result in a decrease in such unitholder’s tax basis in their common units, the amount, if any, of such prior excess distributions with respect to the units they sell will, in effect, become taxable income to our unitholders if they sell such units at a price greater than their tax basis in those units, even if the price they receive is less than their original cost. In addition, because the amount realized includes a unitholder’s share of our nonrecourse liabilities, if unitholders sell their units, they may incur a tax liability in excess of the amount of cash they receive from the sale.

Furthermore, a substantial portion of the amount realized from the sale of common units, whether or not representing gain, may be taxed as ordinary income due to potential recapture of depreciation and deductions and certain other items. Thus, our unitholders may recognize both ordinary income and capital loss from the sale of their units if the amount realized on a sale of such units is less than their adjusted basis in the units. Net capital loss may only offset capital gains and, in the case of individuals, up to $3,000 of ordinary income per year. In the taxable period in which our unitholders sell their units, they may recognize ordinary income from our allocations of income and gain to them prior to the sale and from recapture items that generally cannot be offset by any capital loss recognized upon the sale of units.

In general, our unitholders are entitled to a deduction for the interest we have paid or accrued on indebtedness properly allocable to our trade or business during our taxable year. However, subject to the exceptions in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act,” discussed below), under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, our deduction for “business interest” is limited to the sum of our business interest income and 30% of our “adjusted taxable income.” For the purposes of this limitation, our adjusted taxable income is computed without regard to any business interest expense or business interest income, and in the case of taxable years beginning before January 1, 2022, any deduction allowable for depreciation, amortization, or depletion to the extent such depreciation, amortization, or depletion is not capitalized into cost of goods sold with respect to inventory. If our “business interest” is subject to limitation under these rules, our unitholders will be limited in their ability to deduct their share of any interest expense that has been allocated to them. As a result, unitholders may be subject to limitation on their ability to deduct interest expense incurred by us.

For our 2020 taxable year, the CARES Act increases the 30% adjusted taxable income limitation to 50%, unless we elect not to apply such increase. For purposes of determining our 50% adjusted taxable income limitation, we may elect to substitute our 2020 adjusted taxable income with our 2019 taxable income, which may result in a greater business interest expense deduction. In addition, unitholders may treat 50% of any excess business interest allocated to them in 2019 as deductible in the 2020 taxable year without regard to the 2020 business interest expense limitations. The remaining 50% of such unitholder’s excess business interest is carried forward and subject to the same limitations as other taxable years.

Investment in our common units by tax-exempt entities, such as employee benefit plans and individual retirement accounts (known as IRAs) raises issues unique to them. For example, virtually all of our income allocated to organizations that are exempt from U.S. federal income tax, including IRAs and other retirement plans, will be unrelated business taxable income and will be taxable to them. Further, with respect to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, subject to the proposed aggregation rules issued by the Treasury Department for certain similarly situated businesses or activities, a tax-exempt entity with more than one unrelated trade or business (including by attribution from investment in a partnership such as ours that is engaged in one or more unrelated trade or business) is required to compute the unrelated business taxable income of such tax-exempt entity separately with respect to each such trade or business (including for purposes of determining any net operating loss deduction). As a result, for years beginning after December 31, 2017, it may not be possible for tax-exempt entities to utilize losses from an investment in our partnership to offset unrelated business taxable income from another unrelated trade or business and vice versa. Tax-exempt entities should consult a tax advisor before investing in our common units.

Non-U.S. unitholders are generally taxed and subject to income tax filing requirements by the United States on income effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business (“effectively connected income”). Income allocated to our unitholders and any gain from the sale of our units will generally be considered to be “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business. As a result, distributions to a Non-U.S. unitholder will be subject to withholding at the highest applicable effective tax rate and a Non-U.S. unitholder who sells or otherwise disposes of a unit will also be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the gain realized from the sale or disposition of that unit.

Moreover, the transferee of an interest in a partnership that is engaged in a U.S. trade or business is generally required to withhold 10% of the “amount realized” by the transferor unless the transferor certifies that it is not a foreign person. While the determination of a partner’s “amount realized” generally includes any decrease of a partner’s share of the partnership’s liabilities, recently issued Treasury regulations provide that the “amount realized” on a transfer of an interest in a publicly traded partnership, such as our common units, will generally be the amount of gross proceeds paid to the broker effecting the applicable transfer on behalf of the transferor, and thus will be determined without regard to any decrease in that partner’s share of a publicly traded partnership’s liabilities. The Treasury regulation further provide that withholding on a transfer of an interest in a publicly traded partnership will not be imposed on a transfer that occurs prior to January 1, 2022, and after that date, if effected through a broker, the obligation to withhold is imposed on the transferor’s broker. Prospective foreign unitholders should consult a tax advisor before investing in our common units.

Even though we (as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) are not subject to U.S. federal income tax, some of our operations are currently conducted through subsidiaries that are organized as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The taxable income, if any, of such subsidiaries are subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes, which may reduce the cash available for distribution to us and, in turn, to our unitholders. If the IRS or other state or local jurisdictions were to successfully assert that these corporations have more tax liability than we anticipate or legislation was enacted that increased the corporate tax rate, the cash available for distribution could be further reduced. The income tax return filing positions taken by these corporate subsidiaries require significant judgment, use of estimates, and the interpretation and application of complex tax laws. Significant judgment is also required in assessing the timing and amounts of deductible and taxable items. Despite our belief that the income tax return positions taken by these subsidiaries is fully supportable, certain positions may be successfully challenged by the IRS, state or local jurisdictions.

Because we cannot match transferors and transferees of common units and because of other reasons, we have adopted depreciation and amortization positions that may not conform to all aspects of existing Treasury Regulations. A successful IRS challenge to those positions could adversely affect the amount of tax benefits available to our unitholders. It also could affect the timing of these tax benefits or the amount of gain from unitholders’ sale of common units and could have a negative impact on the value of our common units or result in audit adjustments to their tax returns.

We generally prorate our items of income, gain, loss and deduction between transferors and transferees of our common units each month based upon the ownership of our common units on the first day of each month (the “Allocation Date”), instead of on the basis of the date a particular common unit is transferred. Similarly, we generally allocate gain or loss realized on a sale or other disposition of our assets or, in the discretion of the general partner, any other extraordinary item of income, gain, loss or deduction on the Allocation Date. Nonetheless, we allocate certain deductions for depreciation of capital additions based upon the date the underlying property is placed in service. The U.S. Department of the Treasury adopted final Treasury Regulations allowing a similar monthly simplifying convention, but such regulations do not specifically authorize all aspects of our proration method. If the IRS were to successfully challenge our proration method or new Treasury Regulations were issued, we may be required to change the allocation of items of income, gain, loss, and deduction among our unitholders.

In determining the items of income, gain, loss and deduction allocable to our unitholders, we must routinely determine the fair market value of our respective assets. Although we may from time to time consult with professional appraisers regarding valuation matters, we make many fair market value estimates using a methodology based on the market value of our common units as a means to measure the fair market value of our respective assets. The IRS may challenge these valuation methods and the resulting allocations of income, gain, loss and deduction.

A successful IRS challenge to these methods or allocations could adversely affect the amount, character, and timing of taxable income or loss being allocated to our unitholders. It also could affect the amount of gain from our unitholders’ sale of common units and could have a negative impact on the value of the common units or result in audit adjustments to our unitholders’ tax returns without the benefit of additional deductions.

Because there are no specific rules governing the U.S. federal income tax consequences of loaning a partnership interest, a unitholder whose common units are the subject of a securities loan may be considered as having disposed of the loaned units. In that case, the unitholder may no longer be treated for tax purposes as a partner with respect to those common units during the period of the loan and the unitholder may recognize gain or loss from such disposition. Moreover, during the period of the loan, any of our income, gain, loss or deduction with respect to those common units may not be reportable by the unitholder and any cash distributions received by the unitholder as to those common units could be fully taxable as ordinary income. Unitholders desiring to assure their status as partners and avoid the risk of gain recognition from a loan to a short seller should modify any applicable brokerage account agreements to prohibit their brokers from borrowing their common units.

In addition to U.S. federal income taxes, our unitholders will likely be subject to other taxes, including state and local taxes, unincorporated business taxes and estate, inheritance or intangible taxes that are imposed by the various jurisdictions in which we conduct business or own property now or in the future, even if they do not live in any of those jurisdictions. We own assets and conduct business in most states. Our unitholders may be required to file foreign, state and local income tax returns and pay state and local income taxes in any state in which we now or may conduct business in the future. Further, they may be subject to penalties for failure to comply with those requirements. As we make acquisitions or expand our business, we may own assets or conduct business in additional states or foreign jurisdictions that impose a personal income tax. It is the responsibility of our unitholders to file all U.S. federal, foreign, state and local tax returns and pay any taxes due in these jurisdictions. Unitholders should consult with their own tax advisors regarding the filing of such tax returns, the payment of such taxes and the deductibility of any taxes paid.

We are not a party to, and our property is not the subject of, any pending legal proceedings other than ordinary routine litigation incidental to our business. Our operations are subject to a variety of risks and disputes normally incident to our business. As a result, we may, at any given time, be a defendant in various legal proceedings and litigation arising in the ordinary course of business. Please read Items 1 and 2 “Business and Properties — Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Matters” for a description of our current regulatory matters related to the environment, health and safety. Additionally, the information provided under Note 8 - “Commitments and Contingencies” in Part II, Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data — Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” is incorporated herein by reference. 

In April 2016 and effective beginning the first quarter 2016, the board of directors of our general partner suspended payment of our quarterly cash distribution. The board of directors of our general partner will continue to evaluate our ability to reinstate the distribution.

The equity compensation plan information required by Item 201(d) of Regulation S-K in response to this Item 5 is incorporated by reference from Part III, Item 12 “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Unitholder Matters” of this Annual Report.

None.

None.

We are a leading independent producer of high-quality, specialty hydrocarbon products in North America. We are headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, and own specialty and fuel products facilities primarily located in northwest Louisiana, northern Montana, western Pennsylvania, Texas and eastern Missouri. We own and lease additional facilities, primarily related to production and distribution of our products throughout the United States (“U.S.”). Our business is organized into three segments: our core specialty products segment, fuel products segment and corporate segment. In our specialty products segment, we process crude oil and other feedstocks into a wide variety of customized lubricating oils, solvents, waxes, synthetic lubricants, and other products. Our specialty products are sold to domestic and international customers who purchase them primarily as raw material components for various industrial and consumer-facing applications. We also blend, package, and market specialty products through our Royal Purple, Bel-Ray, and TruFuel brands. In our fuel products segment, we process crude oil into a variety of fuel and fuel-related products, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt and other products, and from time to time resell purchased crude oil to third-party customers. Our corporate segment primarily consists of general and administrative expenses not allocated to the specialty products or fuel products segments. Please read Note 20 - “Segments and Related Information” under Part II, Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for further information. On February 16, 2021, the Company announced plans to re-segment its financial reporting starting in 2021. Please read Note 21 - “Subsequent Events” in Part II, Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for additional information.

To meet the economic challenges of 2020, we reduced our fixed and variable costs associated with cost of sales, restructured our organization to match activity where necessary, and reduced our planned capital investment program by more than 30%, keeping our focus on prudent replacement, maintenance and turnaround projects.

For a summary of litigation and other contingencies, please read Note 8 — “Commitments and Contingencies” under Part II, Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data — Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.” Based on information available to us at the present time, we do not believe that any liabilities beyond the amounts already accrued, which may result from these contingencies, will have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, financial condition or results of operations.

Please read Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis — Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for a reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to Net Loss, our most directly comparable financial performance measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP.

On March 2, 2020, we acquired a 100% ownership interest in Paralogics, LLC, a producer of candle and industrial wax

In March 2019, we sold our interest in Biosyn Holdings, LLC (“Biosyn”) to The Heritage Group, a related party, for total proceeds of $5.0 million which was recorded in the “other” component of other income (expense) in the consolidated statements of operations.

In November 2019, we completed the sale of all of the issued and outstanding membership interests in Calumet San Antonio Refining, LLC, which owned the San Antonio Refinery. The sale included the refinery and related assets, including associated hydrocarbon inventories, a crude oil terminal and pipeline to Starlight Relativity Acquisition Company LLC (“Starlight”), a Delaware limited liability company (the “San Antonio Transaction”). Total consideration received was $59.1 million, which consisted of a base sales price of $63.0 million minus an adjustment of $3.9 million for net working capital, inventories and reimbursement of certain transaction costs. The San Antonio refinery was included in the Company’s fuel products segment. The Company recognized a net loss of $8.7 million in gain (loss) on sale of business in the consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019, related to the San Antonio Transaction. In February 2020, the Company and Starlight agreed to the final purchase price adjustment payment related to net working capital and inventory to Starlight of $6.9 million, which is reflected in the net loss recognized by the Company for the year ended December 31, 2019.

In connection with the San Antonio Transaction, the Partnership, Calumet San Antonio, TexStar Midstream Logistics, L.P. (“TexStar”), TexStar Midstream Logistics Pipeline, LP and Tailwater Capital, LLC entered into a Settlement and Release Agreement (the “Settlement Agreement”), pursuant to which the Partnership agreed to pay TexStar and its affiliates a cash payment of $1.0 million and the parties mutually agreed to dismiss the litigation and release each other with respect to the legal dispute relating to the termination of the Throughput and Deficiency Agreement (the “Pipeline Agreement”). As a result of the Settlement Agreement, we derecognized the $38.1 million liability related to the Pipeline Agreement, which was included in the Gain (loss) on sale of business calculation for the San Antonio Transaction.

In 2020, we consummated a transaction whereby we exchanged approximately $200.0 million aggregate principal amount of our outstanding 2022 Notes for $200.0 million aggregate principal amount of newly issued 2024 Secured Notes (the “Exchange Transaction”).

Along with the broader refining industry, we remain subject to compliance costs under the Renewable Fuel Standard (“RFS”). Under the regulation of the EPA, the RFS provides annual requirements for the total volume of renewable transportation fuels which are mandated to be blended into finished petroleum fuels. If a refiner does not meet its required annual Renewable Volume Obligation, the refiner can purchase blending credits in the open market, referred to as RINs.

In August 2019, the EPA granted our fuel product refineries a “small refinery exemption” under the RFS for the compliance year 2018, as provided for under the Clean Air Act (“CAA”), as amended. In granting those exemptions, the EPA, in consultation with the Department of Energy, determined that for the compliance year 2018, compliance with the RFS would represent a “disproportionate economic hardship” for these small refineries. The RINs exemption resulted in a decrease in the RINs Obligation and was recorded as a reduction to cost of sales in the consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019.

We continue to anticipate that expenses related to RFS compliance have the potential to remain a significant expense for our fuel products segment. If legal or regulatory changes occur that have the effect of increasing our RINs Obligation or eliminating or narrowing the availability of the “small refinery exemption” under the RFS program, we could be required to purchase additional RINs in the open market, which may materially increase our costs related to RFS compliance and could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and liquidity.

Our sales and net loss are principally affected by demand for specialty products and fuel products, price of raw materials, prevailing crack spreads for fuel products, the price of natural gas used as fuel in our operations and our results from derivative instrument activities.

Our primary raw materials are crude oil and other specialty feedstocks, and our primary outputs are specialty petroleum products and fuel products. The prices of crude oil, specialty products and fuel products are subject to fluctuations in response to changes in supply, demand, market uncertainties and a variety of factors beyond our control. We monitor these risks and from time-to-time enter into derivative instruments designed to help mitigate the impact of commodity price fluctuations on our business. The primary purpose of our commodity risk management activities is to economically hedge our cash flow exposure to commodity price changes so that we can meet our debt service and capital expenditure requirements despite fluctuations in crude oil and fuel products prices. We also may hedge when market conditions exist that we believe to be out of the ordinary and particularly supportive of our financial goals. We enter into derivative contracts for future periods for quantities that do not exceed our projected purchases of crude oil and sales of fuel products. Please read Note 11 — “Derivatives” under Part II, Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data — Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.”

Our management uses several financial and operational measurements to analyze our performance. These measurements include the following:

Our fuel products segment gross profit per barrel may differ from standard U.S. Gulf Coast, PADD 4 Billings, Montana or 3/2/1 and 2/1/1 market crack spreads due to many factors, including our fuel products mix as shown in our production table being different than the ratios used to calculate such market crack spreads, LCM and LIFO inventory adjustments reflected in gross profit, operating costs including fixed costs, actual crude oil costs differing from market indices and our local market pricing differentials for fuel products in the Shreveport, Louisiana and Great Falls, Montana vicinities as compared to U.S. Gulf Coast and PADD 4 Billings, Montana postings.

The following table sets forth information about our continuing operations. Facility production volume differs from sales volume due to changes in inventories and the sale of purchased fuel product blendstocks, such as ethanol and biodiesel, and the resale of crude oil in our fuel products segment. The historical results of operations of the San Antonio Refinery are included through the effective date of its disposition, November 10, 2019.

The following table reflects our consolidated results of operations and includes the non-GAAP financial measures EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow. For a reconciliation of EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow to Net loss and Net cash provided by operating activities, our most directly comparable financial performance and liquidity measures calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP, please read “Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

We include in this Annual Report the non-GAAP financial measures EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow. We provide reconciliations of EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow to Net loss, our most directly comparable financial performance measure. We also provide a reconciliation of Distributable Cash Flow, Adjusted EBITDA and EBITDA to Net cash provided by operating activities, our most directly comparable liquidity measure. Both Net loss and Net cash provided by operating activities are calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP.

EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow are used as supplemental financial measures by our management and by external users of our financial statements, such as investors, commercial banks, research analysts and others, to assess:

Management believes that these non-GAAP measures are useful to analysts and investors as they exclude transactions not related to our core cash operating activities and provide metrics to analyze our ability to pay interest costs and distributions. However, the indentures governing our senior notes contain covenants that, among other things, restrict our ability to pay distributions. We believe that excluding these transactions allows investors to meaningfully analyze trends and performance of our core cash operations.

We define EBITDA for any period as net loss plus interest expense (including amortization of debt issuance costs), income taxes and depreciation and amortization.

We define Adjusted EBITDA for any period as EBITDA adjusted for (a) impairment; (b) unrealized gains and losses from mark-to-market accounting for hedging activities; (c) realized gains and losses under derivative instruments excluded from the determination of net income (loss); (d) non-cash equity-based compensation expense and other non-cash items (excluding items such as accruals of cash expenses in a future period or amortization of a prepaid cash expense) that were deducted in computing net income (loss); (e) debt refinancing fees, premiums and penalties; (f) any net gain or loss realized in connection with an asset sale that was deducted in computing net income (loss), (g) LCM inventory adjustments; (h) the impact of liquidation of inventory layers calculated using the LIFO method; and (i) all extraordinary, unusual or non-recurring items of gain or loss, or revenue or expense.

We define Distributable Cash Flow for any period as Adjusted EBITDA less replacement and environmental capital expenditures, turnaround costs, cash interest expense (consolidated interest expense less non-cash interest expense), gain (loss) from unconsolidated affiliates, net of cash distributions and income tax expense (benefit).

We define Adjusted EBITDA Margin as Adjusted EBITDA divided by sales.

The definition of Adjusted EBITDA presented in this Annual Report is consistent with the calculation of “Consolidated Cash Flow” contained in the indentures governing our 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 Notes (as defined in this Annual Report). We are required to report Consolidated Cash Flow to the holders of our 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 Notes and Adjusted EBITDA to the lenders under our revolving credit facility, and these measures are used by them to determine our compliance with certain covenants governing those debt instruments. Please read “Liquidity and Capital Resources — Debt and Credit Facilities” for additional details regarding the covenants governing our debt instruments.

EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow should not be considered alternatives to Net loss, Operating income (loss), Net cash provided by operating activities or any other measure of financial performance presented in accordance with GAAP. In evaluating our performance as measured by EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow, management recognizes and considers the limitations of these measurements. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect our liabilities for the payment of income taxes, interest expense or other obligations such as capital expenditures. Accordingly, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow are only three of several measurements that management utilizes. Moreover, our EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of another company because all companies may not calculate EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow in the same manner.

The following tables present a reconciliation of Net loss to EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow; Distributable Cash Flow, Adjusted EBITDA and EBITDA to Net cash provided by operating activities and Segment Adjusted EBITDA to EBITDA and Net loss, and our most directly comparable GAAP financial performance and liquidity measures, for each of the periods indicated.