Note 24. Asset Retirement Obligations

The company accounts for asset retirement obligations (ARO) in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Statement No. 143, Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations (FAS 143) and FASB Interpretation No. 47, Accounting for Conditional Asset Retirement Obligations – An Interpretation of FASB Statement No. 143 (FIN 47). FAS 143 applies to the fair value of a liability for an ARO that is recorded when there is a legal obligation associated with the retirement of a tangible long-lived asset and the liability can be reasonably estimated. Obligations associated with the retirement of these assets require recognition in certain circumstances: (1) the present value of a liability and offsetting asset for an ARO, (2) the subsequent accretion of that liability and depreciation of the asset, and (3) the periodic review of the ARO liability estimates and discount rates. FIN 47 clarifies that the phrase "conditional asset retirement obligation," as used in FAS 143, refers to a legal obligation to perform asset retirement activity for which the timing and/or method of settlement are conditional on a future event that may or may not be within the control of the company. The obligation to perform the asset retirement activity is unconditional even though uncertainty exists about the timing and/or method of settlement. Uncertainty about the timing and/or method of settlement of a conditional ARO should be factored into the measurement of the liability when sufficient information exists. FAS 143 acknowledges that in some cases, sufficient information may not be available to reasonably estimate the fair value of an ARO. FIN 47 also clarifies when an entity would have sufficient information to reasonably estimate the fair value of an ARO.

FAS 143 and FIN 47 primarily affect the company's accounting for crude oil and natural gas producing assets. No significant AROs associated with any legal obligations to retire refining, marketing and transportation (downstream) and chemical long-lived assets have been recognized, as indeterminate settlement dates for the asset retirements prevent estimation of the fair value of the associated ARO. The company performs periodic reviews of its downstream and chemical long-lived assets for any changes in facts and circumstances that might require recognition of a retirement obligation.

The following table indicates the changes to the company's before-tax asset retirement obligations in 2008, 2007 and 2006:

In the table above, the amounts associated with “Revisions in estimated cash flows” reflect increasing costs to abandon onshore and offshore wells, equipment and facilities, including an aggregate of $1,804 for 2006 through 2008 for the estimated costs to dismantle and abandon wells and facilities damaged by hurricanes in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico in 2005 and 2008. The long-term portion of the $9,395 balance at the end of 2008 was $8,588.