Spectra Energy Partners Does Not Expect a Material Financial Impact as a Result of FERC Revised Policy Statements

HOUSTON, March 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Spectra Energy Partners, LP (NYSE: SEP) today provided its preliminary assessment of the potential impacts of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) recent policy change with respect to the recovery of income tax amounts included in the cost of service  pipelines within a master limited partnership (MLP).

On March 15, 2018, FERC changed its long-standing policy on the treatment of income tax amounts included in the rates of pipelines and other entities subject to cost of service rate regulation within an MLP. In its order PL17-1-000, FERC revised a policy in place since 2005 to no longer permit entities organized as master limited partnerships to recover an income tax allowance in their cost of service rates. SEP intends to ask for rehearing of this policy change at FERC.

Roughly 60% of SEP's gas pipeline revenue comes from negotiated or market-based tariffs and therefore not directly affected by the FERC policy revisions. The remaining 40% of gas pipeline revenue is derived from cost of service based tariffs which could be subject to tax recovery disallowance. The liquids assets within SEP are predominantly negotiated tariffs and also not materially affected by the policy revisions. 

SEP anticipates no immediate impact to its current gas pipeline cost of service rates as a result of the revised policy and therefore no impact is expected to its previously provided 2018 financial guidance. Any future impacts would only take effect upon the execution and settlement of a rate case. In the event of a rate case, all cost of service framework components would be taken into consideration which we expect to offset a significant portion of any impacts related to the new FERC policy. Any unmitigated impacts are not anticipated to materially change SEP's distributable cash flow outlook beyond 2018. 

Important details of implementing the new revised policy statement require further clarification and SEP will continue to assess the financial impacts as more information becomes available.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by terms and phrases such as: anticipate, believe, intend, estimate, expect, continue, should, could, may, plan, project, predict, will, potential, forecast, and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from the results predicted. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in any forward-looking statement include, but are not limited to: state, federal and foreign legislative and regulatory initiatives that affect cost and investment recovery, have an effect on rate structure, and affect the speed at and degree to which  competition enters the natural gas and oil industries; outcomes of litigation and regulatory investigations, proceedings or inquiries; weather and other natural phenomena, including the economic, operational and other effects of hurricanes and storms; the timing and extent of changes in commodity prices, interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates; general economic conditions, including the risk of a prolonged economic slowdown or decline, or the risk of delay in a recovery, which can affect the long-term demand for natural gas and oil and related services; potential effects arising from terrorist attacks and any consequential or other hostilities; changes in environmental, safety and other laws and regulations; the development of alternative energy resources; results and costs of financing efforts, including the ability to obtain financing on favorable terms, which can be affected by various factors, including credit ratings and general market and economic conditions; increases in the cost of goods and services required to complete capital projects; declines in the market prices of equity and debt securities and resulting funding requirements for defined benefit pension plans; growth in opportunities, including the timing and success of efforts to develop U.S. and Canadian pipeline, storage, gathering, processing and other related infrastructure projects and the effects of competition; the performance of natural gas and oil transmission and storage, distribution, and gathering and processing facilities; the extent of success in connecting natural gas and oil supplies to gathering, processing and transmission systems and in connecting to expanding gas and oil markets; the effects of accounting pronouncements issued periodically by accounting standard-setting bodies; conditions of the capital markets during the periods covered by forward-looking statements; and the ability to successfully complete merger, acquisition or divestiture plans; regulatory or other limitations imposed as a result of a merger, acquisition or divestiture; and the success of the business following a merger, acquisition or divestiture. These factors, as well as additional factors that could affect our forward-looking statements, are described under the headings "Risk Factors" and "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information" in our 2017 Form 10-K, filed on February 15, 2018, and in our other filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which are available via the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the events described in the forward-looking statements might not occur or might occur to a different extent or at a different time than we have described. All forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Spectra Energy Partners

Spectra Energy Partners, LP is one of the largest pipeline master limited partnerships in the United States and connects growing supply areas to high-demand markets for natural gas and crude oil. These assets include more than 16,000 miles of transmission pipelines, approximately 170 billion cubic feet of natural gas storage, and approximately 5.6 million barrels of crude oil storage. Spectra Energy Partners, LP is traded on the New York stock exchange under the symbol SEP; information about the company is available on its website at www.spectraenergypartners.com.

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SOURCE Spectra Energy Partners, LP