Basis of Presentation, Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 1. BASIS OF PRESENTATION, DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES References to the Partnership and to the MLP Predecessor References to “the partnership” in the consolidated financial statements and in these notes to the consolidated financial statements refer to Green Plains Partners LP and its subsidiaries. References to the “MLP predecessor” refer to BlendStar LLC and its subsidiaries, the partnership’s predecessor for accounting purposes, and the assets, liabilities and results of operations of certain ethanol storage and railcar assets contributed by Green Plains Inc. in connection with the IPO on July 1, 2015. References to “the sponsor” in transactions subsequent to the IPO refer to Green Plains. On July 1, 2015, Green Plains Partners closed its IPO of common units representing limited partner interests of the partnership. Green Plains Holdings LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Green Plains Inc., serves as the general partner of the partnership. References to (i) “the general partner” and “Green Plains Holdings” refer to Green Plains Holdings LLC; (ii) “the parent,” “the sponsor” and “Green Plains” refer to Green Plains Inc.; and (iii) “Green Plains Trade” refers to Green Plains Trade Group LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Green Plains. Consolidated Financial Statements The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the partnership and its controlled subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated on a consolidated basis for reporting purposes. Results for the interim periods presented are not necessarily indicative of results expected for the entire year. The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP for interim financial information and instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Because they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP, the consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the partnership’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, or the 2015 annual report, and the recast Form 8-K filed on May 12, 2016, which retroactively adjusted Items 1, 6, 7, and 15 of our 2015 annual report to give retroactive effect to the acquisition of the ethanol storage and leased railcar assets of the Hereford, Texas and Hopewell, Virginia production facilities. When transferring assets between entities under common control, the entity receiving the net assets initially recognizes the carrying amounts of the assets and liabilities at the date of transfer and the prior period financial statements of the transferee are recast for all periods the transferred operations were part of the parent’s consolidated financial statements, in accordance with GAAP. On July 1, 2015, in addition to the interests of BlendStar, the partnership received the ethanol storage and railcar assets in a transfer between entities under common control. The transferred assets and liabilities are recognized at our parent’s historical cost and reflected retroactively in the consolidated financial statements presented in this report. Expenses related to the ethanol storage and railcar assets, such as depreciation, amortization and railcar lease expenses, are also reflected retroactively in the consolidated financial statements. There are no revenues related to the operation of the contributed ethanol storage and railcar assets for periods prior to July 1, 2015, when the related commercial agreements with Green Plains Trade became effective. Effective January 1, 2016, the partnership acquired the ethanol storage and leased railcar assets of the Hereford, Texas and Hopewell, Virginia production facilities from its sponsor in a transfer between entities under common control. The assets were recognized at historical cost and reflected retroactively along with related expenses for periods prior to the effective date of the acquisition, subsequent to the initial dates the assets were acquired by the sponsor, or October 23, 2015, and November 12, 2015, for Hopewell and Hereford, respectively. There were no revenues related to these assets for periods before January 1, 2016, when amendments to the commercial agreements related to the dropdown became effective. The MLP predecessor was a single member limited liability company, treated as a non-taxable disregarded entity in Green Plains’ federal and state income tax returns. For periods prior to the IPO, the consolidated financial statements reflect income taxes as if the MLP predecessor had filed separate federal and state tax returns. The unaudited financial information reflects all adjustments which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the results of operations, financial position and cash flows for the periods presented. The adjustments are normal and recurring in nature, unless otherwise noted. Reclassifications Certain prior year amounts were reclassified to conform to a revised current year presentation. These reclassifications did not affect total revenues, operating expenses, net income or partners’ capital. Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements Preparation of the consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The partnership bases its estimates on historical experience and assumptions it believes are proper and reasonable under the circumstances. The partnership regularly evaluates the appropriateness of these estimates and assumptions. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Key accounting policies, including, but not limited to, those related to depreciation of property and equipment, asset retirement obligations, and impairment of long-lived assets and goodwill are impacted significantly by judgments, assumptions and estimates used to prepare the consolidated financial statements. Description of Business The partnership provides fuel storage and transportation services by owning, operating, developing and acquiring ethanol and fuel storage tanks, terminals, transportation assets and other related assets and businesses. The partnership is its parent’s primary downstream logistics provider, supporting its parent’s approximately 1.2 bgy ethanol marketing and distribution business. The partnership’s assets are the principal method of storing and delivering the ethanol the parent produces. The ethanol produced by the parent is fuel and industrial grade, made principally from starch extracted from corn, and is primarily used for blending with gasoline. Ethanol currently comprises approximately 10% of the U.S. gasoline market and is an economical source of octane and oxygenate for blending into the fuel supply. The partnership does not take ownership of, or receive any payments based on the value of, the ethanol or other fuels it handles; as a result, the partnership does not have any direct exposure to fluctuations in commodity prices . Revenue Recognition The partnership recognizes revenues when all of the following criteria are satisfied: persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists; services have been rendered; the price is fixed and determinable; and collectability is reasonably assured. The partnership derives revenues when product is delivered to the customer from its ethanol storage tanks and fuel terminals, and transportation services are performed. The partnership generates a substantial portion of its revenues under fee-based commercial agreements with Green Plains Trade. The partnership’s storage and throughput agreement and certain terminal services agreements with Green Plains Trade are supported by minimum volume commitments. The partnership’s rail transportation services agreement is supported by minimum take-or-pay capacity commitments. Green Plains Trade is required to pay the partnership fees for these minimum commitments regardless of the actual volume, throughput or capacity used for storage or transport. Payment related to volume that was not actually throughput by Green Plains Trade is applied as a credit toward volume in excess of the minimum volume commitment during any of the next four quarters, after which time unused credits expire. The partnership records a liability for deferred revenue in the amount of the credit that may be used in future periods and for customer prepayments before the product is delivered. The partnership recognizes revenue and relieves the liability when throughput volumes exceed the minimum volume commitment or unused credits expire. As a result, a significant portion of the partnership’s revenues may be associated with cash collected during an earlier period that does not generate any cash during the current period. Concentrations of Credit Risk In the normal course of business, the partnership is exposed to credit risk resulting from the possibility a loss may occur due to failure of another party to perform according to the terms of a contract. The partnership provides fuel storage and transportation services for various parties with a significant portion of its revenues earned from Green Plains Trade. The partnership continually monitors its credit risk exposure and concentrations. Segment Reporting The partnership accounts for segment reporting in accordance with ASC 280, Segment Reporting , which establishes standards for entities reporting information about the operating segments and geographic areas in which they operate. Management evaluated how its chief operating decision maker has organized the partnership for purposes of making operating decisions and assessing performance, and concluded it has one reportable segment. Asset Retirement Obligations The partnership records an ARO for the fair value of the estimated costs to retire a tangible long-lived asset in the period it will be incurred if it can be reasonably estimated, which is subsequently adjusted for accretion expense. The corresponding asset retirement costs are capitalized as a long-lived asset and depreciated on a straight-line basis over the asset’s remaining useful life. The expected present value technique used to calculate the fair value of AROs includes assumptions about costs, settlement dates, interest, accretion and inflation. Changes in assumptions, including the amount or timing of estimated cash flows, could result in increases or decreases to the AROs. The partnership’s AROs are based on legal obligations to perform remedial activity when certain machinery and equipment are disposed and operating leases expire. Income Taxes The partnership is a limited partnership and as a result is not subject to federal income taxes. The partnership owns a subsidiary that is taxed as a corporation for federal and state income tax purposes. In addition, the partnership is subject to state income taxes in certain states. As a result, the financial statements reflect a provision or benefit for such income taxes. The general partner and the unitholders are responsible for paying federal and state income taxes on their share of the partnership’s taxable income. The partnership recognizes uncertainties in income taxes within the financial statements under a process by which the likelihood of a tax position is gauged based upon the technical merits of the position, and then a subsequent measurement relates the maximum benefit and the degree of likelihood to determine the amount of benefit recognized in the financial statements. Recent Accounting Pronouncements Effective January 1, 2016, the partnership adopted the amended guidance in ASC 835-30, Interest - Imputation of Interest: Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs , which requires debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. The amended guidance has been applied on a retrospective basis and the balance sheet of each individual period presented has been adjusted to reflect the period-specific effects of the new guidance. Effective January 1, 2016, the partnership adopted the amended guidance in ASC 260, Effects on Historical Earnings per Unit of Master Limited Partnership Dropdown Transactions , which specifies how to calculate historical earnings or losses per unit under the two-class method of a transferred business before the date of a dropdown transaction that should be allocated entirely to the sponsor. Effective January 1, 2018, the partnership will adopt the amended guidance in ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers , which requires revenue recognition to reflect the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. The updated standard permits either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. Early application beginning January 1, 2017, is permitted. The partnership does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements. Effective January 1, 2019, the partnership will adopt the amended guidance in ASC 842, Leases , which aims to make leasing activities more transparent and comparable and requires substantially all leases to be recognized by lessees on their balance sheet as a right-of-use asset and corresponding lease liability, including leases currently accounted for as operating leases. Early application is permitted. The partnership is currently evaluating the impact the adoption of the amended guidance will have on the consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. |