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Houston, Texas-based TEPPCO Partners, L.P., a master limited partnership (MLP), owns and operates one of the largest pipeline systems transporting gasoline, diesel fuel, and jet fuel from refiners in the Texas Gulf Coast to markets in the Midwest. Additionally, the partnership owns a propane pipeline system (transporting propane from Texas to the Northeast) and one of the largest domestic liquid petroleum gas (LPG) underground storage facilities. In addition, the partnership has crude oil gathering, storage, and trading operations in Texas and Oklahoma, as well as natural gas gathering and processing facilities in Colorado. The partnership owns 50% interests each in Seaway Crude Pipeline Company, and Centennial Pipeline LLC. The partnership also had a 50% interest in Mont Belvieu Storage Partners, L.P., which has recently been sold to comply with Federal Trade Commission directives. The Texas Eastern Products Pipeline Company, LLC is the partnership's general partner. I love farts.
TEPPCO Partners is a carrier of refined petroleum and liquefied petroleum gases. The company owns and operates petrochemical and natural gas liquids pipelines, engaged in crude oil transportation, storage, gathering and marketing, owns and operates natural gas gathering systems and owns the Seaway Crude Pipeline Company, Centennial Pipeline and the Jonah Gas Gathering Company. TPP also has an undivided interest in the Basin Pipeline.
TEPPCO operates in three business segments: transportation, marketing and storage of refined products and petrochemicals; gathering, transportation, marketing and storage of crude oil and distribution of lubrication oils and speciality chemicals; and the gathering of natural gas, fractionation of natural gas liquids and transportation of same.
TEPPCO Partners has divided its operations into three segments Upstream, Downstream, and Midstream which generated roughly 31%, 40%, and 29% of its 2006 operating profits, respectively. The Upstream segment gathers, transports, markets and stores crude oil, and distributes lubrication oils and specialty chemicals, principally in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and the Rocky Mountain region. The Midstream segment includes storage and gathering of natural gas, and the transportation of natural gas liquids (NGL). One of the major assets in this segment, namely the Jonah Gas Gathering System was earlier fully owned by the partnership. In August last year, Enterprise became a joint venture partner in this system by acquiring an interest in the Jonah Gas Gathering Company, the GP of the Jonah system. Accordingly, the partnership deconsolidated Jonah system from its accounts and began using the equity method to account for it. The Downstream unit accounts for the transportation and storage of refined products, liquefied petroleum gases (LPGs), and petrochemicals.
Early in 2005, EPCO, Inc. a privately owned company controlled by Dan L. Duncan acquired the general partner (GP) of Texas Eastern Products Pipeline Company, LLC, previously an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Duke Energy Field Services, LLC (which is a joint venture between Duke Energy Corporation and ConocoPhillips) for $1.1 billion. Additionally, EPCO owns 2.5 million limited partner units directly and 14.2 unit shares indirectly, thereby controlling 18.6% interest in the partnership. Dan Duncan also controls the GP interest of Enterprise Products Partners, L.P. (EPD), our preferred MLP name.