for business combinations requires the allocation of the company’s purchase price to the various assets and liabilities of the acquired business at their respective fair values. The company uses all available information to make these fair value determinations, and for major acquisitions, may hire an independent appraisal firm to assist in making fair-value estimates. In some instances, assumptions with respect to the timing and amount of future revenues and expenses associated with an asset might have to be used in determining its fair value. Actual timing and amount of net cash flows from revenues and expenses related to that asset over time may differ materially from those initial estimates, and if the timing is delayed significantly or if the net cash flows decline significantly, the asset could become impaired.

     Goodwill   Goodwill acquired in a business combination is not subject to amortization. As required by FASB Statement No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, the company tests such goodwill at the reporting unit level for impairment on an annual basis and between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying amount. The goodwill arising from the Unocal acquisition is described in more detail in Note 2, beginning on page FS-34.

     Contingent Losses   Management also makes judgments and estimates in recording liabilities for claims, litigation, tax matters and environmental remediation. Actual costs can frequently vary from estimates for a variety of reasons. For example, the costs from settlement of claims and litigation can vary from estimates based on differing interpretations of laws, opinions on culpability and assessments on the amount of damages. Similarly, liabilities for environmental remediation are subject to change because of changes in laws, regulations and their interpretation, the determination of additional information on the extent and nature of site contamination, and improvements in technology.

     Under the accounting rules, a liability is recorded for these types of contingencies if management determines the loss to be both probable and estimable. The company generally records these losses as “Operating expenses” or “Selling, general and administrative expenses” on the Consolidated Statement of Income. Refer to the business segment discussions elsewhere in this section for the effect on earnings from losses associated with certain litigation and environmental remediation and tax matters for the three years ended December 31, 2006.

     An estimate as to the sensitivity to earnings for these periods if other assumptions had been used in recording these liabilities is not practicable because of the number of contingencies that must be assessed, the number of underlying assumptions and the wide range of reasonably possible outcomes, both in terms of the probability of loss and the estimates of such loss.