Item 1. Business
Item 1. Business
Overview
CVR Partners, LP (“CVR Partners” or the “Partnership”) is a Delaware limited partnership formed in 2011 by CVR Energy, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, but excluding the Partnership and its subsidiaries, “CVR Energy”) to own, operate and grow its nitrogen fertilizer business. The Partnership produces nitrogen fertilizer products at two manufacturing facilities, one located in Coffeyville, Kansas operated by our wholly owned subsidiary, Coffeyville Resources Nitrogen Fertilizers, LLC (“CRNF”) (the “Coffeyville Facility”) and one located in East Dubuque, Illinois operated by our wholly owned subsidiary, East Dubuque Nitrogen Fertilizers, LLC (“EDNF”) (the “East Dubuque Facility”). Both facilities manufacture ammonia and are able to further upgrade such ammonia to other nitrogen fertilizer products, principally urea ammonium nitrate (“UAN”). Nitrogen fertilizer is used by farmers to improve the yield and quality of their crops, primarily corn and wheat. The Partnership’s products are sold on a wholesale basis in the United States of America. As used in these financial statements, references to CVR Partners, the Partnership, “we”, “us”, and “our” may refer to consolidated subsidiaries of CVR Partners or one or both of the facilities, as the context may require.
Organizational Structure and Related Ownership
The following chart illustrates the organizational structure of the Partnership as of December 31, 2023.
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Facilities
Coffeyville Facility - We own and operate a nitrogen fertilizer production facility in Coffeyville, Kansas that includes a gasifier complex having a capacity of 89 million standard cubic feet per day of hydrogen, a 1,300 ton per day capacity ammonia unit and a 3,100 ton per day capacity UAN unit. The Coffeyville Facility is the only nitrogen fertilizer plant in North America that utilizes a pet coke gasification process to produce nitrogen fertilizer. The Coffeyville Facility’s largest raw material cost used in the production of ammonia is pet coke, which is purchased from CVR Energy and third parties. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, the Partnership purchased approximately $40.5 million, $22.5 million, and $23.0 million, respectively, of pet coke, which equaled an average cost per ton of $78.14, $52.88, and $44.69, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, we upgraded approximately 92%, 94%, and 87%, respectively, of our ammonia production into UAN, a product that generated greater profit per ton than ammonia. When the economics are favorable, we expect to continue upgrading substantially all of our ammonia production into UAN.
East Dubuque Facility - We own and operate a nitrogen fertilizer production facility in East Dubuque, Illinois that includes a 1,075 ton per day capacity ammonia unit and a 950 ton per day capacity UAN unit. The East Dubuque Facility has the flexibility to vary its product mix, thereby enabling it to upgrade a portion of its ammonia production into varying amounts of UAN, nitric acid, and liquid and granulated urea, depending on market demand, pricing, and storage availability. The East Dubuque Facility’s largest raw material cost used in the production of ammonia is natural gas, which is purchased from third parties. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, the East Dubuque Facility incurred approximately $29.0 million, $46.0 million, and $31.8 million for feedstock natural gas used in production, respectively, which equaled an average cost of $3.42, $6.66, and $3.95 per MMBtu, respectively.
Commodities
The nitrogen products we produce are globally traded commodities and are subject to price competition. The customers for our products make their purchasing decisions principally on the basis of delivered price and, to a lesser extent, on customer service and product quality. The selling prices of our products fluctuate in response to global market conditions, feedstock costs, and changes in supply and demand.
Agriculture
Nutrients are depleted in soil over time and, therefore, must be replenished through fertilizer application. Nitrogen is the most quickly depleted nutrient and must be replenished every year, whereas phosphate and potassium can be retained in soil for up to three years. Plants require nitrogen in the largest amounts, and it accounts for approximately 56% of primary fertilizer consumption on a nutrient ton basis, per the International Fertilizer Association (“IFA”).
The three primary forms of nitrogen fertilizer used in the United States are ammonia, urea, and UAN. Unlike ammonia and urea, UAN can be applied throughout the growing season and can be applied in tandem with pesticides and herbicides, providing farmers with flexibility and cost savings. As a result of these factors, UAN typically commands a premium price to urea and ammonia, on a nitrogen equivalent basis.
Demand
Global demand for fertilizers is driven primarily by grain demand and prices, which, in turn, are driven by population growth, farmland per capita, dietary changes in the developing world, and increased consumption of bio-fuels. According to the IFA, from 1976 to 2021, global fertilizer demand grew 2% annually. Global fertilizer use, consisting of nitrogen, phosphate, and potash, is projected to increase by 2% through 2024 to meet global food demand according to a study funded by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. Currently, the developed world uses fertilizer more intensively than the developing world, but sustained economic growth in emerging markets is increasing food demand and fertilizer use. In addition, populations in developing countries are shifting to more protein-rich diets as their incomes increase, with such consumption requiring more grain for animal feed. As an example, China’s wheat and coarse grains production is estimated to have increased 42% between 2011 and 2023, but still failed to keep pace with increases in demand, prompting China to grow its wheat and coarse grain imports by more than 1,167% over the same period, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”).
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The United States is the world’s largest exporter of coarse grains, accounting for 25% of world exports and 27% of world production for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, according to the USDA. A substantial amount of nitrogen is consumed in production of these crops to increase yield. Based on Fertecon Limited’s (“Fertecon”) 2023 estimates, the United States is the world’s third largest consumer and importer of nitrogen fertilizer. Fertecon is an agency which provides market information and analysis on fertilizers and fertilizer raw materials for fertilizer and related industries, as well as international agencies. Fertecon estimates indicate that the United States represented 11% of total global nitrogen fertilizer consumption for 2023, with China and India as the top consumers representing 23% and 18% of total global nitrogen fertilizer consumption, respectively.
North American nitrogen fertilizer producers predominantly use natural gas as their primary feedstock. Over the last five years, U.S. oil and natural gas reserves have increased significantly due to, among other factors, advances in extracting shale oil and gas, as well as improvements in drilling efficiencies and reduced production costs. As a result, North America has been a low-cost region for nitrogen fertilizer production.
Raw Material Supply
Coffeyville Facility - During the past five years, approximately 41% of the Coffeyville Facility’s pet coke requirements, on average, were supplied by CVR Energy’s adjacent Coffeyville, Kansas refinery pursuant to a supply agreement between one of our subsidiaries and a subsidiary of CVR Energy (the “Coffeyville MSA”). In 2023, 2022, and 2021, our supply of pet coke from the Coffeyville refinery was approximately 43%, 47%, and 43%, respectively. Historically, our Coffeyville Facility has obtained the remainder of its pet coke requirements through third-party contracts typically priced at a discount to the spot market. We have contracts with several vendors to supply third-party pet coke, which could be delivered by truck, railcar, or barge.
Additionally, our Coffeyville Facility relies on a third-party air separation plant at its location that provides contract volumes of oxygen, nitrogen, and compressed dry air to the Coffeyville Facility gasifiers. Should the oxygen volume fall below a specified level, the on-site vendor is contractually obligated to provide excess oxygen through its own mechanism or through third-party purchases. The reliability of the air separation plant can have a significant impact on our Coffeyville Facility’s operations.
East Dubuque Facility - Our East Dubuque Facility is generally able to purchase natural gas at competitive prices due to its connection to the Northern Natural Gas interstate pipeline system, which is within one mile of the facility, and a third-party owned and operated pipeline. The pipelines are connected to a third-party distribution system at the Chicago Citygate receipt point and at the Hampshire interconnect from which natural gas is transported to our East Dubuque Facility. As of December 31, 2023, we had commitments to purchase approximately 0.7 million MMBtus of natural gas supply for planned use in our East Dubuque Facility in January of 2024, at a weighted average rate per MMBtu of approximately $3.03, exclusive of transportation costs.
Marketing and Distribution
We primarily market UAN products to agricultural customers and ammonia products to agricultural and industrial customers. UAN and ammonia, including freight, accounted for approximately 69% and 24%, respectively, of total net sales for the year ended December 31, 2023.
UAN and ammonia are primarily distributed by truck or railcar. If delivered by truck, products are most commonly sold on a shipping point basis, and freight is normally arranged by the customer. We also utilize a fleet of railcars for use in product delivery. If delivered by railcar, products are most commonly sold on a destination point basis, and we typically arrange the freight.
The nitrogen fertilizer products leave our Coffeyville Facility either in railcars for destinations located principally on the Union Pacific or Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroads or in trucks for direct shipment to customers. Our East Dubuque Facility primarily sells product to customers located within 200 miles of the facility. In most instances, customers take delivery of nitrogen products at our East Dubuque Facility and arrange to transport them to their final destinations by truck. Additionally, our East Dubuque Facility has direct access to a barge dock on the Mississippi River, as well as a nearby rail spur serviced by the Canadian National Railway Company, both of which are utilized occasionally to sell and distribute our products.
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Customers
Retailers and distributors are the main customers for UAN, and, more broadly, the industrial and agricultural sectors are the primary recipients of our ammonia products. Given the nature of our business, and consistent with industry practice, we sell our products on a wholesale basis under a contract or by purchase order. Contracts with customers generally contain fixed pricing and have terms of less than one year. Our top two customers represented 25% and 30% of net sales for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and our top customer represented 13% of net sales for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Competition
Nitrogen fertilizer production is a global market with competitors in every region of the world, with barge and rail distribution fostering healthy competition throughout the United States. The industry is dominated by price considerations, which are driven by raw material and transportation costs, currency fluctuations, trade barriers, and regulators. Our business has experienced, and expects to continue to experience, significant levels of competition from domestic and foreign nitrogen fertilizer producers, many of whom have significantly greater financial and other resources. Farming activities intensify in the United States during the spring and fall fertilizer application periods, and geographic proximity to these activities is also a significant competitive advantage for domestic producers. We manage our manufacturing and distribution operations to best serve our customers during these critical periods.
Subject to location and other considerations, our major domestic competitors in the nitrogen fertilizer business generally includes CF Industries Holdings, Inc., which sells significantly more nitrogen fertilizers in the United States than other industry participants; Nutrien Ltd.; Koch Fertilizer Company, LLC; OCI N.V.; and LSB Industries, Inc. Domestic customers generally demonstrate sophisticated buying tendencies that include a focus on cost and service. We also encounter competition from producers of fertilizer products manufactured in foreign countries, including the threat of increased production capacity. In certain cases, foreign producers of fertilizer that export to the United States may be subsidized by their respective governments.
Seasonality
Because we primarily sell agricultural commodity products, our business is exposed to seasonal fluctuations in demand for nitrogen fertilizer products in the agricultural industry. In addition, the demand for fertilizers is affected by the aggregate crop planting decisions and fertilizer application rate decisions of individual farmers who make planting decisions based largely on the prospective profitability of a harvest. The specific varieties and amounts of fertilizer they apply depend on factors like crop prices, farmers’ current liquidity, soil conditions, weather patterns, and the types of crops planted. We typically experience higher net sales in the first half of the calendar year, which is referred to as the planting season, and net sales tend to be lower during the second half of each calendar year, which is referred to as the fill season.
Environmental Matters
Our business is subject to extensive and frequently changing federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations governing the emission and release of regulated substances into the environment, the transportation, storage, and disposal of waste, the treatment and discharge of wastewater and stormwater, the storage, handling, use, and transportation of our nitrogen fertilizer products, and the characteristics and composition of UAN and ammonia. These laws and regulations and the enforcement thereof impact us by imposing:
• restrictions on operations or the need to install enhanced or additional control and monitoring equipment;
• liability for the investigation and remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater at current and former facilities (if any) and for off-site waste disposal locations; and
• specifications for the products we market, primarily UAN and ammonia.
Our operations require numerous permits, licenses, and authorizations. Failure to comply with these permits or environmental laws, rules, and regulations could result in fines, penalties, or other sanctions or liabilities or a revocation of our permits, licenses, or authorizations. In addition, the laws and regulations to which we are subject are often evolving and many of them have or could become more stringent or have or could become subject to more stringent interpretation or enforcement by federal or state agencies. These laws and regulations could result in increased capital, operating, and compliance costs.
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The Federal Clean Air Act (“CAA”)
The CAA and its implementing regulations, as well as state laws and regulations governing air emissions, affect us both directly and indirectly. Direct impacts may occur through the CAA’s permitting requirements and/or emission control and monitoring requirements relating to specific air pollutants, as well as the requirement to maintain a risk management program to help prevent accidental releases of certain regulated substances. The CAA affects the Partnership by extensively regulating the air emissions of sulfur dioxide (“SO 2 ”), volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, and other substances. Some or all of the regulations promulgated pursuant to the CAA, or any future promulgations of regulations, may require the installation of controls or changes to our nitrogen fertilizer facilities (collectively referred to as the “Facilities”) to maintain compliance. If new controls or changes to operations are needed, the costs could be material.
The regulation of air emissions under the CAA requires that we obtain various construction and operating permits and incur capital expenditures for the installation of certain air pollution control devices at our operations. Various standards and programs specific to our operations have been implemented, such as the National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants, the New Source Performance Standards, and the New Source Review.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) regulates greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions under the CAA. In October 2009, the EPA finalized a rule requiring certain large emitters of GHGs to inventory and report their GHG emissions to the EPA. In accordance with the rule, our Facilities monitor and report our GHG emissions to the EPA. In May 2010, the EPA finalized the “Greenhouse Gas Tailoring Rule”, which established GHG emissions thresholds that determine when stationary sources, such as the nitrogen fertilizer facilities, must obtain permits under the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (“PSD”) and Title V programs of the CAA. Under the rule, facilities already subject to the PSD and Title V programs that increase their emissions of GHGs by a significant amount are required to undergo PSD review and to evaluate and implement air pollution control technology, known as “best available control technology”, to reduce GHG emissions.
On January 20, 2021, the White House issued an Executive Order titled “Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis”, as well as a formal notification re-accepting entry of the United States into the Paris Agreement. On January 27, 2021, the White House issued another climate-related Executive Order, titled “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad”. On April 22, 2021, the Biden Administration announced a new target for the United States to achieve a 50 to 52 percent reduction from 2005 levels in economy-wide net GHG emissions in 2030. These orders could negatively impact our business and lead to increased costs that could be material.
The EPA’s approach to regulating GHG emissions, as well as executive orders, may change, including under future administrations, which may have impacts on our Facilities.
Recent Greenhouse Gas Footprint Reduction Efforts
In October 2020, the Partnership announced that it generated its first carbon offset credits from voluntary nitrous oxide abatement at its Coffeyville Facility. The Partnership has similar nitrous oxide abatement efforts at its East Dubuque Facility. In 2021, according to the EPA, nitrous oxide accounted for approximately 6% of carbon dioxide-equivalent (“CO 2 e”) emissions in the United States.
The Partnership previously entered into a Joint Development Agreement with ClimeCo, a developer of emission-reduction projects for nitric acid plants, to jointly design, install and operate a tertiary abatement system at one of its nitric acid plants in Coffeyville. The system was designed to abate 94% of all N 2 O in the unit while preventing the release of approximately 450,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent on an annualized basis. From 2018 to 2022, the N 2 O abatement systems at the East Dubuque Facility’s two nitric acid plants have abated, on average, the annual release of approximately 256,000 metric tons of CO 2 e.
CVR Partners’ N 2 O abatement projects are registered with the Climate Action Reserve (the “Reserve”), a carbon offset registry for the North American market. The Reserve employs high-quality standards and an independent third-party verification process to issue its carbon credits, known as Climate Reserve Tonnes.
The Partnership also sequesters carbon dioxide that is not utilized for urea production at its Coffeyville Facility by capturing and purifying the CO 2 as part of its manufacturing process and then transfers it to CapturePoint LLC, an unaffiliated third-party (“CapturePoint”), which then compresses and ships the CO 2 for sequestration through Enhanced Oil Recovery
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(“EOR”) under an EPA-approved monitoring, reporting, and verification plan. We believe that certain carbon oxide capture and sequestration activities conducted at or in connection with the Coffeyville Facility qualify under the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) safe harbor described in Revenue Procedure 2020-12 for certain tax credits available to joint ventures under Section 45Q of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Section 45Q Credits”). In January 2023, we entered into a series of agreements with CapturePoint and certain unaffiliated third-party investors intended to qualify under the IRS safe harbor described in Revenue Procedure 2020-12 for certain joint ventures that are eligible to claim Section 45Q Credits and allow us to monetize Section 45Q Credits we expect to generate from January 6, 2023 until March 31, 2030.
Combining our nitrous oxide abatement and CO 2 sequestration activities should reduce our CO 2 e footprint by an average of over 1 million metric tons per year. In addition, our Coffeyville Facility is uniquely qualified to produce hydrogen and ammonia that could be certified ‘blue’ to a market that is increasingly demanding reduced carbon footprints. These greenhouse gas footprint reduction efforts support our core Values of Environment and Continuous Improvement and our goal of continuing to produce nitrogen fertilizers that produce crops that help to feed the world’s growing population in the most environmentally responsible way possible.
The Federal Clean Water Act (“CWA”)
The CWA and its implementing regulations, as well as state laws and regulations that govern the discharge of pollutants into the water, affect the Partnership. The CWA’s permitting requirements establish discharge limitations that may be based on technology standards, water quality standards, and restrictions on the total maximum daily load of pollutants allowed to enter a particular water body based on its use. In addition, water resources are becoming more scarce. The Coffeyville Facility has contracts in place to receive water during certain water shortage conditions, but these conditions and contracts could change over time depending on the scarcity of water.
In January 2021, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”) announced it is undertaking a plan to review and update effluent standards for many industries. EPA is prioritizing those sectors that are ranked high in point source categories for total nitrogen discharges, including fertilizer manufacturers. The EPA’s review eventually could result in different regulations governing the Partnership.
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA”) and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (“EPCRA”)
The release of hazardous substances or extremely hazardous substances into the environment is subject to release reporting requirements under federal and state environmental laws. Our Facilities also periodically experience releases of hazardous and extremely hazardous substances from their equipment. From time to time, the EPA has conducted inspections and issued information requests to us with respect to our compliance with reporting requirements under the CERCLA and the EPCRA. If we fail to timely or properly report a release, or if a release violates the law or our permits, we could become the subject of a governmental enforcement action or third-party claims. Government enforcement or third-party claims relating to releases of hazardous or extremely hazardous substances could result in significant expenditures and liability.
Environmental Remediation
As is the case with all companies engaged in similar industries, we face potential exposure from claims and lawsuits involving environmental matters, including soil and water contamination and personal injury or property damage allegedly caused by hazardous substances that we manufactured, handled, used, stored, transported, spilled, disposed of, or released. The Coffeyville Facility has entered into an agreement with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (“KDHE”) to address certain historical releases of UAN located on our property and comingled with legacy groundwater contamination from the adjacent Coffeyville refinery operated by a subsidiary of CVR Energy (the “Coffeyville Refinery”). The cleanup provisions of our agreement with KDHE are held in abeyance so long as the Coffeyville Refinery conducts corrective action for these comingled historical releases in accordance with its Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”) Permit. There is no assurance that the Coffeyville Refinery will comply with its Permit conditions in the future, which may trigger enforcement of the cleanup provisions of our agreement with KDHE. There is no assurance that we will not become involved in future proceedings related to the release of hazardous or extremely hazardous substances for which we have potential liability or that, if we were held responsible for damages in any existing or future proceedings, such costs would be covered by insurance or would not be material.
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Environmental Insurance
We are covered by CVR Energy’s site pollution legal liability insurance policies, which include business interruption coverage, subject to applicable retentions and exclusions. The policies insure any location owned, leased, rented, or operated by the Partnership, including our Facilities. The policies insure certain pollution conditions at, or migrating from, a covered location, certain waste transportation and disposal activities, and business interruption.
In addition to the site pollution legal liability insurance policies, we maintain umbrella and excess casualty insurance policies which include sudden and accidental pollution coverage policies maintained by CVR Energy, subject to applicable retentions and exclusions. This insurance generally provides coverage due to named perils for claims involving pollutants where the discharge is sudden and accidental and first commences at a specific day and time during the policy period.
The site pollution legal liability policy and the pollution coverage provided in the casualty insurance policies are subject to retentions and deductibles and contain discovery requirements, reporting requirements, exclusions, definitions, conditions, and limitations that could apply to a particular pollution claim, and there can be no assurance such claim will be adequately insured for all potential damages.
Health, Safety, and Security Matters
We are subject to a number of federal and state laws and regulations related to safety, including the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) and comparable state statutes, the purposes of which are to protect the health and safety of workers. We are also subject to OSHA Process Safety Management regulations, which are designed to prevent or minimize the consequences of catastrophic releases of toxic, reactive, flammable, or explosive chemicals. We are committed to safe, reliable operations of our facilities to protect the health and safety of our employees, our contractors, and the communities in which we operate. Our health and safety management system provides a comprehensive approach to injury, illness and incident prevention, risk assessment and mitigation, and emergency management. Despite our efforts to achieve excellence in our health and safety performance, there can be no assurances that there will not be accidents resulting in losses, injuries, or fatalities that could materially adversely impact our business. We periodically audit our programs and seek to continually improve our management systems.
Our Facilities were subject to the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (“CFATS”), a regulatory program designed to ensure facilities have security measures in place to reduce the risk that certain hazardous chemicals are weaponized by terrorists. In June 2023, authorization for CFATS was allowed to expire, but it’s possible that Congress will reauthorize CFATS. Despite the expiration for CFATS, our Facilities continue to comply with its requirements. In addition, the East Dubuque Facility is regulated under the Maritime Transportation Security Act. We implement and maintain comprehensive security programs designed to comply with regulatory requirements and protect our assets and employees.
We periodically assess risk and conduct audits of our programs and seek to continually improve our health, safety, and security management systems.
Human Capital
Our employees are the most important part of our business and help us work to achieve our Mission to be a top-tier North American nitrogen-based fertilizer company as measured by safe and reliable operations, superior financial performance and profitable growth. CVR Partners’ culture is defined by our core Values: Safety, Environment, Integrity, Corporate Citizenship and Continuous Improvement . The efforts of our employees in support of this Mission are guided each and every day by these core Values as we strive to achieve excellence for all of our key stakeholders – employees, communities and stockholders. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis” in Part II, Item 7 of this Report for further discussion on our Mission and core Values.
Workforce Profile
As of December 31, 2023, CVR Partners and its subsidiaries had 310 employees, all of which are located in the United States. Of these, 95 employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement.
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Safety & Health
We are committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace and striving to protect our employees, contractors and communities. We accomplish this through compliance with applicable workplace safety and environmental laws and regulations, seeking employee input, learning from any events, and maintaining comprehensive audit and training programs and emergency response and disaster recovery plans. To assess our safety performance, we monitor workplace injuries, process safety incidents, and environmental events, and perform compliance audits and risk assessments. We believe these efforts reinforce our safety culture; promote a safe workplace, accountability, and stronger community relations; help guard against complacency; and ultimately, enhance our safety performance and help us manage risk and reduce impact to personal health and safety and the environment.
Compensation & Benefits
We believe that our future success largely depends upon our continued ability to attract and retain highly skilled employees. We are committed to providing wages and benefits that are competitive with a market-based, pay-for-performance compensation philosophy. Our performance bonus program is an important component of our compensation program, rewarding high-performing employees for CVR Partners’ performance against pre-defined safety and health, operational reliability, and financial measures. Senior employees may also receive long-term incentive awards that currently vest ratably over a three-year period, subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable award agreement, aligning employee compensation with the interests of our shareholders and promoting employee retention. We provide paid time off and paid holidays, a 401(k) Company match program, life insurance, health savings and dependent care flexible spending accounts, and an employee assistance program. In furtherance of our core Value of Continuous Improvement, we also offer programs for tuition reimbursement and dependent scholarships. We offer a remote work policy to provide eligible employees with the flexibility that is key to a work-life balance. We encourage all employees to live our core Value of corporate citizenship by making a positive impact in our communities by taking advantage of our volunteerism policy pursuant to which eligible employees are provided paid time off from work to volunteer at 501(c)(3) non-profit entities.
Talent Management
We believe our competitive compensation and benefit plans allow us to attract and retain talented employees. Our recruiting strategy focuses on ensuring our hiring practices are free from bias for or against any individual or group of candidates. We continue to build upon our inclusive culture by expanding our recruitment efforts to include veteran recruitment and apprenticeship programs, recruiting interns at diverse colleges, and promoting diverse representation within our workforce. In support of the personal development of our employees and our goal of employing and retaining effective and dynamic leaders, we provide in-person supervisor training to managers at all levels, which focuses on a combination of business and leadership strategies, including coaching and performance management, goal setting, critical thinking, effective communication and listening, development and succession planning, delegation techniques, and legal aspects of leadership, among other topics.
Diversity & Inclusion
We are an equal opportunity employer and strive to maintain a diverse and inclusive work environment free from harassment and discrimination regardless of race, religion, color, age, gender, disability, minority, sexual orientation or any other protected class. Our recruiting efforts that include focus on veteran and diverse college populations, support our diverse and inclusive environment, as do the activities of our Diversity & Inclusion Committee. We provide diversity and inclusion training that includes focus on unconscious bias where employees learn to recognize and address the effects thereof by encouraging diversity of experience and opinion. Our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct and our anti-discrimination and harassment policies also help us maintain a work environment where individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and where diversity of thought and perspective is valued.
Available Information
Our website address is www.CVRPartners.com. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, are available free of charge through our website under “Investor Relations”, as soon as reasonably practicable after the electronic filing or furnishing of these reports is made with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) at www.sec.gov. In addition, our Corporate Governance Guidelines, Codes of Ethics and Business
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Conduct, and the charters of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, and the Environmental, Health and Safety Committee of the Board of Directors of our general partner are available on our website. These guidelines, policies, and charters are also available in print without charge to any unitholder requesting them. Information on our website is not a part of, and is not incorporated into, this Report or any other report we may file with or furnish to the SEC, whether before or after the date of this Report and irrespective of any general incorporation language therein.
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