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Commitments And Contingencies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2020
Commitments And Contingencies [Abstract] |
Commitments And Contingencies | 17. Commitments and Contingencies Asserted and Unasserted Claims – Various claims and lawsuits are pending against us and certain of our subsidiaries. We cannot fully determine the effect of all asserted and unasserted claims on our consolidated results of operations, financial condition, or liquidity. To the extent possible, we have recorded a liability where asserted and unasserted claims are considered probable and where such claims can be reasonably estimated. We do not expect that any known lawsuits, claims, environmental costs, commitments, contingent liabilities, or guarantees will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations, financial condition, or liquidity after taking into account liabilities and insurance recoveries previously recorded for these matters. Personal Injury – The cost of personal injuries to employees and others related to our activities is charged to expense based on estimates of the ultimate cost and number of incidents each year. We use an actuarial analysis to measure the expense and liability, including unasserted claims. The Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) governs compensation for work-related accidents. Under FELA, damages are assessed based on a finding of fault through litigation or out-of-court settlements. We offer a comprehensive variety of services and rehabilitation programs for employees who are injured at work. Our personal injury liability is not discounted to present value due to the uncertainty surrounding the timing of future payments. Approximately 94% of the recorded liability is related to asserted claims and approximately 6% is related to unasserted claims at December 31, 2020. Because of the uncertainty surrounding the ultimate outcome of personal injury claims, it is reasonably possible that future costs to settle these claims may range from approximately $270 million to $295 million. We record an accrual at the low end of the range as no amount of loss within the range is more probable than any other. Estimates can vary over time due to evolving trends in litigation. Our personal injury liability activity was as follows:
Millions | 2020 | 2019 | 2018
Beginning balance | $ | 265 | $ | 271 | $ | 285
Current year accruals |  | 72 |  | 78 |  | 74
Changes in estimates for prior years |  | (3) |  | (11) |  | (16)
Payments |  | (64) |  | (73) |  | (72)
Ending balance at December 31 | $ | 270 | $ | 265 | $ | 271
Current portion, ending balance at December 31 | $ | 60 | $ | 63 | $ | 72
We reassess our estimated insurance recoveries annually and have recognized an asset for estimated insurance recoveries at December 31, 2020 and 2019. Any changes to recorded insurance recoveries are included in the above table in the Changes in estimates for prior years category. Environmental Costs – We are subject to federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations. We have identified 373 sites at which we are or may be liable for remediation costs associated with alleged contamination or for violations of environmental requirements. This includes 29 sites that are the subject of actions taken by the U.S. government, 18 of which are currently on the Superfund National Priorities List. Certain federal legislation imposes joint and several liability for the remediation of identified sites; consequently, our ultimate environmental liability may include costs relating to activities of other parties, in addition to costs relating to our own activities at each site. When we identify an environmental issue with respect to property owned, leased, or otherwise used in our business, we perform, with assistance of our consultants, environmental assessments on the property. We expense the cost of the assessments as incurred. We accrue the cost of remediation where our obligation is probable and such costs can be reasonably estimated. Our environmental liability is not discounted to present value due to the uncertainty surrounding the timing of future payments. Our environmental liability activity was as follows:
Millions | 2020 | 2019 | 2018
Beginning balance | $ | 227 | $ | 223 | $ | 196
Accruals |  | 76 |  | 67 |  | 84
Payments |  | (70) |  | (63) |  | (57)
Ending balance at December 31 | $ | 233 | $ | 227 | $ | 223
Current portion, ending balance at December 31 | $ | 65 | $ | 62 | $ | 59
The environmental liability includes future costs for remediation and restoration of sites, as well as ongoing monitoring costs, but excludes any anticipated recoveries from third parties. Cost estimates are based on information available for each site, financial viability of other potentially responsible parties, and existing technology, laws, and regulations. The ultimate liability for remediation is difficult to determine because of the number of potentially responsible parties, site-specific cost sharing arrangements with other potentially responsible parties, the degree of contamination by various wastes, the scarcity and quality of volumetric data related to many of the sites, and the speculative nature of remediation costs. Estimates of liability may vary over time due to changes in federal, state, and local laws governing environmental remediation. Current obligations are not expected to have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations, financial condition, or liquidity. Insurance – The Company has a consolidated, wholly-owned captive insurance subsidiary (the captive), that provides insurance coverage for certain risks including FELA claims and property coverage that are subject to reinsurance. The captive entered into annual reinsurance treaty agreements that insure workers compensation, general liability, auto liability, and FELA risk. The captive cedes a portion of its FELA exposure through the treaty and assumes a proportionate share of the entire risk. The captive receives direct premiums, which are netted against the Company’s premium costs in other expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Income. The treaty agreements provide for certain protections against the risk of treaty participants’ non-performance, and we do not believe our exposure to treaty participants’ non-performance is material at this time. We record both liabilities and reinsurance receivables using an actuarial analysis based on historical experience in our Consolidated Statements of Financial Position. Effective January 2019, the captive insurance subsidiary no longer participates in the reinsurance treaty agreement. The Company established a trust in the fourth quarter of 2018 for the purpose of providing collateral as required under the reinsurance treaty agreement for prior years’ participation. Guarantees – At December 31, 2020 and 2019, we were contingently liable for $10 million and $15 million, respectively, in guarantees. The fair value of these obligations as of both December 31, 2020 and 2019 was $0. We entered into these contingent guarantees in the normal course of business, and they include guaranteed obligations related to our affiliated operations. The final guarantee expires in 2022. We are not aware of any existing event of default that would require us to satisfy these guarantees. We do not expect that these guarantees will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations, or liquidity. Indemnities – We are contingently obligated under a variety of indemnification arrangements, although in some cases the extent of our potential liability is limited, depending on the nature of the transactions and the agreements. Due to uncertainty as to whether claims will be made or how they will be resolved, we cannot reasonably determine the probability of an adverse claim or reasonably estimate any adverse liability or the total maximum exposure under these indemnification arrangements. We do not have any reason to believe that we will be required to make any material payments under these indemnity provisions.

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