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LAWSUITS, CLAIMS, COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2016
LAWSUITS, CLAIMS, COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES |
LAWSUITS, CLAIMS, COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES |
NOTE 9 | LAWSUITS, CLAIMS, COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Occidental or certain of its subsidiaries are involved, in the normal course of business, in lawsuits, claims and other legal proceedings that seek, among other things, compensation for alleged personal injury, breach of contract, property damage or other losses, punitive damages, civil penalties, or injunctive or declaratory relief. Occidental or certain of its subsidiaries also are involved in proceedings under CERCLA and similar federal, state, local and foreign environmental laws. These environmental proceedings seek funding or performance of remediation and, in some cases, compensation for alleged property damage, punitive damages, civil penalties and injunctive relief. Usually Occidental or such subsidiaries are among many companies in these environmental proceedings and have to date been successful in sharing response costs with other financially sound companies. Further, some lawsuits, claims and legal proceedings involve acquired or disposed assets with respect to which a third party or Occidental retains liability or indemnifies the other party for conditions that existed prior to the transaction. In accordance with applicable accounting guidance, Occidental accrues reserves for outstanding lawsuits, claims and proceedings when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the liability can be reasonably estimated. In Note 8, Occidental has disclosed its reserve balances for environmental remediation matters that satisfy this criteria. Reserve balances for matters, other than environmental remediation, that satisfy this criteria as of December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015 were not material to Occidental’s consolidated balance sheets. Occidental also evaluates the amount of reasonably possible losses that it could incur as a result of outstanding lawsuits, claims and proceedings and discloses its estimable range of reasonably possible additional losses for sites where it is a participant in environmental remediation. Occidental believes that other reasonably possible losses for non-environmental matters that it could incur in excess of reserves accrued on the balance sheet would not be material to its consolidated financial position or results of operations. Occidental reassesses the probability and estimability of contingent losses as new information becomes available. Tax Matters During the course of its operations, Occidental is subject to audit by tax authorities for varying periods in various federal, state, local and foreign tax jurisdictions. Although taxable years through 2009 for United States federal income tax purposes have been audited by the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) pursuant to its Compliance Assurance Program, subsequent taxable years are currently under review. Additionally, in December 2012, Occidental filed United States federal refund claims for tax years 2008 and 2009 that are subject to IRS review. Taxable years from 2002 through the current year remain subject to examination by foreign and state government tax authorities in certain jurisdictions. In certain of these jurisdictions, tax authorities are in various stages of auditing Occidental’s income taxes. During the course of tax audits, disputes have arisen and other disputes may arise as to facts and matters of law. Occidental believes that the resolution of outstanding tax matters would not have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial position or results of operations. Indemnities to Third Parties Occidental, its subsidiaries, or both, have indemnified various parties against specified liabilities those parties might incur in the future in connection with purchases and other transactions that they have entered into with Occidental. These indemnities usually are contingent upon the other party incurring liabilities that reach specified thresholds. As of December 31, 2016, Occidental is not aware of circumstances that it believes would reasonably be expected to lead to indemnity claims that would result in payments materially in excess of reserves. OPC, its subsidiaries, or both, have entered into agreements providing for future payments to secure terminal and pipeline capacity, drilling rigs and services, electrical power, steam and certain chemical raw materials. Occidental has certain other commitments under contracts, guarantees and joint ventures, including purchase commitments for goods and services at market-related prices and certain other contingent liabilities. At December 31, 2016, total purchase obligations were $8.9 billion, which included approximately $1.7 billion, $1.2 billion, $0.9 billion, $0.8 billion and $0.7 billion that will be paid in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively. Included in the purchase obligations are commitments for major fixed and determinable capital expenditures during 2017 and thereafter, which were approximately $0.5 billion.

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