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Commitments, Guarantees, Indemnifications, and Legal Proceedings | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2021
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments, Guarantees, Indemnifications, and Legal Proceedings | 21. Commitments, Guarantees, Indemnifications, and Legal Proceedings We have financial commitments and obligations that arise in the ordinary course of our business. These include long-term debt (discussed in Note 11, Debt), lease obligations (discussed in Note 3, Leases), capital commitments, purchase commitments for goods and services, and legal proceedings (discussed below). Capital Commitments The Company had capital commitments of approximately $784.9 million and $304.2 million as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, in connection with the expansion and replacement of existing facilities and equipment. Purchase Commitments In the table below, we set forth our enforceable and legally binding purchase obligations as of December 31, 2021. Some of the amounts are based on management's estimates and assumptions about these obligations, including their duration, the possibility of renewal, anticipated actions by third parties, and other factors. Because these estimates and assumptions are necessarily subjective, our actual payments may vary from those reflected in the table. Purchase orders made in the ordinary course of business are excluded below. Any amounts for which we are liable under purchase orders are reflected on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as accounts payable and accrued liabilities. These obligations relate to various purchase agreements for items such as minimum amounts of energy and fiber purchases over periods ranging from one year to 31 years. Total purchase commitments were as follows (dollars in millions):
2022 |  | $ | 75.0 |
2023 |  |  | 72.3 |
2024 |  |  | 40.7 |
2025 |  |  | 32.7 |
2026 |  |  | 27.0 |
Thereafter |  |  | 72.5 |
Total |  | $ | 320.2 |
The Company purchased a total of $360.8 million, $317.6 million, and $315.0 million during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively, under these purchase agreements. Environmental Matters On August 8, 2019, the EPA issued a notice of violation (NOV) alleging violations of the Clean Air Act, resulting from an inspection of our Wallula, Washington mill in September 2018. PCA denies the violations set forth in the NOV and has requested that the EPA’s Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards provide an applicability determination to clarify that the relevant operations of PCA have not violated the regulations at issue in the NOV. The EPA denied our request in 2020. On July 27, 2020, we filed a petition with the EPA to reconsider its denial of our applicability determination and filed petitions in U.S. federal court to review the agency’s denial of our applicability determination as well as the rule at issue. After the filing of the petitions, we conducted further discussions with the agency, and, in the course of those discussions, the agency advised us that it would no longer pursue the enforcement action. The parties have jointly agreed to voluntarily dismiss the litigation. The potential costs for various environmental matters are uncertain due to such factors as the unknown magnitude of possible cleanup costs, the complexity and evolving nature of governmental laws and regulations and their interpretations, and the timing, varying costs and effectiveness of alternative cleanup technologies. From 2006 through 2021, there were no significant environmental remediation costs at PCA's mills and corrugated plants. At December 31, 2021, the Company had $24.3 million of environmental-related reserves recorded on its Consolidated Balance Sheet. Of the $24.3 million, approximately $17.0 million related to environmental-related asset retirement obligations discussed in Note 14, Asset Retirement Obligations, and $7.3 million related to our estimate of other environmental contingencies. The Company recorded $4.0 million in “Accrued liabilities” and $20.3 million in “Other long-term liabilities” on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. Liabilities recorded for environmental contingencies are estimates of the probable costs based upon available information and assumptions. Because of these uncertainties, PCA’s estimates may change. The Company believes that it is not reasonably possible that future environmental expenditures for remediation costs and asset retirement obligations above the $24.3 million accrued as of December 31, 2021 will have a material impact on its financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. Guarantees and Indemnifications We provide guarantees, indemnifications, and other assurances to third parties in the normal course of our business. These include tort indemnifications, environmental assurances, and representations and warranties in commercial agreements. At December 31, 2021, we are not aware of any material liabilities arising from any guarantee, indemnification, or financial assurance we have provided. If we determined such a liability was probable and subject to reasonable determination, we would accrue for it at that time. DeRidder Mill Incident On February 8, 2017, a tank located in the pulp mill at the Company's DeRidder, Louisiana facility exploded, resulting in three contractor fatalities and other injuries. The Company has been served with multiple lawsuits involving the decedents and other allegedly injured parties, alleging negligence on the part of the Company and claiming compensatory and punitive damages. The Company is vigorously defending these lawsuits. The Company believes that these suits are covered by its liability insurance policies, subject to an aggregate $1.0 million deductible, which has been satisfied in full as a result of settlement of various lawsuits and fees and expenses incurred by the Company. Cases involving nine plaintiffs are pending in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana and one case remains pending in state court in Alabama. One case previously dismissed by the federal district court for the Western District of Louisiana has been appealed by the plaintiff to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The remaining lawsuits pending in federal district court and state court are in the early stages. Accordingly, the Company is unable to estimate a range of reasonable possible losses at this time. The Company has cooperated with investigations from the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The U.S. Chemical Safety Board completed its investigation and issued its report during the second quarter of 2018. The Company settled with OSHA during the second quarter of 2018 and paid approximately $40,000 in penalties for citations. The EPA investigation is ongoing. In May 2017, the EPA conducted an on-site inspection of the facility to assess compliance with the Clean Air Act, Risk Management Program (RMP). The Company provided additional information to the EPA promptly after the inspection to address certain areas of concern (AOCs) observed during the inspection. In January 2021, the EPA and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) initiated civil judicial enforcement discussions with PCA. These discussions are ongoing. As of the date of filing of this report, no complaint has been filed. PCA continues to cooperate with the agencies. Since the inspection in 2017, PCA performed several voluntary activities to address the AOCs presented in the EPA’s inspection report and has removed the RMP covered process from the facility. Legal Proceedings We are also a party to various legal actions arising in the ordinary course of our business. These legal actions include commercial liability claims, premises liability claims, and employment-related claims, among others. As of the date of this filing, we believe it is not reasonably possible that any of the legal actions against us will, either individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

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