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Commitments and Contingencies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies: In the ordinary course of business, we have commitments in connection with various activities, the most significant of which are as follows: Environmental We had the following activity in our recorded environmental liabilities for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 (in thousands):
| Year Ended December 31,
| 2014 |  | 2013 |  | 2012
Balance, beginning of year | $ | 16,599 |  |  | $ | 20,322 |  |  | $ | 12,359 |
Expenditures | (4,548 | ) |  | (3,013 | ) |  | (1,451 | )
Divestitures | (1,954 | ) |  | — |  |  | — |
Changes in estimates recorded to earnings and other | 34 |  |  | (902 | ) |  | 227 |
Exit of phosphorus flame retardants business | — |  |  | — |  |  | 8,700 |
Foreign currency translation | (896 | ) |  | 192 |  |  | 487 |
Balance, end of year | 9,235 |  |  | 16,599 |  |  | 20,322 |
Less amounts reported in Accrued expenses | 4,394 |  |  | 7,386 |  |  | 3,109 |
Amounts reported in Other noncurrent liabilities | $ | 4,841 |  |  | $ | 9,213 |  |  | $ | 17,213 |
The amounts recorded represent our future remediation and other anticipated environmental liabilities. These liabilities typically arise during the normal course of our operational and environmental management activities or at the time of acquisition of the site, and are based on internal analysis as well as input from outside consultants. As evaluations proceed at each relevant site, changes in risk assessment practices, remediation techniques and regulatory requirements can occur, therefore such liability estimates may be adjusted accordingly. The timing and duration of remediation activities at these sites will be determined when evaluations are completed. Although it is difficult to quantify the potential financial impact of these remediation liabilities, management estimates (based on the latest available information) that there is a reasonable possibility that future environmental remediation costs associated with our past operations, in excess of amounts already recorded, could be up to approximately $12 million before income taxes. Approximately $5.1 million of our recorded liability is related to the closure and post-closure activities at a former landfill associated with our Bergheim, Germany site, which was recorded at the time of our acquisition of this site in 2001. This closure project has been approved under the authority of the governmental permit for this site and is scheduled for completion in 2017, with post-closure monitoring to occur for 30 years thereafter. The remainder of our recorded liability is associated with sites that are being evaluated under governmental authority but for which final remediation plans have not yet been approved. In connection with the remediation activities at our Bergheim, Germany site as required by the German environmental authorities, we have pledged certain of our land and housing facilities at this site which has an estimated fair value of $5.4 million. During the second quarter of 2012, the Company recorded $8.7 million in estimated site remediation liabilities at our Avonmouth, United Kingdom site as part of the charges associated with our exit of the phosphorus flame retardant business. Included in these estimated charges are anticipated costs of site investigation, remediation and cleanup activities. Remediation activities at this site were substantially completed in 2014. We believe that any sum we may be required to pay in connection with environmental remediation matters in excess of the amounts recorded should occur over a period of time and should not have a material adverse effect upon our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows on a consolidated annual basis although any such sum could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows in a particular quarterly reporting period. Rental Expense Our rental expenses include a number of operating lease agreements, primarily for office space, transportation equipment and storage facilities. The following schedule details the future non-cancelable minimum lease payments for the next five years and thereafter (in thousands):
| Minimum Operating Lease Payments
2015 | $ | 8,045 |
2016 | $ | 5,674 |
2017 | $ | 4,638 |
2018 | $ | 2,551 |
2019 | $ | 2,029 |
Thereafter | $ | 4,036 |
Rental expense was approximately $31.9 million, $30.7 million, and $33.1 million for 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Rental expense related to discontinued operations was approximately $1.3 million, $1.6 million and $1.4 million for 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Rental expense is shown net of rental income which was minimal during 2014, 2013 and 2012. Litigation On July 3, 2006, we received a Notice of Violation (the “2006 NOV”) from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 (“EPA”) regarding the implementation of the Pharmaceutical Maximum Achievable Control Technology standards at our former plant in Orangeburg, South Carolina. The alleged violations involved (i) the applicability of the specific regulations to certain intermediates manufactured at the plant, (ii) failure to comply with certain reporting requirements, (iii) improper evaluation and testing to properly implement the regulations and (iv) the sufficiency of the leak detection and repair program at the plant. In the second quarter of 2011, the Company was served with a complaint by the EPA in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, based on the alleged violations set out in the 2006 NOV seeking civil penalties and injunctive relief. The complaint was subsequently amended to add the State of South Carolina as a plaintiff. On June 11, 2014, we entered into a consent decree with the EPA and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (“DHEC”) to settle this matter. Pursuant to the consent decree, in 2014 we paid a civil penalty to the EPA in the amount of approximately $332,000. A civil penalty of approximately $112,000 was waived pursuant to the consent decree and we will not be required to pay this amount to the DHEC. In addition, we are involved from time to time in legal proceedings of types regarded as common in our business, including administrative or judicial proceedings seeking remediation under environmental laws, such as the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, commonly known as CERCLA or Superfund, products liability, breach of contract liability and premises liability litigation. Where appropriate, we may establish financial reserves for such proceedings. We also maintain insurance to mitigate certain of such risks. Costs for legal services are generally expensed as incurred. Also see Note 23, “Acquisitions” for a discussion about litigation matters in connection with the Acquisition of Rockwood. Other The Company has standby letters of credit and guarantees with various financial institutions. The following table summarizes our letters of credit and guarantee agreements (in thousands):
| 2015 |  | 2016 |  | 2017 |  | 2018 |  | 2019 |  | Thereafter
Letters of credit and other guarantees | $ | 17,774 |  |  | $ | 3,528 |  |  | $ | 4,011 |  |  | $ | 1,187 |  |  | $ | 14 |  |  | $ | 3,629 |
The outstanding letters of credit are primarily related to insurance claim payment guarantees with expiration dates ranging from 2015 to 2022. The majority of the Company’s other guarantees have terms of one year and mainly consist of performance and environmental guarantees, as well as guarantees to customs and port authorities. The guarantees arose during the ordinary course of business. We do not have recorded reserves for the letters of credit and guarantees as of December 31, 2014. We are unable to estimate the maximum amount of the potential future liability under guarantees and letters of credit. However, we accrue for any potential loss for which we believe a future payment is probable and a range of loss can be reasonably estimated. We believe our liability under such obligations is immaterial. Our estimated asset retirement obligations associated with certain property and equipment were $15.1 million and $16.9 million at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. We have not recognized conditional asset retirement obligations for which a fair value cannot be reasonably estimated in our consolidated financial statements. It is the opinion of our management that the possibility is remote that such conditional asset retirement obligations, when estimable, will have a material adverse impact on our consolidated financial statements based on current costs. We currently, and are from time to time, subject to transactional audits in various taxing jurisdictions and to customs audits globally. We do not expect the financial impact of any of these audits to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.

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