Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Contractual Commitments—We have contractual obligations for the construction of assets, as well as purchases of property and equipment, of approximately $38 million at December 31, 2020, all of which are due within five years.

Purchase Obligations—We have purchase obligations for goods or services that are enforceable, legally binding, and specify all significant terms, including: fixed or minimum quantities to be purchased; fixed, minimum, or variable price provisions; and the approximate timing of the transaction. Purchase obligations exclude agreements that are cancelable without penalty. Purchase orders made in the ordinary course of business are excluded from this amount. Any amounts for which we are liable under purchase orders are reflected in our Consolidated Balance Sheets as accounts payable or accrued expenses.

Future payments for purchase obligations as of December 31, 2020 are (in thousands):


2021	$	151,540
2022	120,983
2023	71,886
2024	2,524
2025	2,524
After 2025	11,970

Litigation— We are involved in legal proceedings that are incidental to our business and may include administrative or judicial actions. Some of these legal proceedings involve governmental authorities and relate to environmental matters. For further information, see Environmental below and Item 1 of this Form 10-K.

While it is not possible to predict or determine with certainty the outcome of any legal proceeding, we believe the outcome of any of these proceedings, or all of them combined, will not result in a material effect on our financial statements.

Asbestos

We are a defendant in personal injury lawsuits involving exposure to asbestos. These cases involve exposure to asbestos in premises owned or operated, or formerly owned or operated, by subsidiaries of NewMarket. We have never manufactured, sold, or distributed products that contain asbestos. Nearly all of these cases are pending in Texas, Louisiana, or Illinois and involve multiple defendants. We maintain an accrual for these proceedings, as well as a receivable for expected insurance recoveries.

The accrual for our premises asbestos liability related to currently asserted claims is based on the following assumptions and factors:

•We are often one of many defendants. This factor influences both the number of claims settled against us and the indemnity cost associated with such resolutions.

•The estimated percent of claimants in each case that, after discovery, will actually make a claim against us, out of the total number of claimants in a case, is based on a level consistent with past experience and current trends.

•We utilize average comparable plaintiff cost history as the basis for estimating pending premises asbestos-related claims. These claims are filed by both former contractors and former employees who worked at past and present company locations. We also include an estimated inflation factor in the calculation.

•No estimate is made for unasserted claims.

•The estimated recoveries from insurance and Albemarle Corporation (a former operation of our company) for these cases are based on, and are consistent with, the 2005 settlement agreements with The Travelers Indemnity Company.

Based on the above assumptions, we have provided an undiscounted liability related to premises asbestos claims of $9 million at December 31, 2020 and $12 million at December 31, 2019. The liabilities related to premises asbestos claims are included in accrued expenses (current portion) and other noncurrent liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Certain of these costs are recoverable through the settlement agreements with The Travelers Indemnity Company and with Albemarle Corporation. The receivable for these recoveries related to premises asbestos liabilities was $4 million at December 31, 2020 and $6 million at December 31, 2019. These receivables are included in trade and other accounts receivable, net on the Consolidated Balance Sheets for the current portion. The noncurrent portion is included in deferred charges and other assets.

Environmental—We are involved in environmental proceedings and potential proceedings relating to soil and groundwater contamination, disposal of hazardous waste, and other environmental matters at several of our current or former facilities, or at third-party sites where we have been designated as a PRP. While we believe we are currently adequately accrued for known environmental issues, it is possible that unexpected future costs could have a significant impact on our financial statements. Our total accruals for environmental remediation, dismantling, and decontamination were approximately $10 million at December 31, 2020 and $11 million at December 31, 2019. Of the total accrual, the current portion is included in accrued expenses and the noncurrent portion is included in other noncurrent liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Our more significant environmental sites include a former plant site in Louisiana (the Louisiana site) and a Houston, Texas plant site (the Texas site). Together, the amounts accrued on a discounted basis related to these sites represented approximately $8 million of the total accrual above at both December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, using discount rates ranging from 3% to 9%. The aggregate undiscounted amount for these sites was $9 million at December 31, 2020 and $10 million at December 31, 2019. Of the total accrued for these two sites, the amount related to remediation of groundwater and soil was $4 million for both the Louisiana site and for the Texas site at December 31, 2020 and $4 million for the Louisiana site and $3 million for the Texas site at December 31, 2019.