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ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS AND ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2016
Accrual for Environmental Loss Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Environmental Matters | ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS AND ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS Certain Eastman manufacturing sites generate hazardous and nonhazardous wastes, the treatment, storage, transportation, and disposal of which are regulated by various governmental agencies. In connection with the cleanup of various hazardous waste sites, the Company, along with many other entities, has been designated a potentially responsible party ("PRP") by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, which potentially subjects PRPs to joint and several liability for such cleanup costs. In addition, the Company will be required to incur costs for environmental remediation and closure and post-closure under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Reserves for environmental contingencies have been established in accordance with Eastman's policies described in Note 1, "Significant Accounting Policies", to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of the Company's 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Company's total reserve for environmental contingencies was $325 million and $336 million at September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively. At both September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, this reserve included $8 million related to sites previously closed and impaired by Eastman and sites that have been divested by Eastman but for which the Company retains the environmental liability related to these sites. The Company's total environmental reserve that management believes to be probable and estimable for environmental contingencies, including remediation costs and asset retirement obligations, is included as part of "Payables and other current liabilities" and "Other long-term liabilities" in the Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Financial Position as follows:
(Dollars in millions) | September 30, 2016 |  | December 31, 2015
Environmental contingent liabilities, current | $ | 30 |  |  | $ | 35 |
Environmental contingent liabilities, long-term | 295 |  |  | 301 |
Total | $ | 325 |  |  | $ | 336 |
Remediation Estimated future environmental expenditures for remediation costs ranged from the minimum or best estimate of $300 million to the maximum of $510 million and from the minimum or best estimate of $308 million to the maximum of $516 million at September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively. The maximum estimated future costs are considered to be reasonably possible and include the amounts accrued at both September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015. Although the resolution of uncertainties related to these environmental matters may have a material adverse effect on the Company's consolidated results of operations in the period recognized, because of the availability of legal defenses, the Company's preliminary assessment of actions that may be required, and if applicable, the expected sharing of costs, management does not believe that the Company's liability for these environmental matters, individually or in the aggregate, will be material to the Company's consolidated financial position or cash flows. Reserves for environmental remediation include liabilities expected to be paid within approximately 30 years. The amounts charged to pre-tax earnings for environmental remediation and related charges are included within "Cost of sales" in the Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Earnings, Comprehensive Income and Retained Earnings. Changes in the reserves for environmental remediation liabilities during first nine months 2016 are summarized below:
(Dollars in millions) | Environmental Remediation Liabilities
Balance at December 31, 2015 | $ | 308 |
Changes in estimates recognized in earnings and other | 10 |
Cash reductions | (18 | )
Balance at September 30, 2016 | $ | 300 |
Closure/Post-Closure An asset retirement obligation is an obligation for the retirement of a tangible long-lived asset that is incurred upon the acquisition, construction, development, or normal operation of that long-lived asset. The Company recognizes asset retirement obligations in the period in which they are incurred if a reasonable estimate of fair value can be made. The asset retirement obligations are discounted to expected present value and subsequently adjusted for changes in fair value. The associated estimated asset retirement costs are capitalized as part of the carrying value of the long-lived assets and depreciated over their useful life. Environmental asset retirement obligations consist primarily of closure and post-closure costs. For sites that have environmental asset retirement obligations, the best estimate accrued to date over the sites' estimated useful lives for these environmental asset retirement obligation costs was $25 million and $28 million at September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively. Other The Company also has contractual asset retirement obligations not associated with environmental liabilities. Eastman's non-environmental asset retirement obligations are primarily associated with the future closure of leased manufacturing assets at Pace, Florida and Oulu, Finland. These accrued non-environmental asset retirement obligations were $46 million at both September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for environmental loss contingencies, such as presence of hazardous waste, relevant information from reports issued by regulators, and estimated costs to achieve compliance with regulatory requirements. This element may be used for all of an entity's disclosures about environmental loss contingencies. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 410 -SubTopic 30 -Section 50 -Paragraph 12 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6393242&loc=d3e13296-110859 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 410 -SubTopic 30 -Section 50 -Paragraph 17 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6393242&loc=d3e13328-110859 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 410 -SubTopic 30 -Section 50 -Paragraph 10 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6393242&loc=d3e13237-110859 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 410 -SubTopic 30 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6393242&loc=d3e13185-110859 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 20 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SAB Topic 5.Y.Q2) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=27011672&loc=d3e149879-122751 + Details
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