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ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS AND ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2018
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 certain cleanup costs. In addition, the Company will 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 2017 Annual Report on Form 10-K. 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, results of operations, or cash flows. The Company's total reserve for environmental loss contingencies was $297 million and $304 million at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. The environmental reserve includes costs 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 of $7 million at both September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017. Environmental Remediation and Environmental Asset Retirement Obligations The Company's total environmental reserve that management believes to be probable and reasonably 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, 2018 |  | December 31, 2017
Environmental contingent liabilities, current | $ | 25 |  |  | $ | 25 |
Environmental contingent liabilities, long-term | 272 |  |  | 279 |
Total | $ | 297 |  |  | $ | 304 |
Environmental Remediation Estimated future environmental expenditures for undiscounted remediation costs ranged from the best estimate or minimum of $273 million to the maximum of $513 million at September 30, 2018 and from the best estimate or minimum of $280 million to the maximum of $483 million at December 31, 2017. The best estimate or minimum estimated future environmental expenditures are considered to be probable and reasonably estimable and include the amounts recognized at both September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017. 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 2018 are summarized below:
(Dollars in millions) | Environmental Remediation Liabilities
Balance at December 31, 2017 | $ | 280 |
Changes in estimates recognized in earnings and other | 6 |
Cash reductions | (13 | )
Balance at September 30, 2018 | $ | 273 |
Environmental Asset Retirement Obligations 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 recognized to date for these environmental asset retirement obligation costs was $24 million at both September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017. Non-Environmental Asset Retirement Obligations The Company 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 recognized non-environmental asset retirement obligations were $46 million and $49 million at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively, and is included as part of "Other long-term liabilities" in the Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Financial Position.

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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://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 410 -SubTopic 30 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/subtopic&trid=2175709 + Details
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