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ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2018
Environmental Matters [Abstract] |
ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS | ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS AND ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS Certain Eastman manufacturing facilities 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". 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 $296 million and $304 million at December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. 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 Consolidated Statements of Financial Position as follows:
(Dollars in millions) | December 31,
| 2018 |  | 2017
Environmental contingent liabilities, current | $ | 25 |  |  | $ | 25 |
Environmental contingent liabilities, long-term | 271 |  |  | 279 |
Total | $ | 296 |  |  | $ | 304 |
Environmental Remediation Estimated future environmental expenditures for undiscounted remediation costs ranged from the best estimate or minimum of $271 million to the maximum of $508 million and from the best estimate or minimum of $280 million to the maximum of $483 million at December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. The best estimate or minimum estimated future environmental expenditures are considered to be probable and reasonably estimable and include the amounts accrued at both December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017. Costs of certain remediation projects included in the environmental reserve are subject to a cost-sharing arrangement with Monsanto Company ("Monsanto") under the provisions of the Amended and Restated Settlement Agreement effective February 28, 2008 (the "Effective Date"), into which Solutia entered with Monsanto upon its emergence from bankruptcy (the "Monsanto Settlement Agreement"). Under the provisions of the Monsanto Settlement Agreement, Solutia, which became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eastman on July 2, 2012, shares responsibility with Monsanto for remediation at certain locations outside of the boundaries of plant sites in Anniston, Alabama and Sauget, Illinois (the "Shared Sites"). Solutia is responsible for the funding of environmental liabilities at the Shared Sites up to a total of $325 million from the Effective Date. If remediation costs for the Shared Sites exceed this amount, such costs will thereafter be shared equally between Solutia and Monsanto. Including payments by Solutia prior to its acquisition by Eastman, $93 million had been paid for costs at the Shared Sites as of December 31, 2018. As of December 31, 2018, an additional $203 million has been accrued for estimated future remediation costs at the Shared Sites, over a period of approximately 30 years. 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 Consolidated Statements of Earnings, Comprehensive Income and Retained Earnings. Changes in the reserves for environmental remediation liabilities for twelve months ended 2018 are summarized below:
(Dollars in millions) | Environmental Remediation Liabilities
Balance at December 31, 2017 | $ | 280 |
Changes in estimates recorded to earnings and other | 7 |
Cash reductions | (16 | )
Balance at December 31, 2018 | $ | 271 |
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. Eastman recognizes a sset 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 of primarily 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 $25 million and $24 million at December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. Other Environmental costs are capitalized if they extend the life of the related property, increase its capacity, or mitigate the possibility of future contamination. The cost of operating and maintaining environmental control facilities is charged to expense as incurred. Eastman's cash expenditures related to environmental protection and improvement were $274 million, $257 million, and $267 million in 2018, 2017, and 2016, respectively, and include operating costs associated with environmental protection equipment and facilities, engineering costs, and construction costs. The cash expenditures above include environmental capital expenditures of approximately $44 million, $38 million, and $45 million in 2018, 2017, and 2016, respectively. 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 recognized non-environmental asset retirement obligations were $46 million and $49 million at December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively, and is included as part of "Other long-term liabilities" in the 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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