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Commitments and Contingencies | 8 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies |
11. | COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Lease Commitments We lease operating facilities and equipment in the ordinary course of our business under various operating leases with monthly payments varying up to $50. Future minimum rental payments are recognized on a straight-line basis over the minimum lease term. Total rent expense under operating leases charged to operations was $4,868, $5,651, $5,372 and $5,213 in transition period 2014, fiscal year 2014, fiscal year 2013 and fiscal year 2012, respectively. Future minimum rental payments under non-cancellable operating leases, which include landfill operating leases, as of December 31, 2014 are as follows:
Estimated Future Minimum Rental Payments as of December 31, 2014: |
2015 |  | $ | 13,169 |
2016 |  |  | 12,899 |
2017 |  |  | 12,448 |
2018 |  |  | 13,516 |
2019 |  |  | 12,490 |
Thereafter |  |  | 117,608 |
Total minimum rental payments |  | $ | 182,130 |
Legal Proceedings In the ordinary course of our business and as a result of the extensive governmental regulation of the solid waste industry, we are subject to various judicial and administrative proceedings involving state and local agencies. In these proceedings, an agency may seek to impose fines or to revoke or deny renewal of an operating permit held by us. From time to time, we may also be subject to actions brought by special interest or other groups, adjacent landowners or residents in connection with the permitting and licensing of landfills and transfer stations, or alleging environmental damage or violations of the permits and licenses pursuant to which we operate. In addition, we have been named defendants in various claims and suits pending for alleged damages to persons and property, alleged violations of certain laws and alleged liabilities arising out of matters occurring during the ordinary operation of a waste management business. In accordance with FASB ASC 450-20, we accrue for legal proceedings when losses become probable and reasonably estimable. As of the end of each applicable reporting period, we review each of our legal proceedings to determine whether it is probable, reasonably possible or remote that a liability has been incurred and, if it is at least reasonably possible, whether a range of loss can be reasonably estimated under the provisions of FASB ASC 450-20. In instances where we determine that a loss is probable and we can reasonably estimate a range of loss we may incur with respect to such a matter, we record an accrual for the amount within the range that constitutes our best estimate of the possible loss. If we are able to reasonably estimate a range, but no amount within the range appears to be a better estimate than any other, we record an accrual in the amount that is the low end of such range. When a loss is reasonably possible, but not probable, we will not record an accrual, but we will disclose our estimate of the possible range of loss where such estimate can be made in accordance with FASB ASC 450-20. New York Attorney General Matter In July 2014, we entered into an Assurance of Discontinuance (“AOD”) with the office of the New York Attorney General (“NYAG”) in connection with our commercial practices in certain specified counties in New York. The AOD requires, among other things, that we modify our service contracts for two to ten yard containers with our commercial customers in the specified counties by shortening the initial term of such contracts to two years and providing for only one extension term of one year. We also agreed (i) to limit the liquidated damages to be paid by a customer, if a customer prematurely terminates its contract with us, to three months in year one of the contract and one month in year two or any extension year of the contract, (ii) to provide the NYAG with post-acquisition notice within thirty days of an acquisition of a provider of solid waste services with a value of $350 or more and (iii) to pay the State of New York the sum of $100. We recorded a charge of $100, included in general and administration, in the first quarter of transition period 2014. The counties in New York covered by the AOD are Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Clinton, Franklin, Schuyler, St. Lawrence, Steuben, and Tompkins. This matter is now closed other than with respect to ongoing compliance. Greenwood Street Landfill, Worcester, Massachusetts On July 2, 2014, we received a draft Administrative Consent Order with Penalty and Notice of Noncompliance (“Draft Order”) from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (“MADEP”) alleging that a subsidiary, NEWS of Worcester, LLC, had completed substantive closure of a portion of the Greenwood Street Landfill in Worcester, Massachusetts in 2010, at an elevation exceeding the applicable permit condition. The Draft Order seeks a civil administrative cash penalty of $67 and an additional administrative penalty in the form of a Supplemental Environmental Project in the amount of $201. We are working with the MADEP to address these allegations to arrive at an appropriate resolution thereof. It is probable that we will incur a loss with respect to this matter and as a result we recorded a charge of $172 in general and administration in transition period 2014. Environmental Remediation Liability We are subject to liability for environmental damage, including personal injury and property damage, that our solid waste, recycling and power generation facilities may cause to neighboring property owners, particularly as a result of the contamination of drinking water sources or soil, possibly including damage resulting from conditions that existed before we acquired the facilities. We may also be subject to liability for similar claims arising from off-site environmental contamination caused by pollutants or hazardous substances if we or our predecessors arrange or arranged to transport, treat or dispose of those materials. The following matters represent our potential or outstanding material claims. Potsdam Environmental Remediation Liability On December 20, 2000, the State of New York Department of Environmental Conservation (“DEC”) issued an Order on Consent (“Order”) which named Waste-Stream, Inc. (“WSI”), our subsidiary, General Motors Corporation (“GM”) and Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation (“NiMo”) as Respondents. The Order required that the Respondents undertake certain work on a 25-acre scrap yard and solid waste transfer station owned by WSI in Potsdam, New York, including the preparation of a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (“Study”). A draft of the Study was submitted to the DEC in January 2009 (followed by a final report in May 2009). The Study estimated that the undiscounted costs associated with implementing the preferred remedies would be approximately $10,219. On February 28, 2011, the DEC issued a Proposed Remedial Action Plan for the site and accepted public comments on the proposed remedy through March 29, 2011. We submitted comments to the DEC on this matter. In April 2011, the DEC issued the final Record of Decision (“ROD”) for the site. The ROD was subsequently rescinded by the DEC for failure to respond to all submitted comments. The preliminary ROD, however, estimated that the present cost associated with implementing the preferred remedies would be approximately $12,130. The DEC issued the final ROD in June 2011 with proposed remedies consistent with its earlier ROD. An Order on Consent and Administrative Settlement naming WSI and NiMo as Respondents was executed by the Respondents and DEC with an effective date of October 25, 2013. It is unlikely that any significant costs relating to onsite remediation will be incurred until the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016. WSI is jointly and severally liable with the other Respondents for the total cost to remediate. In September 2011, the DEC settled its environmental claim against the estate of the former GM (known as “Motors Liquidation Trust”) for future remediation costs relating to the WSI site for face value of $3,000. In addition, in November 2011 we settled our own claim against the Motors Liquidation Trust for face value of $100. These claims will be paid by GM in warrants to obtain stock of the reorganized GM. GM has issued warrants to us beginning in May 2013 and at this time there is no way to accurately estimate when the remainder of these claims will be paid. We have not assumed that any future proceeds from the sale of securities received in payment of these claims will reduce our exposure. We have recorded an environmental remediation liability associated with the Potsdam site based on incurred costs to date and estimated costs to complete the remediation. Our expenditures could be significantly higher if costs exceed estimates. We inflate the estimated costs in current dollars until the expected time of payment and discount the total cost to present value using a risk free interest rate of 1.7%. The changes to the environmental remediation liability associated with the Potsdam environmental remediation liability for transition period 2014, fiscal year 2014 and fiscal year 2013 are as follows:
|  | Eight Months Ended December 31, 2014 |  |  | Fiscal Year Ended April 30, |
|  |  | 2014 |  |  | 2013 |
Beginning balance |  | $ | 5,320 |  |  | $ | 5,297 |  |  | $ | 5,210 |
Obligations incurred |  |  | — |  |  |  | 31 |  |  |  | — |
Revisions in estimates (1) |  |  | — |  |  |  | (118 | ) |  |  | — |
Accretion expense |  |  | 92 |  |  |  | 138 |  |  |  | 138 |
Payments |  |  | (270 | ) |  |  | (28 | ) |  |  | (51 | )
Ending balance |  | $ | 5,142 |  |  | $ | 5,320 |  |  | $ | 5,297 |
(2) | Associated with changes in estimated future costs to complete the remediation, the discount rate and/or the portion of the total remediation costs that we are responsible for.
Southbridge Landfill Environmental Remediation Liability On or about August 24, 2013, we experienced the movement of stockpiled earth at our Southbridge landfill in Southbridge, Massachusetts. The stockpiled materials consisted of soil removed and relocated to create space for the construction of additional landfill airspace at our Southbridge landfill. The earth had been relocated and stored during the fall, winter and spring construction season of the fiscal year 2013. The movement caused some of the stockpiled earth to enter wetlands on property owned by us. On or about August 29, 2013 we notified the MADEP, and the Towns of Southbridge and Charlton, Massachusetts, of the occurrence of the movement. On or about September 6, 2013, MADEP issued a “Unilateral Administrative Order” (“UAO”) requiring us to provide MADEP with a plan to remove any materials deposited in the wetlands as a result of the movement (“Plan”). On or about October 3, 2013, we submitted the Plan to MADEP, and on or about October 15, 2013, MADEP approved the Plan and verbally issued permission for us to implement the Plan. We have implemented the Plan under the supervision of MADEP. In January 2014, we received correspondence from the Massachusetts’ Office of the Attorney General (“MAAG”), advising us that the MAAG intended to schedule a meeting with us to discuss this incident, and to possibly file suit against us for violation of the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection, Clean Air and solid Waste Acts. We met with the MAAG in March 2014 and again in July 2014, and continued to communicate with the MAAG until this matter was resolved as discussed below. On or about April 25, 2014, we notified MADEP and other interested parties that areas of sloughing had occurred in a plateau created as part of new cell construction at our Southbridge landfill. The same contractor and technical advisor that were involved in the initial movement of stockpiled earth are also involved in the new cell construction that included this area of sloughing. We repaired the areas of sloughing on April 25. 2014 and no damage occurred in the abutting wetlands. On May 9, 2014, MADEP issued a UAO directing us to ensure that the areas of sloughing at the plateau were repaired and to take steps to ensure that there would be no incursion into the wetlands, and requiring that we undertake corrective actions to ensure the stability of the plateau. Prior to MADEP’s issuance of the latest UAO in May, we were in the process of awarding a contract to a soil remediation company to undertake corrective actions and ensure stability at the plateau. This contract was awarded, and the work was finished in September 2014. Following these events, we reached agreement on the terms of a Consent Judgment with the MAAG, which was finalized and approved by the Superior Court of Massachusetts on December 10, 2014. We agreed to pay a civil penalty of $200 to the MAAG (with $50 suspended pending satisfactory completion of remediation at the Southbridge landfill, which work has been satisfactorily completed) and $20 to Charlton, wherein the wetlands were located. This matter is now closed with respect to the MAAG, other than on-going compliance. We anticipate that the execution of the Plan and related matters not under the supervision of MADEP will involve remediation costs of approximately $3,567, including the resolution with the MAAG as discussed above, and that such costs could be higher if actual costs exceed estimates. Of the $3,567, we have incurred costs of $3,337 as of December 31, 2014, and anticipate spending an additional $230 for final site work completion. We provided our insurer with notice of the Plan, and the costs expended by us to date to comply with the Plan. We previously provided notice to our contractor and technical advisor that the movement occurred, that significant remediation costs will be or have been incurred in executing the Plan and related matters, and that we expected our contractor and technical advisor to assist in the execution of the Plan and related matters, to share in the remediation costs thereof as responsible parties, and to provide notice to their own insurers. We have concluded discussions with our contractor, our technical advisor and our insurance company, and have entered into settlement agreements and releases with all parties. Our contractor, Casella Construction, Inc. (“CCI”), which continued to perform work for us at the Southbridge landfill to assist in the remediation of the site, contributed $740 to our costs in contributed cash and non-compensable services. Our technical advisor, Geosyntec Consultants, Inc. (“GCI”) $1,300 to our costs in cash. Our insurer, Steadfast Insurance Company (“Steadfast”) contributed $177 to our costs in cash, and waived its rights of subrogation against all third parties. Accordingly, we believe that the residual loss to us will be approximately $1,350, including the resolution of our issues with the MAAG matter as discussed above, and after undertaking certain additional site work not a part of the MAAG discussed, and accounting for the contributions from CCI, GCI, and Steadfast, is probable. Accordingly, we have recorded a charge of $950 in transition period 2014 as an environmental remediation charge. We had previously recorded a charge of $400 in the fiscal year 2014 as environmental remediation charge. The total expected environmental remediation payments, in today’s dollars, for each of the five succeeding fiscal years and the aggregate amount thereafter are as follows:
Estimated Future Environmental Remediation Payments as of December 31, 2014: |
2015 |  | $ | 250 |
2016 |  |  | 3,084 |
2017 |  |  | 826 |
2018 |  |  | 42 |
2019 |  |  | 26 |
Thereafter |  |  | 793 |
Total |  | $ | 5,021 |
A reconciliation of the expected aggregate non-inflated, undiscounted environmental remediation liability to the amount recognized in the statement of financial position as of December 31, 2014 is as follows:
Undiscounted liability |  | $ | 5,021 |
Plus inflation |  |  | 121 |
Liability balance – December 31, 2014 |  | $ | 5,142 |
Any substantial liability incurred by us arising from environmental damage could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We are not presently aware of any other situations that would have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Employment Contracts We have entered into employment contracts with four of our executive officers. The contracts are dated June 18, 2001, March 31, 2006, July 6, 2010 and September 1, 2012. Each contract had an initial term between one and three years and a covenant not-to-compete ranging from one to two years from the date of termination. These contracts automatically extend for a one year period at the end of the initial term and any renewal period. Total annual commitments for salaries under these contracts are $1,397. In the event of a change in control of us, or in the event of involuntary termination without cause, the employment contracts provide for a payment ranging from one to three years of salary and bonuses. We also have other employment contracts or arrangements with employees who are not executive officers.

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