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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2016
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | 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 approximately $20. 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 $11,437, $9,392, $4,868 and $5,651 in fiscal year 2016, fiscal year 2015 ,transition period 2014 and fiscal year 2014, respectively. Future minimum rental payments under non-cancellable operating leases, which include landfill operating leases, are as follows:
Estimated Future Minimum Lease Payments as of December 31, 2016 |
2017 | $ | 18,269 |
2018 | 16,270 |
2019 | 15,228 |
2020 | 12,407 |
2021 | 9,173 |
Thereafter | 53,186 |
Total minimum lease payments | $ | 124,533 |
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 allegations of environmental damage or violations of the permits and licenses pursuant to which we operate. In addition, we may be 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, inclusive of legal costs, 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. Expera Old Town, LLC v. Casella Waste Systems, Inc. On or about November 6, 2015, Expera Old Town, LLC (“Expera”) filed a lawsuit against us in Maine Superior Court, seeking damages for breach of contract and unjust enrichment and an action for declaratory judgment ( “Lawsuit”). Expera was a successor-in-interest to a contract between us and Old Town Fuel and Fiber (“OTFF”), the former owner of a pulp manufacturing facility (“Facility”) located in Old Town, Maine (“Contract”). Expera purchased the Facility during the pendency of the bankruptcy of OTFF. Since the filing of the Lawsuit, Expera has sold the Facility and related assets to MFGR LLC (“MFGR”). MFGR alleged that we had the obligation to provide a specialized type of wood fuel to the Facility or, alternatively, that we owed a “Fuel Replacement Fee” of up to $2,000 a year (subject to the possibility of certain credits against such payments). The Contract was to expire in 2036. On or about February 10, 2016, we reached an agreement in principle with MFGR to dismiss the Lawsuit with prejudice, and to resolve all outstanding claims of any nature including future claims which could arise under the Contract, and a Joint Stipulation of Dismissal with Prejudice was filed with the Maine Superior Court on April 15, 2016. On or about April 12, 2016, the parties entered into a Settlement Agreement (“SA”) along with other ancillary agreements. Pursuant to the SA, we paid MFGR $1,250 upon execution of the SA, and are to pay $350 a year for five years following execution of the SA. Accordingly, taking into account the net present value of the settlement payments, we recorded a reserve of $2,616 that included a contract settlement charge of $1,940 and operating expenses of $676 recorded in fiscal year 2015. As of December 31, 2016, $1,448 of this reserve remains outstanding. We have also entered into a new leachate disposal agreement at market prices with MFGR for the treatment of leachate from the landfill managed by us for the State of Maine located in Old Town, Maine (“Juniper Ridge Landfill”), and MFGR has entered into a waste disposal agreement at market prices with us for the disposal at Juniper Ridge Landfill of waste materials produced in the demolition or re-purposing of the Facility. 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 represents our outstanding material claims. Southbridge Recycling & Disposal Park, Inc. In October 2015, our Southbridge Recycling and Disposal Park, Inc. (“SRD”) subsidiary reported to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (“MADEP”) results of analysis of samples collected pursuant to our existing permit from private drinking water wells located near the Town of Southbridge, Massachusetts Landfill (“Southbridge Landfill”), which is operated by SRD. Those results indicated the presence of contaminants above the levels triggering notice and response obligations under MADEP regulations. In response to those results, we are carrying out an Immediate Response Action pursuant to state law. Further, we have implemented a plan to analyze and better understand the groundwater near the Southbridge Landfill and we are investigating with the objective of identifying the source or sources of the elevated levels of contamination measured in the well samples. If it is determined that some or all of the contamination originated at the Southbridge Landfill, we will work with the Town of Southbridge (“Town”), the Southbridge Landfill owner and the former operator of an unlined portion of the Southbridge Landfill, which was used prior to our operation of a double-lined portion of the Southbridge Landfill commencing in 2004, to evaluate and allocate the liabilities related to that contamination. In July 2016, we sent correspondence to the Town pursuant to Chapter 21E of Massachusetts General Laws ("Chapter 21E") demanding that the Town reimburse us for the incurrence of environmental response costs and that the Town be responsible for all such costs in the future, as well as any other costs or liabilities resulting from the release of contaminants from the unlined portion of the Southbridge Landfill. The Town responded in September 2016, denying that the Southbridge Landfill is the source of such contamination, and claiming that if it is, that we may owe an indemnity to the Town pursuant to the Operating Agreement between us and the Town dated May 29, 2007, as amended. As of December 31, 2016, we have incurred total environmental response costs of approximately $2,465. We have entered into a Tolling Agreement with the Town to delay any further administrative or legal actions until our work with MADEP more specifically defines the parties’ responsibilities in these matters, if any. In February 2016, we and the Town received a Notice of Intent to Sue under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ("RCRA") from a law firm purporting to represent residents proximate to the Southbridge Landfill, indicating its intent to file suit against us because of the groundwater contamination. In February 2017, we received an additional Notice of Intent to Sue from the National Environmental Law Center under the Federal Clean Water Act ("CWA") and RCRA (the “Acts”) on behalf of Environment America, Inc., d/b/a Environment Massachusetts, and Toxics Action Center, Inc., which have referred to themselves as the Citizen Groups. The Citizen Groups allege that we have violated the Acts, and that they they intend to seek appropriate relief in federal court for those alleged violations. We believe it is reasonably possible that a loss will occur as a result of these potential matters although an estimate of loss cannot be reasonably provided at this time. We believe the Town should be responsible for costs or liabilities associated with these possible suits relative to alleged contamination originating from the unlined portion of the Southbridge Landfill, although there can be no assurance that we will not be required to incur some or all of such costs and liabilities. While no suit has yet been filed against us or the Town related to the foregoing, we have reached an agreement in principle, subject to a definitive agreement between MADEP, the Town of Southbridge, the Town of Charlton, and ourselves, for the equal sharing of costs between MADEP and us, of up to $10,000 ($5,000 each) for the Town to install a municipal waterline in the Town of Charlton. It is expected that the Town will issue a Bond for our portion of the waterline costs, and we expect to amend the Operating Agreement to provide for us to reimburse the Town for periodic payments under such Bond. This waterline will provide municipal water to certain Charlton residents. In August 2016, we filed a complaint against Steadfast Insurance Company (“Steadfast”) in the Superior Court of Suffolk County, Massachusetts, alleging among other things, that Steadfast breached its Pollution Liability Policy (“Policy”) purchased by us in April 2015, by refusing to acknowledge coverage under the Policy, and refusing to cover any of the costs and liabilities incurred by us as described above as well as costs and liabilities that we may incur in the future. Steadfast filed an answer and counterclaim in September 2016, denying that it has any obligations to us under the Policy, and seeking declaratory judgment of Steadfast’s obligations under the Policy. The costs and liabilities we may be required to incur in connection with the foregoing could be material to our results of operations, our cash flows and our financial condition. We are carefully evaluating the impact and potential impact of the foregoing matters, together with estimated future costs associated with the permitting, engineering and construction activities for the planned expansion of the Southbridge Landfill, against the possible outcomes of the permitting process and the anticipated future benefits of a successful expansion. It is possible that based on this analysis we may conclude that closing the Southbridge Landfill is in our best economic interest. While no conclusions have been reached at this time and we continue to be committed to the expansion process, we are acting to prudently manage waste volumes into the Southbridge Landfill to prolong the useful life of the Southbridge Landfill in the event we are unsuccessful in obtaining the expansion permit or choose to modify or withdraw our permit application due to our estimate of the economic benefit of the expansion relative to costs. 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. On January 29, 2016, a Cost-Sharing Agreement was executed between WSI, NiMo, Alcoa Inc. (“Alcoa”) and Reynolds Metal Company (“Reynolds”) whereby Alcoa and Reynolds elected to voluntarily participate in the onsite remediation activities at a 15% participant share. It is unlikely that any significant expenditures relating to onsite remediation will be incurred until the fiscal year ending December 31, 2018. WSI is jointly and severally liable with NiMo, Alcoa and Reynolds for the total cost to remediate. 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 in other accrued liabilities and other long-term liabilities. Our expenditures could be significantly higher if costs exceed estimates. We inflate the estimated costs in current dollars to the expected time of payment and discount the total cost to present value using a risk free interest rate of 1.5%. A summary of the changes to the environmental remediation liability associated with the Potsdam environmental remediation liability follows:
| Fiscal Year Ended December 31,
| 2016 |  | 2015
Beginning balance | $ | 5,221 |  |  | $ | 5,142 |
Accretion expense | — |  |  | 79 |
Payments | (255 | ) |  | — |
Revisions in estimates (1) | 900 |  |  | — |
Ending balance | $ | 5,866 |  |  | $ | 5,221 |
(1) | The revisions in estimates is due to changes to our estimated costs to complete the remediation. See Note 15, Other Items and Charges for disclosure over environmental remediation charges.
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, 2016
2017 | $ | 120 |
2018 | 2,892 |
2019 | 1,386 |
2020 | 51 |
2021 | 33 |
Thereafter | 993 |
Total | $ | 5,475 |
A reconciliation of the expected aggregate non-inflated, undiscounted environmental remediation liability to the amount recognized in the statement of financial position is as follows:
Undiscounted liability | $ | 5,475 |
Plus inflation, net | 391 |
Liability balance - December 31, 2016 | $ | 5,866 |
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 five of our executive officers. The contracts are dated June 18, 2001, March 31, 2006, July 6, 2010, September 1, 2012 and March 1, 2016. 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 $1,646. 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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