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Commitments and Contingent Liabilities | 6 Months Ended
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Jun. 30, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingent Liabilities | COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES: CNX and its subsidiaries are subject to various lawsuits and claims with respect to such matters as personal injury, wrongful death, damage to property, exposure to hazardous substances, governmental regulations including environmental remediation, employment and contract disputes and other claims and actions arising out of the normal course of business. CNX accrues the estimated loss for these lawsuits and claims when the loss is probable and can be estimated. The Company's current estimated accruals related to these pending claims, individually and in the aggregate, are immaterial to the financial position, results of operations or cash flows of CNX. It is possible that the aggregate loss in the future with respect to these lawsuits and claims could ultimately be material to the financial position, results of operations or cash flows of CNX; however, such amounts cannot be reasonably estimated. The amount claimed against CNX is disclosed below when an amount is expressly stated in the lawsuit or claim, which is not often the case. The following lawsuits and claims include those for which a loss is probable and an accrual has been recognized: Hale Litigation: This class action lawsuit was filed on September 23, 2010 in the U.S. District Court in Abingdon, Virginia. The putative class consists of force-pooled unleased gas owners whose ownership of the coalbed methane (CBM) gas was declared to be in conflict with rights of others. The lawsuit seeks a judicial declaration of ownership of the CBM and damages based on allegations that CNX Gas failed either to pay royalties due to conflicting claimants or deemed lessors, or paid them less than required because of the alleged practice of improper below market sales and/or taking alleged improper post-production deductions. On September 30, 2013, the District Judge entered an Order certifying the class, and CNX Gas appealed the Order to the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. On August 19, 2014, the Fourth Circuit agreed with CNX Gas, reversed the Order certifying the class and remanded the case to the trial court for further proceedings consistent with the decision. On April 23, 2015, Plaintiffs filed a Renewed Motion for Class Certification, which CNX opposed. On March 29, 2017, the Court issued an Order certifying four issues for class treatment: (1) allegedly excessive deductions; (2) royalties based on purported improperly low prices; (3) deduction of severance taxes; and (4) Plaintiffs' request for an accounting. On April 13, 2017, CNX filed a Petition for Allowance of Appeal with the Fourth Circuit, and on May 22, 2017 the Petition was denied. CNX and plaintiffs’ counsel have reached an agreement in principal to settle the certified class claims. On March 20, 2018, the Court preliminarily approved the class settlement, and on August 23, 2018, the Court will conduct a hearing to consider final approval of the proposed Settlement Agreement and Class Counsels’ request for attorneys’ fees. No class member has opted out of, or objected to, the settlement and the time for doing so has passed. The Company has paid the settlement into an escrow account from which it will be disbursed upon final court approval (or returned to CNX). At June 30, 2018, CNX has provided the following financial guarantees, unconditional purchase obligations and letters of credit to certain third parties as described by major category in the following table. These amounts represent the maximum potential of total future payments that the Company could be required to make under these instruments. These amounts have not been reduced for potential recoveries under recourse or collateralization provisions. Generally, recoveries under reclamation bonds would be limited to the extent of the work performed at the time of the default. No amounts related to these unconditional purchase obligations and letters of credit are recorded as liabilities in the financial statements. CNX management believes that these commitments will expire without being funded, and therefore will not have a material adverse effect on financial condition.
| Amount of Commitment Expiration Per Period
| Total Amounts Committed |  | Less Than 1 Year |  | 1-3 Years |  | 3-5 Years |  | Beyond 5 Years
Letters of Credit: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Firm Transportation | $ | 251,057 |  |  | $ | 251,057 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |
Other | 285 |  |  | 285 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Total Letters of Credit | 251,342 |  |  | 251,342 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Surety Bonds: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Employee-Related | 1,850 |  |  | 1,850 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Environmental | 25,973 |  |  | 25,914 |  |  | 59 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Other | 12,315 |  |  | 10,805 |  |  | 1,510 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Total Surety Bonds | 40,138 |  |  | 38,569 |  |  | 1,569 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Total Commitments | $ | 291,480 |  |  | $ | 289,911 |  |  | $ | 1,569 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |
Excluded from the above table are commitments and guarantees, that relate to discontinued operations, entered into in conjunction with the spin-off of the Company's coal business (See Note 5 - Discontinued Operations). Although CONSOL Energy has agreed to indemnify us to the extent that we are called upon to pay any of these liabilities, there is no assurance that CONSOL Energy will satisfy its obligations to indemnify us in these situations. CNX uses various leased facilities and equipment in its operations. Future minimum lease payments under operating leases at June 30, 2018 are as follows:
Operating Lease Obligations Due | Amount
Less than 1 year | $ | 9,607 |
1 - 3 years | 13,325 |
3 - 5 years | 10,756 |
More than 5 years | 38,477 |
Total Operating Lease Obligations | $ | 72,165 |
CNX enters into long-term unconditional purchase obligations to procure major equipment purchases, natural gas firm transportation, gas drilling services and other operating goods and services. These purchase obligations are not recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. As of June 30, 2018, the purchase obligations for each of the next five years and beyond were as follows:
Obligations Due | Amount
Less than 1 year | $ | 207,148 |
1 - 3 years | 419,091 |
3 - 5 years | 306,479 |
More than 5 years | 620,806 |
Total Purchase Obligations | $ | 1,553,524 |

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