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Commitments and Contingent Liabilities | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2020
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, royalty accounting, damage to property, climate change, governmental regulations including environmental violations and 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 1992 Coal Industry Retiree Health Benefit Act (“Coal Act”), in Section 9711, requires coal companies that were providing health benefits to United Mine Workers of America (“UMWA”) retirees as of February 1993 to continue providing health benefits to such individuals, in substantially the same coverages, for as long as the last signatory operator remains in business. Section 9711 also requires any “related person” to be joint and severally liable for the provision of these health benefits. On May 1, 2020, the court in the Murray Energy Corporation (“Murray”) bankruptcy proceedings approved a settlement agreement between Murray and the UMWA that transferred to the UMWA 1992 Benefit Plan the Coal Act liabilities for retirees in Murray’s Section 9711 plan. The retirees transferred by Murray to the 1992 Benefit Plan include approximately 2,159 retirees allegedly traced to the December 2013 sale by CONSOL Energy Inc. to Murray Energy of the following possible last signatory operators: Consolidation Coal Company, McElroy Coal Company, Southern Ohio Coal Company, Central Ohio Coal Company, Keystone Coal Mining Corp., and Eight-Four Coal Mining Company (the “Sold Subsidiaries”). On May 2, 2020, the Trustees of the UMWA 1992 Benefit Plan sued CNX and CONSOL Energy Inc. (“CONSOL”) in federal court contending that the Sold Subsidiaries were last signatory operators and that CNX and CONSOL are related persons to the Sold Subsidiaries and, as such, CNX and CONSOL are jointly and severally liable for the Coal Act health benefits allegedly owed to the eligible retirees traced to the Sold Subsidiaries. The 1992 Plan seeks, among other relief, a declaration that CNX and CONSOL are obligated to enroll the eligible retirees attributed to the Sold Subsidiaries in a Section 9711 Plan; that CNX and CONSOL are liable to post the security required by Section 9712; and, that CNX and CONSOL are liable to pay per beneficiary premiums until the eligible retirees are enrolled in a Section 9711 plan, and other fees, costs and disbursements under the Coal Act. We disagree with the suit filed by the UMWA 1992 Plan, have filed a Motion to Dismiss and intend to defend this action. Further, under the Separation and Distribution Agreement that was entered into at the time we spun-out our coal business in 2017, CONSOL agreed to indemnify CNX for all coal-related liabilities, including this lawsuit. With respect to this matter although a loss is possible, it is not probable, and accordingly no accrual has been recognized. At September 30, 2020, 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 tables. 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 the commitments in the following table 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 | $ | 178,352 |  |  | $ | 178,352 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |
Other | 6,950 |  |  | 6,950 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Total Letters of Credit | 185,302 |  |  | 185,302 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Surety Bonds: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Employee-Related | 2,600 |  |  | 1,500 |  |  | 1,100 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Environmental | 12,312 |  |  | 10,717 |  |  | 1,595 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Financial Guarantees | 81,670 |  |  | 26,400 |  |  | 55,270 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Other | 9,285 |  |  | 8,594 |  |  | 691 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Total Surety Bonds | 105,867 |  |  | 47,211 |  |  | 58,656 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Total Commitments | $ | 291,169 |  |  | $ | 232,513 |  |  | $ | 58,656 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |
Excluded from the above table are commitments and guarantees entered into in conjunction with the spin-off of the Company's coal business in November 2017. Although CONSOL has agreed to indemnify CNX to the extent that CNX would be called upon to pay any of these liabilities, there is no assurance that CONSOL will satisfy its obligations to indemnify CNX in the event that CNX is so called upon (See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in CNX's 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the SEC on February 10, 2020 ("2019 Form 10-K") and in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2020 and June 30, 2020 for additional information). 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 in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. As of September 30, 2020, the purchase obligations for each of the next five years and beyond are as follows:
Obligations Due | Amount
Less than 1 year | $ | 242,786 |
1 - 3 years | 429,062 |
3 - 5 years | 369,444 |
More than 5 years | 930,189 |
Total Purchase Obligations | $ | 1,971,481 |

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