Asset Retirement Obligations

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Asset Retirement Obligation [Abstract]

9. Asset Retirement Obligations

The Company has asset retirement obligations, primarily in the Domestic Coke segment, related to certain contractual obligations. These contractual obligations mostly relate to costs associated with restoring land to its original state, and may require the retirement and removal of long-lived assets from certain cokemaking properties as well as other reclamation obligations related to our former coal mining business. The Federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 and similar state statutes require that mine property be restored in accordance with specified standards and an approved reclamation plan. We do not have any unrecorded asset retirement obligations.

The following table provides a reconciliation of changes in the asset retirement obligation from operations during each period:


	Years ended December 31,
	2020		2019
Asset retirement obligation at beginning of year	$	15.3	$	14.6
Liabilities settled	(0.1)		(1.2)
Accretion expense(1)	1.1		1.0
Revisions in estimated cash flows(2)	(4.9)		0.9
Asset retirement obligation at end of year(3)	$	11.4	$	15.3

(1)Included in cost of products sold and operating expenses on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

(2)Revisions of estimated cash flows in 2020 were primarily due to the identification of more cost efficient demolition methods as well as the timing of projected spending on certain obligations.

(3)The current portion of asset retirement obligation liabilities, which totaled zero and $0.9 million at December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively, is classified in accrued liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.