Commitments And Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

Commitments And Contingencies [Abstract]

13. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Operating Leases

The company leases certain facilities, equipment and parcels of land under agreements that expire at various dates. For accounting purposes, rent expense is based on a straight-line amortization of the total payments required over the lease. The company incurred lease expenses of $10.3 million during the three months ended March 31, 2017, and $9.4 million during the three months ended March 31, 2016.

Aggregate minimum lease payments under these agreements for the remainder of 2017 and in future years are as follows (in thousands):


Year Ending December 31,	Amount

2017	$	27,309
2018		27,009
2019		17,903
2020		12,385
2021		5,957
Thereafter		21,590
Total	$	112,153

Commodities

As of March 31, 2017, the company had contracted future purchases of grain, corn oil, natural gas, crude oil, ethanol, distillers grains and cattle, valued at approximately $461.3 million.

Legal

In November 2013, the company acquired two ethanol plants located in Fairmont, Minnesota and Wood River, Nebraska. There is ongoing litigation related to the consideration for this acquisition. On August 19, 2016, the Delaware Superior Court granted Green Plains’ motion for summary judgment in part and held that the seller’s attempt to disclaim liability for certain shortfall amounts through the use of a disclaimer provision was ineffective. Based on the court order, the company determined that previously accrued contingent liabilities of approximately $6.3 million no longer represented probable losses. These accruals were reversed as a reduction of cost of goods sold during the year ended December 31, 2016, because the adjustment relates to a reduction in the cost of inventory purchased in the acquisitions. The court has directed the company and the seller to work together to determine the precise total of the shortfall amount due to Green Plains. The company believes the remaining amount due to Green Plains is approximately $5.5 million; however, the seller has the right to dispute the details of the calculation and appeal the underlying Superior Court order. Accordingly, the total amount Green Plains may receive is yet to be determined. The remaining amount due to the company represents a gain contingency which will not be recorded until all contingencies are resolved.

In addition to the above-described proceeding, the company is currently involved in litigation that has arisen in the ordinary course of business, but does not believe any pending litigation will have a material adverse effect on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.