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Commitments and Contingencies | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | Note 9: Commitments and Contingencies Capital Project Commitments - A subsidiary of EDC is party to various agreements with Leidos Constructors, LLC to engineer, procure and construct an ammonia plant and certain support facilities. The estimated cost for this project ranges from $275 million to $300 million, of which $99 million has been incurred and capitalized at September 30, 2014. EDC is party to an agreement with Weatherly Inc. for the licensing, engineering, and procurement of major manufacturing equipment for a new 65% strength nitric acid plant (“Nitric Acid Plant”) to be constructed at our chemical production facility located in El Dorado, Arkansas (the “El Dorado Facility”). EDC is also party to various agreements with Leidos Constructors, LLC to engineer, procure and construct the Nitric Acid Plant, a nitric acid concentrator and certain support facilities at the El Dorado Facility. The estimated cost for this project ranges from $125 million to $130 million, of which $85 million has been incurred and capitalized at September 30, 2014. Notification of Termination of Sales Commitment Ammonium nitrate supply agreement - Pursuant to a long-term cost-plus supply agreement, EDC supplies Orica International Pte Ltd (“Orica”) with an annual minimum of 240,000 tons of industrial grade ammonium nitrate (“AN”) produced at our El Dorado Facility. The agreement includes a provision for Orica to pay for product not taken. The agreement also includes a required notice of termination of one year, with the termination date to be no sooner than April 9, 2015. On March 31, 2014, EDC sent to Orica the required one-year notice that EDC will not renew the agreement on or after April 9, 2015. Legal Matters - Following is a summary of certain legal matters involving the Company:
A. | Environmental Matters
Our facilities and operations are subject to numerous federal, state and local environmental laws (“Environmental Laws”) and to other laws regarding health and safety matters (“Health Laws”). In particular, the manufacture, production and distribution of products by our Chemical Business are activities that entail environmental and public health risks and impose obligations under the Environmental Laws and the Health Laws, many of which provide for certain performance obligations, substantial fines and criminal sanctions for violations. There can be no assurance that we will not incur material costs or liabilities in complying with such laws or in paying fines or penalties for violation of such laws. The Environmental Laws and Health Laws and enforcement policies thereunder have in the past resulted, and could in the future result, in significant compliance expenses, cleanup costs (for our sites or third-party sites where our wastes were disposed of), penalties or other liabilities relating to the handling, manufacture, use, emission, discharge or disposal of hazardous or toxic materials at or from our facilities or the use or disposal of certain of its chemical products. Historically, significant expenditures have been incurred by subsidiaries within our Chemical Business in order to comply with the Environmental Laws and Health Laws and are reasonably expected to be incurred in the future. We will also be obligated to manage certain discharge water outlets and monitor groundwater contaminants at our Chemical Business facilities should we discontinue the operations of a facility. We do not operate the natural gas wells where we own an interest and compliance with Environmental Laws and Health Laws is controlled by others, with our Chemical Business being responsible for its proportionate share of the costs involved. As of September 30, 2014, our accrued liabilities for environmental matters totaled $456,000 relating primarily to matters discussed below. It is reasonably possible that a change in the estimate of our liability could occur in the near term. Also see discussion in Note 7 - Asset Retirement Obligations.
| 1. | Discharge Water Matters
Each of our chemical manufacturing facilities generates process wastewater, which may include cooling tower and boiler water quality control streams, contact storm water (rain water inside the facility area that picks up contaminants) and miscellaneous spills and leaks from process equipment. The process water discharge, storm-water runoff and miscellaneous spills and leaks are governed by various permits generally issued by the respective state environmental agencies as authorized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), subject to oversight by the EPA. These permits limit the type and amount of effluents that can be discharged and controls the method of such discharge. The following are discharge water matters in relation to the respective permits. The El Dorado Facility is subject to a state National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (“NPDES”) discharge water permit issued by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (“ADEQ”). The El Dorado Facility is currently operating under an NPDES discharge water permit, which became effective in 2004 (“2004 NPDES permit”). In November 2010, a preliminary draft of a discharge water permit renewal for the El Dorado Facility, which contains more restrictive limits, was issued by the ADEQ. EDC believes that the El Dorado Facility has generally demonstrated its ability to comply with applicable ammonia and nitrate permit limits, but has, from time to time, had difficulty demonstrating consistent compliance with the more restrictive dissolved minerals permit levels. As part of the El Dorado Facility’s long-term compliance plan, EDC has pursued a rulemaking and permit modification with the ADEQ as to the discharge requirements relating to its dissolved minerals. The ADEQ approved a rule change, but the EPA formally disapproved the rule change. In October 2011, EDC filed a lawsuit against the EPA in the United States District Court, El Dorado, Arkansas, appealing the EPA’s decision disapproving the rule change. In March 2013, the District Court affirmed the EPA’s decision. EDC had appealed the District Court’s decision but the appeal was denied by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. We do not believe this matter regarding meeting the permit requirements as to the dissolved minerals will continue to be an issue since the El Dorado Facility is currently disposing its wastewater by a pipeline constructed by the City of El Dorado, Arkansas, which EDC is a party to an operating agreement with the city associated with this pipeline. The initial term of the operating agreement is through December 2053. During 2012, EDC paid a penalty of $100,000 to settle an Administrative Complaint issued by the EPA, and thereafter handled by the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”), relating to certain alleged violations of EDC’s 2004 NPDES permit for alleged violations through December 31, 2010. The DOJ advised that some action would be taken for alleged violations occurring after December 31, 2010. As of the date of this report, no action has been filed by the DOJ. The cost (or range of costs) cannot currently be reasonably estimated regarding this matter. Therefore, no liability has been established at September 30, 2014. In addition, the El Dorado Facility is currently operating under a consent administrative order (“2006 CAO”) that recognizes the presence of nitrate contamination in the shallow groundwater. The 2006 CAO required EDC to continue semiannual groundwater monitoring, to continue operation of a groundwater recovery system and to submit a human health and ecological risk assessment to the ADEQ relating to the El Dorado Facility. The final remedy for shallow groundwater contamination, should any remediation be required, will be selected pursuant to a new consent administrative order and based upon the risk assessment. The cost of any additional remediation that may be required will be determined based on the results of the investigation and risk assessment, of which cost (or range of costs) cannot currently be reasonably estimated. Therefore, no liability has been established at September 30, 2014, in connection with this matter.
| 2. | Air Matters
One of our subsidiaries, Pryor Chemical Company (“PCC”), within our Chemical Business, has been advised that the ODEQ is conducting an investigation into whether the chemical production facility located in Pryor, Oklahoma (the “Pryor Facility”) was in compliance with certain rules and regulations of the ODEQ and whether PCC’s reports of certain air emissions relating primarily to 2011 were intentionally reported incorrectly to the ODEQ. Pursuant to the request of the ODEQ, PCC submitted information and a report to the ODEQ as to the reports filed by the Pryor Facility relating to the air emissions in question. In February 2013, investigators with the ODEQ obtained documents from the Pryor Facility in connection with this investigation pursuant to a search warrant and interviewed several employees at the facility. PCC has cooperated with the ODEQ in connection with this investigation. As of September 30, 2014, we are not aware of any recommendations made or to be made by the ODEQ with respect to legal action to be taken or recommended as a result of this ongoing investigation. In September 2014, PCC and the EPA reached a settlement for $37,500 relating to an ammonia release during February 2014, at the Pryor Facility.
| 3. | Other Environmental Matters
In 2002, two subsidiaries within our Chemical Business sold substantially all of their operating assets relating to a Kansas chemical facility (“Hallowell Facility”) but retained ownership of the real property. Even though we continued to own the real property, we did not assess our continuing involvement with our former Hallowell Facility to be significant and therefore accounted for the sale as discontinued operations. Our subsidiary retained the obligation to be responsible for, and perform the activities under, a previously executed consent order to investigate the surface and subsurface contamination at the real property and a corrective action strategy based on the investigation. In addition, certain of our subsidiaries agreed to indemnify the buyer of such assets for these environmental matters. Based on the assessment discussed above, we account for transactions associated with the Hallowell Facility as discontinued operations. The successor (“Chevron”) of a prior owner of the Hallowell Facility has agreed, within certain limitations, to pay and has been paying one-half of the costs of the interim measures relating to this matter as approved by the Kansas Department of Environmental Quality, subject to reallocation. Our subsidiary and Chevron are pursuing with the state of Kansas a course of long-term surface and groundwater monitoring to track the natural decline in contamination. Currently, our subsidiary and Chevron are in the process of performing additional surface and groundwater testing. We have accrued for our allocable portion of costs for the additional testing, monitoring and risk assessments that could be reasonably estimated, which is included in our accrued liabilities for environmental matters discussed above. The estimated amount is not discounted to its present value. In addition during 2010, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (“KDHE”) notified our subsidiary and Chevron that the Hallowell Facility has been referred to the KDHE’s Natural Resources Trustee, which is to consider and recommend restoration, replacement and/or whether to seek compensation. KDHE will consider the recommendations in its evaluation. Currently, it is unknown what damages the KDHE would claim, if any. The ultimate required remediation, if any, is unknown. The nature and extent of a portion of the requirements are also not currently defined, and the associated costs (or range of costs) are not currently reasonably estimable. Therefore, no liability has been established at September 30, 2014, in connection with the KDHE’s Natural Resources Trustee matter.
B. | Other Pending, Threatened or Settled Litigation
During April 2013, an explosion and fire occurred at the West Fertilizer Co. (“West Fertilizer”), located in West, Texas, causing death, bodily injury and substantial property damage. West Fertilizer is not owned or controlled by us, but West Fertilizer had been a customer of EDC, purchasing AN from EDC from time to time. LSB and EDC previously received letters from counsel purporting to represent subrogated insurance carriers, personal injury claimants and persons who suffered property damages informing them that their clients are conducting investigations into the cause of the explosion and fire to determine, among other things, whether AN manufactured by EDC and supplied to West Fertilizer was stored at West Fertilizer at the time of the explosion and, if so, whether such AN may have been one of the contributing factors of the explosion. Other manufacturers of AN also supplied AN to West Fertilizer. Initially, the lawsuits that had been filed named West Fertilizer and another supplier of AN as defendants. There have been certain responses to discovery in connection with the pending lawsuits that possibly some of the AN products at West Fertilizer at the time of the explosion may have been produced by EDC. During the first quarter of 2014, EDC and LSB were named as defendants, together with other AN manufactures and brokers that arranged the transport and delivery of AN to West Fertilizer, in the case styled City of West, Texas v CF Industries, Inc., et al, in the District Court of McLennan County, Texas. Plaintiffs are alleging, among other things, that LSB and EDC were negligent in the production and marketing of fertilizer products sold to West Fertilizer resulting in death, personal injury and property damage. EDC has retained a firm specializing in cause and origin investigations, with particular experience with fertilizer facilities, to assist EDC in its own investigation. LSB and EDC have placed its liability insurance carrier on notice, which carrier is handling the defense for LSB and EDC concerning this matter. Our product liability insurance policies have aggregate limits of general liability totaling $100 million, with a self-insured retention of $250,000. Due to our insurance coverage and the amount thereof, as of September 30, 2014, no liability has been established in connection with this matter, but we have incurred professional fees up to our self-insured retention amount. We are also involved in various other claims and legal actions including claims for damages resulting from water leaks related to our Climate Control products and other product liability occurrences. Most of the product liability claims are covered by our general liability insurance, which generally includes a deductible of $250,000 per claim. For any claims or legal actions that we have assessed the likelihood of our liability as probable, we have recognized our estimated liability up to the applicable deductible. At September 30, 2014, our accrued general liability insurance claims were $526,000 and are included in accrued and other liabilities. It is possible that the actual future development of claims could be different from our estimates but, after consultation with legal counsel, we believe that changes in our estimates will not have a material effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

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