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Note 7 - Commitments and Contingencies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2024

Notes to Financial Statements

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]

7.	Commitments and Contingencies

Portland Harbor Superfund Site

In 2000, a section of the lower Willamette River known as the Portland Harbor Superfund Site was included on the National Priorities List at the request of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”). While the Company’s Portland, Oregon manufacturing facility does not border the Willamette River, an outfall from the facility’s stormwater system drains into a neighboring property’s privately owned stormwater system and slip. Also in 2000, the Company was notified by the EPA and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (“ODEQ”) of potential liability under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”). A remedial investigation and feasibility study of the Portland Harbor Superfund Site was directed by a group of 14 potentially responsible parties known as the Lower Willamette Group under agreement with the EPA. The EPA finalized the remedial investigation report in 2016, and the feasibility study in 2016, which identified multiple remedial alternatives. In 2017, the EPA issued its Record of Decision selecting the remedy for cleanup at the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, which it believes will cost approximately $1 billion at net present value and 13 years to complete. The EPA has not yet determined who is responsible for the costs of cleanup or how the cleanup costs will be allocated among the more than 150 potentially responsible parties. Because of the large number of potentially responsible parties and the variability in the range of remediation alternatives, the Company is unable to estimate an amount or an amount within a range of costs for its obligation with respect to the Portland Harbor Superfund Site matters, and no further adjustment to the Consolidated Financial Statements has been recorded as of the date of this filing.

The ODEQ is separately providing oversight of voluntary investigations and source control activities by the Company involving the Company’s site, which are focused on controlling any current “uplands” releases of contaminants into the Willamette River. No liabilities have been established in connection with these investigations because the extent of contamination and the Company’s responsibility for the contamination have not yet been determined.

Concurrent with the activities of the EPA and the ODEQ, the Portland Harbor Natural Resources Trustee Council (“Trustees”) sent some or all of the same parties, including the Company, a notice of intent to perform a Natural Resource Damage Assessment (“NRDA”) for the Portland Harbor Superfund Site to determine the nature and extent of natural resource damages under CERCLA Section 107. The Trustees for the Portland Harbor Superfund Site consist of representatives from several Northwest Indian Tribes, three federal agencies, and one state agency. The Trustees act independently of the EPA and the ODEQ. The Trustees have encouraged potentially responsible parties to voluntarily participate in the funding of their injury assessments and several of those parties have agreed to do so. In 2014, the Company agreed to participate in the injury assessment process, which included funding $0.4 million of the assessment. The Company has not assumed any additional payment obligations or liabilities with the participation with the NRDA, nor does the Company expect to incur significant future costs in the resolution of the NRDA.

In 2017, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, a Trustee until they withdrew from the council in 2009, filed a complaint against the potentially responsible parties including the Company to recover costs related to their own injury assessment and compensation for natural resources damages. The case has been stayed until 2025, and the Company does not have sufficient information at this time to determine the likelihood of a loss in this matter or the amount of damages that could be allocated to the Company.

The Company has insurance policies for defense costs, as well as indemnification policies it believes will provide reimbursement for the remediation assessed. However, the Company can provide no assurance that those policies will cover all of the costs which the Company may incur.

All Sites

The Company operates its facilities under numerous governmental permits and licenses relating to air emissions, stormwater runoff, and other environmental matters. The Company’s operations are also governed by many other laws and regulations, including those relating to workplace safety and worker health, principally the Occupational Safety and Health Act and regulations thereunder which, among other requirements, establish noise and dust standards. The Company believes it is in material compliance with its permits and licenses and these laws and regulations, and the Company does not believe that future compliance with such laws and regulations will have a material adverse effect on its financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

Other Contingencies and Legal Proceedings

From time to time, the Company is party to a variety of legal actions, including claims, suits, complaints, and investigations arising out of the ordinary course of its business. The Company maintains insurance coverage against potential claims in amounts that are believed to be adequate. To the extent that insurance does not cover legal, defense, and indemnification costs associated with a loss contingency, the Company records accruals when such losses are considered probable and reasonably estimable. The Company believes that it is not presently a party to legal actions, the outcomes of which would have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

Commitments

As of September 30, 2024, the Company’s commitments include approximately $1.2 million remaining relating to its investment in the primary component of the new reinforced concrete pipe mill which remained unpaid at September 30, 2024 and approximately $0.9 million remaining relating to the final obligations associated with the construction of the building for the new mill at the Company’s facility in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Guarantees

The Company has entered into certain letters of credit that total $1.6 million as of September 30, 2024. The letters of credit relate to workers’ compensation insurance and a public improvement project.