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Commitments and Contingencies | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 28, 2024
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | 17. Commitments and Contingencies Commitments The Company had no material changes to the purchase obligations presented in its 2023 Form 10-K during the nine months ended September 28, 2024. The Company’s purchase obligations primarily consist of commitments for the purchase of natural gas, electricity and wood chips. The Company remains subject to purchase obligations under the 20-year wood chip and residual fiber supply agreement with GreenFirst, under which total required purchase volumes of wood chips and residual fiber are dependent on sawmill production. In connection with the indefinite suspension of operations at the Temiscaming High Purity Cellulose plant, GreenFirst and the Company have agreed that the Company will purchase the required volumes at market value and sell them to third parties at the same amount for an expected neutral impact. The Company leases certain buildings, machinery and equipment under various operating and finance leases. See Note 6—Leases for further information. Litigation and Contingencies Duties on Canadian Softwood Lumber Sold to the U.S. The Company previously operated six softwood lumber mills in Ontario and Quebec, Canada, and exported softwood lumber into the U.S. from Canada. In connection with these exports, the Company paid approximately $112 million of softwood lumber duties between 2017 and August 2021, including $1 million of ancillary fees, which were recorded as expense in the periods incurred. As part of the sale of its lumber assets in 2021, the Company retained all refund rights and obligations to softwood duties generated or incurred through the closing date of the sale. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had a $40 million long-term receivable associated with USDOC determinations of the revised duty rates for 2017 through 2021. In June 2024, the Company executed on the sale of these refund rights (inclusive of the receivable), including all accrued interest, for $39 million, with the opportunity for additional sale proceeds in the future contingent upon the timing and terms of the ultimate outcome of the trade dispute between the USDOC and Canada. Other In addition to the above, the Company is engaged in various legal and regulatory actions and proceedings and has been named as a defendant in various lawsuits and claims arising in the ordinary course of business. While the Company has procured reasonable and customary insurance covering risks normally occurring in connection with its business, the Company has, in certain cases, retained some risk through the operation of self-insurance, primarily in the areas of workers’ compensation, property insurance, business interruption and general liability. These other lawsuits and claims, either individually or in the aggregate, are not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows. Guarantees and Other The Company provides financial guarantees as required by creditors, insurance programs and various governmental agencies. As of September 28, 2024, the Company had net exposure of $37 million from various standby letters of credit, primarily for financial assurance relating to environmental remediation, credit support for natural gas and electricity purchases and guarantees related to foreign retirement plan obligations. These standby letters of credit represent a contingent liability; the Company would only be liable upon its default on the related payment obligations. The standby letters of credit have various expiration dates and are expected to be renewed as required. The Company had surety bonds of $89 million as of September 28, 2024, primarily to comply with financial assurance requirements relating to environmental remediation and post-closure care, to provide collateral for the Company’s workers’ compensation program and to guarantee taxes and duties for products shipped internationally. These surety bonds expire at various dates and are expected to be renewed annually as required. LTF is a venture in which the Company owns 45 percent and its partner, Borregaard ASA, owns 55 percent. The Company is a guarantor of LTF’s financing agreements and, in the event of default, expects it would only be liable for its proportional share of any repayment under the agreements. The Company’s proportion of the LTF financing agreement guarantee was $28 million at September 28, 2024. The Company has not recorded any liabilities for these financial guarantees in its consolidated balance sheets, either because the Company has recorded the underlying liability associated with the guarantee or the guarantee is dependent on the Company’s own performance and, therefore, is not subject to the measurement requirements or because the Company has calculated the estimated fair value of the guarantee and determined it to be immaterial based upon the current facts and circumstances that would trigger a payment obligation. It is not possible to determine the maximum potential amount of liability under these potential obligations due to the unique set of facts and circumstances likely to be involved with each provision. In April 2024, collective bargaining agreements covering approximately 225 unionized employees at the Fernandina plant expired. The employees continued to work under the terms of the expired contracts until negotiations concluded in the third quarter of 2024 and final agreements with the union were reached. As of September 28, 2024, all of the Company’s collective bargaining agreements covering its unionized employees were current.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for significant arrangements with third parties, which includes operating lease arrangements and arrangements in which the entity has agreed to expend funds to procure goods or services, or has agreed to commit resources to supply goods or services, and operating lease arrangements. Descriptions may include identification of the specific goods and services, period of time covered, minimum quantities and amounts, and cancellation rights. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Topic 440 -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org/440/tableOfContent + Details
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