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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2015
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES |
12. | COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Legal Proceedings. We are involved in a number of contingencies incidental to the normal conduct of our business including lawsuits, claims and environmental contingencies. The outcome of these contingencies is inherently unpredictable. We believe that, in the aggregate, the outcome of all known contingencies including lawsuits, claims and environmental contingencies will not have a material adverse effect on our financial statements; however, specific outcomes with respect to such contingencies may be material to the financial statements of any particular period in which costs, if any, are recognized. Our assessment of the potential impact of environmental contingencies is subject to uncertainty due to the complex, ongoing and evolving process of investigation and remediation of such environmental contingencies, and the potential for technological and regulatory developments. In addition, the impact of evolving programs, such as natural resource damage claims, industrial site reuse initiatives and state remediation programs creates further uncertainty of the ultimate resolution of these environmental contingencies. We anticipate that the resolution of many contingencies, and in particular environmental contingencies, will occur over an extended period of time. On December 20, 2013, a fire occurred at our PHH vinyl chloride monomer (“VCM”) manufacturing plant in Lake Charles, Louisiana. As of September 30, 2015, approximately 2,615 individuals had filed lawsuits against the Company alleging personal injury or property damage related to the incident. We do not expect any other individuals to file lawsuits regarding this matter, as the prescribed deadline for doing so has expired. We have not recorded an accrual in connection with any of these lawsuits because, at this time, we are unable to reasonably determine whether any potential loss is probable or estimable. In addition, we currently are unable to provide a reasonable estimate of the potential loss or range of loss, if any, expected to result from this contingency. We are unable to make these determinations due to a number of variables, including without limitation, uncertainties related to: (i) the fact that no written or oral discovery has been conducted by the Company in any of these lawsuits; (ii) the procedural status and jurisdictions in which these lawsuits may be adjudicated; (iii) the parties’ respective litigation strategies; (iv) the fact that none of the complaints have alleged specific injuries or a specific amount of damages; (v) any symptoms experienced by any of the plaintiffs, and whether there will be any reliable information, documentation or other discovery related thereto; (vi) the pre‑and‑post fire medical or physical condition of the plaintiffs, and whether there will be any reliable information, documentation or other discovery related thereto; and (vii) the location of any plaintiff at the time of the fire, and the duration of any exposure related thereto, and whether there will be any reliable information, documentation or other discovery related thereto. Environmental Remediation. Our operations and assets are subject to extensive environmental, health and safety regulations, including laws and regulations related to air emissions, water discharges, waste disposal and remediation of contaminated sites, at both the national and local levels in the United States. We are also subject to similar laws and regulations in Canada and other jurisdictions in which we operate. The nature of the chemical and building products industries exposes us to risks of liability under these laws and regulations due to the production, storage, use, transportation and sale of materials that can cause contamination or personal injury, including, in the case of chemicals, potential releases into the environment. Environmental laws may have a significant effect on the costs of use, transportation and storage of raw materials and finished products, as well as the costs of the storage and disposal of wastes. We have incurred and will continue to incur substantial operating and capital costs to comply with environmental laws and regulations. In addition, we may incur substantial costs, including fines, damages, criminal or civil sanctions and remediation costs, or experience interruptions in our operations for violations arising under these laws and regulations. As of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, we had reserves for environmental contingencies totaling approximately $42 million and $54 million, respectively, of which approximately $2 million and $12 million, respectively, were classified as current liabilities. Our assessment of the potential impact of these environmental contingencies is subject to considerable uncertainty due to the complex, ongoing and evolving process of investigation and remediation, if necessary, of such environmental contingencies, and the potential for technological and regulatory developments. Some of our significant environmental contingencies include the following matters:
| · | We have entered into a Cooperative Agreement with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (“LDEQ”) and various other parties for the environmental remediation of a portion of the Bayou d’Inde area of the Calcasieu River Estuary in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Remedy implementation began in the fourth quarter of 2014 and is expected to be completed during 2016 with a period of monitoring for remedy effectiveness to follow remediation. As of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, we have reserved approximately $4 million and $18 million, respectively, for the costs associated with this matter. The decrease in the amount of this reserve is primarily due to spending against the reserve.
| · | As of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, we had reserved approximately $12 million and $15 million, respectively, for environmental contingencies related to on‑site remediation at the Lake Charles South Facility, principally for ongoing remediation of groundwater and soil in connection with our corrective action permit issued pursuant to the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The remedial activity is primarily related to the operation of a series of well water treatment systems across the Lake Charles South Facility. In addition, remediation of possible soil contamination will be conducted in certain areas. These remedial activities are expected to continue for an extended period of time. The reduction in the amount of this reserve is due to our assessment, during the quarter ended September 30, 2015, of the estimated costs to be incurred after September 30, 2015 to conduct this on-going remedial activity, and in particular, our assessment of the portion of the future operating costs of certain water treatment assets at our Lake Charles South Facility that should be allocated to this remediation project, as opposed to other non-remediation uses of those water treatment assets.
| · | As of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, we had reserved approximately $18 million and $15 million, respectively, for environmental contingencies related to remediation activities at our Natrium, West Virginia facility (the “Natrium Facility”). The remedial actions address National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit requirements related primarily to hexachlorocyclohexane, (commonly referred to as BHC) and mercury. We expect that these remedial actions will be in place for an extended period of time. The increase in the amount of this reserve is due to our assessment, during the quarter ended September 30, 2015, of the estimated costs that will be incurred after September 30, 2015 to conduct this on-going remedial activity, and in particular, due to an increase in the estimated duration of the remediation period.
Environmental Laws and Regulations Due to the nature of environmental laws, regulations and liabilities, it is possible that we may not have identified all potentially adverse conditions. Such conditions may not currently exist or be detectable through reasonable methods, or may not be estimable. For example, our Natrium Facility and Lake Charles South Facility have both been in operation for over 65 years. There may be significant latent liabilities or future claims arising from the operation of facilities of this age, and we may be required to incur material future remediation or other costs in connection with future actions or developments at these or other facilities. We expect to be continually subjected to increasingly stringent environmental and health and safety laws and regulations, and that continued compliance will require increased capital expenditures and increased operating costs or may impose restrictions on our present or future operations. It is difficult to predict the future interpretation and development of these laws and regulations or their impact on our future earnings and operations. Any increase in these costs, or any material restrictions on our ability to operate or the manner in which we operate, could materially adversely affect our liquidity, financial condition and results of operations. However, estimated costs for future environmental compliance and remediation may be materially lower than actual costs, or we may not be able to quantify potential costs in advance. Actual costs related to any environmental compliance in excess of estimated costs could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition in one or more future periods. Heightened interest in environmental regulation, such as climate change issues, has the potential to materially impact our costs and present and future operations. We, and other chemical companies, are currently required to file certain governmental reports relating to greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions. The U.S. Government has considered, and may in the future implement, restrictions or other controls on GHG emissions, any of which could require us to incur significant capital expenditures or further restrict our present or future operations. In addition to GHG regulations, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”) has recently taken certain actions to limit or control certain pollutants created by companies such as ours. For example:
| · | In January 2013, the EPA issued Clean Air Act emission standards for boilers and incinerators (the “Boiler MACT regulations”), which are aimed at controlling emissions of toxic air contaminants at covered facilities. The coal fired power plant at our Natrium Facility is our source most significantly impacted by the Boiler MACT regulations. Pursuant to these regulations, we must satisfy certain requirements by January 2016, and other requirements by March 2016. We expect to achieve compliance with all of these requirements by these deadlines.
| · | In April 2012, the EPA issued final regulations to update emissions limits for polyvinyl chloride (“PVC”) and copolymer production (the “PVC MACT regulation”). The PVC MACT regulation sets standards for major sources of PVC production and establishes certain working practices, as well as monitoring, reporting and record‑keeping requirements. We have complied with certain requirements of the PVC MACT regulation by the April 2015 deadline. Due to extensions we received from the relevant governmental agencies, we have until April 2016 to come into compliance with other requirements of the PVC MACT regulation, and we expect to achieve compliance with those requirements by that deadline. Following the issuance of the PVC MACT regulation, legal challenges were filed by the vinyl industry’s trade organization, several vinyl manufacturers and several environmental groups, which will likely impact provisions of the PVC MACT regulation. However, there could be significant changes from the currently existing PVC MACT regulation after all legal challenges have been exhausted, which could require us to incur further capital expenditures, or increase our operating costs, to levels significantly higher than what we have previously estimated.
| · | In March 2011, the EPA proposed amendments to the emission standards for hazardous air pollutants for mercury emissions from mercury cell chlor‑alkali plants. These proposed amendments would require improvements in work practices to reduce fugitive mercury emissions and would result in reduced levels of mercury emissions while still allowing the mercury cell facilities to continue to operate. We operate a mercury cell production unit at our Natrium Facility. No assurances as to the timing or content of the final regulation, or its ultimate cost to, or impact on us, can be provided.
The potential impact of these and/or unrelated future, legislative or regulatory actions on our current or future operations cannot be predicted at this time but could be significant. Such impacts could include the potential for significant compliance costs, including capital expenditures, could result in operating restrictions or could require us to incur significant legal or other costs related to compliance or other activities. Any increase in the costs related to these initiatives, or restrictions on our operations, could materially adversely affect our liquidity, financial condition or results of operations. Environmental Remediation: Reasonably Possible Matters. Our assessment of the potential impact of environmental contingencies is subject to considerable uncertainty due to the complex, ongoing and evolving process of investigation and remediation, if necessary, of such environmental contingencies, and the potential for technological and regulatory developments. As such, in addition to the amounts currently reserved, we may be subject to reasonably possible loss contingencies related to environmental matters in the range of $52 million to $89 million. Initial remedial actions are occurring with respect to these matters at two plant sites: the Lake Charles South Facility and the Natrium Facility.

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