COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES DISCLOSURE

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES

A summary of the Corporation's commitments and contingent liabilities can be found in Note 14 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in the 2020 10-K, which is incorporated by reference herein.

Environmental Matters

Accruals for environmental matters are recorded when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be reasonably estimated, based on current law and existing technologies. At March 31, 2021, the Corporation had accrued obligations of $142 million for probable environmental remediation and restoration costs, including $19 million for the remediation of Superfund sites. These obligations are included in "Accrued and other current liabilities" and "Other noncurrent obligations" in the consolidated balance sheets. This is management’s best estimate of the costs for remediation and restoration with respect to environmental matters for which the Corporation has accrued liabilities, although it is reasonably possible that the ultimate cost with respect to these particular matters could range up to approximately two and a half times that amount. Consequently, it is reasonably possible that environmental remediation and restoration costs in excess of amounts accrued could have a material impact on the Corporation's results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. It is the opinion of the Corporation’s management that the possibility is remote that costs in excess of the range disclosed will have a material impact on the Corporation’s results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Inherent uncertainties exist in these estimates primarily due to unknown environmental conditions, changing governmental regulations and legal standards regarding liability, and emerging remediation technologies for handling site remediation and restoration. As new or additional information becomes available and/or certain spending trends become known, management will evaluate such information in determination of the current estimate of the environmental liability. At December 31, 2020, the Corporation had accrued obligations of $133 million for probable environmental remediation and restoration costs, including $18 million for the remediation of Superfund sites.

Litigation

Asbestos-Related Matters

Each quarter, the Corporation reviews claims filed, settled and dismissed, as well as average settlement and resolution costs by disease category. The Corporation also considers additional quantitative and qualitative factors such as the nature of pending claims, trial experience of the Corporation and other asbestos defendants, current spending for defense and processing costs, significant appellate rulings and legislative developments, trends in the tort system, and their respective effects on expected future resolution costs. UCC management considers these factors in conjunction with the most recent actuarial study and determines whether a change in the estimate is warranted. Based on the Corporation's review of 2021 activity, it was determined that no adjustment to the accrual was required at March 31, 2021.

The Corporation’s total asbestos-related liability for pending and future claims and defense and processing costs was $1,080 million at March 31, 2021 ($1,098 million at December 31, 2020), and was included in “Asbestos-related liabilities - current” and “Asbestos-related liabilities - noncurrent” in the consolidated balance sheets. At March 31, 2021, approximately 24 percent of the recorded claim liability related to pending claims and approximately 76 percent related to future claims.