Commitments and Contingencies

The Company is involved in a number of legal and regulatory matters, principally environmental in nature, that are incidental to the normal conduct of its business, including lawsuits, investigations and claims. The outcome of these matters are inherently unpredictable. The Company believes that, in the aggregate, the outcome of all known legal and regulatory matters will not have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial statements; however, specific outcomes with respect to such matters may be material to the Company's consolidated statements of operations in any particular period in which costs, if any, are recognized. The Company's assessment of the potential impact of environmental matters, in particular, is subject to uncertainty due to the complex, ongoing and evolving process of investigation and remediation of such environmental matters, and the potential for technological and regulatory developments. In addition, the impact of evolving claims and programs, such as natural resource damage claims, industrial site reuse initiatives and state remediation programs creates further uncertainty of the ultimate resolution of these matters. The Company anticipates that the resolution of many legal and regulatory matters, and in particular environmental matters, will occur over an extended period of time.

Environmental. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company had reserves for environmental contingencies totaling approximately $49 and $49, respectively, most of which was classified as noncurrent liabilities. The Company's 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.

Calvert City Proceedings. For several years, the Environmental Protection Agency (the "EPA") has been conducting remedial investigation and feasibility studies at the Company's Calvert City, Kentucky facility pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). As the current owner of the Calvert City facility, the Company was named by the EPA as a potentially responsible party ("PRP") along with Goodrich Corporation ("Goodrich") and its successor-in-interest, PolyOne Corporation ("PolyOne"). On November 30, 2017, the EPA published a draft Proposed Plan, incorporating by reference an August 2015 draft Remedial Investigation (RI) report, an October 2017 draft Feasibility Study (FS) report and a new Technical Impracticability Waiver document dated December 19, 2017. The draft Proposed Plan describes a preferred remedy that includes a containment wall with targeted treatment and supplemental hydraulic containment, as well as active treatment of historical groundwater contamination under the Tennessee River. The EPA has estimated that the total remedy will cost $200 to $250 with an estimated $1 to $3 in annual operation and maintenance (O&M) costs. The Company's allocation of liability for remedial or O&M costs, if any, will be determined by the outcome of the contractual dispute with Goodrich/PolyOne, which is the subject of a pending arbitration proceeding as described below.

In connection with the 1990 and 1997 acquisitions of the Goodrich chemical manufacturing complex in Calvert City, Goodrich agreed to indemnify the Company for any liabilities related to preexisting contamination at the complex. For its part, the Company agreed to indemnify Goodrich for post-closing contamination caused by the Company's operations. The soil and groundwater at the complex, which does not include the Company's nearby PVC facility, had been extensively contaminated by Goodrich's operations. In 1993, Goodrich spun off the predecessor of PolyOne, and that predecessor assumed Goodrich's indemnification obligations relating to preexisting contamination. In 2003, litigation arose among the Company, Goodrich and PolyOne with respect to the allocation of the cost of remediating contamination at the site. The parties settled this litigation in December 2007 and the case was dismissed. In the settlement, the parties agreed that, among other things: (1) PolyOne would pay 100% of the costs (with specified exceptions), net of recoveries or credits from third parties, incurred with respect to environmental issues at the Calvert City site from August 1, 2007 forward; and (2) either the Company or PolyOne might, from time to time in the future (but not more than once every five years), institute an arbitration proceeding to adjust that percentage. In May 2017, PolyOne filed a demand for arbitration. In this proceeding, PolyOne seeks to readjust the percentage allocation of costs and to recover approximately $17 from the Company in reimbursement of previously paid remediation costs. The Company filed a cross demand for arbitration seeking $6 in unreimbursed remediation costs incurred during the relevant period.

On October 6, 2017, PolyOne filed suit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky seeking for the court — instead of the arbitration panel — to resolve claims asserted by the Company in the arbitration proceedings related to reimbursement of costs incurred by the Company at the Calvert City complex. PolyOne is seeking a declaratory judgment from the court that costs claimed by the Company in the arbitration are not covered under the 2007 settlement agreement and thus are not within the jurisdiction of the arbitration panel. In response, the Company has filed a motion to dismiss asserting that PolyOne's jurisdictional claims are unfounded and that the arbitration panel has jurisdiction over Westlake's claims for cost reimbursement under the arbitration agreement contained within the 2007 settlement agreement.

At this time, since the proceedings are in an early stage, the Company is not able to estimate the impact, if any, that the arbitration proceeding could have on the Company's consolidated financial statements in 2017 and later years. Any cash expenditures that the Company might incur in the future with respect to the remediation of contamination at the Calvert City complex would likely be spread out over an extended period. As a result, the Company believes it is unlikely that any remediation costs allocable to it will be material in terms of expenditures made in any individual reporting period.

Environmental Remediation: Reasonably Possible Matters. The Company's 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, the Company may be subject to reasonably possible loss contingencies related to environmental matters in the range of $55 to $110.

Other Commitments

The Company is obligated under various long-term and short-term noncancelable operating leases, primarily related to rail car leases and land. Several of the leases provide for renewal terms and, in certain leases, purchase options. At December 31, 2017, future minimum lease commitments for operating lease obligations and capital lease obligations were as follows:



	Operating Leases		Capital Leases
2018	$	108	$	3
2019	97		3
2020	73		3
2021	56		2
2022	44		2
Thereafter	651		9
Total minimum lease payments	$	1,029	$	22
Less: Imputed interest costs			(12		)
Present value of net minimum lease payments			$	10

Operating lease rental expense was approximately $147, $87 and $69 for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

The Company has various unconditional purchase obligations, primarily to purchase goods and services, including commitments to purchase various utilities, feedstock, nitrogen, oxygen, product storage and pipeline usage. Unrecorded unconditional purchase obligations for the next five years are as follows: $430, $412, $376, $330 and $95 in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively.