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Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments And Contingencies
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, under certain circumstances, if required to recognize costs in a specific period, when combined with other factors, outcomes with respect to such matters may be material to the Company's consolidated statements of operations in such period. 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, 2018 and 2017, the Company had reserves for environmental contingencies totaling approximately $54 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. On June 18, 2018, the EPA published an amendment to its Proposed Plan. The amended Proposed Plan describes a final remedy for the onshore portion of the site comprised of a containment wall, targeted treatment and supplemental hydraulic containment. The amended Proposed Plan also describes an interim approach to address the contamination under the river that would include recovery of any mobile contaminants by an extraction well along with further study of the extent of the contamination and potential treatment options. The EPA's estimated cost of implementation is $107, with an estimated $1 to $3 in annual operation and maintenance ("O&M") costs. In September 2018, the EPA published the Record of Decision ("ROD") for the site, formally selecting the preferred final and interim remedies outlined in the amended Proposed Plan. In October 2018, EPA issued Special Notice letters to the PRPs for the remedial design phase of work under the ROD. The PRPs submitted a joint Good Faith Offer in December 2018 indicating their intent to negotiate a Remedial Design Agreed Order on Consent and capability to undertake the Remedial Design at the site. 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 future costs and to recover approximately $10 from the Company in reimbursement of previously paid remediation costs. The Company has filed a cross demand for arbitration seeking unreimbursed remediation costs incurred during the relevant period.
On July 10, 2018, PolyOne filed another action in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, seeking for the court to issue an injunction against continued proceedings in the arbitration. On July 30, 2018, the Court denied PolyOne's motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. The arbitration hearing began in August 2018 and concluded in December 2018. A decision from the panel is anticipated in the second quarter of 2019.
At this time, the Company is not able to estimate the impact, if any, that the arbitration proceeding could have on the Company's consolidated financial statements either in the current period or in later periods. 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 $65 to $130.
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, 2018, future minimum lease commitments for operating lease obligations and capital lease obligations were as follows:
 
 
Operating
Leases
 
Capital
Leases
2019
 
$
94

 
$
3

2020
 
89

 
3

2021
 
70

 
2

2022
 
56

 
2

2023
 
42

 
2

Thereafter
 
152

 
7

Total minimum lease payments
 
$
503

 
$
19

Less: Imputed interest costs
 
 
 
(10
)
Present value of net minimum lease payments
 
 
 
$
9


Operating lease rental expense was approximately $160, $147 and $87 for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, 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: $555, $669, $697, $421 and $308 in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, respectively.