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Liabilities for Dispositions and Discontinued Operations
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
Liabilities of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation [Abstract]  
Liabilities for Dispositions and Discontinued Operations
The Company’s dispositions and discontinued operations include its Port Angeles, Washington former dissolving pulp mill site, which was closed in 1997; Southern Wood Piedmont Company (“SWP”), which ceased operations in 1989 except for investigation and remediation activities; and other miscellaneous assets held for disposition. SWP owns or has liability for nine inactive former wood treating sites that are subject to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”), the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 and/or other similar federal or state statutes relating to the investigation and remediation of environmentally-impacted sites.
An analysis of activity in the liabilities for dispositions and discontinued operations for the three years ended December 31, 2013 follows:
 
2013
 
2012
 
2011
Balance, January 1
$
81,695

 
$
90,824

 
$
93,160

Expenditures charged to liabilities
(8,570
)
 
(9,926
)
 
(9,209
)
Increase to liabilities
3,253

 
797

 
6,873

Balance, December 31
76,378

 
81,695

 
90,824

Less: Current portion
(6,835
)
 
(8,105
)
 
(9,931
)
Non-current portion
$
69,543

 
$
73,590

 
$
80,893


Below are disclosures for specific site liabilities where current estimates exceed 10 percent of the total liabilities for dispositions and discontinued operations at December 31, 2013. An analysis of the activity for the two years ended December 31, 2013 is as follows:
 
 
Activity (in millions) as of December 31,
 
 
2011
 
 
 
(Reduction) Increase to Liabilities
 
2012
 
 
 
Increase (Reduction) to Liabilities
 
2013
Sites
 
Liability
 
Expenditures
 
 
Liability
 
Expenditures
 
 
Liability
Augusta, Georgia
 
$
13.9

 
$
(0.8
)
 
$
(1.0
)
 
$
12.1

 
$
(1.0
)
 
$
0.8

 
$
11.9

Spartanburg, South Carolina
 
14.7

 
(0.9
)
 
0.2

 
14.0

 
(1.4
)
 
(0.8
)
 
11.8

East Point, Georgia
 
11.0

 
(1.0
)
 
0.9

 
10.9

 
(0.8
)
 
(0.2
)
 
9.9

Baldwin, Florida
 
9.7

 
(0.9
)
 
0.3

 
9.1

 
(1.1
)
 
2.7

 
10.7

Other SWP sites
 
26.3

 
(3.6
)
 
(1.8
)
 
20.9

 
(2.1
)
 
(0.2
)
 
18.6

Total SWP
 
75.6

 
(7.2
)
 
(1.4
)
 
67.0

 
(6.4
)
 
2.3

 
62.9

Port Angeles, Washington
 
9.3

 
(1.7
)
 
1.9

 
9.5

 
(1.5
)
 
1.4

 
9.4

All other sites
 
5.9

 
(1.0
)
 
0.3

 
5.2

 
(0.7
)
 
(0.4
)
 
4.1

TOTAL
 
$
90.8

 
$
(9.9
)
 
$
0.8

 
$
81.7

 
$
(8.6
)
 
$
3.3

 
$
76.4

 
A brief description of each of these sites is as follows:
Augusta, Georgia — SWP operated a wood treatment plant at this site from 1928 to 1988. The majority of visually contaminated surface soils have been removed, and remediation activities currently consist primarily of a groundwater treatment and recovery system. The site operates under a 10 year hazardous waste permit issued pursuant to RCRA, which expires in 2014. Current cost estimates could change if recovery or discharge volumes increase or decrease significantly, or if changes to current remediation activities are required in the future. Total spending as of December 31, 2013 was $68.3 million. Liabilities are recorded to cover obligations for the estimated remaining assessment, remedial and monitoring activities through 2033.
Spartanburg, South Carolina — SWP operated a wood treatment plant at this site from 1925 to 1989. Remediation activities include: (1) a recovery system and biological wastewater treatment plant, (2) an ozone-sparging system treating soil and groundwater and (3) an ion-exchange resin system treating groundwater. In 2012, SWP entered into a consent decree with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control which governs future investigatory and assessment activities at the site. Depending on the results of this investigation and assessment, additional remedial actions may be required in the future. Therefore, current cost estimates could change. Total spending as of December 31, 2013 was $40.2 million. Liabilities are recorded to cover obligations for the estimated remaining assessment, remedial and monitoring activities through 2033.
East Point, Georgia — SWP operated a wood treatment plant at this site from 1908 to 1984. This site operates under a 10 year RCRA hazardous waste permit, which is currently in the renewal process. In 2009, SWP entered into a consent order with the Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources which requires that SWP perform certain additional investigatory, analytical and potentially, remedial activity. Therefore, while active remedial measures are currently ongoing, additional remedial measures may be necessary in the future. Total spending as of December 31, 2013 was $21.8 million. Liabilities are recorded to cover obligations for the estimated remaining assessment, remedial and monitoring activities through 2033.
Baldwin, Florida — SWP operated a wood treatment plant at this site from 1954 to 1987. This site operates under a 10 year hazardous waste permit issued pursuant to RCRA, which expires in 2016. Visually contaminated surface soils have been removed, and current remediation activities primarily consist of a groundwater recovery and treatment system. Investigation and assessment of other potential areas of concern are ongoing in accordance with the facility’s RCRA permit and additional remedial activities may be necessary in the future. Therefore, current cost estimates could change. Total spending as of December 31, 2013 was $21.7 million. Liabilities are recorded to cover obligations for the estimated remaining assessment, remedial and monitoring activities through 2033.
Port Angeles, Washington — Rayonier operated a dissolving pulp mill at this site from 1930 until 1997. The site and the adjacent marine areas (a portion of Port Angeles harbor) have been in various stages of the assessment process under the Washington Model Toxics Control Act (“MTCA”) since about 2000, and several voluntary interim soil clean-up actions have also been performed during this time. In 2010, Rayonier entered into an agreed order with the Washington Department of Ecology (“Ecology”), under which the MTCA investigatory, assessment and feasibility and alternatives study process will be completed on a set timetable, subject to approval of all reports and studies by Ecology. Upon completion of all work required under the agreed order and negotiation of an approved remedy, additional remedial measures for the site and adjacent marine areas may be necessary in the future. In 2011, an increase in the reserve of $7.1 million was recorded, with $6.5 million of the increase recorded as an expense in “other operating income, net” in the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income. Total spending as of December 31, 2013 was $42.7 million. Liabilities are recorded to cover obligations for the estimated assessment, remediation and monitoring obligations that are deemed probable and estimable at this time.  
The estimated expenditures for environmental investigation, remediation, monitoring and other costs for all of the Company’s dispositions and discontinued operations will be approximately $8 million in 2014 and $7 million in 2015. Such costs will be charged against the established liabilities for dispositions and discontinued operations, which include environmental assessment, remediation and monitoring costs. Management believes established liabilities are sufficient for costs expected to be incurred over the next 20 years with respect to its dispositions and discontinued operations. Remedial actions for these sites vary, but include on-site (and in certain cases off-site) removal or treatment of contaminated soils and sediments, recovery and treatment/remediation of groundwater, and source remediation and/or control.
In addition, these prior dispositions and discontinued operations are exposed to the risk of reasonably possible additional losses in excess of the established liabilities. As of December 31, 2013, this amount could range up to $30 million, allocable over several of the applicable sites, and arises from uncertainty over the availability, feasibility or effectiveness of certain remediation technologies, additional or different contamination that may be discovered, development of new or more effective environmental remediation technologies and the exercise of discretion in interpretation of applicable law and regulations by governmental agencies.