XML 51 R34.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.24.0.1
Commitments and Contingencies
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies
In the early 1990s, the Company identified certain soil and groundwater contamination at AC Products, Inc. (“ACP”), a wholly owned subsidiary. In voluntary coordination with the Santa Ana California Regional Water Quality Board, ACP has been remediating the contamination, the principal contaminant of which is perchloroethylene (“PERC”). In 2004, the Orange County Water District (“OCWD”) filed a civil complaint against ACP and other parties seeking to recover compensatory and other damages related to the investigation and remediation of the contamination in the groundwater. Pursuant to a settlement agreement with OCWD, ACP agreed, among other things, to operate the two groundwater treatment systems to hydraulically contain groundwater contamination emanating from ACP’s site until the concentrations of PERC released by ACP fell below the current Federal maximum contaminant level for four consecutive quarterly sampling events. In 2014, ACP ceased operation at one of its two groundwater treatment systems, as it had met the above condition for closure. In 2020, the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board asked that ACP conduct some additional indoor and outdoor soil vapor testing on and near the ACP site to confirm that ACP continues to meet the applicable local standards. ACP began to perform such testing program work in 2022, and testing is expected to continue into 2024. As of December 31, 2023, ACP believes it is close to meeting the conditions for closure of the remaining groundwater treatment system but continues to operate this system while in discussions with the relevant authorities.
As of December 31, 2023, the Company believes that the range of potential-known liabilities associated with the balance of the ACP water remediation program is approximately $0.1 million to $1.0 million. The low and high ends of the range are based on the length of operation of the treatment system as determined by groundwater modeling. Costs of operation include the operation and maintenance of the extraction well, groundwater monitoring, program management, and soil vapor testing.
The Company’s Sao Paulo, Brazil site was required under Brazilian environmental, health and safety regulations to perform an environmental assessment as part of a permit renewal process. Initial investigations identified soil and ground water contamination in select areas of the site. The site has conducted a multi-year soil and groundwater investigation and corresponding risk assessments based on the result of the investigations. In 2017, the site had to submit a new 5-year permit renewal request and was asked to complete additional investigations to further delineate the site based on review of the technical data by the local regulatory agency, Companhia Ambiental do Estado de São Paulo (“CETESB”). Based on review of the updated investigation data, CETESB issued a Technical Opinion regarding the investigation and remedial actions taken to date. The site developed an action plan and submitted it to CETESB in 2018 based on CETESB requirements. The site intervention plan primarily requires the site, amongst other actions, to conduct periodic monitoring for methane in soil vapors, source zone delineation, groundwater plume delineation, bedrock aquifer assessment, update the human health risk assessment, develop a current site conceptual model and conduct a remedial feasibility study and provide a revised intervention plan. In 2020, the site submitted a report on the activities completed including the revised site conceptual model and results of the remedial feasibility study and recommended remedial strategy for the site.
Additionally, the Company is party to environmental matters related to certain domestic and foreign properties. These environmental matters primarily require the Company to perform long-term monitoring, as well as operating and maintenance at each of the applicable sites. During the year ended December 31, 2023, there have been no significant changes to the facts or circumstances of these matters, aside from ongoing monitoring and maintenance activities and routine payments associated with each of these sites. Based on the Company’s current obligations, historical costs incurred, and projected costs to be incurred over the next 26 years, the Company estimated the present value range of costs for all of these environmental matters, on a discounted basis, to be between approximately $5.0 million and $6.0 million as of December 31, 2023, for which $5.1 million is accrued within other accrued liabilities and other non-current liabilities on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2023. Comparatively, as of December 31, 2022, the Company had $5.3 million accrued for these matters.
Other environmental matters include participation in certain payments in connection with four currently active environmental consent orders related to certain hazardous waste cleanup activities under the U.S. Federal Superfund statute. The Company has been designated a potentially responsible party (“PRP”) by the Environmental Protection Agency along with other PRPs depending on the site, and has other obligations to perform cleanup activities at certain other foreign subsidiaries. These environmental matters primarily require the Company to perform long-term monitoring as well as operating and maintenance at each of the applicable sites.
The Company believes that it has made adequate accruals for costs associated with other environmental matters of which it is aware. Approximately $0.2 million and $0.3 million were accrued as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, to provide for such anticipated future environmental assessments and remediation costs.
During 2021, one of the Company’s Brazilian subsidiaries received a notice that it had prevailed on an existing legal claim in regard to certain non-income (indirect) taxes that had been previously charged and paid, specifically the program of social integration (“PIS”) and contribution for the financing of social security (“COFINS”) levied by the Brazilian States on the sale of goods. As a result of these court rulings, during 2021, the Company recognized non-income tax credits of 67.0 million BRL or approximately $13.3 million, which was recorded within Prepaid and other current assets on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company used the full amount of credits.
During 2021, two of the Company’s locations suffered property damages as a result of flooding and electrical fire, respectively. The Company maintains property insurance for all of its facilities globally. In Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, the Company’s global headquarters, as well as its laboratory, experienced property damages as a result of flooding from Hurricane Ida. Also, one of the Company’s North American production facilities experienced an electrical fire that resulted in damage and the temporary shutdown of production, and also required remediation, cleaning, and subsequent restoration. The Company, its insurance adjuster and insurance carrier actively managed the remediation and restoration activities associated with each of these events and have settled both claims. Through December 31, 2023, the Company received payments from its insurers of $7.2 million associated with these events after an aggregate deductible of $2.0 million. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company recognized a gain on insurance recoveries of $2.1 million and $1.8 million, respectively. The Company has no remaining insurance receivable associated with these events as of December 31, 2023. The Company and its insurance carrier continue to review the impact of the electrical fire on the production facility’s operations as it relates to a potential business interruption insurance claim; however, as of the date of this Report, the Company cannot reasonably estimate any probable amount of business interruption insurance claim recoverable. Therefore, the Company has not recorded a gain contingency for a possible business interruption insurance claim as of December 31, 2023.
The Company is party to other litigation which management currently believes will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations, cash flows or financial condition. In addition, the Company has an immaterial amount of contractual purchase obligations.