Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies.

Environmental Matters

Due to the nature of our business, certain of our subsidiaries’ operations are subject to numerous existing and proposed laws and governmental regulations designed to protect the environment, particularly regarding plant wastes and emissions and solid waste disposal. Our consolidated environmental liabilities on an undiscounted basis were $34 million and $37 million as of December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively, primarily within our Energy and Metals segments and which are included in accrued expenses and other liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets. We do not believe that environmental matters will have a material adverse impact on our consolidated results of operations and financial condition.

Energy

On August 21, 2018, CVR Refining received a letter from the United States Department of Justice (the “DOJ”) on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”) and Kansas Department of Health and Environment (“KDHE”) alleging violations of the Clean Air Act and a 2012 Consent Decree between CVR Refining, the United States (on behalf of the EPA) and KDHE at CVR Energy’s Coffeyville refinery. In September 2018, CVR Refining executed a tolling agreement with the DOJ and KDHE extending time for negotiation regarding the agencies’ allegations through March 2019, and this tolling agreement was extended through April 30, 2020. At this time CVR Energy cannot reasonably estimate the potential penalties, costs, fines or other expenditures that may result from this matter or any subsequent enforcement or litigation relating thereto

and, therefore, CVR Energy cannot determine if the ultimate outcome of this matter will have a material impact on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, our Energy segment had environmental accruals of $6 million and $8 million, respectively, representing estimated costs for future remediation efforts at certain sites.

Metals

PSC Metals has been designated as a potentially responsible party (“PRP”) under U.S. federal and state superfund laws with respect to certain sites with which PSC Metals may have had a direct or indirect involvement. It is alleged that PSC Metals and its subsidiaries or their predecessors transported waste to the sites, disposed of waste at the sites or operated the sites in question. In addition, one of PSC Metals’ Knoxville, Tennessee locations was the subject of investigations by the State of Tennessee under the federal Superfund law. These investigations were performed by the State of Tennessee pursuant to a contract with the EPA. PSC Metals has entered into Tennessee’s Voluntary Clean-Up Oversight and Assistance Program (“VOAP”) and expects to enter into a settlement with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (“TDEC”) in the future. Currently, PSC Metals believes that it has adequately reserved for the cost of any potential future remediation associated with its Knoxville location, but cannot fully assess the impact of all costs or liabilities associated with TDEC’s investigations. With respect to all other matters in which PSC Metals has been designated as a PRP under U.S. federal and state superfund laws, PSC Metals has reviewed the nature and extent of the allegations, the number, connection and financial ability of other named and unnamed PRPs and the nature and estimated cost of the likely remedy. Based on reviewing the nature and extent of the allegations, PSC Metals has estimated its liability to remediate these other sites to be immaterial as of both December 31, 2019 and 2018. If it is determined that PSC Metals has liability to remediate those sites and that more expensive remediation approaches are required in the future, PSC Metals could incur additional obligations, which could be material to its operations.

Certain of PSC Metals’ facilities are environmentally impaired in part as a result of operating practices at the sites prior to their acquisition by PSC Metals and as a result of PSC Metals’ operations. PSC Metals has established procedures to periodically evaluate these sites, giving consideration to the nature and extent of the contamination. PSC Metals has provided for the remediation of these sites based upon its management’s judgment and prior experience. PSC Metals has estimated the liability to remediate these sites to be $27 million and $27 million at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. PSC Metals believes, based on past experience, that the vast majority of these environmental liabilities and costs will be assessed and paid over an extended period of time. PSC Metals believes that it will be able to fund such costs in the ordinary course of business. Estimates of PSC Metals’ liability for remediation of a particular site and the method and ultimate cost of remediation require a number of assumptions that are inherently difficult to make, and the ultimate outcome may be materially different from current estimates. Moreover, because PSC Metals has disposed of waste materials at numerous third-party disposal facilities, it is possible that PSC Metals will be identified as a PRP at additional sites. The impact of such future events cannot be estimated at the current time.

Renewable Fuel Standards

CVR Refining is subject to the Renewable Fuel Standard (“RFS”) of the EPA which requires refiners to either blend renewable fuels in with their transportation fuels or purchase renewable fuel credits, known as RINs, in lieu of blending. CVR Refining is not able to blend the substantial majority of its transportation fuels and has to purchase RINs on the open market and may have to obtain waiver credits for cellulosic biofuels from the EPA, in order to comply with the RFS.

CVR Refining’s expenses for its compliance with RFS were $43 million, $60 million and $249 million for years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively, which are included in cost of goods sold in our consolidated financial statements. CVR Refining’s costs to comply with RFS include the purchased cost of RINs, the impact of recognizing CVR Refining’s uncommitted biofuel blending obligation at fair value based on market prices at each reporting date and the valuation change of RINs purchases in excess of CVR Refining’s RFS obligation as of the reporting date. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, CVR Refining’s biofuel blending obligation was $7 million and $4 million, respectively, which is included in accrued expenses and other liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets.

Litigation

From time to time, we and our subsidiaries are involved in various lawsuits arising in the normal course of business. We do not believe that such normal routine litigation will have a material effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

Energy

CVR Energy, CVR Refining and its general partner, Icahn Enterprises and certain other affiliates and individuals have each been named in nine lawsuits filed in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware by purported former unitholders of CVR Refining, on behalf of themselves and an alleged class of similarly situated unitholders (the “Call Option Lawsuits”). The Call Option Lawsuits primarily allege breach of contract, tortious interference and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing and seek monetary damages and attorneys’ fees, among other remedies, relating to CVR Energy’s exercise of the call option under the CVR Refining Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership assigned to it by CVR Refining’s general partner. In January 2020, the court dismissed CVR Holdings and certain former directors of CVR Refining’s general partner from the Call Option Lawsuits, though permitted some or all of the claims to proceed against each remaining defendant. CVR Energy believes the Call Option Lawsuits are without merit and intends to vigorously defend against them. The Call Option Lawsuits remain in the early stages of litigation. Accordingly CVR Energy cannot determine at this time the outcome of the Call Option Lawsuits, including whether the outcome of this matter would have a material impact on the its financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

Other Matters

Pension Obligations

Mr. Icahn, through certain affiliates, owns 100% of Icahn Enterprises GP and approximately 92.0% of Icahn Enterprises’ outstanding depositary units as of December 31, 2019. Applicable pension and tax laws make each member of a “controlled group” of entities, generally defined as entities in which there is at least an 80% common ownership interest, jointly and severally liable for certain pension plan obligations of any member of the controlled group. These pension obligations include ongoing contributions to fund the plan, as well as liability for any unfunded liabilities that may exist at the time the plan is terminated. In addition, the failure to pay these pension obligations when due may result in the creation of liens in favor of the pension plan or the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (the “PBGC”) against the assets of each member of the controlled group.

As a result of the more than 80% ownership interest in us by Mr. Icahn’s affiliates, we and our subsidiaries are subject to the pension liabilities of entities in which Mr. Icahn has a direct or indirect ownership interest of at least 80%, which includes the liabilities of pension plans sponsored by ACF. All the minimum funding requirements of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended, and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, for the ACF plans have been met as of December 31, 2019. If the plans were voluntarily terminated, they would be underfunded by approximately $71 million as of December 31, 2019. These results are based on the most recent information provided by the plans’ actuary. These liabilities could increase or decrease, depending on a number of factors, including future changes in benefits, investment returns, and the assumptions used to calculate the liability. As members of the controlled group, we would be liable for any failure of ACF to make ongoing pension contributions or to pay the unfunded liabilities upon a termination of the ACF pension plans. In addition, other entities now or in the future within the controlled group in which we are included may have pension plan obligations that are, or may become, underfunded and we would be liable for any failure of such entities to make ongoing pension contributions or to pay the unfunded liabilities upon termination of such plans.

The current underfunded status of the ACF pension plans requires them to notify the PBGC of certain “reportable events,” such as if we cease to be a member of the ACF controlled group, or if we make certain extraordinary dividends or stock redemptions. The obligation to report could cause us to seek to delay or reconsider the occurrence of such reportable events.

Starfire Holding Corporation (“Starfire”), which is 99.6% owned by Mr. Icahn, has undertaken to indemnify us and our subsidiaries from losses resulting from any imposition of certain pension funding or termination liabilities that may be imposed on us and our subsidiaries or our assets as a result of being a member of the Icahn controlled group, including ACF. The Starfire indemnity provides, among other things, that so long as such contingent liabilities exist and could be imposed on us, Starfire will not make any distributions to its stockholders that would reduce its net worth to below $250 million. Nonetheless, Starfire may not be able to fund its indemnification obligations to us.

Other

The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York contacted Icahn Enterprises L.P. in September 2017 seeking production of information pertaining to our and Mr. Icahn’s activities relating to the Renewable Fuels Standard and Mr. Icahn’s former role as an advisor to the President. We cooperated with the request and provided information in response to the subpoena. The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York contacted Icahn Enterprises L.P. in June 2018 seeking production of information pertaining to trading in Manitowoc Company, Inc. securities. We cooperated with the request and provided documents in response to the subpoena. The U.S. Attorney’s office has not made any claims or allegations against

us or Mr. Icahn with respect to either of the foregoing inquiries. We maintain a strong compliance program and, while no assurances can be made, we do not believe these inquiries will have a material impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Unconditional Purchase Obligations

Unconditional purchase obligations are primarily within our Energy segment relating to commitments for petroleum products storage and transportation, electricity supply agreements, product supply agreements, commitments related to CVR Energy’s biofuel blending obligation and various agreements for gas and gas transportation. The minimum required payments for our Energy segment’s unconditional purchase obligations are as follows:

Year	Amount
	(in millions)
2020	$	95
2021	80
2022	77
2023	75
2024	71
Thereafter	375
	$	773

CVR Energy is a party to various supply agreements which commit it to purchase minimum volumes of crude oil, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, petroleum coke and natural gas to run its facilities’ operations. For the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, amounts purchased under these supply agreements totaled approximately $167 million, $214 million and $209 million, respectively.