NOTE I – DECOMMISSIONING AND OTHER ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS

The large majority of our asset retirement obligations consists of the remaining future well abandonment and decommissioning costs for offshore oil and gas properties and platforms owned by our Maritech subsidiary, including the decommissioning and debris removal costs associated with its remaining offshore platforms previously destroyed by hurricanes. The amount of decommissioning liabilities recorded by Maritech is reduced by amounts allocable to joint interest owners in these properties and platforms. We also operate facilities in various U.S. and foreign locations that are used in the manufacture, storage, and sale of our products, inventories, and equipment. These facilities are a combination of owned and leased assets.

The values of our asset retirement obligations for non-Maritech properties were approximately $9.4 million and $9.1 million as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. We are required to take certain actions in connection with the retirement of these assets. We have reviewed our obligations in this regard in detail and estimated the cost of these actions. The original estimates are the fair values that have been recorded for retiring these long-lived assets. The associated asset retirement costs are capitalized as part of the carrying amount of these long-lived assets. The costs for non-oil and gas assets are depreciated on a straight-line basis over the lives of those assets.

The changes in the values of our asset retirement obligations during the most recent two year period are as follows:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2016			2015
	(In Thousands)
Beginning balance for the period, as reported	$	57,449		$	62,741
Activity in the period:
Accretion of liability	2,249			2,000
Retirement obligations incurred	—			—
Revisions in estimated cash flows	(180		)	3,341
Settlement of retirement obligations	(4,040		)	(10,633		)
Ending balance	$	55,478		$	57,449

We review the adequacy of our decommissioning liabilities whenever indicators suggest that the estimated cash flows underlying the liabilities have changed. For our Maritech segment, the timing and amounts of these cash flows are subject to changes in the oil and gas industry environment and other factors and may result in additional liabilities to be recorded. We increased the estimated cash flows to decommission these properties by approximately $3.3 million in 2015 and approximately $2.6 million of this amount was charged to cost of product sales during 2015.

Asset retirement obligations are recorded in accordance with FASB ASC 410, whereby the estimated fair value of a liability for asset retirement obligations is recorded in the period in which it is incurred and in which a reasonable estimate can be made. Such estimates are based on relevant assumptions that we believe are reasonable. The cost estimates for Maritech asset retirement obligations are considered reasonable estimates consistent with current market conditions, and we believe reflect the amount of work legally obligated to be performed in accordance with Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) standards, as revised from time to time.

The amount of work performed or estimated to be performed on a Maritech property asset retirement obligation may often exceed amounts previously estimated for numerous reasons. Property conditions encountered, including subsea, geological, or downhole conditions, may be different from those anticipated at the time of estimation due to the age of the property and the quality of information available about the particular property conditions. Maritech’s remaining oil and gas properties and production platforms were drilled and constructed by other operators many years ago, and frequently there is not a great deal of detailed documentation on which to base the estimated asset retirement obligation for these properties. Appropriate underwater surveys are performed to determine the condition of such properties as part of our due diligence in estimating the costs, but not all conditions have been able to be determined prior to the commencement of the actual work.

Maritech has one remaining property that was damaged by hurricanes in the past, leaving the production platform toppled on the seabed and production tubing from the wells (which may be under high pressure) bent under the water. While the basic procedures involved in the plugging and abandonment of wells and decommissioning of platforms and pipelines and removal of debris is generally similar for these properties, the cost of performing work at these damaged locations is particularly difficult to estimate due to the unique conditions encountered, including the uncertainty regarding the extent of physical damage to many of the structures. . Our estimate of remaining hurricane related decommissioning costs for this one remaining toppled platform is approximately $7.9 million and has been accrued as part of Maritech’s decommissioning liabilities as of December 31, 2016. During the performance of asset retirement activities, unforeseen weather or other conditions may extend the duration and increase the cost of the projects, which are normally not done on a fixed price basis, thereby resulting in costs in excess of the original estimate.

In addition, Maritech has encountered situations where previously plugged and abandoned wells on its properties have later exhibited a buildup of pressure, which is evidenced by gas bubbles coming from the plugged well head. We refer to this situation as “wells under pressure” and this can either be discovered when performing additional work at the property or by notification from a third party. Wells under pressure require Maritech to return to the site to perform additional plug and abandonment procedures that were not originally anticipated and included in the estimate of the asset retirement obligation for such property. Remediation work at previously abandoned well sites is particularly costly, due to the lack of a platform from which to base these activities. During 2014, Maritech added new decommissioning liabilities for remediation work required on projects previously thought to be completed of approximately $39.2 million for work performed during the year or related to the estimated cost of future work to be performed. This additional amount was directly charged to earnings as an operating expense during 2014. Maritech is the last operator of record for its plugged wells, and bears the risk of additional future work required as a result of wells becoming pressurized in the future.

These increased estimates are included in the revisions in estimated cash flows in the table above. A portion of the excess decommissioning costs recorded during 2015 was associated with properties not operated by Maritech and also include additional work incurred and anticipated to be required, including remediation work required on certain wells that had been previously plugged.

For oil and gas properties previously operated by Maritech, the purchaser of the properties generally became the successor operator and assumed the financial responsibilities associated with the properties’ operations and abandonment and decommissioning. However, to the extent that purchasers of these oil and gas properties fail to perform the abandonment and decommissioning work required and there is insufficient bonding or other security, the previous owners and operators of the properties, including Maritech, may be required to assume responsibility for the abandonment and decommissioning obligations.