Environmental Liabilities

6 Months Ended

Aug. 31, 2012

Environmental Remediation Obligations [Abstract]

ENVIRONMENTAL LIABILITIES:

3.           ENVIRONMENTAL LIABILITIES:

The Company entered into an Ability to Pay Multi-Site Settlement Agreement with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“USEPA”), effective February 24, 2006 (“Settlement Agreement”), which resolved the Company’s alleged liability to USEPA for four sites in Florida (including the Solitron Microwave Superfund Site, Port Salerno, Florida (“Port Salerno Site”) and the Solitron Devices Site, Riviera Beach, Florida (the “Riviera Beach Site”) discussed further below and one site in California.  Pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, the Company paid the sum of $74,000 to USEPA on February 27, 2006.  In addition, the Company is required to pay to USEPA the sum of $10,000 or 5% of Solitron’s net after-tax income over the first $500,000, if any, whichever is greater, for each year from fiscal years 2009-2013.  As of June 12, 2012, the Company paid $12,812 in full satisfaction of its obligations for fiscal year 2012.  The Company has accrued $10,000 for its remaining minimum obligations under the Settlement Agreement (for fiscal year 2013) which is reflected in “Accrued expenses and other current liabilities” on the Company’s Balance Sheets at August 31, 2012.

On October 21, 1993, a Consent Final Judgment was entered into between the Company and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (“FDEP”) in the Circuit Court of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida in and for Martin County, Florida, in Case No. 91-1232 CA (the “Consent Final Judgment”).  The Consent Final Judgment required the Company to remediate the Port Salerno and Riviera Beach Sites, make monthly payments to escrow accounts for each Site until the sale of the Sites to fund the remediation work, take all reasonable steps to sell the two Sites and, upon the sale of the Sites, apply the net proceeds from the sales to fund the remediation work.  Both Sites have been sold pursuant to purchase agreements approved by FDEP.

Prior to the sale of the Port Salerno and Riviera Beach Sites, USEPA took over from FDEP as the lead regulatory agency for the remediation of the Sites.   At the closing of the sale of each site, the net proceeds of sale were distributed to USEPA and/or FDEP or other parties, as directed by the agencies.  In addition, upon the sale of the Riviera Beach Site, the Riviera Beach Escrow Account was transferred to USEPA, as directed by the agencies.  The current balance in the Port Salerno Escrow Account is approximately $58,000.  USEPA completed remedy construction at the Port Salerno Site in 2004 and is performing annual groundwater sampling.  A 5-Year review performed by USEPA in 2009 concluded that remedial actions taken at the property remain protective.  Work at the Riviera Beach Site is being performed by Honeywell, Inc. (“Honeywell”), pursuant to an Administrative Order of Consent entered into between Honeywell and USEPA.  Design and construction of the remedy is reported by USEPA to be complete and the treatment system has been in operation since March 2009.  The Company has been notified by FDEP that the performance of remediation work by USEPA at the Port Salerno Site and by Honeywell at the Riviera Beach Site will be construed by FDEP as discharging the Company’s remediation obligations under the Consent Final Judgment.

In 2006, FDEP notified the Company that FDEP has unreimbursed expenses associated with the Port Salerno and Riviera Beach Sites of $214,800 and initially directed the Company to resume payments under the Consent Final Judgment to ensure that there are adequate funds to cover FDEP’s unreimbursed expenses and the Company’s residual liability under the Consent Final Judgment. Later, FDEP advised the Company that FDEP would prepare a justification for the asserted unreimbursed expenses, following receipt of which the Company is required to transfer $58,000 from the Port Salerno Escrow Account to FDEP as partial payment for FDEP’s unreimbursed expenses. FDEP further stated that FDEP would work with the Company to establish a reduced payment schedule for the Company to resume payments under the Consent Final Judgment based on the Company’s financial ability to pay. To date, FDEP has not further pursued the Company for cost reimbursement under the Consent Final Judgment.

On August 7, 2002, the Company received a Request for Information from the State of New York Department of Environmental Conservation (“NYDEC”), seeking information on whether the Company had disposed of certain wastes at the Clarkstown Landfill Site located in the Town of Clarkstown, Rockland County, New York (The Clarkstown Landfill Site”).  By letter dated August 29, 2002, the Company responded to the Request for Information and advised NYDEC that the Company’s former Tappan, New York facility had closed in the mid-1980’s, prior to the initiation of the Company’s bankruptcy proceedings.  The Company contends that, to the extent that NYDEC has a claim against the Company as a result of the Company’s alleged disposal of wastes at the Clarkstown Landfill Site prior to the closing of the Company’s former Tappan facility in the mid-1980’s, the claim was discharged in bankruptcy as a result of the Bankruptcy Court’s August 1993 Order.  By letter dated March 17, 2010, the Clarkstown Landfill Joint Defense Group (“JDG”) offered to pursue a settlement of NYDEC’s claim against the Company in return for the Company’s agreement to pay the sum of $125,000, representing the Company’s alleged share of JDG’s overall settlement with NYDEC.  The Company rejected the settlement offer on March 29, 2010, based on its continuing contention that any claim of NYDEC against the Company was discharged in bankruptcy as a result of the Bankruptcy Court’s August 1993 Order. The JDG/NYDEC Consent Decree, settling NYDEC’s claims against individual members of  JDG, was entered by the Court on March 21, 2011. To date, neither NYDEC nor JDG have pursued any claim against the Company with respect to the Clarkstown Landfill Site.