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Commitments and Contingencies
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2012
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies
Commitments and Contingencies
Homer City Lease and Environmental Project
Homer City made the required April 1, 2012 senior rent payment but did not make the April 1, 2012 payment of equity rent. On March 30, 2012, Homer City was granted a waiver by the owner-lessors of any rent default event with respect to the payment of the equity rent for all purposes other than restrictions on distributions from Homer City, including repayment of its intercompany loan, and the $48 million senior rent reserve letter of credit remains in place. For further discussion of the Homer City lease, refer to "Item 8. Edison Mission Energy and Subsidiaries Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—Note 9. Commitments and Contingencies—Power Plant and Other Lease Commitments—Sale-Leaseback Transactions" on page 105 of EME's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011.
On March 29, 2012, Homer City and General Electric Capital Corporation (GECC) entered into an Implementation Agreement (the Agreement) with respect to the Homer City plant. As addressed by the Agreement, an affiliate of the GECC-controlled owner-lessors of the Homer City plant has entered into an engineering, procurement and construction agreement and is in the process of executing related agreements for the construction of environmental improvements. GECC will have discretion over all decisions related to such agreements. Homer City agreed to conduct its business as set forth in the Agreement and to use commercially reasonable efforts to provide assistance to GECC and its affiliates in connection with the construction agreements. The Agreement also requires Homer City, at the request of GECC, to enter into one or more implementation transactions, as defined in the Agreement, for the divestiture of its leasehold interest in the Homer City plant (and, under certain circumstances, related assets and liabilities as specified) and to assist GECC in obtaining certain third-party consents or waivers. Homer City and GECC also agreed to enter into a transition services agreement in connection with any implementation transaction. There is no assurance that Homer City and GECC will actually consummate a divestiture transaction as contemplated by the Agreement.
The Agreement also contains certain indemnities by each party in favor of the other. The Agreement may be terminated by GECC in its sole discretion at any time effective immediately upon delivery of notice to Homer City. Homer City may terminate the Agreement in connection with certain terminations of the construction agreements, subject to certain conditions.
The estimated cost of installing sulfur dioxide (SO2) and particulate emissions control equipment for Units 1 and 2 of the Homer City plant is expected to be approximately $700 million to $750 million. On April 2, 2012, Homer City received the permit to construct such improvements from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP).
Included in the consolidated balance sheet at March 31, 2012 are assets and liabilities of Homer City. In the event that Homer City completes a divestiture transaction with its owner-lessors or EME ceases to control Homer City, EME will record a loss on disposition and classify Homer City as a discontinued operation. At March 31, 2012, Homer City assets of $209 million were composed of cash, inventory, and other assets and liabilities of $84 million were composed of accounts payable, accrued liabilities and other liabilities. In addition, EMMT had an intercompany account receivable from Homer City of $13 million at March 31, 2012. Any loss on disposition will be determined based on the assets and liabilities as of the date of disposition, the terms and conditions of the relevant transaction and an assessment as to whether any ongoing contingencies exist.
Guarantees and Indemnities
EME and certain of its subsidiaries have various financial and performance guarantees and indemnity agreements which are issued in the normal course of business. The contracts discussed below included performance guarantees.
Environmental Indemnities Related to the Midwest Generation Plants
In connection with the acquisition of the Midwest Generation plants, EME agreed to indemnify Commonwealth Edison Company (Commonwealth Edison) with respect to specified environmental liabilities before and after December 15, 1999, the date of sale. The indemnification obligations are reduced by any insurance proceeds and tax benefits related to such indemnified claims and are subject to a requirement that Commonwealth Edison takes all reasonable steps to mitigate losses related to any such indemnification claim. Also, in connection with the sale-leaseback transaction related to the Powerton and Joliet Stations in Illinois, EME agreed to indemnify the owner-lessors for specified environmental liabilities. These indemnities are not limited in term or amount. Due to the nature of the obligations under these indemnities, a maximum potential liability cannot be determined. Commonwealth Edison has advised EME that Commonwealth Edison believes it is entitled to indemnification for all liabilities, costs, and expenses that it may be required to bear as a result of the litigation discussed below under "—Contingencies—Midwest Generation New Source Review and Other Litigation." Except as discussed below, EME has not recorded a liability related to these environmental indemnities.
Midwest Generation entered into a supplemental agreement with Commonwealth Edison and Exelon Generation Company LLC on February 20, 2003 to resolve a dispute regarding interpretation of Midwest Generation's reimbursement obligation for asbestos claims under the environmental indemnities set forth in the Asset Sale Agreement. Under this supplemental agreement, Midwest Generation agreed to reimburse Commonwealth Edison and Exelon Generation for 50% of specific asbestos claims pending as of February 2003 and related expenses less recovery of insurance costs, and agreed to a sharing arrangement for liabilities and expenses associated with future asbestos-related claims as specified in the agreement. The obligations under this agreement are not subject to a maximum liability. The supplemental agreement had an initial five-year term with an automatic renewal provision for subsequent one-year terms (subject to the right of either party to terminate); pursuant to the automatic renewal provision, it has been extended until February 2013. There were approximately 245 cases for which Midwest Generation was potentially liable that had not been settled and dismissed at March 31, 2012. Midwest Generation had recorded a liability of $54 million at March 31, 2012 related to this contractual indemnity.
Indemnities Related to the Homer City Plant
In connection with the acquisition of the Homer City plant, Homer City agreed to indemnify the sellers with respect to specified environmental liabilities before and after the date of sale. EME guaranteed this obligation of Homer City. Also, in connection with the sale-leaseback transaction related to the Homer City plant, Homer City agreed to indemnify the owner-lessors for specified environmental liabilities. Due to the nature of the obligations under these indemnity provisions, they are not subject to a maximum potential liability and do not have expiration dates. EME has not recorded a liability related to this indemnity. For discussion of the New Source Review lawsuit filed against Homer City, see "—Contingencies—Homer City New Source Review and Other Litigation." Also, in connection with the Implementation Agreement discussed above, Homer City has agreed to enter into one or more implementation transactions, at the request of GECC, on the terms outlined in the Implementation Agreement, which include indemnification for specified matters.
Indemnities Provided under Asset Sale and Sale-Leaseback Agreements
The asset sale agreements for the sale of EME's international assets contain indemnities from EME to the purchasers, including indemnification for taxes imposed with respect to operations of the assets prior to the sale and for pre-closing environmental liabilities. Not all indemnities under the asset sale agreements have specific expiration dates. At March 31, 2012, EME had recorded a liability of $34 million related to these matters.
In connection with the sale-leaseback transactions related to the Homer City plant in Pennsylvania, the Powerton and Joliet Stations in Illinois and, previously, the Collins Station in Illinois, EME and several of its subsidiaries entered into tax indemnity agreements. Under certain of these tax indemnity agreements, Homer City and Midwest Generation, as the lessees in the sale-leaseback transactions agreed to indemnify the respective owner-lessors for specified adverse tax consequences that could result from certain situations set forth in each tax indemnity agreement, including specified defaults under the respective leases. Although the Collins Station lease terminated in April 2004, Midwest Generation's indemnities in favor of its former lease equity investors are still in effect. EME provided similar indemnities in the sale-leaseback transactions related to the Powerton and Joliet Stations in Illinois. The potential indemnity obligations under these tax indemnity agreements could be significant. Due to the nature of these potential obligations, EME cannot determine a range of estimated obligation which would be triggered by a valid claim from the owner-lessors. EME has not recorded a liability for these matters.
In addition to the indemnity provided by Homer City, EME agreed to indemnify the owner-lessors in the sale-leaseback transaction related to the Homer City plant for certain negative federal income tax consequences should the rent payments be "levelized" for tax purposes and for potential foreign tax credit losses in the event that the owner-lessor's debt is characterized as recourse, rather than nonrecourse. This indemnity covers a limited range of possible tax consequences that are unrelated to performance under the lease.
Other Indemnities
EME provides other indemnifications through contracts entered into in the normal course of business. These include, among other things, indemnities for specified environmental liabilities and for income taxes with respect to assets sold. EME's obligations under these agreements may or may not be limited in terms of time and/or amount, and in some instances EME may have recourse against third parties. EME cannot determine a range of estimates and has not recorded a liability related to these indemnities.
Contingencies
In addition to the matters disclosed in these notes, EME is involved in other legal, tax and regulatory proceedings before various courts and governmental agencies regarding matters arising in the ordinary course of business. EME believes the outcome of these other proceedings, individually and in the aggregate, will not materially affect its results of operations or liquidity.
Midwest Generation New Source Review and Other Litigation
In August 2009, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and the State of Illinois filed a complaint in the Northern District of Illinois alleging that Midwest Generation or Commonwealth Edison performed repair or replacement projects at six Illinois coal-fired electric generating stations in violation of the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements and of the New Source Performance Standards of the Clean Air Act (CAA), including alleged requirements to obtain a construction permit and to install controls sufficient to meet best available control technology (BACT) emission rates. The US EPA also alleged that Midwest Generation and Commonwealth Edison violated certain operating permit requirements under Title V of the CAA. Finally, the US EPA alleged violations of certain opacity and particulate matter standards at the Midwest Generation plants. In addition to seeking penalties ranging from $25,000 to $37,500 per violation, per day, the complaint called for an injunction ordering Midwest Generation to install controls sufficient to meet BACT emission rates at all units subject to the complaint and other remedies. The remedies sought by the plaintiffs in the lawsuit could go well beyond the requirements of the Combined Pollutant Standard (CPS). Several Chicago-based environmental action groups intervened in the case.
Nine of the ten PSD claims raised in the complaint have been dismissed, along with claims related to alleged violations of Title V of the CAA, to the extent based on the dismissed PSD claims, and all claims asserted against Commonwealth Edison and EME. The court denied a motion to dismiss a claim by the Chicago-based environmental action groups for civil penalties in the remaining PSD claim, but noted that the plaintiffs will be required to convince the court that the statute of limitations should be equitably tolled. The court did not address other counts in the complaint that allege violations of opacity and particulate matter limitations under the Illinois State Implementation Plan and Title V of the CAA. The dismissals have been certified as "partial final judgments" capable of appeal, and an appeal is pending before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The remaining claims have been stayed pending the appeal. In February 2012, certain of the environmental action groups that had intervened in the case entered into an agreement with Midwest Generation to dismiss without prejudice all of their opacity claims as to all defendants. The agreed upon motion to dismiss was approved by the court on March 26, 2012.
In January 2012, two complaints were filed against Midwest Generation in Illinois state court by residents living near the Crawford and Fisk Stations on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated, each asserting claims of nuisance, negligence, trespass, and strict liability. The plaintiffs seek to have their suits certified as a class action and request injunctive relief, as well as compensatory and punitive damages. The complaints are similar to two complaints previously filed in the Northern District of Illinois, which were dismissed in October 2011 for lack of federal jurisdiction. In March 2012, Midwest Generation filed motions to dismiss the cases, which are pending.
Adverse decisions in these cases could involve penalties, remedial actions and damages that could have a material impact on the financial condition and results of operations of Midwest Generation and EME. EME cannot predict the outcome of these matters or estimate the impact on the Midwest Generation plants, or its and Midwest Generation's results of operations, financial position or cash flows. EME has not recorded a liability for these matters.
Homer City New Source Review and Other Litigation
In January 2011, the US EPA filed a complaint in the Western District of Pennsylvania against Homer City, the sale-leaseback owner participants of the Homer City plant, and two prior owners of the Homer City plant. The complaint alleged violations of the PSD and Title V provisions of the CAA, as a result of projects in the 1990s performed by prior owners without PSD permits and the subsequent failure to incorporate emissions limitations that meet BACT into the station's Title V operating permit. In addition to seeking penalties ranging from $32,500 to $37,500 per violation, per day, the complaint called for an injunction ordering Homer City to install controls sufficient to meet BACT emission rates at all units subject to the complaint and for other remedies. The PADEP, the State of New York and the State of New Jersey intervened in the lawsuit. In October 2011, all of the claims in the US EPA's lawsuit were dismissed with prejudice. An appeal of the dismissal is pending before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
Also in January 2011, two residents filed a complaint in the Western District of Pennsylvania, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated, against Homer City, the sale-leaseback owner participants of the Homer City plant, two prior owners of the Homer City plant, EME, and Edison International, claiming that emissions from the Homer City plant had adversely affected their health and property values. The plaintiffs sought to have their suit certified as a class action and requested injunctive relief, the funding of a health assessment study and medical monitoring, as well as compensatory and punitive damages. In October 2011, the claims in the purported class action lawsuit that were based on the federal CAA were dismissed with prejudice, while state law statutory and common law claims were dismissed without prejudice to re-file in state court should the plaintiffs choose to do so. EME does not know whether the plaintiffs will file a complaint in state court.
In February 2012, Homer City received a 60-day Notice of Intent to Sue indicating the Sierra Club’s intent to file a citizen lawsuit alleging violations of emissions standards and limitations under the CAA and the Pennsylvania Air Pollution Control Act.
Adverse decisions in these cases could involve penalties, remedial actions and damages that could have a material impact on the financial condition and results of operations of Homer City and EME. EME cannot predict the outcome of these matters or estimate the impact on the Homer City plant, or its and Homer City's results of operations, financial position or cash flows. EME has not recorded a liability for these matters.
Environmental Remediation
Legislative and regulatory activities by federal, state and local authorities in the United States relating to energy and the environment impose numerous restrictions and requirements with respect to the operation of EME subsidiaries' existing facilities and affect the timing, cost, location, design, construction, and operation of new facilities by EME's subsidiaries, as well as the cost of mitigating the environmental impacts of past operations.
With respect to potential liabilities arising under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, commonly referred to as CERCLA, or similar laws for the investigation and remediation of contaminated property, EME accrues a liability to the extent the costs are probable and can be reasonably estimated. Midwest Generation had accrued a probable amount of approximately $9 million at March 31, 2012 for estimated environmental investigation and remediation costs for four stations at the Midwest Generation plants. This estimate is based upon the number of sites, the scope of work and the estimated costs for investigation and/or remediation where such expenditures could be reasonably estimated. EME also has identified sites for which a reasonable estimate cannot be made. Future estimated costs may vary based on changes in regulations or requirements of federal, state or local governmental agencies, changes in technology, and actual costs of disposal. In addition, future remediation costs will be affected by the nature and extent of contamination discovered at the sites that require remediation. Given the prior history of the operations at its facilities, EME cannot be certain that the existence or extent of all contamination at its sites has been fully identified.