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Commitments and Contingencies
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2017
Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

NOTE 11 – COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

 

Landfill Host Agreements

 

The Company has host agreements with the City of Petersburg (the “City”) and the County of Lunenburg (the “County”), collectively (the “Municipalities”) related to the operation of its landfills.

 

Key aspects of the agreements include the following:

 

The Company is required to pay the Municipalities a host fee of $1 per ton for each ton of waste disposed of in its landfills or its transfer station, regardless of where the waste is actually deposited, The host fee related for the Lunenburg Landfill is guaranteed to be at least $150,000 per year to the County for the life of the agreement whether or not such volume has been received in the landfill.

 

As part of the host agreement, The CFS Group has also agreed to accept municipal solid waste generated by the Municipalities themselves and by curbside collection within the Municipalities.

 

The Company is also required to pay the Municipalities fifty percent of all net revenues generated from the sale of recyclable materials and methane gas from the landfills.

 

The Company is required to reimburse each Municipality up to a maximum of $55,000 per year to defray costs and expenses of employing a landfill liaison.

 

The Company is required to make an annual contribution of $50,000 each Municipality to be used for a specific expenditure to be jointly agreed upon on an annual basis.

 

If the Tri-City Regional Landfill is sold to an entity not affiliated with The CFS Group at any time before August 31, 2019, the Company is required to remit 5% of the sales price to the City, and any purchaser must also agree to be bound under the terms of the host agreement.

 

In addition, the Company is required to maintain a Performance Bond as approved by Lunenburg County which would be used to pay for mitigation and remediation as may be necessary as a result of the operation of the Lunenburg landfill. As an alternative to the Performance Bond, the County has permitted the Company to establish a cash Mitigation Fund. The Company is required to deposit $50,000 per year into the Mitigation Fund until the fund reaches $1,500,000.

  

Environmental Risks

 

We are subject to liability for environmental damage that our solid waste facilities may cause, including damage to neighboring landowners or residents, particularly as a result of the contamination of soil, groundwater or surface water, including damage resulting from conditions existing prior to the acquisition of such facilities. Pollutants or hazardous substances whose transportation, treatment or disposal was arranged by us or our predecessors, may also subject us to liability for any off-site environmental contamination caused by these pollutants or hazardous substances.

 

Any substantial liability for environmental damage incurred by us could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. As of the date of these condensed consolidated financial statements, we estimate the range of reasonably possible losses related to environmental matters to be insignificant and are not aware of any such environmental liabilities that would be material to our operations or financial condition.

 

General Legal Proceedings

 

The Company evaluates potential loss contingencies in accordance with ASC 450 – Contingencies (“ASC 450”). ASC 450 requires the Company to evaluate the likeliness of material loss to determine whether any specific accounting or disclosure is required. If the likelihood of loss is deemed probable and the cost is estimable, the Company accrues the estimated loss in its financial statements and discloses the nature of the matter. If the probable loss cannot be estimated, the Company discloses the nature of the matter noting the likelihood of loss. If the likelihood of loss is deemed reasonably possible, the Company will disclose such matter including an estimate of loss if the loss is estimable. If the loss is not estimable, such fact will be disclosed. If the likelihood of loss is considered remote, no accrual or disclosure is made.

 

In the normal course of our business and as a result of the extensive governmental regulation of the solid waste industry, we may periodically become subject to various judicial and administrative proceedings involving federal, state or local agencies. In these proceedings, an agency may seek to impose fines on us or revoke or deny renewal of an operating permit or license that is required for our operations. From time to time, we may also be subject to actions brought by adjacent landowners or residents in connection with the permitting and licensing of transfer stations and landfills or allegations related to environmental damage or violations of the permits and licenses pursuant to which we operate. In addition, we may become party to various claims and suits for alleged damages to persons and property, alleged violations of certain laws and alleged liabilities arising out of matters occurring during the normal operation of a waste management business. No provision has been made in the condensed consolidated financial statements for such matters. We do not currently believe that the possible losses in respect of outstanding litigation matters would have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.