Environmental Compliance Costs |
12 Months Ended |
|---|---|
Dec. 31, 2016 | |
| Environmental Remediation Obligations [Abstract] | |
| Environmental Compliance Costs |
Environmental Compliance Costs
At December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, the Company had accrued $590,000 and $551,000, respectively, for remediation costs which, in management's best estimate, is sufficient to satisfy anticipated costs of known remediation requirements as outlined below. Expenditures related to costs currently accrued are not discounted to their present values and are expected to be made over the next three to four years. As a result of the evolving nature of the environmental regulations, the difficulty in estimating the extent and remedy of environmental contamination and the availability and application of technology, the estimated costs for future environmental compliance and remediation are subject to uncertainties and it is not possible to predict the amount or timing of future costs of environmental matters which may subsequently be determined.
Prior to 1987, the Company utilized certain products at its chemical facilities that are currently classified as hazardous materials. Testing of the groundwater in the areas of the former wastewater treatment impoundments at these facilities disclosed the presence of certain contaminants. In addition, several solid waste management units ("SWMUs") at the plant sites have been identified. During 2014, at the former Augusta, GA plant site, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division ("EPD") closed the surface impoundment regulated unit since the Company met post-closure clean-up goals and the Company renewed the Corrective Action Permit, which includes a site-wide corrective action plan, long-term monitoring and institutional controls. The Company has accrued $515,000 and $476,000 at December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively, for estimated future remedial and cleanup costs. As part of the Asset Purchase Agreement for the sale of the former Spartanburg facility, the purchaser also agreed to pay for all future annual monitoring and reporting costs at the Augusta facility required by the EPD.
The Company has identified and evaluated two SWMUs at its plant in Bristol, Tennessee that revealed residual groundwater contamination. An Interim Corrective Measures Plan to address the final area of contamination identified was submitted for regulatory approval and was approved in March 2005. The Company has $75,000 accrued at December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, to provide for estimated future remedial and cleanup costs.
The Company has been designated, along with others, as a potentially responsible party under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, or comparable state statutes, at one waste disposal site. Notification from the United States Environmental Protection Agency for this site was received by the Company in February 2008. The last correspondence that the Company received for this site was dated March 10, 2011. It is impossible to determine the ultimate costs related to the remaining site due to several factors such as the unknown possible magnitude of possible contamination, the unknown timing and extent of the corrective actions which may be required and the determination of the Company's liability in proportion to the other parties. At the present time, the Company does not have sufficient information to form an opinion as to whether it has any liability, or the amount of such liability, if any. However, it is reasonably possible that some liability exists.
The Company does not anticipate any insurance recoveries to offset the environmental remediation costs it has incurred. Due to the uncertainty regarding court and regulatory decisions, and possible future legislation or rulings regarding the environment, many insurers will not cover environmental impairment risks, particularly in the chemical industry. Hence, the Company has been unable to obtain this coverage at an affordable price.
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