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Commitments and Contingent Liabilities
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingent Liabilities
Asbestos-Related Liabilities    Grace emerged from an asbestos-related Chapter 11 bankruptcy on February 3, 2014 (the “Effective Date”). Under its plan of reorganization, all pending and future asbestos-related claims are channeled for resolution to either a personal injury trust (the “PI Trust”) or a property damage trust (the “PD Trust”). The trusts are the sole recourse for holders of asbestos-related claims. The channeling injunctions issued by the bankruptcy court prohibit holders of asbestos-related claims from asserting such claims directly against Grace.
Grace has satisfied all of its financial obligations to the PI Trust. Grace has fixed and contingent obligations remaining to the PD Trust. With respect to property damage claims related to Grace’s former attic insulation product installed in the U.S. ("ZAI PD Claims"), the PD Trust was funded with $34.4 million on the Effective Date. Grace is obligated to make a payment of $30 million to the PD Trust in respect of ZAI PD Claims on February 3, 2017, and has recorded a liability of $28.7 million representing the present value of this amount in "debt payable after one year" in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. Grace is also obligated to make up to 10 contingent deferred payments of $8 million per year to the PD Trust in respect of ZAI PD Claims during the 20-year period beginning on the fifth anniversary of the Effective Date, with each such payment due only if the assets of the PD Trust in respect of ZAI PD Claims fall below $10 million during the preceding year. Grace has not accrued for the 10 additional payments since Grace does not currently believe they are probable. Grace is not obligated to make additional payments to the PD Trust in respect of ZAI PD Claims beyond the payments described above. Grace has satisfied all of its financial obligations with respect to Canadian ZAI PD Claims.
With respect to other asbestos property damage claims ("Other PD Claims"), claims unresolved as of the Effective Date are to be litigated in the bankruptcy court and any future claims are to be litigated in a federal district court, in each case pursuant to procedures to be approved by the bankruptcy court. To the extent any such Other PD Claims are determined to be allowed claims, they are to be paid in cash by the PD Trust. Grace is obligated to make a payment to the PD Trust every six months in the amount of any Other PD Claims allowed during the preceding six months plus interest (if applicable) and the amount of PD Trust expenses for the preceding six months (the "PD Obligation"). The aggregate amount to be paid under the PD Obligation is not capped and Grace may be obligated to make additional payments to the PD Trust in respect of the PD Obligation. Grace has accrued for those unresolved Other PD Claims that it believes are probable and estimable. Grace has not accrued for other unresolved or unasserted Other PD Claims as it does not believe that payment is probable. As of June 30, 2015, Grace has accrued $0.4 million since the Effective Date related to two Other PD Claims that were filed in the bankruptcy but were not resolved until after the Effective Date.
All payments to the PD Trust required after the Effective Date are secured by the Company's obligation to issue 77,372,257 shares of Company common stock to the PD Trust in the event of default, subject to customary anti-dilution provisions.
This summary of the commitments and contingencies related to the Chapter 11 proceeding does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the plan of reorganization and the exhibits and documents related thereto, which have been filed with the SEC.
Environmental Remediation    Grace is subject to loss contingencies resulting from extensive and evolving federal, state, local and foreign environmental laws and regulations relating to the generation, storage, handling, discharge, disposition and stewardship of hazardous wastes and other materials. Grace accrues for anticipated costs associated with response efforts where an assessment has indicated that a probable liability has been incurred and the cost can be reasonably estimated. These accruals do not take into account any discounting for the time value of money.
Grace's environmental liabilities are reassessed whenever circumstances become better defined or response efforts and their costs can be better estimated. These liabilities are evaluated based on currently available information, including the progress of remedial investigation at each site, the current status of discussions with regulatory authorities regarding the method and extent of remediation at each site, existing technology, prior experience in contaminated site remediation and the apportionment of costs among potentially responsible parties.
Estimated Investigation and Remediation Costs
At June 30, 2015, Grace's estimated liability for environmental investigation and remediation costs totaled $53.5 million, compared with $61.7 million at December 31, 2014, and was included in "other current liabilities" and "other liabilities" in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. These amounts are based on funding and/or remediation agreements in place and Grace's estimate of costs for sites not subject to a formal remediation plan for which sufficient information is available to estimate response costs. These amounts do not include certain response costs for the Libby vermiculite mine area or certain vermiculite expansion facilities, which may be material but are not currently estimable. Due to these vermiculite-related matters, it is probable that Grace's actual response costs will exceed Grace's current estimates by material amounts. Net cash paid against previously established reserves for the six months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, were $5.6 million and $7.0 million, respectively.
Vermiculite-Related Matters
Grace purchased a vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana, in 1963 and operated it until 1990. Vermiculite concentrate from the Libby mine was used in the manufacture of attic insulation and other products. Some of the vermiculite ore contained naturally occurring asbestos. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (the "EPA") and Grace are engaged in a remedial investigation of the Libby mine and the surrounding area.
During 2010, the EPA began reinvestigating certain facilities on a list of 105 facilities where vermiculite concentrate from the Libby mine may have been used, stored or processed. Grace is cooperating with the EPA on this reinvestigation and has remediated several of these facilities. It is probable that the EPA will request additional remediation at other facilities.
Grace's total estimated liability for response costs that are currently estimable related to its former vermiculite operations in Libby and vermiculite processing sites outside of Libby at June 30, 2015, and December 31, 2014, was $13.4 million and $19.4 million, respectively. It is probable that Grace's ultimate liability for these vermiculite-related matters will exceed current estimates by material amounts. Grace's current recorded liability will be adjusted as Grace receives new information and amounts become reasonably estimable.
Non-Vermiculite-Related Matters
At June 30, 2015, and December 31, 2014, Grace's estimated liability for response costs at sites not related to its former vermiculite mining and processing activities was $40.1 million and $42.3 million, respectively. This liability relates to Grace's current and former operations, including its share of liability for off-site disposal at facilities where it has been identified as a potentially responsible party. Grace's estimated liability is based upon regulatory requirements and environmental conditions at each site. As Grace receives new information its estimated liability may change materially.
Purchase Commitments    Grace uses purchase commitments to ensure supply and to minimize the volatility of major components of direct manufacturing costs including natural gas, certain metals, rare earths, asphalt, amines and other materials. Such commitments are for quantities that Grace fully expects to use in its normal operations.
Guarantees and Indemnification Obligations    Grace is a party to many contracts containing guarantees and indemnification obligations. These contracts primarily consist of:
Product warranties with respect to certain products sold to customers in the ordinary course of business. These warranties typically provide that products will conform to specifications. Grace accrues a warranty liability on a transaction-specific basis depending on the individual facts and circumstances related to each sale. Both the liability and annual expense related to product warranties are immaterial to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Performance guarantees offered to customers under certain licensing arrangements. Grace has not established a liability for these arrangements based on past performance.
Licenses of intellectual property by Grace to third parties in which Grace has agreed to indemnify the licensee against third party infringement claims.
Contracts providing for the sale of a former business unit or product line in which Grace has agreed to indemnify the buyer against liabilities arising prior to the closing of the transaction, including environmental liabilities.
Guarantees of real property lease obligations of third parties, typically arising out of (a) leases entered into by former subsidiaries of Grace, or (b) the assignment or sublease of a lease by Grace to a third party.
Financial Assurances    Financial assurances have been established for a variety of purposes, including insurance and environmental matters, trade-related commitments and other matters. At June 30, 2015, Grace had gross financial assurances issued and outstanding of $123.0 million, composed of $34.2 million of surety bonds issued by various insurance companies and $88.8 million of standby letters of credit and other financial assurances issued by various banks.
Accounting for Contingencies    Although the outcome of each of the matters discussed above cannot be predicted with certainty, Grace has assessed its risk and has made accounting estimates as required under U.S. GAAP.