Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2016

Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

NOTE 14. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

OPERATING LEASES

We have operating leases primarily for office space, equipment and vehicles expiring at various dates through 2033. We expect that most leases will be renewed or replaced in the normal course of business as they expire.

As of December 31, 2016, the future minimum rental payments required under our operating leases are as follows:

(Dollars in thousands)
2017	$	4,383
2018		3,638
2019		2,558
2020		1,878
2021		1,310
2022 and thereafter		1,426
Total	$	15,193

Operating lease expense was $4.2 million, $4.6 million and $4.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

LEGAL MATTERS

In January 2007, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notified us that we are a potentially responsible party under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) and the Clean Water Act for cleanup of a site known as Avery Landing in northern Idaho. We own a portion of the land at the Avery Landing site, which we acquired in 1980 from the Milwaukee Railroad. The land we own at the site and adjacent properties were contaminated with petroleum as a result of the Milwaukee Railroad's operations at the site prior to 1980. On July 5, 2011, the EPA issued an Action Memorandum for the Avery Landing Site selecting contaminant extraction and off-site disposal as the remedial alternative. On May 23, 2012, we signed a consent order with the EPA pursuant to which we agreed to provide $1.75 million in funding for EPA cleanup on a portion of our property (including the adjacent riverbank owned by the Idaho Department of Lands). The EPA cleanup was completed in October 2012. On April 4, 2013, the EPA issued a unilateral administrative order requiring us to remediate the portion of the Avery Landing site that we own. Our remediation was completed in October 2013. On September 25, 2015, the EPA sent us a letter asserting that the EPA and the Department of Transportation (the current owner of a portion of the adjacent property remediated by the EPA) (DOT) had incurred $9.8 million in unreimbursed response costs associated with the site and that we were liable for such costs. We believe we have meritorious defenses to this claim and we intend to defend ourselves vigorously. We have reserved all of our rights to seek reimbursement for the costs of remediation from all parties potentially responsible. We have executed a tolling agreement with the EPA and DOT suspending the statute of limitations on the claim until September 2016 in order to facilitate negotiations of a final settlement and release. In September, the parties agreed to extend the tolling agreement through October 6, 2016. The tolling agreement was further extended through February 22, 2017 and in January 2017, the tolling agreement was extended through May 22, 2017. Settlement negotiations continue. We accrued $0.2 million for this matter in the first quarter of 2016 and an additional $0.8 million for this matter in the second quarter of 2016. While it is reasonably possible that we may incur an additional liability in respect to this claim, we are unable to estimate at this time the amount of charges, if any, which may be required for this matter in the future.