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Commitments and Contingencies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2018
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies

NOTE 15. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

In January 2007, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notified us that we were 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 owned a portion of the land at the Avery Landing site, which we acquired in 1980 from the Milwaukee Railroad. The land we owned 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. Our remediation was completed in October 2013. In 2016, the EPA confirmed that Potlatch had completed the cleanup and subsequent monitoring required by the unilateral order. 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 executed six tolling agreements with the EPA and DOT suspending the statute of limitations on the claim until March 31, 2018 in order to facilitate negotiations of a final settlement. On December 22, 2017, we sold the land at Avery Landing. On April 10, 2018, the United States District Court for the District of Idaho entered a Consent Decree negotiated by the parties releasing us and our affiliates from any further liability for past response costs incurred by the United States Government in exchange for a final settlement payment of $6 million, which was paid in April 2018.

At any given time we are subject to claims and actions incidental to the operations of our business. Based on information currently available, we do not expect that any sums we may receive or have to pay in connection with any legal proceeding would have a materially adverse effect on our consolidated financial position or net cash flow.