Commitments and Contingencies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies

Environmental Liabilities

We are subject to the environmental protection and health and safety laws and related rules and regulations of the United States and of the individual states, municipalities and other local jurisdictions where we operate. Our operations are subject to rules and regulations promulgated by the Texas Railroad Commission, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the North Dakota Department of Health, the North Dakota Industrial Commission, Oil and Gas Division, the North Dakota State Water Commission, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and the Montana Board of Oil and Gas, among others. These laws, rules and regulations address environmental, health and safety and related concerns, including water quality and employee safety. We have installed safety, monitoring and environmental protection equipment such as pressure sensors, containment walls, SCADA systems and relief valves, and have established reporting and responsibility protocols for environmental protection and reporting to such relevant local environmental protection departments as required by law.

We believe we are in material compliance with all applicable environmental protection laws and regulations in the United States and the states in which we operate. We believe that there are no unrecorded liabilities as of the periods reported herein in connection with our compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations. The condensed consolidated balance sheets at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 did not include any accruals for environmental matters.

Contingent Consideration for Ideal Settlement

On June 28, 2017, the Company and certain of its material subsidiaries (collectively with the Company, the “Nuverra Parties”) filed a motion with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (the “Bankruptcy Court”) seeking authorization to resolve unsecured claims related to the $8.5 million contingent consideration from the Ideal Oilfield Disposal LLC acquisition (the “Ideal Settlement”). On July 11, 2017, the Bankruptcy Court entered an order authorizing the Ideal Settlement. Pursuant to the approved settlement terms, the $8.5 million contingent claim was replaced with an obligation on the part of the applicable Nuverra Party to transfer $0.5 million to the counterparties to the Ideal Settlement upon emergence from chapter 11, and $0.5 million when the Ideal Settlement counterparties deliver the required permits and certificates necessary for the issuance of the second special waste disposal permit. The $0.5 million due upon emergence from chapter 11 was paid during the five months ended December 31, 2017. The remaining $0.5 million, due when the counterparties deliver the required permits and certificates necessary for the issuance of the second special waste disposal permit, has been classified as noncurrent and is reported in “Long-term contingent consideration” on the condensed consolidated balance sheets, as these permits and certificates are not expected to be received within one year.

State Sales and Use Tax Liabilities

During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue (or “DOR”) completed an audit of our sales and use tax compliance for the period January 1, 2012 through May 31, 2017. As a result of the audit, we were assessed by the DOR for additional state and local sales and use tax plus penalties and interest. During the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2018, we disputed various claims in the assessment made by the DOR through the appropriate boards of appeal and were able to obtain relief for many of the contested claims. However, in January of 2019, the final appeals board upheld an assessment of sales tax and interest that relates to one material position. We have appealed this decision to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as we continue to believe that the transactions involved are exempt from sales tax in Pennsylvania, and therefore we have not recorded an accrual as of September 30, 2020. If we lose this appeal, which could take several years to settle, we estimate that we would be required to pay between $1.0 million and $1.5 million to the DOR.