Environmental Liabilities and Expenditures

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2022

Environmental Remediation Obligations [Abstract]

Environmental Liabilities and Expenditures

NOTE 9 - ENVIRONMENTAL LIABILITIES AND EXPENDITURES

Occidental’s operations are subject to stringent federal, regional, state, provincial, tribal, local and international laws and regulations related to improving or maintaining environmental quality. The laws that require or address environmental remediation, including CERCLA and similar federal, regional, state, provincial, tribal, local and international laws, may apply retroactively and regardless of fault, the legality of the original activities or the current ownership or control of sites.

Occidental or certain of its subsidiaries participate in or actively monitor a range of remedial activities and government or private proceedings under these laws with respect to alleged past practices at operating, closed and third-party sites. Remedial activities may include one or more of the following: investigation involving sampling, modeling, risk assessment or monitoring; cleanup measures including removal, treatment or disposal; or operation and maintenance of remedial systems. The environmental proceedings seek funding or performance of remediation and, in some cases, compensation for alleged property damage, punitive damages, civil penalties, injunctive relief and government oversight costs.

ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION

As of March 31, 2022, Occidental participated in or monitored remedial activities or proceedings at 166 sites. The following table presents Occidental’s current and non-current environmental remediation liabilities as of March 31, 2022. The current portion, $155 million, is included in accrued liabilities and the non-current portion, $933 million, in deferred credits and other liabilities-environmental remediation liabilities.

Occidental’s environmental remediation sites are grouped into four categories: sites listed or proposed for listing by the U.S. EPA on the CERCLA NPL and three categories of non-NPL sites—third-party sites, Occidental-operated sites and closed or non-operated Occidental sites.

millions, except number of sites	Number of Sites	Remediation Balance
NPL sites	30	$	427
Third-party sites	69	269
Occidental-operated sites	15	120
Closed or non-operated Occidental sites	52	272
Total	166	$	1,088

As of March 31, 2022, Occidental’s environmental liabilities exceeded $10 million each at 20 of the 166 sites described above, and 98 of the sites had liabilities from zero to $1 million each. Based on current estimates, Occidental expects to expend funds corresponding to approximately 40% of the period-end remediation balance at the sites described above over the next three to four years and the remaining balance at these sites over the subsequent 10 or more years. Occidental believes its range of reasonably possible additional losses beyond those liabilities recorded for environmental remediation at these sites could be up to $1.3 billion. The status of Occidental's involvement with the sites and related significant assumptions, including those sites indemnified by Maxus, has not changed materially since December 31, 2021.

MAXUS ENVIRONMENTAL SITES

When Occidental acquired Diamond Shamrock Chemicals Company in 1986, Maxus, a subsidiary of YPF, agreed to indemnify Occidental for a number of environmental sites, including the Diamond Alkali Superfund Site along a portion of the Passaic River. On June 17, 2016, Maxus and several affiliated companies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Federal District Court in the State of Delaware. Prior to filing for bankruptcy, Maxus defended and indemnified Occidental in connection with clean-up and other costs associated with the sites subject to the indemnity, including the Diamond Alkali Superfund Site.

In March 2016, the EPA issued a ROD specifying remedial actions required for the lower 8.3 miles of the Lower Passaic River (OU-2). The ROD does not address any potential remedial action for the upper nine miles of the Lower Passaic River or Newark Bay. During the third quarter of 2016, and following Maxus’s bankruptcy filing, OxyChem and the EPA entered into an AOC to complete the design of the proposed clean-up plan outlined in the ROD at an estimated cost of $165 million. The EPA announced that it will pursue similar agreements with other potentially responsible parties.

Occidental has accrued a reserve relating to its estimated allocable share of the costs to perform the design and remediation called for in the AOC and the ROD as well as for certain other Maxus-indemnified sites. Occidental's accrued estimated environmental reserve does not consider any recoveries for indemnified costs. Occidental’s ultimate share of this liability may be higher or lower than the reserved amount, and is subject to final design plans and the resolution of Occidental's allocable share with other potentially responsible parties. Occidental continues to evaluate the costs to be incurred to comply with the AOC and the ROD and to perform remediation at other Maxus-indemnified sites in light of the Maxus bankruptcy and the share of ultimate liability of other potentially responsible parties. In June 2018, OxyChem filed a complaint under CERCLA in Federal District Court in the State of New Jersey against numerous potentially responsible parties for reimbursement of amounts incurred or to be incurred to comply with the AOC and the ROD, or to perform other remediation activities at the Diamond Alkali Superfund Site.

In September 2021, the EPA issued a ROD with an estimated cost of $441 million for an interim remedy plan for the upper nine miles of the Lower Passaic River. At this time, Occidental's role or responsibilities under this ROD, and those of other potentially responsible parties, have not been determined with the EPA. Discussions between Occidental and the EPA

are ongoing about this ROD. In January 2022, OxyChem made an offer to design and implement the interim remedy for the upper nine miles of the Lower Passaic River (OU-4) subject to certain conditions. EPA sent a notice letter to OxyChem and other parties requesting good faith offers to implement the selected remedies at OU-2 and OU-4.

In June 2017, the court overseeing the Maxus bankruptcy approved a Plan of Liquidation to liquidate Maxus and create a trust to pursue claims against current and former parents and each of its respective subsidiaries and affiliates of YPF and Repsol, as well as others to satisfy claims by Occidental and other creditors for past and future cleanup and other costs. In July 2017, the court-approved Plan of Liquidation became final and the trust became effective. The trust is pursuing claims against YPF, Repsol and others and is expected to distribute assets to Maxus' creditors in accordance with the trust agreement and Plan. In June 2018, the trust filed its complaint against YPF and Repsol in Delaware bankruptcy court asserting claims based upon, among other things, fraudulent transfer and alter ego. During 2019, the bankruptcy court denied Repsol's and YPF's motions to dismiss the complaint as well as their motions to move the case away from the bankruptcy court. Discovery remains ongoing at the time of this report. The bankruptcy court will hear motions for summary judgment in June 2022.