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Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities (Tables)
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2011
Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities (Tables) [Abstract] 
Liabilities for landfill and environmental remediation costs
 
Liabilities for landfill and environmental remediation costs are presented in the table below (in millions):
 
                                                 
    September 30, 2011     December 31, 2010  
          Environmental
 		                Environmental
 		       
    Landfill     Remediation     Total     Landfill     Remediation     Total  
 
Current (in accrued liabilities)
  $ 105     $ 45     $ 150     $ 105     $ 43     $ 148  
Long-term
    1,207       240       1,447       1,161       241       1,402  
                                                 
    $ 1,312     $ 285     $ 1,597     $ 1,266     $ 284     $ 1,550  
                                                 
Changes to landfill and environmental remediation liabilities
 
The changes to landfill and environmental remediation liabilities for the year ended December 31, 2010 and the nine months ended September 30, 2011 are reflected in the table below (in millions):
 
                 
          Environmental
 		 
    Landfill     Remediation  
 
December 31, 2009
  $ 1,267     $ 256  
Obligations incurred and capitalized
    47       —  
Obligations settled
    (86 )     (36 )
Interest accretion
    82       5  
Revisions in cost estimates and interest rate assumptions
    (49 )     61  
Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments
    5       (2 )
                 
December 31, 2010
    1,266       284  
Obligations incurred and capitalized
    36       —  
Obligations settled
    (56 )     (25 )
Interest accretion
    62       5  
Revisions in cost estimates and interest rate assumptions(a)
    4       22  
Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments
    —       (1 )
                 
September 30, 2011
  $ 1,312     $ 285  
                 
 
 
(a) The revisions in estimates and interest rate assumptions associated with our environmental remediation liabilities were primarily related to the impact of changes in the risk-free discount rate used to measure the liabilities. As of December 31, 2010, we used a risk-free discount rate for these obligations of 3.5%. The applicable rate decreased to 2.0% effective September 30, 2011. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011, this change in the risk-free discount rate resulted in an increase of $25 million to our environmental remediation liabilities and a corresponding increase to “Operating” expenses. This charge was partially offset by a $9 million favorable revision to an environmental remediation liability at a closed site based on the estimated cost of the remediation alternative selected by the EPA.