ENVIRONMENTAL AND MINE CLOSURE OBLIGATIONS |
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| Environmental Remediation Obligations [Abstract] | Ìý | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Environmental Loss Contingency And Mine Closure Obligation Disclosure [Text Block] |
NOTE 11 - ENVIRONMENTAL AND MINE CLOSURE OBLIGATIONS
We had environmental and mine closure liabilities of $200.1 million and $206.8 million at DecemberÌý31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. The following is a summary of the obligations as of DecemberÌý31, 2017 and 2016:
Environmental
Our mining and exploration activities are subject to various laws and regulations governing the protection of the environment. We conduct our operations to protect the public health and environment and believe our operations are in compliance with applicable laws and regulations in all material respects. Our environmental liabilities of $2.9 million and $2.8 million at DecemberÌý31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, including obligations for known environmental remediation exposures at various active and closed mining operations and other sites, have been recognized based on the estimated cost of investigation and remediation at each site. If the cost can only be estimated as a range of possible amounts with no specific amount being more likely, the minimum of the range is accrued. Future expenditures are not discounted unless the amount and timing of the cash disbursements are readily known. Potential insurance recoveries have not been reflected. Additional environmental obligations could be incurred, the extent of which cannot be assessed.
Mine Closure
Our mine closure obligations of $197.2 million and $204.0 million at DecemberÌý31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, include our U.S. Iron Ore mines and our Asia Pacific Iron Ore mine.
The accrued closure obligation for our mining operations provides for contractual and legal obligations associated with the eventual closure of the mining operations. We performed a detailed assessment of our asset retirement obligations related to our active mining locations most recently in 2017 in accordance with our accounting policy, which requires us to perform an in-depth evaluation of the liability every three years in addition to routine annual assessments. In 2017, we employed a third-party specialist to assist in the evaluation.
Management periodically performs an assessment of the obligation to determine the adequacy of the liability in relation to the closure activities still required at the LTVSMC site, most recently performed in detail during 2017. The LTVSMC closure liability was $28.6 million and $25.5 million at DecemberÌý31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. We are anticipating MPCA to reissue the NPDES permits for this facility in the future that could modify the closure liability, but the scale of that change will not be understood until reissuance of the permits.
For the assessments performed, we determined the obligations based on detailed estimates adjusted for factors that a market participant would consider (i.e., inflation, overhead and profit) and then discounted the obligation using the current credit-adjusted risk-free interest rate based on the corresponding life of mine. The estimate also incorporates incremental increases in the closure cost estimates and changes in estimates of mine lives. The closure date for each of our active operating U.S. Iron Ore mines was determined based on the exhaustion date of the remaining iron ore reserves. The closure date and expected timing of the capital requirements to meet our obligations for our Asia Pacific Iron Ore mine, and our other indefinitely idled or closed mines, is determined based on the unique circumstances of each property. The accretion of the liability and amortization of the related asset is recognized over the estimated mine lives for each location.
The following represents a roll forward of our asset retirement obligation liability for the years ended DecemberÌý31, 2017 and 2016:
The revision in estimated cash flows recorded during the year ended December 31, 2017 relate primarily to updates to our estimates resulting from our three-year in-depth review of our asset retirement obligations for each of our U.S. mines. The primary driver of the decrease in estimated cash flows was the Empire mine, as the asset retirement obligation was reduced $26.2 million as a result of the refinement of the cash flows required for reclamation, remediation and structural removal. Prior estimates were based on RS Means (a common costing methodology used in the construction and demolition industry) costing data while the current estimate was compiled using a more detailed cost build-up approach. The overall decrease in estimated cash flows for our U.S. Iron Ore mines was offset partially by an increase in costs of $10.1 million relating to the refinement of expected costs to be incurred at the end of life of mine at our Asia Pacific Iron Ore operations.
The revision in estimated cash flows recorded during the year ended December 31, 2016 relate primarily to revisions in the timing of the estimated cash flows at two of our U.S. mines. The Empire mine asset retirement obligation was reduced $29.6 million as a result of the further refinement of the timing of cash flows and a downward revision of estimated cost of required storm water management systems expected to be implemented. Additionally, during 2016, a new economic reserve estimate was completed for United Taconite, increasing salable product reserves by 115 million long tons and consequently significantly increasing the life-of-mine plan, resulting in a $9.2 million decrease in the asset retirement obligation.
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