At March 31, 2009, under the most restrictive covenants of existing financing agreements, Occidental’s capacity for additional unsecured borrowing was approximately $65.8 billion, and the capacity for the payment of cash dividends and other distributions on, and for acquisitions of, Occidental’s capital stock was approximately $25.3 billion, assuming that such dividends, distributions and acquisitions were made without incurring additional borrowing.
Occidental’s operations are subject to stringent federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations relating to improving or maintaining environmental quality. Occidental’s environmental compliance costs have generally increased over time and could continue to rise in the future. Occidental factors environmental expenditures for its operations into its business planning process as an integral part of producing quality products responsive to market demand.
The laws that require or address environmental remediation, including the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and similar federal, state, local and foreign laws, may apply retroactively and regardless of fault, the legality of the original activities or the current ownership or control of sites. OPC 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 involving 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.
As of March 31, 2009, Occidental participated in or monitored remedial activities or proceedings at 164 sites. The following table presents Occidental’s environmental remediation reserves as of March 31, 2009, the current portion of which is included in accrued liabilities ($68 million) and the remainder in deferred credits and other liabilities – other ($351 million). The reserves are grouped in the following four categories of environmental remediation sites: (1) sites listed or proposed for listing by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on the CERCLA National Priorities List (CERCLA NPL); (2) other third-party sites; (3) Occidental-operated sites; and (4) Occidental’s closed or non-operated sites.
As of March 31, 2009, Occidental’s environmental reserves exceeded $10 million at 13 of the 164 sites described above, and 113 of the sites had reserves from $0 to $1 million. Occidental expects to expend funds
corresponding to about half of the current environmental reserves over the next four years and the balance over the subsequent ten or more years. Occidental believes its range of reasonably possible additional loss beyond those liabilities recorded for environmental remediation at the sites described above could be up to $400 million. The status of Occidental’s involvement with these sites and related significant assumptions have not changed materially since December 31, 2008.
Refer to the "Environmental Liabilities and Expenditures" section of Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in Occidental's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 for additional information regarding Occidental's environmental expenditures.
Lawsuits, Claims, Commitments, Contingencies and Related Matters
OPC or certain of its subsidiaries are named, in the normal course of business, in lawsuits, claims and other legal proceedings that seek, among other things, compensation for alleged personal injury, breach of contract, property damage, punitive damages, civil penalties or other losses, or injunctive or declaratory relief. OPC or certain of its subsidiaries also have been named in proceedings under CERCLA and similar federal, state, local and foreign environmental laws. These environmental proceedings seek funding or performance of remediation and, in some cases, compensation for alleged property damage, punitive damages, civil penalties and injunctive relief; however, Occidental is usually one of many companies in these proceedings and has to date been successful in sharing response costs with other financially sound companies. With respect to all such lawsuits, claims and proceedings, including environmental proceedings, Occidental accrues reserves when it is probable a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated.
Lawsuits have been filed in Nicaragua against OxyChem and other companies that once manufactured or used a pesticide, dibromochloropropane (DBCP). These lawsuits claim damages of several billion dollars for alleged personal injuries. In the opinion of management, the claims against OxyChem are without merit because, among other things, the DBCP it manufactured was never sold or used in Nicaragua. In order to preserve its jurisdictional defense, OxyChem elected not to make a substantive appearance in these cases. Nicaraguan courts have entered judgments of approximately $900 million against four defendants, including OxyChem. Under Nicaraguan law, the judgments would be shared equally among the defendants. The plaintiffs attempted to enforce one judgment in Miami. In January 2009, the federal district court in Miami granted summary judgment in favor of OxyChem and refused to enforce the judgment. OxyChem has no assets in Nicaragua and, in the opinion of management, no such Nicaraguan judgment would be enforceable in the United States.
During the course of its operations, Occidental is subject to audit by tax authorities for varying periods in various federal, state, local and foreign tax jurisdictions. While the audits for taxable years through 2007 have concluded for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the 2008 taxable year is currently under audit by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service pursuant to its compliance assurance program. Foreign government tax authorities are in various stages of auditing Occidental, and income taxes for taxable years from 2000 through 2008 remain subject to examination in certain jurisdictions. During the course of such audits, disputes have arisen and other disputes may arise as to facts and matters of law.
Occidental has indemnified various parties against specified liabilities that those parties might incur in the future in connection with purchases and other transactions that they have entered into with Occidental. These indemnities usually are contingent upon the other party incurring liabilities that reach specified thresholds. As of March 31, 2009, Occidental is not aware of circumstances that it believes would reasonably be expected to lead to future indemnity claims against it in connection with these transactions that would result in payments materially in excess of reserves.
The ultimate amount of losses and the timing of any such losses that OPC and its subsidiaries may incur resulting from currently outstanding lawsuits, claims and proceedings, audits, commitments, contingencies and related matters cannot be determined reliably at this time. If these matters were ultimately resolved unfavorably at amounts substantially exceeding Occidental’s reserves, an outcome not currently expected, it is possible that such outcome could have a material adverse effect upon Occidental’s consolidated financial position or results of operations. However, after taking into account reserves, management does not expect the ultimate resolution of
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any of these matters to have a material adverse effect upon Occidental’s consolidated financial position or results of operations.
Accounting Changes
In June 2008, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued FASB Staff Position (FSP) EITF 03-6-1. This FSP concluded that instruments containing rights to nonforfeitable dividends granted in share-based payment transactions are participating securities prior to vesting and, therefore, should be included in the earnings allocations in computing basic earnings per share (EPS) under the two-class method. This FSP is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2008, with prior period retrospective application. Occidental adopted the FSP on January 1, 2009.
In March 2008, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 161, which provides new disclosure requirements for an entity’s derivative and hedging activities. This statement is effective for periods beginning after November 15, 2008. Occidental adopted this statement on January 1, 2009.
In February 2008, the FASB issued FSP FAS 157-2, which deferred the effective date for applying the fair value measurement and disclosure framework of SFAS No. 157 to non-financial assets and liabilities that are recorded at fair value on a non-recurring basis until periods beginning after November 15, 2008. Occidental adopted this deferred portion of SFAS No. 157 on January 1, 2009 on a prospective basis.
In December 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 141(R). This statement provides new accounting guidance and disclosure requirements for business combinations, and is effective for business combinations which occur starting with the first fiscal year beginning on or after December 15, 2008. In April 2009, the FASB issued FSP FAS 141(R)-1, effective beginning the first quarter of 2009, which amends and clarifies certain provisions of SFAS 141(R), including the initial recognition and measurement criteria, subsequent measurement and accounting, and disclosure of preacquisition contingencies in business combinations. Occidental adopted SFAS 141(R) and FSP FAS 141(R)-1 in the first quarter of 2009. Occidental did not have any business combinations during the quarter ended March 31, 2009.
In December 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 160. This statement provides new accounting guidance and disclosure and presentation requirements for noncontrolling interests in a subsidiary. SFAS No. 160 is effective for the first fiscal year beginning on or after December 15, 2008. Occidental adopted this statement on January 1, 2009, applying it prospectively upon adoption, except for the presentation and disclosure requirements which were applied retrospectively.
Safe Harbor Statement Regarding Outlook and Forward-Looking Information
Portions of this report contain forward-looking statements and involve risks and uncertainties that could materially affect expected results of operations, liquidity, cash flows and business prospects. Factors that could cause results to differ materially include, but are not limited to: global commodity pricing fluctuations; supply and demand considerations for Occidental’s products; any general economic recession or slowdown domestically or internationally; exploration risks such as drilling unsuccessful wells; higher-than-expected costs; potential liability for remedial actions under existing or future environmental regulations and litigation; potential liability resulting from pending or future litigation; general domestic and international political conditions; potential disruption or interruption of Occidental’s production or manufacturing facilities due to accidents, political events or insurgent activity; potential failure to achieve expected production from existing and future oil and gas development projects; changes in law or regulations; changes in tax rates; and not successfully completing, or any material delay of, any development of new fields, expansion, capital expenditure, efficiency-improvement project, acquisition or disposition. Words such as “estimate”, “project”, “predict”, “will”, “would”, “could”, “may”, “might”, “anticipate”, “plan”, “intend”, “believe”, “expect” or similar expressions that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes generally indicate forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this report. Unless legally required, Occidental does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, as a result of new information,
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future events or otherwise. Material risks that may affect Occidental’s results of operations and financial position appear in Part 1, Item 1A “Risk Factors” of the 2008 Form 10-K.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
For the three months ended March 31, 2009, there were no material changes in the information required to be provided under Item 305 of Regulation S-K included under the caption “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Incorporating Item 7A) – Derivative Activities and Market Risk” in the 2008 Form 10-K.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
Occidental's Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer and its President and Chief Financial Officer supervised and participated in Occidental's evaluation of its disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report. Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in Occidental's periodic reports filed or submitted under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission's rules and forms. Based upon that evaluation, Occidental's Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer and its President and Chief Financial Officer concluded that Occidental's disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of March 31, 2009.
There has been no change in Occidental's internal control over financial reporting during the first quarter of 2009 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, Occidental's internal control over financial reporting.
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PART II OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
For information regarding legal proceedings, see the information in Note 7 to the consolidated condensed financial statements in Part I of this Form 10-Q.
Item 2. Share Repurchase Activities
Occidental’s share repurchase activities for the three months ended March 31, 2009, were as follows:
Period | | Total Number of Shares Purchased | | Average Price Paid per Share | | Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs | | Maximum Number of Shares that May Yet be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs |
January 1 – 31, 2009 | | 142,625 | (a) | | | $ | 62.16 | | | — | | | |
February 1 – 28, 2009 | | — | | | | $ | — | | | — | | | |
March 1 – 31, 2009 | | — | | | | $ | — | | | — | | | |
First Quarter 2009 | | 142,625 | | | | $ | 62.16 | | | — | | 27,155,575 | |
(a) | Represents amounts Occidental purchased from the trustee of Occidental’s defined contribution savings plan. |
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Item 6. Exhibits
| 12 | Statement regarding the computation of total enterprise ratios of earnings to fixed charges for the three months ended March 31, 2009 and 2008 and for each of the five years in the period ended December 31, 2008. |
| | |
| 31.1 | Certification of CEO Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
| | |
| 31.2 | Certification of CFO Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
| | |
| 32.1 | Certifications of CEO and CFO Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
| OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM CORPORATION |
| |
| |
| |
| |
DATE: April 30, 2009 | /s/ Roy Pineci |
| Roy Pineci |
| Vice President, Controller and |
| Principal Accounting Officer |
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EXHIBIT INDEX
EXHIBITS
| 12 | Statement regarding the computation of total enterprise ratios of earnings to fixed charges for the three months ended March 31, 2009 and 2008 and for each of the five years in the period ended December 31, 2008. |
| | |
| 31.1 | Certification of CEO Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
| | |
| 31.2 | Certification of CFO Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
| | |
| 32.1 | Certifications of CEO and CFO Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
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