WMI Waste Mgmt

 

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

Form 10-Q

 

 

Commission file number 1-12154

Waste Management, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

1001 Fannin

Suite 4000

Houston, Texas 77002

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

(713) 512-6200

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes  þ      No  o

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).  Yes  þ      No  o

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).  Yes  o      No  þ

 

The number of shares of Common Stock, $0.01 par value, of the registrant outstanding at July 27, 2009 was 492,689,736 (excluding treasury shares of 137,592,725.

 

 

PART I.

 

 

WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In Millions, Except Share and Par Value Amounts)

 

 

See notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In Millions, Except Per Share Amounts)
(Unaudited)

 

 

See notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In Millions)
(Unaudited)

 

 

See notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
(In Millions, Except Shares in Thousands)
(Unaudited)

 

 

See notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

 

The financial statements presented in this report represent the consolidation of Waste Management, Inc., a Delaware corporation; Waste Management’s wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries; and certain variable interest entities for which Waste Management or its subsidiaries are the primary beneficiary. Waste Management is a holding company and all operations are conducted by its subsidiaries. When the terms “the Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” are used in this document, those terms refer to Waste Management, Inc., its consolidated subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entities. When we use the term “WMI,” we are referring only to Waste Management, Inc., the parent holding company.

 

We manage and evaluate our principal operations through five operating Groups, of which four are organized by geographic area and one is organized by function. Our geographic operating Groups, which include our Eastern, Midwest, Southern and Western Groups, provide collection, transfer, recycling and disposal services. Our functional operating group is the Wheelabrator Group, which provides waste-to-energy services. We also provide additional waste management services that are not managed through our five Groups, which are presented in this report as “Other.” Additional information related to our segments, including changes in the basis for our reported segments from December 31, 2008, can be found under “Reclassifications” below and in Note 9.

 

The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements as of and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009 and 2008 are unaudited. In the opinion of management, these financial statements include all adjustments, which, unless otherwise disclosed, are of a normal recurring nature, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations, and cash flows for the periods presented. The results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the entire year. The financial statements presented herein should be read in connection with the financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008.

 

In preparing our financial statements, we make numerous estimates and assumptions that affect the accounting for and recognition and disclosure of assets, liabilities, equity, revenues and expenses. We must make these estimates and assumptions because certain information that we use is dependent on future events, cannot be calculated with a high degree of precision from data available or simply cannot be readily calculated based on generally accepted methodologies. In some cases, these estimates are particularly difficult to determine and we must exercise significant judgment. In preparing our financial statements, the most difficult, subjective and complex estimates and the assumptions that deal with the greatest amount of uncertainty relate to our accounting for landfills, environmental remediation liabilities, asset impairments, and self-insurance reserves and recoveries. Actual results could differ materially from the estimates and assumptions that we use in the preparation of our financial statements.

 

Adoption of New Accounting Pronouncements

 

SFAS No. 157  — In September 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 157, Fair Value Measurements, which defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. In February 2008, the FASB issued Staff Position FAS 157-2, Effective Date of FASB Statement No. 157 , which delayed the effective date of SFAS No. 157 for all non-financial assets and non-financial liabilities, except those that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis. Effective January 1, 2009, we adopted SFAS No. 157 with respect to non-financial assets and liabilities measured on a non-recurring basis. The application of the fair value framework established by SFAS No. 157 to these fair value measurements did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

SFAS No. 141(R)  — In December 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 141 (revised 2007), Business Combinations , which establishes principles for how the acquirer recognizes and measures in the financial statements the identifiable assets acquired, the liabilities assumed, and any non-controlling interest in the acquiree. This statement

 

WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

also provides guidance for recognizing and measuring the goodwill acquired in the business combination and determines what information to disclose to enable users of the financial statements to evaluate the nature and financial effects of the business combination. Effective January 1, 2009, we adopted SFAS No. 141(R). The portions of the statement that relate to business combinations completed on or before January 1, 2009 did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. Further, business combinations completed in 2009 have not been material to our financial position, results of operations or cash flows. However, to the extent that future business combinations are material, our adoption of SFAS No. 141(R) will significantly impact our accounting and reporting for future acquisitions, principally as a result of (i) expanded requirements to value acquired assets, liabilities and contingencies at their fair values when such amounts can be determined; and (ii) the requirement that acquisition-related transaction and restructuring costs be expensed as incurred rather than capitalized as a part of the cost of the acquisition.

 

SFAS No. 160  — In December 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 160, Noncontrolling Interests in Consolidated Financial Statements — an amendment of ARB No. 51 , which establishes accounting and reporting standards for the noncontrolling interest in a subsidiary and for the deconsolidation of a subsidiary. The standard also establishes that a noncontrolling interest in a subsidiary is an ownership interest in the consolidated entity that should be reported as equity in the consolidated financial statements. We adopted SFAS No. 160 on January 1, 2009. The presentation and disclosure requirements of SFAS No. 160, which must be applied retrospectively for all periods presented, have resulted in reclassifications to our prior period consolidated financial information and the remeasurement of our 2008 effective tax rate.

 

SFAS No. 165  — In May 2009, the FASB issued SFAS No. 165, Subsequent Events , which establishes general standards of accounting for and disclosure of events that occur after the balance sheet date but before financial statements are issued or are available to be issued. We have adopted the provisions of SFAS No. 165, which became effective for interim and annual reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009. Subsequent events have been evaluated through the date and time the financial statements were issued on July 30, 2009. No material subsequent events have occurred since June 30, 2009 that required recognition or disclosure in our current period financial statements.

 

Reclassifications

 

Statement of Cash Flows  — As a result of an increase in the significance of certain non-cash expenses, we have elected to separately identify the effects of “Interest accretion on landfill liabilities,” “Interest accretion on and discount rate adjustments to environmental remediation liabilities and recovery assets” and “Equity-based compensation expense” within the “Cash flows from operating activities” section of our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. We have made reclassifications in our 2008 Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows to conform prior-year information with our current period presentation.

 

Segments  — During the first quarter of 2009, we transferred responsibility for the oversight of day-to-day recycling operations at our material recovery facilities and secondary processing facilities to the management teams of our geographic Groups. We believe that by integrating the management of these aspects of our recycling operations with the remainder of our solid waste business we can ensure that we are focusing on maximizing the profitability and return on invested capital of all aspects of our business as well as more efficiently providing comprehensive environmental solutions to our customers. As a result of this operational change, we also changed the way we review the financial results of our geographic Groups. Beginning in 2009, the financial results of our material recovery facilities and secondary processing facilities are included as a component of their respective geographic Group or segment and the financial results of our recycling brokerage business and electronics recycling services are included as part of our “Other” operations. We have reflected the impact of this change for all periods presented to provide financial information that consistently reflects our current approach to managing our geographic Group operations. Refer to Note 9 for further discussion about our reportable segments.

 

Certain other minor reclassifications have been made to our prior period consolidated financial information in order to conform to the current year presentation.

 

WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

 

 

Liabilities for landfill and environmental remediation costs are presented in the table below (in millions):

 

 

The changes to landfill and environmental remediation liabilities for the year ended December 31, 2008 and the six months ended June 30, 2009 are reflected in the table below (in millions):

 

 

 

 

At several of our landfills, we provide financial assurance by depositing cash into restricted trust funds or escrow accounts for purposes of settling closure, post-closure and environmental remediation obligations. The fair value of these escrow accounts and trust funds was $220 million at June 30, 2009, and is primarily included as long-term “Other assets” in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet.

 

WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

 

 

The following table summarizes the major components of debt at each balance sheet date (in millions) and provides the maturities and interest rates of each major category as of June 30, 2009:

 

 

As of June 30, 2009, we had $401 million of debt maturing within twelve months and $617 million of fixed-rate tax-exempt bonds and $39 million of fixed-rate tax-exempt project bonds subject to remarketing within the next twelve months. We have classified $244 million of these borrowings as current portion of long-term debt; the remaining $813 million is classified as long-term as of June 30, 2009 based on our intent and ability, given the capacity available under our revolving credit facility and Canadian credit facility, to refinance these borrowings on a long-term basis.

 

The significant changes in our debt balances from December 31, 2008 to June 30, 2009 are related to the following:

 

 

As of June 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008, $230 million and $209 million, respectively, of these advances were classified as long-term based on our intent and ability to refinance the obligations on a long-term basis under the terms of the facility.

 

 

WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

revolving credit facility and the remaining proceeds were used to repay $500 million of 6.875% senior notes that matured in May 2009.

 

The remaining change in the carrying value of our senior notes from December 31, 2008 to June 30, 2009 is due to accounting for our fixed-to-floating interest rate swap agreements, which are accounted for as fair value hedges resulting in all fair value adjustments being reflected as a component of the carrying value of the underlying debt. For additional information regarding our interest rate derivatives, refer to Note 11.

 

 

 

Our effective tax rate for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009 was 37.9% and 37.6%, respectively, compared with 37.5% and 37.2%, respectively, for the comparable prior-year periods. As a result of our adoption of SFAS No. 160, the measurement of our effective tax rate has changed from previous years. This change is a result of an increase in our “Income before income taxes” because of the exclusion from this measure of “Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests,” or what was previously referred to as “Minority interest” expense. Our 2008 effective tax rate has been remeasured and reported in a manner consistent with the current measurement approach. Amounts reported as “Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests” are reported net of any applicable taxes.

 

The difference between federal income taxes computed at the federal statutory rate and reported income taxes for the three- and six- month periods ended June 30, 2009 and 2008 is primarily due to state and local income taxes. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2008, the increase from state and local income taxes was offset, in part, by the favorable impact of tax audit settlements, which reduced our provision for income taxes by $7 million and $13 million, respectively. Our provision for income taxes for the six months ended June 30, 2008 also included a tax benefit of $3 million for the final true-up of our 2007 non-conventional fuel tax credits.

 

We evaluate our effective tax rate at each interim period and adjust it accordingly as facts and circumstances warrant.

 

WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

 

 

Comprehensive income was as follows (in millions):

 

 

The components of accumulated other comprehensive income, which is included as a component of Waste Management, Inc. stockholders’ equity, were as follows (in millions):

 

 

 

Basic and diluted earnings per share were computed using the following common share data (shares in millions):

 

 

WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

 

 

Financial instruments  — We have obtained letters of credit, performance bonds and insurance policies and have established trust funds and issued financial guarantees to support tax-exempt bonds, contracts, performance of landfill closure and post-closure requirements, environmental remediation, and other obligations. Letters of credit generally are supported by our revolving credit facility and other credit facilities established for that purpose. We obtain surety bonds and insurance policies from an entity in which we have a non-controlling financial interest. We also obtain insurance from a wholly-owned insurance company, the sole business of which is to issue policies for us. In those instances where our use of financial assurance from entities we own or have financial interests in is not allowed, we generally have available alternative financial assurance mechanisms.

 

Management does not expect to have any claims against or draws on these instruments that would have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial statements and we have not experienced any unmanageable difficulty in obtaining the required financial assurance instruments for our current operations.

 

Insurance  — We carry insurance coverage for protection of our assets and operations from certain risks including automobile liability, general liability, real and personal property, workers’ compensation, directors’ and officers’ liability, pollution legal liability and other coverages we believe are customary to the industry. Our exposure to loss for insurance claims is generally limited to the per incident deductible under the related insurance policy. Our exposure, however, could increase if our insurers were unable to meet their commitments on a timely basis.

 

We have retained a significant portion of the risks related to our automobile, general liability and workers’ compensation insurance programs. For our self-insured retentions, the exposure for unpaid claims and associated expenses, including incurred but not reported losses, is based on an actuarial valuation and internal estimates. The estimated accruals for these liabilities could be affected if future occurrences or loss development significantly differ from the assumptions used. We do not expect the impact of any known casualty, property, environmental or other contingency to have a material impact on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

 

Guarantees  — In the ordinary course of our business, WMI and WM Holdings enter into guarantee agreements associated with their subsidiaries’ operations. Additionally, WMI and WM Holdings have each guaranteed all of the senior debt of the other entity. No additional liabilities have been recorded for these intercompany guarantees because all of the underlying obligations are reflected in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

 

We also have guaranteed the obligations of and provided indemnification to third parties in the ordinary course of business. Guarantee agreements outstanding as of June 30, 2009 include guarantees of unconsolidated entities’ financial obligations maturing through 2020 for maximum future payments of $10 million; agreements guaranteeing the market value of homeowners’ properties adjacent to landfills; and the guarantee of interest rate swap obligations of the funding entity in connection with our letter of credit facility. Our indemnification obligations generally provide that we will be responsible for liabilities associated with our operations for events that occurred prior to the sale of the operations. We do not believe that it is possible to determine the contingent obligations associated with these indemnities. Additionally, under certain of our acquisition agreements, we have provided for additional consideration to be paid to the sellers if established financial targets are achieved post-closing. The costs associated with any additional consideration requirements are accounted for as incurred.

 

Environmental matters  — A significant portion of our operating costs and capital expenditures could be characterized as costs of environmental protection, as we are subject to an array of laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment. Under current laws and regulations, we may have liabilities for environmental damage caused by our operations, or for damage caused by conditions that existed before we acquired a site. In addition to remediation activity required by state or local authorities, such liabilities include potentially responsible party, or PRP, investigations. The costs associated with these liabilities can include settlements, certain legal and consultant fees, and costs directly associated with site investigation and clean-up, such as materials and incremental internal costs directly related to the remedy.

 

WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

Estimating our degree of responsibility for remediation of a particular site is inherently difficult and determining the method and ultimate cost of remediation requires that a number of assumptions be made. There can sometimes be a range of reasonable estimates of the costs associated with the likely remedy of a site. In these cases, we use the amount within the range that constitutes our best estimate. If no amount within a range appears to be a better estimate than any other, we use the amount that is the low end of such range in accordance with SFAS No. 5, Accounting for Contingencies , and its interpretations. If we used the high ends of such ranges, our aggregate potential liability would be approximately $145 million higher than the $272 million recorded in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements as of June 30, 2009. Our ongoing review of our remediation liabilities could result in revisions to our accruals that could cause upward or downward adjustments to income from operations. These adjustments could be material in any given period.

 

As of June 30, 2009, we had been notified that we are a PRP in connection with 75 locations listed on the EPA’s National Priorities List, or NPL. Of the 75 sites at which claims have been made against us, 16 are sites we own. Each of the NPL sites we own was initially developed by others as a landfill disposal facility. At each of these facilities, we are working in conjunction with the government to characterize or remediate identified site problems, and we have either agreed with other legally liable parties on an arrangement for sharing the costs of remediation or are pursuing resolution of an allocation formula. We generally expect to receive any amounts due from these parties at or near the time that we make the remedial expenditures. The other 59 NPL sites, which we do not own, are at various procedural stages under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, known as CERCLA or Superfund.

 

Litigation  — In April 2002, two former participants in the ERISA plans of Waste Management Holdings, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary we acquired in 1998 (“WM Holdings”), filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in a case entitled William S. Harris, et al. v. James E. Koenig, et al . The lawsuit named as defendants WM Holdings and various members of WM Holdings’ Board of Directors prior to July 1998, and the Administrative Committee of WM Holdings’ ERISA plans and its individual members; various members of the Administrative and Investment Committees of WMI’s ERISA plans; and State Street Bank & Trust, the trustee and investment manager of WMI’s ERISA plans. The lawsuit attempts to increase the recovery of a class of ERISA plan participants based on allegations related to both the events alleged in, and the settlements relating to, the securities class action against WM Holdings that was settled in 1998 and the securities class action against WMI that was settled in 2001. The defendants filed motions to dismiss the complaints on the pleadings, and in April 2009, the Court granted in part and denied in part the defendants’ motions. The Court dismissed the plaintiffs’ claims that were based on alleged accounting irregularities by WM Holdings for the period between January 1990 and February 1998. However, the Court denied defendants’ motion to dismiss plaintiffs’ claims alleging breaches of fiduciary duties against all of the defendants during the time period between July 1999 and December 1999 based primarily on defendants allowing the WM Holdings ERISA plan to participate in the settlement of the securities class action against WM Holdings. Each of Mr. Pope, Mr. Rothmeier and Ms. San Juan Cafferty, members of our Board of Directors, was a member of the WM Holdings’ Board of Directors and therefore is a named defendant in these actions, as is Mr. Simpson, our Chief Financial Officer, by virtue of his membership on the WMI ERISA plan Investment Committee. The Court also denied the defendants’ motion for dismissal for the claims related to the period between February 2002 and July 2002 against State Street for failing to adequately represent the plaintiffs’ interests in the settlement of the securities class action against WMI. All of the defendants intend to defend themselves vigorously.

 

There are two separate wage and hour lawsuits pending against certain of our subsidiaries in California, each seeking class certification. The actions have recently been coordinated to proceed in San Diego County. Both lawsuits make the same general allegations that the defendants failed to comply with certain California wage and hour laws, including allegedly failing to provide meal and rest periods, and failing to properly pay hourly and overtime wages. Similarly, a purported class action lawsuit was filed against WMI in August 2008 in federal court in Minnesota alleging that we violated the Fair Labor Standards Act. We deny the claims in all of the actions and

 

WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

intend to vigorously defend all of these matters. Given the inherent uncertainties of litigation, the ultimate outcomes cannot be predicted at this time, nor can possible damages, if any, be reasonably estimated.

 

From time to time, we also are named as defendants in personal injury and property damage lawsuits, including purported class actions, on the basis of having owned, operated or transported waste to a disposal facility that is alleged to have contaminated the environment or, in certain cases, on the basis of having conducted environmental remediation activities at sites. Some of the lawsuits may seek to have us pay the costs of monitoring of allegedly affected sites and health care examinations of allegedly affected persons for a substantial period of time even where no actual damage is proven. While we believe we have meritorious defenses to these lawsuits, the ultimate resolution is often substantially uncertain due to the difficulty of determining the cause, extent and impact of alleged contamination (which may have occurred over a long period of time), the potential for successive groups of complainants to emerge, the diversity of the individual plaintiffs’ circumstances, and the potential contribution or indemnification obligations of co-defendants or other third parties, among other factors.

 

As a large company with operations across the United States and Canada, we are subject to various proceedings, lawsuits, disputes and claims arising in the ordinary course of our business. Many of these actions raise complex factual and legal issues and are subject to uncertainties. Actions filed against us include commercial, customer, and employment-related claims, including purported class action lawsuits related to our customer service agreements and purported class actions involving federal and state wage and hour and other laws. The plaintiffs in some actions seek unspecified damages or injunctive relief, or both. These actions are in various procedural stages, and some are covered in part by insurance. We currently do not believe that any such actions will ultimately have a material adverse impact on our consolidated financial statements.

 

WMI’s charter and bylaws currently require indemnification of its officers and directors if statutory standards of conduct have been met and allow the advancement of expenses to these individuals upon receipt of an undertaking by the individuals to repay all expenses if it is ultimately determined that they did not meet the required standards of conduct. Additionally, WMI has entered into separate indemnification agreements with each of the members of its Board of Directors as well as its Chief Executive Officer, its President and its Chief Financial Officer. The Company may incur substantial expenses in connection with the fulfillment of its advancement of costs and indemnification obligations in connection with current actions involving former officers of the Company or its subsidiaries, including the Harris lawsuit mentioned above, or other actions or proceedings that may be brought against its former or current officers, directors and employees.

 

On March 20, 2008, we filed a lawsuit in state district court in Harris County, Texas against SAP AG and SAP America, Inc., alleging fraud and breach of contract. The lawsuit relates to our 2005 software license from SAP for a waste and recycling revenue management system and agreement for SAP to implement the software on a fixed-fee basis. We have alleged (i) that SAP demonstrated and sold software that SAP represented was a mature, “out-of-the-box” software solution that met the specific business requirements of the Company, (ii) that no production, modification or customization would be necessary and (iii) that the software would be fully implemented throughout the Company in 18 months. We are vigorously pursuing all claims available, including recovery of all payments we have made, costs we have incurred and the benefits we have not realized. SAP filed a general denial to the suit. Discovery is ongoing and we have been assigned a trial date of March 2010.

 

During the first quarter of 2009, we determined to enhance and improve our existing revenue management system and not pursue alternatives associated with the development and implementation of a revenue management system that would include the licensed SAP software. Accordingly, after careful consideration of the failures and immaturity of the SAP software, we determined to abandon any alternative that includes the use of the SAP software. Our determination to abandon the SAP software resulted in a non-cash impairment charge of $49 million. Refer to Note 10 for additional information related to the impairment charge.

 

Item 103 of the SEC’s Regulation S-K requires disclosure of certain environmental matters when a governmental authority is a party to the proceedings and the proceedings involve potential monetary sanctions that we

 

WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

reasonably believe could exceed $100,000. The following matter, pending as of June 30, 2009, is disclosed in accordance with that requirement:

 

On April 4, 2006, the EPA issued a Finding and Notice of Violation (“FNOV”) to Waste Management of Hawaii, Inc., an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of WMI, and to the City and County of Honolulu for alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act, based on alleged failure to submit certain reports and design plans required by the EPA, and the failure to begin and timely complete the installation of a gas collection and control system for the Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill on Oahu. The FNOV did not propose a penalty amount and the parties have been in confidential settlement negotiations. Pursuant to an indemnity agreement, any penalty assessed will be paid by the Company, and not by the City and County of Honolulu.

 

Tax matters  — We are currently in the examination phase of IRS audits for the 2008 and 2009 tax years. We expect the 2008 audit to be completed within the next six months and the 2009 audit to be completed within the next 18 months. Audits associated with state and local jurisdictions date back to 1999 and examinations associated with Canada date back to 1998. To provide for certain potential tax exposures, we maintain a liability for unrecognized tax benefits, the balance of which management believes is adequate. Results of audit assessments by taxing authorities could have a material effect on our quarterly or annual cash flows as audits are completed, although we do not believe that current tax audit matters will have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.

 

We have approximately $2.9 billion of tax-exempt bond financings as of June 30, 2009. Tax-exempt financings are structured pursuant to certain terms and conditions of the Internal Revenue Code, which exempt from taxation the interest income earned by the bondholders. The requirements of the Code are complex, and failure to comply with these requirements could cause certain past interest payments made on the bonds to be taxable and could cause either outstanding principal amounts on the bonds to be accelerated or future interest payments on the bonds to be taxable. Some of the Company’s tax-exempt financings have been, or currently are, the subject of examinations by the IRS to determine whether the financings meet the requirements of the Code and applicable regulations.

 

 

In January 2009, we took steps to further streamline our organization by (i) consolidating many of our Market Areas; (ii) integrating the management of our recycling operations with the remainder of our solid waste business; and (iii) realigning our Corporate organization with this new structure in order to provide support functions more efficiently.

 

Our principal operations are managed through our Groups, which are discussed in Note 9. Each of our geographic Groups had been further divided into several Market Areas. As a result of our restructuring, the 45 separate Market Areas that we previously operated have been consolidated into 25 Areas. We have found that our larger Market Areas generally were able to achieve efficiencies through economies of scale that were not present in our smaller Market Areas, and believe that this reorganization will allow us to lower costs and continue to standardize processes and improve productivity. In addition, during the first quarter of 2009, responsibility for the oversight of day-to-day recycling operations at our material recovery facilities and secondary processing facilities was transferred from our Waste Management Recycle America, or WMRA, organization to our geographic Groups. By integrating the management of these recycling services with the remainder of our solid waste business, we will be able to more efficiently provide comprehensive environmental solutions to our customers. In addition, as a result of this realignment, we have significantly reduced the overhead costs associated with managing this portion of our business and have increased the geographic Groups’ focus on maximizing the profitability and return on invested capital of all aspects of our business.

 

This reorganization has eliminated over 1,500 employee positions throughout the Company. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2009, we recognized $5 million and $43 million, respectively, of pre-tax restructuring charges associated with this reorganization of which $2 million and $38 million, respectively, were related to employee severance and benefit costs. The remaining charges were primarily related to abandoned

 

WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

operating lease agreements. The following table summarizes the charges recognized for this restructuring by each of our current reportable segments and our Corporate organization (in millions):

 

 

Through June 30, 2009, we had paid approximately $25 million of the employee severance and benefit costs incurred as a result of this restructuring. The length of time we are obligated to make severance payments varies, with the longest obligation continuing through the third quarter of 2010.

 

We currently expect to incur additional restructuring charges of up to $10 million associated with this reorganization during the remainder of 2009.

 

 

We currently manage and evaluate our operations primarily through our Eastern, Midwest, Southern, Western and Wheelabrator Groups. These five Groups are presented below as our reportable segments. Our segments provide integrated waste management services consisting of collection, disposal (solid waste and hazardous waste landfills), transfer, waste-to-energy facilities and independent power production plants that are managed by Wheelabrator, recycling services and other services to commercial, industrial, municipal and residential customers throughout the United States and in Puerto Rico and Canada. The operations not managed through our five operating Groups are presented herein as “Other.”

 

As a result of the transfer of responsibility for the oversight of day-to-day recycling operations at our material recovery facilities and secondary processing facilities to the management teams of our geographic Groups, we also changed the way we review the financial results of our geographic Groups. Beginning in 2009, the financial results of our material recovery facilities and secondary processing facilities are included as a component of their respective geographic Group or segment and the financial results of our recycling brokerage business and electronics recycling services are included as part of our “Other” operations. We have reflected the impact of this change for all periods presented to provide financial information that consistently reflects our current approach to managing our geographic Group operations.

 

WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

Summarized financial information concerning our reportable segments for the three and six months ended June 30 is shown in the following tables (in millions):

 

 

Fluctuations in our operating results may be caused by many factors, including period-to-period changes in the relative contribution of revenue by each line of business and operating segment and general economic conditions.

 

WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

During the periods presented, the comparability of the revenue and operating results of our geographic Groups has been significantly affected by (i) the continued economic downturn, which resulted in a decrease in our revenues when comparing the three and six months ended June 30, 2009 with the comparable prior-year periods due to reduced consumer and business spending; (ii) sharply lower recycling commodities prices and diesel fuel prices when comparing the three and six months ended June 30, 2009 with the comparable prior-year periods, which resulted in a decline in both revenues and operating expenses; and (iii) our continued focus on pricing, which continues to increase revenues and the operating margins of our collection line of business. As disclosed in Note 8, the income from operations of each of our geographic Groups for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009 has also been affected by our January 2009 reorganization.

 

The operating margins provided by our Wheelabrator segment (waste-to-energy facilities and independent power production plants) have historically been higher than the margins provided by our base business due generally to the combined impact of high margin long-term disposal and energy contracts and the high disposal demands of the regions in which our facilities are concentrated.

 

In addition, our revenues and income from operations typically reflect seasonal patterns. Our operating revenues tend to be somewhat higher in the summer months, primarily due to the higher volume of construction and demolition waste. The volumes of industrial and residential waste in certain regions where we operate also tend to increase during the summer months. Our second and third quarter revenues and results of operations typically reflect these seasonal trends, although we saw a significantly weaker seasonal volume increase during 2009 than we generally experience. Additionally, certain destructive weather conditions that tend to occur during the second half of the year actually increase our revenues in the areas affected. However, for several reasons, including significant start-up costs, such revenue often generates comparatively lower margins. Certain weather conditions may result in the temporary suspension of our operations, which can significantly affect the operating results of the affected regions. The operating results of our first quarter also often reflect higher repair and maintenance expenses because we rely on the slower winter months, when waste flows are generally lower, to perform scheduled maintenance at our waste-to-energy facilities.

 

 

As of December 31, 2008, our “Property and equipment” included $70 million of accumulated costs associated with the development of our waste and recycling revenue management system. Approximately $49 million of these costs were specifically associated with the purchase of the license of SAP’s waste and recycling revenue management software and the efforts required to develop and configure that software for our use. The remaining costs were associated with the general efforts of integrating a revenue management system with our existing applications and hardware.

 

After a failed pilot implementation of the software in one of our smallest market areas, the development efforts associated with this revenue management system were suspended in 2007. As disclosed in Note 7, in March 2008, we filed suit against SAP and have been assigned a trial date of March 2010.

 

During the first quarter of 2009, we determined to enhance and improve our existing revenue management system and not pursue alternatives associated with the development and implementation of a revenue management system that would include the licensed SAP software. Accordingly, after careful consideration of the failures of the SAP software, we determined to abandon any alternative that would include the use of the SAP software. The determination to abandon the SAP software as our revenue management system resulted in a non-cash charge of $49 million.

 

During the second quarter of 2009, we recognized a $2 million impairment charge due to a change in expectations for the operating life of a landfill in our Southern Group.

 

WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

 

 

 

Assets and Liabilities Accounted for at Fair Value

 

SFAS No. 157 provides a framework for measuring fair value and establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value, giving the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 inputs) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 inputs).

 

We use valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. In measuring the fair value of our assets and liabilities, we use market data or assumptions that we believe market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability, including assumptions about risk when appropriate. As of June 30, 2009, our assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis include the following (in millions):