18.  COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Purchase Commitments

We have various purchase commitments extending through 2039 for materials, supplies and services entered into in the ordinary course of business. Included in the purchase commitments table below are contracts which require minimum volume purchases that extend beyond one year or are renewable annually and have been renewed for 2017. Certain contracts allow for changes in minimum required purchase volumes in the event of a temporary or permanent shutdown of a facility. To the extent the contract requires a minimum notice period, such notice period has been included in the table below. The contractual purchase prices for substantially all of these contracts are variable based upon market prices, subject to annual negotiations. We have estimated our contractual obligations by using the terms of our current pricing for each contract. We also have a limited number of contracts which require a minimum payment even if no volume is purchased. We believe that all of our purchase obligations will be utilized in our normal operations. We made minimum payments of nil,  $1 million and nil for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively, under such take or pay contracts without taking the product.

Total purchase commitments as of December 31, 2017 are as follows (dollars in millions):

 

Operating Leases

We lease certain railcars, aircraft, equipment and facilities under long-term lease agreements. The total expense recorded under operating lease agreements in our consolidated statements of operations is approximately $80 million, $81 million and $86 million for 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively, net of sublease rentals of approximately $2 million each for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015.

Future minimum lease payments under operating leases as of December 31, 2017 are as follows (dollars in millions):

 

Future minimum lease payments have not been reduced by minimum sublease rentals of $2 million due in the future under noncancelable subleases.

Legal Matters

Indemnification Matters

On July 3, 2012, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC (“the Banks”) demanded that we indemnify them for claims brought against them by certain MatlinPatterson entities that were formerly our stockholders (“MatlinPatterson”) in litigation filed by MatlinPatterson on June 19, 2012 in the 9th District Court in Montgomery County, Texas (the “Texas Litigation”). We denied the Banks’ indemnification demand for the Texas Litigation. These claims allegedly arose from the failed acquisition by and merger with Hexion. The Texas Litigation was dismissed, which was upheld by the Ninth Court of Appeals and the Texas Supreme Court denied review by final order entered January 7, 2016.

On July 14, 2014, the Banks demanded that we indemnify them for additional claims brought against them by certain other former Company stockholders in litigation filed June 14, 2014 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin (the “Wisconsin Litigation”). We denied the Banks’ indemnification demand for the Wisconsin Litigation and have made no accrual with respect to this matter. The stockholders in the Wisconsin Litigation have made essentially the same factual allegations as MatlinPatterson made in the Texas Litigation and, additionally, have named Apollo Global Management LLC and Apollo Management Holdings, L.P. as defendants. Stockholder plaintiffs in the Wisconsin Litigation assert claims for misrepresentation and conspiracy to defraud. On June 30, 2016, the plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed the Apollo defendants and on December 5, 2016, the court dismissed Deutsche Bank for lack of personal jurisdiction, but denied Credit Suisse's motion to dismiss. Subsequently, Credit Suisse asked the court to reconsider its decision or certify its judgment to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals for an immediate appeal, which remains pending. Subsequent to discovery, Credit Suisse filed a motion for summary judgment on August 25, 2017 and a decision is pending. The court has suspended the current scheduling order, including the trial date. We denied the Banks’ indemnification demand for both the Texas Litigation and the Wisconsin Litigation.

Other Proceedings

We are a party to various other proceedings instituted by private plaintiffs, governmental authorities and others arising under provisions of applicable laws, including various environmental, products liability and other laws. Except as otherwise disclosed in this report, we do not believe that the outcome of any of these matters will have a material effect on our financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.