Avis 2013 Annual Report Download - page 38

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costs, including concession costs imposed by an airport authority or the owner and/or operator of the premises
from which our vehicles are rented. We may in the future be subject to potential U.S. or international laws or
regulations that could negatively impact our ability to separately state, charge and recover such costs, which
could adversely impact our financial condition or results of operations.
With respect to U.S. and international consumer privacy and data protection laws and regulations in the
jurisdictions in which we operate, we may be limited in the types of information that we may collect about
individuals with whom we deal or propose to deal, as well as how we collect, process and retain the information
that we are permitted to collect, some of which may be non-public personally identifiable information. The
centralized nature of our information systems requires the routine flow of information about customers and
potential customers across national borders, particularly in the United States and Europe. If this flow of
information were to become illegal, or subject to onerous restrictions, our ability to serve our customers could be
negatively impaired for an extended period of time. In addition, our failure to maintain the security of the data we
hold, whether as a result of our own error or the actions of others, could harm our reputation or give rise to legal
liabilities that adversely impact our financial condition or results of operations. Privacy and data protection
regulations impact the ways that we process our transaction information and increase our compliance costs. In
addition, the Payment Card Industry imposes strict customer credit card data security standards to ensure that
our customers’ credit card information is protected. Failure to meet these data security standards could result in
substantial increased fees to credit card companies, other liabilities and/or loss of the right to collect credit card
payments, which could adversely impact our financial condition or results of operations.
We face risks related to environmental laws and regulations.
We are subject to a wide variety of environmental laws and regulations in the United States and internationally in
connection with our operations, including, among other things, with respect to the ownership or use of tanks for
the storage of petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel and motor and waste oils; the treatment or
discharge of waste waters; and the generation, storage, transportation and off-site treatment or disposal of solid
or liquid wastes. We maintain liability insurance covering our storage tanks. In the United States, we have
instituted an environmental compliance program designed to ensure that these tanks are properly registered in
the jurisdiction in which they are located and are in compliance with applicable technical and operational
requirements. We are also subject to various environmental regulatory requirements in other countries in which
we operate. The tank systems located at each of our locations may not at all times remain free from undetected
leaks, and the use of these tanks may result in significant spills, which may require remediation and expose us to
material liabilities.
We may also be subject to requirements related to the remediation of substances that have been released into
the environment at properties owned or operated by us or at properties to which we send substances for
treatment or disposal. Such remediation requirements may be imposed without regard to fault and liability for
environmental remediation can be substantial. These remediation requirements and other environmental
regulations differ depending on the country where the property is located. We have made, and will continue to
make, expenditures to comply with environmental laws and regulations, including, among others, expenditures for
the remediation of contamination at our owned and leased properties, as well as contamination at other locations
at which our wastes have reportedly been identified. Our compliance with existing or future environmental laws
and regulations may, however, require material expenditures by us or otherwise have an adverse impact on our
financial condition or results of operations.
The U.S. Congress and other legislative and regulatory authorities in the United States and internationally have
considered, and will likely continue to consider, numerous measures related to climate change and greenhouse
gas emissions. Should rules establishing limitations on greenhouse gas emissions or rules imposing fees on
entities deemed to be responsible for greenhouse gas emission become effective, demand for our services could
be affected, our fleet and/or other costs could increase, and our business could be adversely impacted.