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a recession in *[REDACTED]* for the impairment tests, with corresponding decreases in projected cash flows and earnings of *[REDACTED]* percent and *[REDACTED]* percent, respectively. The earnings projections reflect:
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A lower level of earnings growth expected from upstream oil and gas following the reduced 2015 actual results for Pump Solutions as a result of the oil and gas volatility; and
Consistent earnings growth derived from industries outside of the oil and gas sectors;
EBITDA margins that reflect the reduced 2015 actual results, with a total margin improvement in *[REDACTED]* through *[REDACTED]* of *[REDACTED]* percentage points and a decline in EBITDA margin in *[REDACTED]* of *[REDACTED]* percentage points due to an assumed recession;
A terminal long term growth rate of *[REDACTED]* percent, which is based on estimated inflation of *[REDACTED]* percent plus estimated general growth in the economy of *[REDACTED]* percent; and
A discount rate of *[REDACTED]* percent, which included a company specific risk premium of approximately *[REDACTED]* percent to incorporate the impact of additional risk in the oil and gas sector.
Given the recent volatility in upstream oil and gas that negatively impacted 2015 results, most notably for our upstream customers, we adjusted the forecasts used in our goodwill impairment tests for the portion of our revenue mix expected to come from upstream oil and gas customers, and have applied reduced short term growth expectations as compared to previous forecasts on a lower revenue base for these customers. Lower actual revenues in 2015 and modified short term growth expectations from upstream oil and gas in our forecasts are the primary reasons for the Pump Solutions region’s fair value exceeding its carrying value by only 1 percent at November 30, 2015.
As reflected in the forecast assumptions above, the Company is committed to a strategy of driving growth in our Pump Solutions business beyond oil and gas. As discussed in the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 ("2015 Form 10-K"), the Pump Solutions region is primarily comprised of locations acquired in the April 2014 National Pump acquisition, and was established upon the National Pump acquisition. At the time the acquisition was announced, we noted in our investor presentation and on associated calls that half of National Pump’s revenue mix at the time came from the upstream oil and gas sector, which was highly profitable and experienced high time utilization. We also identified growth beyond oil and gas as an important factor in our decision to purchase the National Pump business, and noted the following components of our strategy for National Pump:
Cross-selling in verticals where we had a strong presence, namely across our general rentals, trench safety and power and HVAC businesses, as well as with current National Pump customers that may not previously have been our customers. We identified little customer overlap between the businesses at that time;
Integrating pumps as part of a comprehensive equipment rental offering; and
Expanding into potential high margin markets outside of oil and gas, with a focus on industrial, municipal, utilities, mining and construction activities.
Consistent with the above strategy, since the acquisition of National Pump, the Company has:
Opened 16 new Pump Solutions branches through February 29, 2016, including 2 opened in 2016. All but 2 of these new branches directly support industries other than upstream oil and gas;
Converted certain pumps that were almost exclusively for use in the upstream oil markets to multi-use, solid handling pumps that can be used across multiple industries. We expect to continue such conversions in support of diversification beyond oil and gas;
Focused on cross-selling with our other reporting units across our national accounts; and
Experienced robust revenue growth across other verticals, with average growth rates since acquisition of 50 percent or better in municipal, downstream oil, and mining and construction. Outside of these verticals that experienced significant growth, the remaining Pump Solutions locations experienced an offsetting decrease in revenue across the same period due largely to the oil and gas volatility.
Because a portion of its revenue mix continues to be in the oil and gas sector, the Pump Solutions region continues to be exposed to oil and gas volatility. Our impairment test at November 30, 2015 reflected the portion of revenue we expect from oil and gas in the short term at a moderate growth rate which is reflective of current market conditions in upstream oil and gas, and also included our estimate of the growth we are beginning to experience, as noted above, in other verticals. The forecasts used in the impairment test also incorporated our continuing focus on diversifying our Pump Solutions business across these verticals, with associated higher growth rates than upstream oil and gas.
Based on our results through February 2016 and our forecast for the remainder of the year, we currently expect our 2016 results for the region to be consistent with the forecast included in our November 30, 2015 goodwill impairment test. As noted in our 2015 Form 10-K, the Company will continue to monitor the Pump Solutions reporting unit for impairment.