Birchtech Corp. 10-K

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with consolidated financial statements and the related notes that appear elsewhere within this report. Certain statements we make under this Item 7 constitute “forward-looking statements” under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. See “Forward-Looking Statements” in “Part I” preceding “Item 1 - Business.” You should consider our forward-looking statements in light of the risks discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in Item 1A above, as well as our consolidated financial statements, related notes and other financial information appearing elsewhere in this report and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Background Midwest Energy Emissions Corp. (the “Company”, “we”, “us” and “our”) is an environmental services and technologies company developing and delivering patented and proprietary solutions to the global power industry. Our leading-edge services have been shown to achieve mercury emissions removal at a significantly lower cost and with less operational impact to coal-fired power plants than currently used methods, while maintaining and/or increasing power plant output and preserving the marketability of byproducts for beneficial use. North America is currently the largest market for our technology. The U.S. EPA MATS (Mercury and Air Toxics Standards) rule requires that all coal and oil-fired power plants in the U.S., larger than 25MWs, must limit mercury in its emissions to below certain specified levels, according to the type of coal burned. Power plants were required to begin complying with MATS on April 16, 2015, unless they were granted a one-year extension to begin to comply. MATS, along with many state and provincial regulations, form the basis for mercury emission capture at coal fired plants across North America. Under the MATS regulation, Electric Generating Units (“EGUs”) are required to remove about 90% of the mercury from their emissions. We believe that we continue to meet the requirements of the industry as a whole and our technologies have been shown to achieve mercury removal levels compliant with all state, provincial and federal regulations at a lower cost and with less plant impact than our competition. As is typical in this market, we are paid by the EGU based on how much of our material is injected to achieve the needed level of mercury removal. Our current clients pay us as material is delivered to their facility. Clients will use our material whenever their EGUs operate, although EGUs are not always in operation. EGUs typically may not be in operation due to maintenance reasons or when the price of power in the market is less than their cost to produce power. Thus, our revenues from EGU clients will not typically be a consistent stream but will fluctuate, especially seasonally as the market demand for power fluctuates. The MATS regulation has been subject to legal challenge since being enacted. In June 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the EPA unreasonably failed to consider costs in determining whether it is “appropriate and necessary” to regulate hazardous air pollutants, including mercury, from power plants, but left the rule in place. On remand, following the Supreme Court’s instructions to consider costs, the EPA in April 2016 issued a final supplemental finding reaffirming the MATS rule on the ground that it is supported by the cost analysis the Supreme Court required. That supplemental finding remains under review by the D.C. Circuit. In April 2017, the EPA asked the court to place that litigation in abeyance, stating that the Agency then under the Trump Administration was reviewing the supplemental finding to determine whether it should be reconsidered in whole or in part. The court granted EPA’s abeyance request which has remained in place. In April 2020, the EPA concluded that the 2016 supplemental finding was flawed in part due to its reliance on co-benefits to justify MATS and withdrew EPA’s 2016 “appropriate-and-necessary” determination as erroneous, but left the 2011 MATS rule in place pursuant to D.C. Circuit case law holding that a source category may only be removed from the list of categories to be regulated through a rigorous delisting process that cannot currently be satisfied by EPA. Upon taking office, the Biden Administration in January 2021 directed the EPA to review the previous Administration’s actions on various environmental matters including the withdrawal of the “appropriate and necessary” determination, for conformity with Biden Administration environmental policy. Nevertheless, legal challenges may continue with respect to the MATS regulation which could extend uncertainty over the status of MATS for a number of years. Investors should note that any changes to the MATS rule could have a negative impact on our business. 19 Table of Contents Executive Overview We remain focused on positioning the Company for short and long-term growth. During 2018, we focused on execution at our customer sites and on continual operation improvement. We continue to make refinements to all of our key products, as we continue to focus on the customer and its operations. As part of our overall strategy, we have a number of initiatives which we believe will be able to drive our short and long-term growth. In the United States, we continue to seek new utility customers for our technology in order for them to meet the MATS requirements as well as maintaining our contractual arrangements with our current customers. In this regard, during the first quarter of 2021, we announced that we had secured supply contract extensions with two long-term customers. In Europe, we had been working to penetrate this market through our licensing agreement entered into in March 2018 with one of our primary suppliers. Such arrangement has been terminated effective as of December 6, 2020. We intend to continue to pursue the European market when certain new regulations are expected to take effect in 2021 and 2022 although no assurance can be made that any such efforts will be successful. On February 25, 2019, we were able to complete the restructuring of our unsecured and secured debt obligations held by AC Midwest Energy LLC extending the maturity dates of these debts until 2022 and eliminating quarterly principal payment requirements. This restructuring reflects the commitment of our financial partner in our efforts to attract new business, manage our present customers and monetize our patent portfolio. From June through October 2019, we raised $2,600,000 in a private placement offering of 12.0% unsecured convertible promissory notes and warrants sold and issued to certain accredited investors. In July 2019, we announced that we had initiated patent litigation against defendants in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware for infringement of certain patents which relate to our two-part Sorbent Enhancement Additive (SEA ® ) process for mercury removal from coal-fired power plants. In October 2019, we entered into a license and development agreement with a nonrelated third party entity located in Alabama pursuant to which the parties have agreed to work together to develop a plan to commercialize and market certain technology owned by such entity related to the removal of mercury from air and water emissions generated by coal burning power plants. Between July 2020 and January 2021, we entered into agreements with each of the four major utility defendants in the patent litigation commenced in 2019 which agreements included certain monetary arrangements and pursuant to which we have dismissed all claims brought against each of them and their affiliates, and such parties have withdrawn from petitions for IPR with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Such agreements entered into with such parties provide each of them and their affiliates with a non-exclusive license to certain Company patents (related to the Company’s two-part Sorbent Enhancement Additive (SEA ® ) process) for use in connection with such parties’ coal-fired power plants. One of the agreements has facilitated an ongoing business relationship with that party. During the first quarter of 2021, we eliminated $1,850,000 of convertible notes through conversions to shares of common stock. During the first quarter of 2021, we announced that we are in the process of developing a proprietary methane gas emissions control technology which we believe can be adopted within the oil and gas industry. While we have not established a timeline for the introduction of our methane gas emissions control technology, we hope to be able to commercialize our efforts in 2022 and thereafter. In addition, during the first quarter of 2021, we announced new technologies under development intended to improve the processing of rare earth elements (REEs) in North America. Our new technologies are under development in conjunction with our collaboration with the Alabama third party entity mentioned above and its affiliates. Such technologies focus on improving the cost of extracting rare earth minerals along with improving the environmental footprint of extracting those rare earth elements from their solvent state. While there is no established timeline for the introduction of these technologies after further testing is performed, we hope that if such further testing is successful, these technologies can be commercialized in 2022 and thereafter. 20 Table of Contents Although we face a host of challenges and risks, we are optimistic about our future and expect our business to grow substantially. It should be noted that our operations may be affected by the ongoing coronavirus outbreak which began in China at the beginning of 2020 which has impacted various businesses throughout the world, including travel restrictions and the extended shutdown of certain businesses in impacted geographic regions. If the coronavirus situation does not improve during 2021 or should worsen, we may experience disruptions to our business including, but not limited to, the availability of raw materials, equipment, to our workforce, or to our business relationships with other third parties. Restatement of Previously Issued Financial Statements (Unaudited) On April 13, 2020, our board of directors of the Company (which currently acts as our audit committee) concluded, after consultation with management and the Company’s recently retained financial consulting firm, that our previously issued unaudited financial statements for the periods ended March 31, 2019, June 30, 2019 and September 30, 2019, included in the Company’s Quarterly Reports of Form 10-Q for the periods ended March 31, 2019, June 30, 2019 and September 30, 2019, respectively, should no longer be relied upon as a result of the change in accounting for a certain debt restructuring. Specifically, on February 25, 2019, the Company entered into an Unsecured Note Financing Agreement with AC Midwest Energy LLC (“AC Midwest”), pursuant to which AC Midwest exchanged a previously issued subordinated unsecured note in the principal amount of $13,000,000, together with all accrued and unpaid interest thereon, for a new unsecured note in the principal amount of $13,154,931 (the “New AC Midwest Unsecured Note”). We recorded a gain of $3,412,402 on this exchange which is primarily related to the difference in fair value of the notes on the date of the exchange, which we recently concluded should have been recorded as an equity transaction capital contribution. Since the New AC Midwest Unsecured Note was held by a related party, the gain should have been recorded as a capital transaction under ASC 470-50-40. The profit-sharing portion also should have been bifurcated from the loan and shown separately on the Consolidated Balance Sheets of the financial statements. Such changes, including necessary adjustments for the periods ended March 31, 2019, June 30, 2019 and September 30, 2019, have been reflected in the audited consolidated financial statements and notes included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The adjustments, which are non-cash in nature, increase additional paid-in capital and increase our previously reported net loss, but has no impact on previously reported cash, working capital, total assets, total liabilities and revenues. For further information including the impact of these adjustments, please see Notes 9 and 15 to the audited consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Results of Operations Sales - We generated revenues of approximately $8,158,000 and $11,417,000 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Such revenues were primarily derived from sorbent product sales which were approximately $7,420,000 and $11,045,000 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The decrease is primarily due to decreased generation in the coal fired power sector principally due to renewables and low natural gas prices. Costs and Expenses Costs of sales were approximately $5,440,000 and $8,335,000 for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The decrease is primarily attributable to decreased sales. Selling, general and administrative expenses were approximately $5,936,000 and $6,429,000 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The decrease is primarily attributed to less travel due to COVID-19 and less business development and outside consulting expenses. Total costs and expenses were approximately $13,974,000 and $17,500,000 during the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The decrease is primarily attributable to the decrease in cost of sales. 21 Table of Contents Interest expense and letter of credit fees for the years ended December 2020 and 2019 is as follows: Year Ended December 31, 2020 2019 (In thousands) Interest expense on notes payable $ 562 $ 537 Amortization of discount of notes payable 1,974 1,752 Amortization of debt issuance costs 122 102 $ 2,658 $ 2,391 (Gain) Loss on change in fair value of profit share liability (relating to the restructured unsecured debt obligation held by AC Midwest Energy LLC) were approximately a gain of $24,000 and a loss of $374,000 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The change is primarily attributed to the change in the fair value of the profit share liability. Net Income (Loss) For the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, we had a net loss of approximately $5,826,000 and $6,097,000, respectively. The change in net loss is primarily due to the decrease in revenue offset by a decrease in cost of sales and a decrease in selling, general and administrative expenses. Liquidity and Capital Resources We had approximately $591,000 in cash on our balance sheet at December 31, 2020. Total current assets were $2,375,000, and total current liabilities were $3,359,000 at December 31, 2020, resulting in a working capital deficit of approximately $984,000. Our accumulated deficit was $63.5 million at December 31, 2020. Additionally, we had a net loss in the amount of approximately $5,826,000 and cash used by operating activities of approximately $1,239,000 for the year ended December 31, 2020. During 2018, we restructured convertible notes totaling $560,000 into new loans that mature in 2023. In February 2019, we completed the restructuring of our unsecured and secured debt obligations held by a principal shareholder, extending the maturity dates of these debts and the remaining convertible notes until 2022 and eliminating quarterly principal payment requirements. From June through October 2019, we sold $2,600,000 new convertible notes which mature in 2024 to investors. In February 2020, we closed on a one-year secured loan with a bank in the principal amount of $200,000, and in April 2020, we received loan proceeds in the amount of $299,300 (the “PPP Loan”) pursuant to the Paycheck Protection Program under the CARES Act which was enacted on March 27, 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The principal and accrued interest under the PPP Loan is forgivable after eight weeks if we use the PPP Loan proceeds for eligible purposes, including payroll, benefits, rent and utilities, and otherwise complies with the PPP requirements. In order to obtain forgiveness of the PPP Loan, we must submit a request and provide satisfactory documentation regarding our compliance with applicable requirements. Such PPP loan was forgiven in January 2021 and the one-year secured loan was repaid in full in February 2021. Nevertheless, the accompanying consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2020 have been prepared assuming we will continue as a going concern. As reflected in the consolidated financial statements, we had an accumulated deficit of $63.5 million and a negative working capital of $984,000 at December 31, 2020. Additionally, we had a net loss in the amount of $5.8 million and cash used by operating activities of $1.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. These factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for the next twelve months from the issuance of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Although we anticipate continued significant revenues for products to be used in MATS compliance activities and from licensing of our technologies, no assurances can be given that we can obtain sufficient working capital through these activities and additional financing may be needed to meet its obligations. In February 2021, the Company received second draw loan proceeds in the amount of $299,380 pursuant to the Paycheck Protection Program. In January and February 2021, certain warrant holders exercised warrants for cash and the Company received proceeds of approximately $246,808. Also, in January and February 2021, the Company substantially reduced the aggregate principal amount outstanding on various debt obligations. In this regard, $940,000 of the outstanding principal amount of convertible promissory notes issued in 2013 was converted to common stock, leaving $50,000 remaining outstanding on such notes issued in 2013. In February and March 2021, the Company eliminated $860,000 of outstanding convertible notes issued in 2018 by force converting all of such notes based on the terms thereof. Nevertheless, the Company may need to raise additional equity or debt financing. While we believe in our ability to raise additional funds, no assurances can be given that we can maintain sufficient working capital through these efforts, or that the continued implementation of our business plan will generate sufficient revenues in the future to sustain ongoing operations. 22 Table of Contents Total assets were approximately $7,376,000 at December 31, 2020 versus approximately $9,273,000 at December 31, 2019. The change in total assets is primarily attributable to the decrease in cash. Total liabilities were approximately $20,580,000 at December 31, 2020 versus approximately $18,147,000 at December 31, 2019. The increase in liabilities is primarily due to an increase in debt. Operating activities used approximately $1,239,000 and $1,577,000 of cash during the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The decrease in cash used in operating activities is primarily due to a decrease in net loss. Investing activities provided $42,500 during the year ended December 31, 2020 and $30,000 during the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase in cash provided by investing activities is due the increase in cash received from the sale of equipment. Financing activities provided approximately $288,000 during the year ended December 31, 2020 and $2,461,000 during the year ended December 31, 2019, respectively. In 2020, the Company obtained $499,000 in notes payable and repaid $165,000 of notes payable as compared to raising $2,600,000 in unsecured convertible debt and repaying $139,000 on notes payable in 2019. Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, revenues, and results of operations, liquidity or capital expenditures. Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates Our discussion and analysis of our financial conditions and results of operation are based upon the accompanying consolidated financial statements which have been prepared in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. The preparation of the consolidated financial statements requires that we make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. Management evaluates on an on-going basis our estimates with respect to the valuation allowances for accounts receivable, income taxes, accrued expenses and equity instrument valuation, for example. We base these estimates on various assumptions and experience that we believe to be reasonable. The following critical accounting policies are those that are important to the presentation of our financial condition and results of operations. These policies require management’s most difficult, complex, or subjective judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates of matters that are inherently uncertain. The following critical accounting policies affect our more significant estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. In particular, our most critical accounting policies relate to the recognition of revenue, and the valuation of our stock-based compensation. Inventory Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (first-in, first-out basis) or net realizable value. Inventories are periodically evaluated to identify obsolete or otherwise impaired products and are written off when management determines usage is not probable. The Company estimates the balance of excess and obsolete inventory by analyzing inventory by age using last used and original purchase date and existing sales pipeline for which the inventory could be used. In the past the Company has experienced a minimal valuation allowance on its inventory. 23 Table of Contents Property and Equipment Property and equipment are stated at cost. When retired or otherwise disposed, the related carrying value and accumulated depreciation are removed from the respective accounts and the net difference less any amount realized from disposition, is reflected in earnings. For consolidated financial statement purposes, equipment is recorded at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives of 2 to 5 years. Leasehold improvements are recorded at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over the life of the lease. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance which do not materially extend the useful lives of property and equipment are charged to operations. Management reviews the carrying value of its property and equipment for impairment on an annual basis. Intellectual Property Intellectual property is recorded at cost and amortized over its estimated useful life of 15 years. Management reviews intellectual property for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying amount of an asset or asset group may not be recoverable. In the event that impairment indicators exist, a further analysis is performed and if the sum of the expected undiscounted future cash flows resulting from the use of the asset or asset group is less than the carrying amount of the asset or asset group, an impairment loss equal to the excess of the asset or asset group’s carrying value over its fair value is recorded. Management considers historical experience and all available information at the time the estimates of future cash flows are made, however, the actual cash values that could be realized may differ from those that are estimated. Recoverability of Long-Lived and Intangible Assets Long-lived assets and certain identifiable intangibles held and used by the Company are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Events relating to recoverability may include significant unfavorable changes in business conditions, recurring losses or a forecasted inability to achieve break-even operating results over an extended period. The Company evaluates the recoverability of long-lived assets based upon forecasted undiscounted cash flows. Should impairment in value be indicated, the carrying value of the long-lived and or intangible assets would be adjusted, based on estimates of future discounted cash flows. The Company evaluated the recoverability of the carrying value of the Company’s equipment. No impairment charges were recognized for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Leases In February 2016, the FASB issued new guidance which requires lessees to recognize a lease liability for the obligation to make lease payments and a right-to-use asset for the right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. The accounting standard, effective January 1, 2019, requires virtually all leases to be recognized on the Balance Sheet. Effective January 1, 2019, we adopted the standard using the modified retrospective method, under which we elected the package of practical expedients and transition provisions allowing us to bring our existing operating leases onto the Consolidated Balance Sheet without adjusting comparative periods, but recognizing a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of accumulated deficit on January 1, 2019. Under the guidance, we have also elected not to separate lease and non-lease components in recognition of the lease-related assets and liabilities, as well as the related lease expense. We have operating leases for office space in two multitenant facilities, which are not recorded as assets and liabilities as those leases do not have terms greater than 12 months. We have an operating leases for a multi-purpose facility and bulk trailers used in operations which is recorded as an asset and liability as the lease has a terms greater than 12 months. Lease-related assets, or right-of-use assets, are recognized at the lease commencement date at amounts equal to the respective lease liabilities, adjusted for prepaid lease payments, initial direct costs, and lease incentives received. Lease-related liabilities are recognized at the present value of the remaining contractual fixed lease payments, discounted using our incremental borrowing rate. Operating lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term, while variable lease payments are expensed as incurred. Upon adoption of the new lease accounting standard on January 1, 2019, we recorded $1,339,569 of right of use assets and $1,417,435 of lease-related liabilities, with the difference charged to accumulated deficit at that date. 24 Table of Contents Stock-Based Compensation The Company accounts for stock-based compensation awards in accordance with the provisions of ASC 718, Compensation-Stock Compensation , which requires equity-based compensation, be reflected in the consolidated financial statements over the period of service which is typically the vesting period based on the estimated fair value of the awards. Fair Value of Financial Instruments The fair value hierarchy has three levels based on the inputs used to determine fair value, which are as follows: ☐ Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices available in active markets for the identical assets or liabilities at the measurement date. ☐ Level 2 — Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, or unadjusted quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, or inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability. ☐ Level 3 — Unobservable inputs that cannot be corroborated by observable market data and reflect the use of significant management judgment. These values are generally determined using pricing models for which the assumptions utilize management’s estimates of market participant assumptions. The fair value hierarchy requires the use of observable market data when available. In instances where the inputs used to measure fair value fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy, the fair value measurement has been determined based on the lowest level input significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. The Company’s assessment of the significance of a particular item to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment, including the consideration of inputs specific to the asset or liability. Revenue Recognition The Company records revenue in accordance with ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The core principle of the guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. To achieve that core principle, an entity should apply the following steps: Step 1: Identify the contract(s) with a customer. Step 2: Identify the performance obligations in the contract. Step 3: Determine the transaction price. Step 4: Allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract. Step 5: Recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation. Revenue is recognized when the Company satisfies its performance obligation under the contract by transferring the promised product to its customer that obtains control of the product. A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct product to a customer. Most of the Company’s contracts have a single performance obligation, as the promise to transfer products or services is not separately identifiable from other promises in the contract and, therefore, not distinct. Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for transferring products. As such, revenue is recorded net of returns, allowances, customer discounts, and incentives. Sales and other taxes are excluded from revenues. Invoiced shipping and handling costs are included in revenue. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements. 25 Table of Contents Disaggregation of Revenue The Company generated revenue for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 by (i) delivering product to its commercial customers, (ii) completing and commissioning equipment projects at commercial customer sites, (iii) performing demonstrations of its technology at customers with the intent of entering into long term supply agreements based on the performance of the Company’s products during the demonstrations and (iv) licensing its technology to customers. Revenue for product sales is recognized at the point of time in which the customer obtains control of the product, at the time title passes to the customer upon shipment or delivery of the product based on the applicable shipping terms. Revenue for equipment sales is recognized upon commissioning and customer acceptance of the installed equipment per the terms of the purchase contract. Revenue for demonstrations and consulting services is recognized when performance obligations contained in the contract have been completed, typically the completion of necessary field work and the delivery of any required analysis per the terms of the agreement. Income Taxes The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under FASB ASC 740, “Income Taxes.” Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that included the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. FASB ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. There were no unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2020. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception. The Company may be subject to potential examination by federal, state, and city taxing authorities in the areas of income taxes. These potential examinations may include questioning the timing and amount of deductions, the nexus of income among various tax jurisdictions, and compliance with federal, state, and city tax laws. The Company’s management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months. The Company is no longer subject to tax examinations by tax authorities for years prior to 2017. Recently Adopted Accounting Standards In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842).” Under ASU 2016-02, lessees will, among other things, require lessees to recognize a lease liability, which is a lessee’s obligation to make lease payments arising from a lease, measured on a discounted basis; and a right-of-use asset, which is an asset that represents the lessee’s right to use, or control the use of, a specified asset for the lease term. ASU 2016-02 does not significantly change lease accounting requirements applicable to lessors; however, certain changes were made to align, where necessary, lessor accounting with the lessee accounting model and ASC Topic 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers.” ASU 2016-02 became effective for us on January 1, 2019 and initially required transition using a modified retrospective approach for leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-11, “Leases (Topic 842) - Targeted Improvements,” which, among other things, provides an additional transition method that would allow entities to not apply the guidance in ASU 2016-02 in the comparative periods presented in the financial statements and instead recognize a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption. In December 2018, the FASB also issued ASU 2018-20, “Leases (Topic 842) - Narrow-Scope Improvements for Lessors,” which provides for certain policy elections and changes lessor accounting for sales and similar taxes and certain lessor costs. As of January 1, 2019, the Company adopted ASU 2016-02 and has recorded a right-of-use asset and lease liability on the balance sheet for its operating leases. We elected to apply certain practical expedients provided under ASU 2016-02 whereby we will not reassess (i) whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases, (ii) the lease classification for any expired or existing leases and (iii) initial direct costs for any existing leases. The Company did not apply the recognition requirements of ASU 2016-02 to any short-term leases (as defined by related accounting guidance). The Company accounted for lease and non-lease components separately because such amounts are readily determinable under our lease contracts and because we expect this election will result in a lower impact on our balance sheet. 26 Table of Contents In July 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-11, Earnings Per Share (Topic 260); Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (Topic 480); Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): (Part I) Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Down Round Features, (Part II) Replacement of the Indefinite Deferral for Mandatorily Redeemable Financial Instruments of Certain Nonpublic Entities and Certain Mandatorily Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests with a Scope Exception. ASU 2017-11 allows companies to exclude a down round feature when determining whether a financial instrument (or embedded conversion feature) is considered indexed to the entity’s own stock. As a result, financial instruments (or embedded conversion features) with down round features may no longer be required to be accounted for as derivative liabilities. A company will recognize the value of a down round feature only when it is triggered and the strike price has been adjusted downward. For equity-classified freestanding financial instruments, an entity will treat the value of the effect of the down round as a dividend and a reduction of income available to common shareholders in computing basic earnings per share. For convertible instruments with embedded conversion features containing down round provisions, entities will recognize the value of the down round as a beneficial conversion discount to be amortized to earnings. The guidance in ASU 2017-11 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, and the guidance is to be applied using a full or modified retrospective approach. The Company early adopted ASU 2017-11 and changed its method of accounting for certain warrants that were initially recorded as liabilities during the year ended December 31, 2014 on a full retrospective basis. The adoption of ASU 2017-11 did not have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements. Effective January 1, 2020, the Company adopted ASU No. 2018-07, Compensation — Stock Compensation (Topic 718) . ASU 2018-07 is intended to reduce cost and complexity and to improve financial reporting for nonemployee share based payments. Prior to the issuance of this guidance, the accounting requirements for nonemployee and employee share-based payment transactions were significantly different. ASU 2018-07 expands the scope of Topic 718, Compensation — Stock Compensation (which only included share-based payments to employees) to include share-based payments issued to nonemployees for goods or services. Consequently, the accounting for share-based payments to nonemployees and employees is substantially aligned. This ASU supersedes Subtopic 505-50, Equity — Equity-Based Payments to Nonemployees. The adoption of ASU 2018-07 did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Effective January 1, 2020, the Company adopted ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) : Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. The amendments in ASU 2018-13 modify the disclosure requirements associated with fair value measurements based on the concepts in the Concepts Statement, including the consideration of costs and benefits. The amendments on changes in unrealized gains and losses, the range and weighted average of significant unobservable inputs used to develop Level 3 fair value measurements, and the narrative description of measurement uncertainty should be applied prospectively for only the most recent interim or annual period presented in the initial fiscal year of adoption. All other amendments should be applied retrospectively to all periods presented upon their effective date. The adoption of ASU 2018-13 did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Recently Issued Accounting Standards In December 2019, the FASB issued authoritative guidance intended to simplify the accounting for income taxes (ASU 2019-12, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes”). This guidance eliminates certain exceptions to the general approach to the income tax accounting model and adds new guidance to reduce the complexity in accounting for income taxes. This guidance is effective for annual periods after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those annual periods. The Company is currently evaluating the potential impact of this guidance on its consolidated financial statements. Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective accounting pronouncements, when adopted, will have a material effect on the accompanying consolidated financial statements. 27 Table of Contents Non-GAAP Financial Measures Adjusted EBITDA To supplement our consolidated financial statements presented in accordance with GAAP and to provide investors with additional information regarding our financial results, we consider and are including herein Adjusted EBITDA, a Non-GAAP financial measure. We view Adjusted EBITDA as an operating performance measure and, as such, we believe that the GAAP financial measure most directly comparable to it is net income (loss). We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income adjusted for interest and financing fees, income taxes, depreciation, amortization, stock based compensation, and other non-cash income and expenses. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA provides us an important measure of operating performance because it allows management, investors, debtholders and others to evaluate and compare ongoing operating results from period to period by removing the impact of our asset base, any asset disposals or impairments, stock based compensation and other non-cash income and expense items associated with our reliance on issuing equity-linked debt securities to fund our working capital. Our use of Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and this measure should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for an analysis of our results as reported under GAAP, as the excluded items may have significant effects on our operating results and financial condition. Additionally, our measure of Adjusted EBITDA may differ from other companies’ measure of Adjusted EBITDA. When evaluating our performance, Adjusted EBITDA should be considered with other financial performance measures, including various cash flow metrics, net income and other GAAP results. In the future, we may disclose different non-GAAP financial measures in order to help our investors and others more meaningfully evaluate and compare our future results of operations to our previously reported results of operations. The following table shows our reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted EBITDA for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively: Year Ended 12/31/2020 12/31/2019 (In thousands) Net loss $ (5,826 ) $ (6,097 ) Non-GAAP adjustments: Depreciation and amortization 713 929 Interest and letter of credit fees 2,658 2,391 Income taxes 10 14 Stock based compensation 1,710 1,810 Adjusted EBITDA $ (735 ) $ (953 ) Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk. We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and are not required to provide the information under this item. 28 Table of Contents