Item 1. Business
ITEM
1.
BUSINESS
Company
Overview and Principal Products and Services
Perma-Fix
Environmental Services, Inc. (the Company, which may be referred to as we, us, or our), a Delaware corporation incorporated in December
1990, is an environmental and environmental technology know-how company.
The
principal element of our business strategy consists of upgrading our facilities within our Treatment Segment to increase efficiency and
modernize and expand treatment capabilities to meet the changing markets associated with the waste management industry. Within our Services
Segment, we are attempting to increase competitive procurement effectiveness and broaden the market penetration within both the commercial
and government sectors. We continue to increase our focus on expansion into both commercial and international markets (see “Foreign
Revenue and Initiatives” below for further discussion of our international initiatives to supplement government spending in the
United States of America (“USA”), from which a significant portion of our revenue is derived). This includes new services,
new customers and increased market share in our current markets.
We
were disappointed with our 2024 financial results, which were negatively impacted by a number of unexpected events and factors. These
events and factors included among other things,
●
Continuing
Resolution (“CR”) impacts primarily in the first half of 2024, that directly resulted in delays in project starts for
existing services backlogs along with delays in procurement cycles for pipeline projects;
●
poor
weather conditions, including two hurricanes, which resulted in delays in waste shipments and project mobilization activities by
certain customers and power outages and plant shutdowns at certain of our treatment facilities;
●
temporary
outages at certain of our facilities for equipment replacement and repairs, program enhancement and testing to support permit expansion
and broader market penetration, which contributed to revenue production delays;
●
accelerated
investments in R&D of our new technology to treat PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which required significant management
and operation support, thereby also limiting resources needed for revenue production; and
●
completion
of two large projects in the fourth quarter of 2023 in the Services Segment that were not replaced by new projects of similar value.
Although
we are disappointed with our 2024 financial results, we believe our base business is positioned for improvement and we expect that our
results of operations should improve in 2025. We continue to advance a number of initiatives that are discussed within this report. Some
of these initiatives have been realized, with additional initiatives expected to be more fully realized in 2025. In December 2024, BWXT
Technologies, Inc (“BWXT”) announced that the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) had awarded BWXT and its team,
of which we are a member, the contract for the cleanup operations at the West Valley Development Project in West Valley, NY. As disclosed
by BWXT, the contract has a 10-year ordering period with a maximum value of up to $3 billion that can be performed for up to 15 years.
The scope attributable to us has not yet been defined and is subject to certain approvals. The West Valley Project is anticipated to
begin transition in the first quarter of 2025 and realize full operations 120 days from initiation. Also, as previously disclosed, in
December 2023 we and our Italian team partner were awarded a multi-year contract for the treatment of radioactive waste from the Joint
Research Center in Ispra, Italy (see “Foreign Revenue and Initiatives” below for a discussion of this contract and further
international initiatives).
Our
continuing initiatives include, among other things, positioning ourselves for further large and mid-size procurements within the DOE
and U.S. Department of Defense (“DOD”) and waste treatment in support of DOE’s Hanford closure strategy, continued
investments in our facilities and capabilities to allow for broader waste treatment (including PFAS) (see “New Processing Technology”
below for a discussion of our PFAS technology), and continued expansion of our waste treatment offerings within the international and
commercial markets.
1
Although
we expect our financial results to improve in 2025, uncertainties exist regarding how future federal government budget and program and
policy decisions will unfold, which include the spending priorities of the new Administration and Congress, passage of the 2025 fiscal
year U.S. government budget and potential for enactment of additional continuing resolutions to keep government departments and agencies
in operations. A significant amount of our revenues are generated indirectly as subcontractors for others who are contractors to federal
government authorities, which include the DOE and DOD, or directly as the prime contractor to federal government authorities. The full
impact of these uncertainties could negatively impact our financial results by impairing our ability to perform work on existing contracts,
delaying or cancelling procurement actions by government entities, and/or cause other disruptions or delays, including payment delays.
Segment
Information
We
have two reporting segments:
TREATMENT
SEGMENT reporting includes:
-
nuclear,
low-level radioactive, mixed (waste containing both hazardous and low-level radioactive waste), hazardous and non-hazardous waste
treatment, processing and disposal services primarily through four uniquely licensed (Nuclear Regulatory Commission or state equivalent)
and permitted (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) or state equivalent) treatment and storage facilities as
follow: Perma-Fix of Florida, Inc. (“PFF”), Diversified Scientific Services, Inc., (“DSSI”), Perma-Fix Northwest
Richland, Inc. (“PFNWR”) and Oak Ridge Environmental Waste Operations Center (“EWOC”); and
-
R&D
activities to identify, develop and implement innovative waste-processing techniques for problematic waste streams.
For
2024, the Treatment Segment accounted for $34,953,000, or 59.1%, of total revenue, as compared to $43,477,000, or 48.5%, of total revenue
for 2023.
SERVICES
SEGMENT, which includes:
-
Technical
services, which include:
○
professional
radiological measurement and site survey of large government and commercial installations using advanced methods, technology and
engineering;
○
health
physics services including health physicists, radiological engineers, nuclear engineers and health physics technicians support to
government and private radioactive materials licensees;
○
integrated
Occupational Safety and Health services including industrial hygiene (“IH”) assessments; hazardous materials surveys,
e.g., exposure monitoring; lead and asbestos management/abatement oversight; indoor air quality evaluations; health risk and exposure
assessments; health & safety plan/program development, compliance auditing and training services; and Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (“OSHA”) citation assistance;
○
global
technical services providing consulting, engineering (civil, nuclear, mechanical, chemical, radiological and environmental), project
management, waste management, environmental, and decontamination and decommissioning (“D&D”) field, technical, and
management personnel and services to commercial and government customers; and
○
waste
management services to commercial and governmental customers.
-
Nuclear
services, which include:
○
D&D
of government and commercial facilities impacted with radioactive material and hazardous constituents including engineering, technology
applications, specialty services, logistics, transportation, processing and disposal; and
○
license
termination support of radioactive material licensed and federal facilities over the entire cycle of the termination process: project
management, planning, characterization, waste stream identification and delineation, remediation/demolition, final status survey,
compliance demonstration, reporting, transportation, disposal and emergency response.
-
A
company-owned equipment calibration and maintenance laboratory that services, maintains,
calibrates, and sources (i.e., rental) health physics, IH and customized nuclear, environmental,
and occupational safety and health (“NEOSH”) instrumentation.
2
For
2024, the Services Segment accounted for $24,164,000, or 40.9%, of total revenue, as compared to $46,258,000, or 51.5%, of total revenue
for 2023.
Our
Treatment and Services Segments provide services primarily to research institutions, commercial companies, public utilities, and governmental
entities, including the DOE and DOD. However, we continue to increase our focus on expansion into international markets. The distribution
channels for our services are through direct sales to customers or via intermediaries.
Our
corporate office is located at 8302 Dunwoody Place, Suite 250, Atlanta, Georgia 30350.
Foreign
Revenue and Initiatives
We
continue to increase our focus on expansion into international markets. In 2024, we were awarded contracts in support of waste treatment
services from Mexico and Canada totaling approximately $6,000,000 (US$). These contracts require specific permits that can include a
six to nine-month approval period. As such, receipts of these waste shipments are expected in 2025. We expect additional opportunities
forthcoming in Germany in support of existing commercial clients as well as providing support to Germany’s power utility decommissioning
program.
As
previously disclosed, in December 2023, we and our partner, Campoverde Srl, each owning 50% of the partnership, in connection with an
Italian project, were awarded a multi-year contract valued up to approximately EUR 50 million by the European Commission (the “Contracting
Authority”) for the treatment of radioactive waste from the Joint Research Center in Ispra, Italy. Revenue generated and to be
generated by us from this contract has been and will be limited to project management support through 2025. The scope of work in the
initial phases of this contract is being performed predominantly by our partner. We expect to generate an increase in revenue under this
contract starting in 2026 when the waste treatment phases begin. The Contracting Authority may terminate the contract under certain conditions
as set forth in the contract.
Our
consolidated revenue for 2024 and 2023 included approximately $2,452,000, or 4.1%, and $2,066,000, or 2.3%, respectively, from foreign
customers.
New
Processing Technology
During
2024, we completed the fabrication, installation, commissioning and startup of our first full scale commercial Perma-FAS system (“System”)
for PFAS destruction, located at our Perma-Fix Florida, Inc. facility. PFAS, commonly known as “forever chemicals,” is the
acronym for Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, a diverse group of thousands of humanmade chemical pollutants that have the
potential to persist in both the environment and the human body. An increasing number of studies have documented adverse health risks
that are associated with PFAS exposure, including increased risks of some cancers, reduced immune function, and developmental delays
in children. Commercial destruction of PFAS offers a promising new source of revenue for us, as it complements our core waste remediation
technologies, and wee have filed patent applications relating to our System technology for PFAS destruction. With the successful startup
of our pilot System, we have already processed commercial quantities of PFAS-containing waste materials. There are limited current treatment
options for these materials, and we expect that our process will exceed any of these other current methods. Some of the sizable markets
for PFAS include AFFF (aqueous film-forming foam) firefighting foams, both expired concentrate and flushing liquids, contaminated liquids
from PFAS systems, and other water-based separation products from a variety of industrial systems. We have already secured and are treating
approximately 6,000 gallons of AFFF liquids to support ongoing operations, demonstration, and further testing of our System. We believe
that we will receive an additional 20,000 gallons in the coming months.
3
Our
strategy for our System includes continued treatment of PFAS liquids over the coming months and targeting engineering refinements to
support larger-scale Systems. With significant upgrades to our prototype currently in the design phase, we anticipate deployment of the
second generation unit in the third quarter of 2025 at one of our other existing treatment facilities. By the third quarter of 2025,
we expect to advance this technology into pilot-scale applications for soil, biosolids, and filter media, broadening the reach of our
System’s PFAS destruction capabilities.
Seasonal
Factors of our Business
Our
operations are generally subject to seasonal factors. See “Risk Factors – Risks Related to our Business and Operations –
Our operations are subject to seasonal factors, which causes our revenues to fluctuate” for a discussion of our seasonal factors.
Permits
and Licenses
Waste
management service companies are subject to extensive, evolving and increasingly stringent federal, state, and local environmental laws
and regulations. Such federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations govern our activities regarding the treatment, storage,
processing, disposal and transportation of hazardous, non-hazardous and radioactive wastes, and require us to obtain and maintain permits,
licenses and/or approvals in order to conduct our waste activities. We are dependent on our permits and licenses discussed below in order
to operate our businesses. Failure to obtain and maintain our permits or approvals would have a material adverse effect on us, our operations,
and financial condition. The permits and licenses have terms ranging from one to ten years, and provide that we maintain a reasonable
level of compliance, and renew with minimal effort and cost. We believe that these permit and license requirements represent a potential
barrier to entry for possible competitors.
PFF,
located in Gainesville, Florida, operates its hazardous, mixed and low-level radioactive waste activities under a Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act (“RCRA”) Part B permit, Toxic Substances Control Act (“TSCA”) authorization, Restricted RX Drug
Distributor-Destruction license, biomedical, and a radioactive materials license issued by the State of Florida. Co-regulated TSCA Polychlorinated
Biphenyl (“PCB”) wastes are also managed for PCB under EPA Approval.
DSSI,
located in Kingston, Tennessee, conducts mixed and low-level radioactive waste storage and treatment activities under RCRA Part B permits
and a radioactive materials license issued by the State of Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of radiological
health. Co-regulated TSCA PCB wastes are also managed for PCB destruction under EPA Approval.
PFNWR,
located in Richland, Washington, operates a low-level radioactive waste processing facility as well as a mixed waste processing facility.
Radioactive material processing is authorized under radioactive materials licenses issued by the State of Washington and mixed waste
processing is additionally authorized under a RCRA Part B permit. Co-regulated TSCA PCB wastes are also managed for PCB under EPA Approval.
EWOC,
located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, operates a low-level radioactive waste material processing facility. Radioactive material processing
is authorized under radioactive material licenses issued by the State of Tennessee Department of Environmental and Conservation, Division
of Radiological Health.
The
combination of RCRA Part B hazardous waste permits, TSCA authorizations, and radioactive material licenses held by us and our subsidiaries
comprising our Treatment Segment are very difficult to obtain for a single facility and make this Segment unique.
We
believe that the permitting and licensing requirements, and the cost to obtain such permits, are barriers to the entry of hazardous waste
and radioactive and mixed waste activities as presently operated by our waste treatment subsidiaries. If the permit requirements for
hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal (“TSD”) activities and/or the licensing requirements for the handling of
low-level radioactive matters are eliminated or if such licenses or permits were made less rigorous to obtain, we believe we would face
greater competition in this segment.
4
Number
of Employees
As
of December 31, 2024, we employed approximately 305 employees, of whom 293 are full-time employees and 12 are part-time/temporary employees.
As
previously disclosed, the Company entered into a Project Labor Agreement (“PLA”), dated June 21, 2023, with UA Plumbers &
Steamfitters Local 598. The goal of this partnership is to supply our PFNWR facility with the organized labor force needed to take on
the challenges of providing a supplement treatment alternative to include concrete-like grout for Hanford’s Low Activity Tank Waste
if and when the DOE grants a contract to PFNWR to treat the Low Activity Tank Waste. We believe that this supplemental capability would
support DOE’s glassifying process provided by the Hanford Vitrification Plant for safe transport and disposal off-site of the Low
Activity Tank Waste.
Dependence
Upon a Single or Few Customers
Our
Treatment and Services Segments have significant relationships with federal government authorities. A significant amount of our revenues
from our Treatment and Services Segments are generated indirectly as subcontractors for others who are contractors to federal government
authorities, particularly the DOE and DOD, or directly as the prime contractor to federal government authorities. The contracts that
we are a party to with others as subcontractors to federal government or directly with the federal government generally provide that
the government may terminate the contract at any time for convenience at the government’s option. Our inability to continue under
existing contracts that we have with federal government authorities (directly or indirectly as a subcontractor) or significant reductions
in the level of federal governmental funding in any given year could have a material adverse impact on our operations and financial condition.
We
performed services relating to waste generated by federal government clients, either indirectly for others as a subcontractor to federal
government entities or directly as a prime contractor to federal government entities, representing approximately $40,550,000 or 68.6%
of our total revenue during 2024, as compared to $68,595,000 or 76.4% of our total revenue during 2023.
Our
revenues are project/event based where the completion of one contract with a specific customer may be replaced by another contract with
a different customer from year to year.
Competitive
Conditions
The
Treatment Segment’s largest competitor is EnergySolutions which operates numerous treatment facilities and two treatment/disposal
facilities for low level radioactive waste. Waste Control Specialists is also a competitor in the treatment/disposal market of low-level
radioactive waste. These two competitors also provide us with options for disposal of our treated nuclear waste. The Treatment Segment
treats and disposes of DOE generated waste largely at DOE owned sites. Our Treatment Segment currently solicits business primarily on
a North American basis with both government and commercial clients; however, we continue to focus on emerging international markets for
additional work.
Our
Services Segment is engaged in highly competitive businesses in which a number of our government contracts and some of our commercial
contracts are awarded through competitive bidding processes. The extent of such competition varies according to the industries and markets
in which our customers operate as well as the geographic areas in which we operate. The degree and type of competition we face is also
often influenced by the project specification being bid on and the different specialty skill sets of each bidder for which our Services
Segment competes, especially projects subject to the governmental bid process. We also have the ability to directly bid on prime federal
government small business procurements (small business set asides). Based on past experience, we believe that large businesses are more
willing to team with small businesses in order to be part of these often-substantial procurements. There are a number of qualified small
businesses in our market that will provide intense competition that may challenge our ability to maintain strong growth rates and acceptable
profit margins. For international business there are additional competitors, many from within the country the work is to be performed,
making winning work in foreign countries more challenging. If our Services Segment is unable to meet these competitive challenges, it
could lose market share and experience an overall reduction in its profits.
5
Certain
Environmental Expenditures and Potential Environmental Liabilities
Environmental
Liabilities
We
have three remediation projects, that are currently in progress relating to our Perma-Fix of Dayton, Inc. (“PFD”), Perma-Fix
of Memphis, Inc. (“PFM”), and Perma-Fix South Georgia, Inc. (“PFSG”) subsidiaries, which are all included within
our discontinued operations. These remediation projects principally entail the removal/remediation of contaminated soil and, in most
cases, the remediation of surrounding ground water. These remediation activities are closely reviewed and monitored by the applicable
state regulators.
As
of December 31, 2024, we had total accrued environmental remediation liabilities of $767,000, a decrease of $78,000 from the December
31, 2023, balance of $845,000. The decrease represents payments for our PFSG remediation project. As of December 31, 2024, $1,000 of
the total accrued environmental liabilities was recorded as current.
The
nature of our business exposes us to significant cost to comply with governmental environmental laws, rules and regulations and risk
of liability for damages. Such potential liability could involve, for example, claims for cleanup costs, personal injury or damage to
the environment in cases where we are held responsible for the release of hazardous materials; claims of employees, customers or third
parties for personal injury or property damage occurring in the course of our operations; and claims alleging negligence or professional
errors or omissions in the planning or performance of our services. In addition, we could be deemed a potentially responsible party (“PRP”)
for the costs of required cleanup of properties, which may be contaminated by hazardous substances generated or transported by us to
a site we selected, including properties owned or leased by us. We could also be subject to fines and civil penalties in connection with
violations of regulatory requirements.
R&D
Innovation
and technical know-how by our operations is very important to the success of our business. Our goal is to discover, develop and bring
to market innovative ways to process waste that address unmet environmental needs. We conduct research internally, and also through collaborations
with other third parties. The majority of our research activities are performed as we receive new and unique waste to treat. Our competitors
also devote resources to R&D and many such competitors have greater resources at their disposal than we do. R&D totaled $1,172,000
and $561,000 for 2024 and 2023, respectively. The increase in our R&D expenses was attributable primarily to R&D in connection
with developing our new technology in treating PFAS (See “New Processing Technology” above for a discussion of this new technology).
Governmental
Regulation
Environmental
companies, such as us, and their customers are subject to extensive and evolving environmental laws and regulations by a number of federal,
state and local environmental, safety and health agencies, the principal of which being the EPA. These laws and regulations largely contribute
to the demand for our services. Although our customers remain responsible by law for their environmental problems, we must also comply
with the requirements of those laws applicable to our services. We cannot predict the extent to which our operations may be affected
by future enforcement policies as applied to existing laws or by the enactment of new environmental laws and regulations. Moreover, any
predictions regarding possible liability are further complicated by the fact that under current environmental laws we could be jointly
and severally liable for certain activities of third parties over whom we have little or no control. Although we believe that we are
currently in substantial compliance with applicable laws and regulations, we could be subject to fines, penalties or other liabilities
or could be adversely affected by existing or subsequently enacted laws or regulations. The principal environmental laws affecting our
customers and us are briefly discussed below.
The
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, as amended (“RCRA”)
RCRA
and its associated regulations establish a strict and comprehensive permitting and regulatory program applicable to companies, such as
us, that treat, store or dispose of hazardous waste. The EPA has promulgated regulations under RCRA for new and existing treatment, storage
and disposal facilities including incinerators, storage and treatment tanks, storage containers, storage and treatment surface impoundments,
waste piles and landfills. Every facility that treats, stores or disposes of hazardous waste must obtain a RCRA permit or must obtain
interim status from the EPA, or a state agency, which has been authorized by the EPA to administer its program, and must comply with
certain operating, financial responsibility and closure requirements.
6
The
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (“CERCLA,” also referred to as the “Superfund
Act”)
CERCLA
governs the cleanup of sites at which hazardous substances are located or at which hazardous substances have been released or are threatened
to be released into the environment. CERCLA authorizes the EPA to compel responsible parties to clean up sites and provides for punitive
damages for noncompliance. CERCLA imposes joint and several liabilities for the costs of clean up and damages to natural resources.
Health
and Safety Regulations
The
operation of our environmental activities is subject to the requirements of the OSHA and comparable state laws. Regulations promulgated
under OSHA by the Department of Labor require employers of persons in the transportation and environmental industries, including independent
contractors, to implement hazard communications, work practices and personnel protection programs in order to protect employees from
equipment safety hazards and exposure to hazardous chemicals.
Atomic
Energy Act
The
Atomic Energy Act of 1954 governs the safe handling and use of Source, Special Nuclear and Byproduct materials in the U.S. and its territories.
This act authorized the Atomic Energy Commission (now the Nuclear Regulatory Commission “USNRC”) to enter into “Agreements
with states to carry out those regulatory functions in those respective states except for Nuclear Power Plants and federal facilities
like the VA hospitals and the DOE operations.” The State of Florida Department of Health (with USNRC oversight), Office of Radiation
Control, regulates the licensing and radiological program of the PFF facility; the State of Tennessee (with USNRC oversight), Tennessee
Division of Radiological Health, regulates licensing and the radiological program of the DSSI facility and the EWOC facility; and the
State of Washington (with USNRC oversight) Department of Health, regulates licensing and the radiological operations of the PFNWR facility.
Other
Laws
Our
activities are subject to other federal environmental protection and similar laws, including, without limitation, the Clean Water Act,
the Clean Air Act, the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act and the TSCA. Many states have also adopted laws for the protection of
the environment which may affect us, including laws governing the generation, handling, transportation and disposition of hazardous substances
and laws governing the investigation and cleanup of, and liability for, contaminated sites. Some of these state provisions are broader
and more stringent than existing federal law and regulations. Our failure to conform our services to the requirements of any of these
other applicable federal or state laws could subject us to substantial liabilities which could have a material adverse effect on us,
our operations and financial condition. In addition to various federal, state and local environmental regulations, our hazardous waste
transportation activities are regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Interstate Commerce Commission and transportation
regulatory bodies in the states in which we operate. We cannot predict the extent to which we may be affected by any law or rule that
may be enacted or enforced in the future, or any new or different interpretations of existing laws or rules.