Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
This Form 10-Q and other reports filed by Registrant from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (collectively the “Filings”) contain or may contain forward looking statements and information that are based upon beliefs of, and information currently available to, Registrant’s management as well as estimates and assumptions made by Registrant’s management. When used in the filings the words “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “future”, “intend”, “plan” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions as they relate to Registrant or Registrant’s management identify forward looking statements. Such statements reflect the current view of Registrant with respect to future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors relating to Registrant’s industry, Registrant’s operations and results of operations and any businesses that may be acquired by Registrant. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may differ significantly from those anticipated, believed, estimated, expected, intended or planned.
Although Registrant believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, Registrant cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Except as required by applicable law, including the securities laws of the United States, Registrant does not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements to conform these statements to actual results.
Overview
When we formed our company, our focus was to (i) construct and/or purchase and manage a chain of combined gasoline, diesel and natural gas (NG) fueling and service stations (initially, in the Miami, FL area); (ii) construct conversion factories to convert NG to liquefied natural gas (LNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG); and (iii) construct conversion factories to retrofit vehicles currently using gasoline or diesel fuel to also run on NG in the United States and also to build a convenience store to serve our customers in each of our locations.
On January 5, 2017, American Resources Corporation (ARC) executed a Share Exchange Agreement between the Company and Quest Energy Inc. (“Quest Energy”), a private company incorporated in the State of Indiana on May 2015 with offices at 12115 Visionary Way, Fishers, IN 46038, and due to the fulfillment of various conditions precedent to closing of the transaction, the control of the Company was transferred to the Quest Energy shareholders on February 7, 2017. This transaction resulted in Quest Energy becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of ARC. Through Quest Energy, ARC was able to acquire coal mining and coal processing operations, substantially all located in eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia. On November 25, 2020, Quest Energy changed its name to American Carbon Corp. (American Carbon)
American Carbon currently has seven coal mining and processing operating subsidiaries: McCoy Elkhorn Coal LLC (doing business as McCoy Elkhorn Coal Company) (McCoy Elkhorn), Knott County Coal LLC (Knott County Coal), Deane Mining, LLC (Deane Mining) and Wyoming County Coal LLC (Wyoming County), Quest Processing LLC (Quest Processing), Perry County Resources (Perry County) located in eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia within the Central Appalachian coal basin, and ERC Mining Indiana Corporation (ERC) located in southwest Indiana within the Illinois coal basin. The coal deposits under control by the Company are generally comprise of metallurgical coal (used for steel making), pulverized coal injections (used in the steel making process) and high-BTU, low sulfur, low moisture bituminous coal used for a variety of uses within several industries, including industrial customers and specialty products. Since mid-2019, we have not mined or sold coal which is sold into the thermal coal markets. All production and future investment will be for the mining of metallurgical coal used in the steel and specialty markets.
Efforts to diversify revenue streams have led to the establishment of additional subsidiaries; American Metals LLC (AM) which is focused on the recovery and sale of recovered metal and steel and American Rare Earth LLC (ARE) which is focused on the aggregation and monetization of critical and rare earth element deposits.
We have not classified, and as a result, do not have any “proven” or “probable” reserves as defined in United States Securities and Exchange Commission Industry Guide 7, and as a result, our company and its business activities are deemed to be in the exploration stage until mineral deposits are defined on our properties.
McCoy Elkhorn Coal LLC
General:
Located primarily within Pike County, Kentucky, McCoy Elkhorn is currently comprised of two mines (Mine #15 and the Carnegie 1 Mine) in “hot idle” status, and one mine in development (Carnegie 2 Mine), two coal preparation facilities (Bevins #1 and Bevins #2), and other mines in various stages of development or reclamation. McCoy Elkhorn sells its coal to a variety of customers, both domestically and internationally, primarily to the steel making industry as a high-vol “B” coal or blended coal. The coal controlled at McCoy Elkhorn (along with our other subsidiaries) has not been classified as either “proven” or “probable” as defined in the United States Securities and Exchange Commission Industry Guide 7, and as a result, do not have any “proven” or “probable” reserves under such definition and are classified as an “Exploration Stage” pursuant to Industry Guide 7.
Mines:
Mine #15 is an underground mine in the Millard (also known as Glamorgan) coal seam and located near Meta, Kentucky. Mine #15 is mined via room-and-pillar mining methods using continuous miners, and the coal is belted directly from the stockpile to McCoy Elkhorn’s coal preparation facility. Mine #15 is currently a “company run” mine, whereby the Company manages the workforce at the mine. The coal from Mine #15 is stockpiled at the mine site and belted directly to the Company’s nearby coal preparation facilities. Production at Mine #15 re-commenced under Quest Energy’s ownership in September 2016.
The Carnegie 1Mine is an underground mine in the Alma and Upper Alma coal seams and located near Kimper, Kentucky. In 2011, coal production from the Carnegie Mine in the Alma coal seam commenced and then subsequently the mine was idled. Production at the Carnegie Mine was reinitiated in early 2017 under Quest Energy’s ownership and is currently being mined via room-and-pillar mining methods utilizing a continuous miner. The coal is stockpiled on-site and trucked approximately 7 miles to McCoy Elkhorn’s preparation facilities. The Carnegie Mine is currently operated as a modified contractor mine, whereby McCoy Elkhorn provides the mining infrastructure and equipment for the operations and pays the contractor a fixed per-ton fee for managing the workforce, procuring the supplies, and maintaining the equipment and infrastructure in proper working order.
Beginning in January 2020, Mine #15 and Carnegie 1 mines were idled due to the adverse market effects Covid-19 global pandemic. The Carnegie 1 mine restarted during October 2021.
Processing & Transportation:
The Bevins #1 Preparation Plant is an 800 ton-per hour coal preparation facility located near Meta, Kentucky, across the road from Mine #15. Bevins #1 has raw coal stockpile storage of approximately 25,000 tons and clean coal stockpile storage of 100,000 tons of coal. The Bevins #1 facility has a fine coal circuit and a stoker circuit that allows for enhance coal recovery and various coal sizing options depending on the needs of the customer. The Company acquired the Bevins Preparation Plants as idled facilities, and since acquisition, the primary work completed at the Bevins Preparation Plants by the Company includes rehabilitating the plants’ warehouse and replacing belt lines.
The Bevins #2 Preparation Plant is on the same permit site as Bevins #1 and is a 500 ton-per-hour processing facility with fine coal recovery and a stoker circuit for coal sizing options. Bevins #2 has raw coal stockpile storage of 25,000 tons of coal and a clean coal stockpile storage of 45,000 tons of coal. We are currently utilizing less than 10% of the available processing capacity of Bevins #1 and Bevins #2.
Both Bevins #1 and Bevins #2 have a batch-weight loadout and rail spur for loading coal into trains for rail shipments. The spur has storage for 110 rail cars and is serviced by CSX Transportation and is located on CSX’s Big Sandy, Coal Run Subdivision. Both Bevins #1 and Bevins #2 have coarse refuse and slurry impoundments called Big Groundhog and Lick Branch. While the Big Groundhog impoundment is nearing the end of its useful life, the Lick Branch impoundment has significant operating life and will be able to provide for coarse refuse and slurry storage for the foreseeable future at Bevins #1 and Bevins #2. Coarse refuse from Bevins #1 and Bevins #2 is belted to the impoundments. Both Bevins #1 and Bevins #2 are facilities owned by McCoy Elkhorn, subject to certain restrictions present in the agreement between McCoy Elkhorn and the surface land owner.
Both Bevins #1 and Bevins #2, as well as the rail loadout, are operational and any work required on any of the plants or loadouts would be routine maintenance. The allocated cost of for this property at McCoy Elkhorn Coal paid by the company is $95,210.
Due to additional coal processing storage capacity at Bevins #1 and Bevins #2 Preparation Plants, McCoy Elkhorn has the ability to process, store, and load coal for other regional coal producers for an agreed-to fee.
Additional Permits:
In addition to the above mines, McCoy Elkhorn holds 11 additional coal mining permits that are idled operations or in various stages of reclamation. For the idled coal mining operations, McCoy Elkhorn will determine which coal mines to bring back into production, if any, as the coal market changes, and there are currently no other idled mines within McCoy Elkhorn that are slated to go into production in the foreseeable future. Any idled mines that are brought into production would require significant upfront capital investment, and there is no assurance of the feasibility of any such new operations.
Knott County Coal LLC
General:
Located primarily within Knott County, Kentucky (but with additional idled permits in Leslie County, Perry County, and Breathitt County, Kentucky), Knott County Coal is comprised of 22 idled mining permits (or permits in reclamation) and permits for one preparation facility: the idled Supreme Energy Preparation Plant. The idled mining permits are either in various stages of reclamation or being maintained as idled, pending any changes to the coal market that may warrant reinitiating production. The idled mines at Knott County Coal are primarily underground mines that utilize room-and-pillar mining. The coal controlled at Deane Mining (along with our other subsidiaries) has not been classified as either “proven” or “probable” as defined in the United States Securities and Exchange Commission Industry Guide 7, and as a result, do not have any “proven” or “probable” reserves under such definition and are classified as an “Exploration Stage” pursuant to Industry Guide 7.
Mines:
Currently all permitted mines are idled, in development or in reclamation.
Processing & Transportation:
The idled Supreme Energy Preparation Plant is a 450 ton-per-hour coal preparation facility located in Kite, Kentucky. The Bates Branch rail loadout associated with the Supreme Energy Preparation Plant is a batch-weigh rail loadout with 110 rail car storage capacity and serviced by CSX Transportation in their Big Sandy rate district. The Supreme Energy Preparation Plant has a coarse refuse and slurry impoundment called the King Branch Impoundment.
The Supreme Energy Preparation Plant is owned by Knott County Coal, subject to certain restrictions present in the agreement between Knott County Coal and the surface land owner, Land Resources & Royalties LLC.
The Company acquired the Supreme Energy Preparation Plants as an idled facility, and since acquisition, no work has been performed at the facility other than minor maintenance. Both the Supreme Energy Preparation Plant and the rail loadout are idled and would require an undetermined amount of work and capital to bring them into operation. The allocated cost of for the property at Knott County Coal paid by the Company is $286,046.
Additional Permits:
In addition to the above mines, Knott County Coal holds 22 coal mining permits that are in development, idled or in various stages of reclamation. Any idled mines that are brought into production would require significant upfront capital investment and there is no assurance of the feasibility of any such new operations.
Deane Mining LLC
General:
Located within Letcher County and Knott County, Kentucky, Deane Mining is comprised of one idled underground coal mine (the Access Energy Mine), one idled surface mine (Razorblade Surface) and one idled coal preparation facility called Mill Creek Preparation Plant, along with 12 additional idled mining permits (or permits in reclamation). The idled mining permits are either in various stages of development, reclamation or being maintained as idled, pending any changes to the coal market that may warrant re-starting production. The coal controlled at Deane Mining (along with our other subsidiaries) has not been classified as either “proven” or “probable” as defined in the United States Securities and Exchange Commission Industry Guide 7, and as a result, do not have any “proven” or “probable” reserves under such definition and are classified as an “Exploration Stage” pursuant to Industry Guide 7.
Mines:
Access Energy is an underground mine in the Elkhorn 3 coal seam and located in Deane, Kentucky. Access Energy is mined via room-and-pillar mining methods using continuous miners, and the coal is belted directly from the mine to the raw coal stockpile at the Mill Creek Preparation Plant across the road from Access Energy. Access Energy is currently a “company run” mine, whereby the Company manages the workforce at the mine and pays all expenses of the mine. During 2019, the permit related to the Access Energy mine was idled and is not expected to produce again under the Company’s control due to the continued focused on the metallurgical and industrial markets.
Razorblade Surface is a surface mine targeting the Hazard 4 and Hazard 4 Rider coal seams and located in Deane, Kentucky. Deane Mining commenced mining activity at Razorblade Surface during the spring of 2018. Coal produced from Razorblade Surface is trucked approximately one mile to the Mill Creek Preparation Plant. Razorblade Surface is currently run as a contractor model for which the contractor is paid a fixed per-ton fee for the coal produced. During 2019, the permit related to the Access Energy mine was idled and is not expected to produce again under the Company’s control due to the continued focused on the metallurgical and industrial markets.
Processing & Transportation:
Coal from Access Energy is processed at Deane Mining’s Mill Creek Preparation Plant, an 800 ton-per hour coal preparation facility with a batch-weight loadout and rail spur for loading coal into trains for rail shipments. The spur has storage for 110 rail cars and is serviced by CSX Transportation and is located on both CSX’s Big Sandy rate district and CSX’s Elkhorn rate district. The Mill Creek Preparation Plant has a coarse refuse and slurry impoundment called Razorblade Impoundment.
Both the Mill Creek Preparation Plant and the rail loadout are operational, and any work required on any of the plant or loadouts would be routine maintenance. The allocated cost of for the property at Deane Mining paid by the Company is $1,569,641.
Additional Permits:
In addition to the above mines and preparation facility, Deane Mining holds 12 additional coal mining permits that are in development, idled or in various stages of reclamation. Any idled mines that are brought into production would require significant upfront capital investment and there is no assurance of the feasibility of any such new operations.
Wyoming County Coal LLC
General:
Located within Wyoming County, West Virginia, Wyoming County Coal is comprised of two idled underground mining permits and the three permits associated with the idled Pioneer Preparation Plant, the Hatcher rail loadout, and Simmons Fork Refuse Impoundment. The two idled mining permits are undisturbed underground mines that are anticipated to utilize room-and-pillar mining. The coal controlled at Wyoming County Coal (along with our other subsidiaries) has not been classified as either “proven” or “probable” as defined in the United States Securities and Exchange Commission Industry Guide 7, and as a result, do not have any “proven” or “probable” deposits under such definition and are classified as an “Exploration Stage” pursuant to Industry Guide 7.
Mines:
The mining permits held by Wyoming County Coal are in various stages of planning with no mines currently in production.
Potential customers of Wyoming County Coal would include steel mills in the United States or international marketplace although no definitive sales have been identified yet.
Processing & Transportation:
The idled Pioneer Preparation Plant is a 350 ton-per-hour coal preparation facility located near Oceana, West Virginia. The Hatcher rail loadout associated with the Pioneer Preparation Plant is a rail loadout serviced by Norfolk Southern Corporation. The refuse from the preparation facility is trucked to the Simmons Fork Refuse Impoundment, which is approximately 1.0 mile from the Pioneer Preparation facility. The preparation plant utilizes a belt press technology which eliminates the need for pumping slurry into a slurry pond for storage within an impoundment.
The Company is in the initial planning phase of getting estimates on the cost to upgrade the preparation facility to a modern 350 ton per hour preparation facility, although no cost estimates have yet been received. The Company is also in the initial planning phase of getting estimates on the cost and timing of upgrading the rail load out facility to a modern batch weight load out system, although no cost estimates have yet been received.
The Company acquired the Pioneer Preparation Plants as an idled facility, and since acquisition, no work has been performed at the facility. Both the Pioneer Preparation Plant and the rail loadout are idled and would require an undetermined amount of work and capital to bring them into operation, which is currently in the initial phases of planning and no cost estimates have been received. The allocated cost for the property at Wyoming County Coal will pay by the Company is $22,326,101 of which $22,091,688 has been paid using shares of the Company’s Class A Common stock. The remaining portion was paid in cash.
Permits:
Wyoming County Coal holds two coal mining permits that are in the initial planning phase and three permits associated with the idled Pioneer Preparation Plant, the Hatcher rail loadout, and Simmons Fork Refuse Impoundment. Any mine that is brought into production would require significant upfront capital investment and there is no assurance of the feasibility of any such new operations. As of the report date, the permits have not been fully transferred as they await final regulatory approval. As of the balance sheet date and report date, the West Virginia permit transfers have not yet been approved, and WCC has not substituted its reclamation surety bonds for the seller’s bond collateral. The transfer of any new permits to the Company is subject to regulatory approval. This approval is subject to the review of both unabated or uncorrected violations that are listed on the Applicator Violator List. The Company, to include several of its subsidiaries, does have unabated and/or uncorrected violations that are listed on the Applicator Violator List. Should the state regulators believe that the Company is not in the process of abating or correcting the currently outstanding issues associated with their currently held permits they may choose not to issue the Company any new permits until such issues are properly rectified.
Perry County Resources LLC
General:
Located primarily within Perry County, Kentucky, Perry County Resources LLC is comprised of one active underground mine (the E4-2 mine) and one active coal processing facility called the Davidson Branch Preparation Plant, along with two additional idled underground mining permits. The two idled mining permits are for underground mines and have been actively mined in the past and being maintained as idled, pending any changes to the coal market that may warrant re-starting production. The coal controlled at Perry County Resources (along with our other subsidiaries) has not been classified as either “proven” or “probable” as defined in the United States Securities and Exchange Commission Industry Guide 7, and as a result, do not have any “proven” or “probable” reserves under such definition and are classified as an “Exploration Stage” pursuant to Industry Guide 7.
Mines:
The E4-2 mine is an underground mine in the Elkhorn 4 (aka the Amburgy) coal seam located near the town of Hazard, Kentucky. The E4-2 mine is mined via room-and-pillar mining methods using both continuous miners and continuous haulage systems, and the coal is belted directly from the mine to the raw coal stockpile at the Davidson Branch Preparation Plant less than a mile away. The E4-2 mine is currently a “company-run” mine, whereby the Company manages the workforce at the mine and pays all expenses of the mine. The Company acquired the E4-2 mine as an active mine, and since acquisition in September 2019, the primary work at the E4-2 mine has been rehabilitation of existing infrastructure to increase the operational efficiencies of the mine, including replacing belt structure, repairing equipment, replacing underground mining infrastructure, and installing new mining infrastructure as the mine advances due to coal extraction. The E4-2 mine has the estimated capacity to produce up to approximately 80,000 tons per month of coal.
Beginning in January 2020, The E4-2 mine was idled due to the adverse market effects Covid-19 global pandemic. The E4-2 Mine was restarted during March 2021.
Processing and Transportation:
The Davidson Branch Preparation Plant is a 1,300 ton-per-hour coal preparation facility located near Hazard, Kentucky. The associated “Bluegrass 4” rail loadout is a batch-weight rail loadout with 135 car storage capacity and services by CSX Transportation in their Hazard/Elkhorn rate district. The Davidson Branch Preparation Plant is owned by Perry County Resources. We are currently utilizing less than 10% of the available processing capacity of the Davidson Branch Preparation Plant.
Both the Davidson Branch Preparation Plant and the rail loadout are operational, and any work required on any of the plant or loadouts would be routine maintenance. The allocated cost of for the property at Perry County Resources paid by the Company is $1,954,317.
Additional Permits:
In addition to the above mine, preparation facility, and related permits, Perry County Resources holds four additional coal mining permits that are idled or in development. Any idled mines that are brought into production would require significant upfront capital investment and there is no assurance of the feasibility of any such new operations.
The transfer of any new permits to the Company is subject to regulatory approval. This approval is subject to the review of both unabated or uncorrected violations that are listed on the Applicator Violator List. The Company, to include several of its subsidiaries, does have unabated and/or uncorrected violations that are listed on the Applicator Violator List. Should the state regulators believe that the Company is not in the process of abating or correcting the currently outstanding issues associated with their currently held permits they may choose not to issue the Company any new permits until such issues are properly rectified.
Quest Processing LLC
Quest Energy’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Quest Processing, manages the assets, operations, and personnel of the certain coal processing and transportation facilities of Quest Energy’s various other subsidiaries, namely the Supreme Energy Preparation Facility (of Knott County Coal LLC), the Raven Preparation Facility (of Knott County Coal LLC), and Mill Creek Preparation Facility (of Deane Mining LLC). Quest Processing LLC was the recipient of a New Markets Tax Credit loan that allowed for the payment of certain expenses of these preparation facilities. As part of that financing transaction, Quest Energy loaned ERC Mining LLC, an entity owned by members of Quest Energy, Inc.’s management, $4,120,000 to facilitate the New Markets Tax Credit loan, of which is all outstanding as of March 31, 2019. ERC Mining LLC is considered a variable interest entity and is consolidated into Quest Energy’s financial statements.
Mineral and Surface Leases
Coal mining and processing involves the extraction of coal (mineral) and the use of surface property incidental to such extraction and processing. All of the mineral and surface related to the Company’s coal mining operations is leased from various mineral and surface owners (the “Leases”). The Company’s operating subsidiaries, collectively, are parties to approximately 200 various Leases and other agreements required for the Company’s coal mining and processing operations. The Leases are with a variety of Lessors, from individuals to professional land management firms such as the Elk Horn Coal Company LLC and Alma Land Company. In some instances, the Company has leases with Land Resources & Royalties LLC (LRR), a professional leasing firm that is an entity wholly owned by Wabash Enterprises Inc, an entity owned by members of Quest Energy Inc.’s management.
Coal Sales
ARC sells its coal to domestic and international customers, some which blend ARC’s coal at east coast ports with other qualities of coal for export. Coal sales currently come from the Company’s Perry’s E4-2 mine. The Company may, at times, purchase coal from other regional producers to sell on its contracts.
Competition
The coal industry is intensely competitive. The most important factors on which the Company competes are coal quality, delivered costs to the customer and reliability of supply. Our principal domestic competitors will include Corsa Coal Corporation, Ramaco Resources, Blackhawk Mining, Coronado Coal, Arch Resources, Contura Energy, and Warrior Met Coal. Many of these coal producers may have greater financial resources and larger coal deposit bases than we do. We also compete in international markets directly with domestic companies and with companies that produce coal from one or more foreign countries, such as China, Australia, Colombia, Indonesia and South Africa.
Legal Proceedings
From time to time, we are subject to ordinary routine litigation incidental to our normal business operations.
Please see financial statement note 6 for detail on cases.
Environmental, Governmental, and Other Regulatory Matters
Our operations are subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations, such as those relating to matters such as permitting and licensing, employee health and safety, reclamation and restoration of mining properties, water discharges, air emissions, plant and wildlife protection, the storage, treatment and disposal of wastes, remediation of contaminants, surface subsidence from underground mining and the effects of mining on surface water and groundwater conditions. In addition, we may become subject to additional costs for benefits for current and retired coal miners. These environmental laws and regulations include, but are not limited to, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) with respect to coal mining activities and ancillary activities; the Clean Air Act (CAA) with respect to air emissions; the Clean Water Act (CWA) with respect to water discharges and the permitting of key operational infrastructure such as impoundments; Resource Conservation and Recovery RCRA with respect to solid and hazardous waste management and disposal, as well as the regulation of underground storage tanks; the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund) with respect to releases, threatened releases and remediation of hazardous substances; the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) with respect to threatened and endangered species; and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) with respect to the evaluation of environmental impacts related to any federally issued permit or license. Many of these federal laws have state and local counterparts which also impose requirements and potential liability on our operations.
Compliance with these laws and regulations may be costly and time-consuming and may delay commencement, continuation or expansion of exploration or production at our facilities. They may also depress demand for our products by imposing more stringent requirements and limits on our customers’ operations. Moreover, these laws are constantly evolving and are becoming increasingly complex and stringent over time. These laws and regulations, particularly new legislative or administrative proposals, or judicial interpretations of existing laws and regulations related to the protection of the environment could result in substantially increased capital, operating and compliance costs. Individually and collectively, these developments could have a material adverse effect on our operations directly and/or indirectly, through our customers’ inability to use our products.
Certain implementing regulations for these environmental laws are undergoing revision or have not yet been promulgated. As a result, we cannot always determine the ultimate impact of complying with existing laws and regulations.
Due in part to these extensive and comprehensive regulatory requirements and ever-changing interpretations of these requirements, violations of these laws can occur from time to time in our industry and also in our operations. Expenditures relating to environmental compliance are a major cost consideration for our operations and safety and compliance is a significant factor in mine design, both to meet regulatory requirements and to minimize long-term environmental liabilities. To the extent that these expenditures, as with all costs, are not ultimately reflected in the prices of our products and services, operating results will be reduced.
In addition, our customers are subject to extensive regulation regarding the environmental impacts associated with the combustion or other use of coal, which may affect demand for our coal. Changes in applicable laws or the adoption of new laws relating to energy production, greenhouse gas emissions and other emissions from use of coal products may cause coal to become a less attractive source of energy, which may adversely affect our mining operations, the cost structure and, the demand for coal.
We believe that our competitors with operations in the United States are confronted by substantially similar conditions. However, foreign producers and operators may not be subject to similar requirements and may not be required to undertake equivalent costs in or be subject to similar limitations on their operations. As a result, the costs and operating restrictions necessary for compliance with United States environmental laws and regulations may have an adverse effect on our competitive position with regard to those foreign competitors. The specific impact on each competitor may vary depending on a number of factors, including the age and location of its operating facilities, applicable legislation and its production methods.
The Mine Act and the MINER Act, and regulations issued under these federal statutes, impose stringent health and safety standards on mining operations. The regulations that have been adopted under the Mine Act and the MINER Act are comprehensive and affect numerous aspects of mining operations, including training of mine personnel, mining procedures, roof control, ventilation, blasting, use and maintenance of mining equipment, dust and noise control, communications, emergency response procedures, and other matters. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) regularly inspects mines to ensure compliance with regulations promulgated under the Mine Act and MINER Act.
Due to the large number of mining permits held by the Company that have been previously mined and operated, there is a significant amount of environmental reclamation and remediation required by the Company to comply with local, state, and federal regulations for coal mining companies.
Property
Our principal offices are located at 12115 Visionary Way, Fishers, Indiana 46038. We pay $5,726 per month in rent for the office space and the rental lease expires December 2026. On January 1, 2022, the Company entered into an expansion lease for the site. The amended lease has a ten year term and $5,869 per month rate.
We also rent office space from an affiliated entity, LRR, at 11000 Highway 7 South, Kite, Kentucky 41828 and pay $1,702 per month rent and the rental lease expires January 1, 2030.
On August 17, 2021, American Rare Earth entered into a Commercial Land Lease sublease agreement with Land Betterment for nearly 7 acres of land for the purpose of building a commercial grade critical element purification facility. The sublease is for the period of 5 years with a rate of $3,500 a month.
On October 8, 2021, American Rare Earth entered into a Commercial Lease for 6,700 square feet of warehouse space for the purpose of building a commercial grade critical element purification facility. The is for the period of 2 years with a rate of $4,745.83 a month.
The Company also utilizes various office spaces on-site at its coal mining operations and coal preparation plant locations in eastern Kentucky, with such rental payments covered under any surface lease contracts with any of the surface land owners.
Employees
ARC, through its operating subsidiaries, employs a combination of company employees and contract labor to mine coal, process coal, and related functions. The Company is continually evaluating the use of company employees and contract labor to determine the optimal mix of each, given the needs of the Company. Currently, McCoy Elkhorn’s Carnegie 1 Mine and Perry’s E4-1 mine and are primarily run by contract labor, and the Company’s various coal preparation facilities are run by contract labor.
The Company currently has approximately 10 direct employees. The Company is headquartered in Fishers, Indiana with four members of the Company’s executive team based at this location.
Results of Operations
Our consolidated operations had operating revenues of $9,080,622 for the three-months ended March 31, 2022 and $10,646 operating revenue for the three-months ended March 31, 2021. We have incurred net loss attributable to American Resources shareholders in the amount of $2,752,902 and a net loss of $6,389,857 respectively for the same periods.
The primary driver for increase in revenue was a increase in coal production since the Covid-19 global pandemic.
From our inception to-date our activities have been primarily financed from the proceeds of our acquisitions, common share equity investments and loans.
For the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, coal sales and processing expenses were $2,890,858 and $800,515 respectively, development costs, including loss on settlement of ARO were $6,784,188 and $1,811,951, respectively, and production taxes and royalties $819,477 and $568,182, respectively. Depreciation expense for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 were $626,042 and $393,530 respectively.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of March 31, 2022, and 2021, our available cash was $5,217,204 and $7,097,465. We expect to fund our liquidity requirements with cash on hand, future borrowings and cash flow from operations. If future cash flows are insufficient to meet our liquidity needs or capital requirements, we may reduce our mine development and/or fund a portion of our expenditures through issuance of debt or equity securities, the entry into debt arrangements for from other sources, such as asset sales. We do not have any credit lines currently available to fund our liquidity requirements, and currently there is uncertainty regarding our ability to execute on the above strategy.
For the three months ending March 31, 2022 our net cash flow used in operating activities was $5,733,607 and for the period ending March 31, 2021 the net cash flow used in operating activities was $6,745,974.
For the three months ending March 31, 2022 and 2021 net cash provided by (used in) investing activities were $(792,025) and $(2,840,000) respectively.
For the three months ending March 31, 2022 and 2021 net cash proceeds (used in) from financing activities were $241,316 and $6,715,944 respectively.
As a public company, we will be subject to certain reporting and other compliance requirements of a publicly reporting company. We will be subject to certain costs for such compliance which private companies may not choose to make. We have identified such costs as being primarily for audits, legal services, filing expenses, financial and reporting controls and shareholder communications and estimate the cost to be approximately $35,000 monthly if the activities of our Company remain somewhat the same for the next few months. We have included such costs in our monthly cash flow needs and expect to pay such costs from a combination of cash from operations.
Business Effect of Covid-19.
During 2021 and 2020, the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in muted demand for infrastructure and steel products and their necessary inputs including Metallurgical coal. These recent developments are expected to result in lower sales and gross margins. Because of the adverse market conditions caused by the global pandemic the Company’s operations were idled in January 2020 and resumed during December 2020. Additionally, supply chain constraints are persistent in all parts of our business.
Off Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that we are required to disclose pursuant to these regulations. In the ordinary course of business, we enter into operating lease commitments, purchase commitments and other contractual obligations. These transactions are recognized in our financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States.
Critical Accounting Policies
The preparation of financial statements requires management to utilize estimates and make judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. These estimates are based on historical experience and on various other assumptions that management believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. The estimates are evaluated by management on an ongoing basis, and the results of these evaluations form a basis for making decisions about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Although actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions, management believes that the estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements are reasonable. The critical accounting policies affecting our financial reporting are summarized in Note 1 to the financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
None.