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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
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9 Months Ended | 12 Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sep. 30, 2012
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Dec. 31, 2011
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| Accounting Policies [Abstract] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | NOTE 2 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Management’s Plans
The Company is a development-stage company which has incurred losses since inception. Management has funded operations primarily through proceeds received in connection with a reverse merger, loans from its majority shareholder, the private placement of the Company's common stock in December 2007 for net proceeds of approximately $14,500,000, the issuance of convertible notes with warrants in July and August 2007, stock purchase agreements in 2010 and 2012, and Department of Energy reimbursements starting in 2009. The Company may encounter difficulties in establishing operations due to the time frame of developing, constructing and ultimately operating the planned bio-refinery projects.
As of September 30, 2012, the Company had negative working capital of approximately $2,379,000. Management has estimated that operating expenses for the next 12 months will be approximately $1,700,000, excluding engineering costs related to the development of bio-refinery projects. These matters raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Throughout the remainder of 2012, the Company intends to fund its operations with reimbursements under the Department of Energy contract, draw downs on the equity commitment the Company received from Lincoln Park Capital in January 2011, the TCA Global Credit Master Fund, LP in March 2012 (see Note 9), as well as seek additional funding in the form of equity or debt. As of December 10, 2012, the Company expects the current resources available to them will only be sufficient for a period of approximately one month unless significant additional financing is received. Management has determined that the general expenditures must be reduced and additional capital will be required in the form of equity or debt securities. In addition, if we cannot raise additional short term capital, we may consume all of our cash reserved for operations. There are no assurances that management will be able to raise capital on terms acceptable to the Company. If we are unable to obtain sufficient amounts of additional capital, we may be required to reduce the scope of our planned development, which could harm our business, financial condition and operating results. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from these uncertainties.
Additionally, the Company’s Lancaster plant is currently shovel ready and only requires minimal capital to maintain until funding is obtained for the construction. The preparation for the construction of this plant was the primary capital use in 2009. In October 2010, BlueFire filed the necessary paperwork to extend this project’s permits for an additional year while we await potential financing. Currently, the Company's air permit for the Lancaster plant is inactive until such time as we pay the necessary fees to reinstate it. In 2012, as in 2011, the Company sees this project on hold until we receive the funding to construct the facility.
As of December 31, 2010, the Company completed the detailed engineering on our proposed Fulton Project, procured all necessary permits for construction of the plant, and began site clearing and preparation work, signaling the beginning of construction.
We estimate the total construction cost of the bio-refineries to be in the range of approximately $300 million for the Fulton Project and approximately $100 million to $125 million for the Lancaster Biorefinery. These cost approximations do not reflect any increase or decrease in raw materials or any savings in construction cost that might be realized by the weak world economic environment. The Company is currently in discussions with potential sources of financing for these facilities, but no definitive agreements are in place.
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared by the Company pursuant to the rules and regulations of the United States Securities Exchange Commission. Certain information and disclosures normally included in the annual consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with the accounting principles generally accepted in the Unites States of America have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. In the opinion of management, all adjustments and disclosures necessary for a fair presentation of these financial statements have been included. Such adjustments consist of normal recurring adjustments. These interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2011. The results of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year.
Principles of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of BlueFire Renewables, Inc., and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, BlueFire Ethanol, Inc. and Sucre Source LLC. BlueFire Ethanol Lancaster, LLC, and BlueFire Fulton Renewable Energy LLC (excluding 1% interest sold) are wholly-owned subsidiaries of BlueFire Ethanol, Inc. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reported periods. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates.
Project Development
Project development costs include the research and development expenses related to the Company's future cellulose-to-ethanol production facilities. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012 and 2011, and for the period from March 28, 2006 (Inception) to September 30, 2012, research and development costs, net of stock-based compensation, included in Project Development expense were approximately $129,000, $158,000, $420,000, $429,000, and $14,883,000, respectively.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The Company follows the accounting guidance under ASC 820 “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures.” Fair value is defined as the exit price, or the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants as of the measurement date. The guidance also establishes a hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are inputs market participants would use in valuing the asset or liability and are developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Company. Unobservable inputs are inputs that reflect the Company’s assumptions about the factors market participants would use in valuing the asset or liability. The guidance establishes three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value:
The Company did not have any level 1 financial instruments at September 30, 2012 or December 31, 2011.
As of September 30, 2012, the Company’s warrant liability and derivative liability are considered level 2 items (see Note 5).
As of September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011 the Company’s redeemable noncontrolling interest is considered a level 3 item and changed during nine months ended September 30, 2012 as follows:
Income (loss) per Common Share
The Company presents basic income (loss) per share (“EPS”) and diluted EPS on the face of the consolidated statement of operations. Basic income (loss) per share is computed as net income (loss) divided by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution that could occur from common shares issuable through stock options, warrants, and other convertible securities. As of September 30, 2012 and 2011, the Company had 1,229,659 and 3,287,159 options and 6,891,534 and 6,886,694 warrants, respectively, for which all of the exercise prices were in excess of the average closing price of the Company’s common stock during the corresponding period and thus no shares are considered dilutive under the treasury stock method of accounting and their effects would have been antidilutive due to the loss. As of September 30, 2012, the Company’s convertible note payable is convertible into approximately 2,502,000 shares of common stock, for which the effects would have been antidilutive due to the loss.
Derivative Financial Instruments
We do not use derivative financial instruments to hedge exposures to cash-flow risks or market-risks that may affect the fair values of our financial instruments. However, under the provisions ASC 815 – “Derivatives and Hedging” certain financial instruments that have characteristics of a derivative, as defined by ASC 815, such as embedded conversion features on our convertible notes, that are potentially settled in the Company’s own common stock, are classified as liabilities when either (a) the holder possesses rights to net-cash settlement or (b) physical or net-share settlement is not within our control. In such instances, net-cash settlement is assumed for financial accounting and reporting purposes, even when the terms of the underlying contracts do not provide for net-cash settlement. Derivative financial instruments are initially recorded, and continuously carried, at fair value each reporting period.
The value of the embedded conversion feature is determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. All future changes in the fair value of the embedded conversion feature will be recognized currently in earnings until the note is converted or redeemed. Determining the fair value of derivative financial instruments involves judgment and the use of certain relevant assumptions including, but not limited to, interest rate risk, credit risk, volatility and other factors. The use of different assumptions could have a material effect on the estimated fair value amounts.
Lines of Credit with Share Issuance
Shares issued to obtain a line of credit are recorded at fair value at contract inception. When shares are issued to obtain a line of credit rather than in connection with the issuance, the shares are accounted for as equity, at the measurement date in accordance with ASC 505-50 “Equity-Based Payments to Non-Employees.” The issuance of these shares is equivalent to the payment of a loan commitment or access fee, and, therefore, the offset is recorded akin to debt issuance costs. The deferred fee is amortized on a straight-line basis over the stated term of the line of credit, or other period as deemed appropriate.
Redeemable - Noncontrolling Interest
Redeemable interest held by third parties in subsidiaries owned or controlled by the Company is reported on the consolidated balance sheets outside permanent equity. All noncontrolling interest reported in the consolidated statements of operations reflects the respective interests in the income or loss after income taxes of the subsidiaries attributable to the other parties, the effect of which is removed from the net income or loss available to the Company. The Company accretes the redemption value of the redeemable noncontrolling interest over the redemption period.
New Accounting Pronouncements
The FASB issues ASUs to amend the authoritative literature in ASC. There have been a number of ASUs to date that amend the original text of ASC. The Company believes those issued to date either (i) provide supplemental guidance, (ii) are technical corrections, (iii) are not applicable to the Company or (iv) are not expected to have a significant impact on the Company. |
NOTE 2 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Management’s Plans
The Company is a development-stage company which has incurred losses since inception. Management has funded operations primarily through proceeds received in connection with the reverse merger, loans from its majority shareholder, the private placement of the Company's common stock in December 2007 for net proceeds of approximately $14,500,000, the issuance of convertible notes with warrants in July and in August 2007, and Department of Energy reimbursements throughout 2009, 2010, and 2011. The Company may encounter difficulties in establishing operations due to the time frame of developing, constructing and ultimately operating the planned bio-refinery projects.
As of December 31, 2011, the Company has negative working capital of approximately $1,520,000. Management has estimated that operating expenses for the next 12 months will be approximately $1,700,000, excluding engineering costs related to the development of bio-refinery projects. These matters raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Throughout the remainder of 2012, the Company intends to fund its operations with reimbursements under the Department of Energy contract, draw downs on the equity commitment the Company received from Lincoln Park Capital in January 2011, as well as seek additional funding in the form of equity or debt. On March 28, 2012, the Company finalized a committed equity facility agreement and a $300,000 convertible promissory note with TCA Global Credit Master Fund, LP (See Note 12). As of April 16, 2012, the Company expects the current resources available to them will only be sufficient for a period of approximately two months unless significant additional financing is received. Management has determined that the general expenditures must be reduced and additional capital will be required in the form of equity or debt securities. In addition, if we cannot raise additional short term capital we may consume all of our cash reserved for operations. There are no assurances that management will be able to raise capital on terms acceptable to the Company. If we are unable to obtain sufficient amounts of additional capital, we may be required to reduce the scope of our planned development, which could harm our business, financial condition and operating results. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from these uncertainties.
Additionally, the Company’s Lancaster plant is currently shovel ready and only requires minimal capital to maintain until funding is obtained for the construction. The preparation for the construction of this plant was the primary capital use in 2009. In October 2010, BlueFire filed the necessary paperwork to extend this project’s permits for an additional year while we await potential financing. In 2012, as in 2011, the Company sees this project on hold until we receive the funding to construct the facility.
As of December 31, 2010, the Company completed the detailed engineering on our proposed Fulton Project, procured all necessary permits for construction of the plant, and began site clearing and preparation work, signaling the beginning of construction.
We estimate the total construction cost of the bio-refineries to be in the range of approximately $300 million for the Fulton Project and approximately $100 million to $125 million for the Lancaster Biorefinery. These cost approximations do not reflect any decrease in raw materials or any savings in construction cost that might be realized by the weak world economic environment. The Company is currently in discussions with potential sources of financing for these facilities but no definitive agreements are in place.
Principles of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of BlueFire Renewables, Inc., and its wholly-owned subsidiary, BlueFire Ethanol, Inc., BlueFire Ethanol Lancaster, LLC, BlueFire Fulton Renewable Energy LLC (excluding 1% interest sold), and SucreSource LLC are wholly-owned subsidiaries of BlueFire Ethanol, Inc. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reported periods. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates.
Debt Issuance Costs
Debt issuance costs are capitalized and amortized over the term of the debt using the effective interest method, or expensed upon conversion or extinguishment when applicable. Costs are capitalized for amounts incurred in connection with proposed financings. In the event the financing related to the capitalized cost is not successful, the costs are immediately expensed (see Note 5).
Cash and Cash Equivalents
For purpose of the statement of cash flows, the Company considers all highly liquid debt instruments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents.
Accounts Receivable
Accounts receivable are reported net of allowance for expected losses. It represents the amount management expects to collect from outstanding balances. Differences between the amount due and the amount management expects to collect are charged to operations in the year in which those differences are determined, with an offsetting entry to a valuation allowance. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, there have been no such charges.
Intangible Assets
License fees acquired are either expensed or recognized as intangible assets. The Company recognizes intangible assets when the following criteria are met: 1) the asset is identifiable, 2) the Company has control over the asset, 3) the cost of the asset can be measured reliably, and 4) it is probable that economic benefits will flow to the Company. During the year ended December 31, 2009, the Company paid a license fee (see Note 10) to Arkenol, Inc., a related party. The license fee was expensed because the Company is still in the research and development stage and cannot readily determine the probability of future economic benefits for said license.
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are stated at cost. The Company’s fixed assets are depreciated using the straight-line method over a period ranging from three to five years, except land which is not depreciated. Maintenance and repairs are charged to operations as incurred. Significant renewals and betterments are capitalized. At the time of retirement or other disposition of property and equipment, the cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is reflected in operations. During the year ended December 31, 2010, the Company began to capitalize costs in connection with the construction of its Fulton plant, and continued to do so in 2011. A portion of these costs were reimbursed under the Department of Energy grant discussed in Note 3. The reimbursable portion is treated as a reduction of those costs.
Revenue Recognition
The Company is currently a development-stage company. The Company will recognize revenues from 1) consulting services rendered to potential sub licensees for development and construction of cellulose to ethanol projects, 2) sales of ethanol from its production facilities when (a) persuasive evidence that an agreement exists; (b) the products have been delivered; (c) the prices are fixed and determinable and not subject to refund or adjustment; and (d) collection of the amounts due is reasonably assured.
As discussed in Note 3, the Company received a federal grant from the United States Department of Energy, (“DOE”). The grant generally provides for payment in connection with related development and construction costs involving commercialization of our technologies. Grant award reimbursements are recorded as either as contra assets or as revenues depending upon whether the reimbursement is for capitalized costs or expenses paid by the Company. Contra capitalized cost and revenues from the grant are recognized in the period during which the conditions under the grant have been met and the Company has made payment for the asset or expense. The Company recognizes DOE unbilled grant receivables for those costs that have been incurred during a period but not yet paid at period end, are otherwise reimbursable under the terms of the grant, and are expected to be paid in the normal course of business. Realization of unbilled receivables is dependent on the Company’s ability to meet their obligation for reimbursable costs.
Project Development
Project development costs are either expensed or capitalized. The costs of materials and equipment that will be acquired or constructed for project development activities, and that have alternative future uses, both in project development, marketing or sales, will be classified as property and equipment and depreciated over their estimated useful lives. To date, project development costs include the research and development expenses related to the Company's future cellulose-to-ethanol production facilities. During the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 and for the period from March 28, 2006 (Inception) to December 31, 2011, research and development costs included in Project Development were $595,302, $1,096,653, and $14,462,667, respectively.
Convertible Debt
Convertible debt is accounted for under the guidelines established by Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 470 “Debt with Conversion and Other Options” and ASC 740 “Beneficial Conversion Features”. The Company records a beneficial conversion feature (“BCF”) related to the issuance of convertible debt that have conversion features at fixed or adjustable rates that are in-the-money when issued and records the fair value of warrants issued with those instruments. The BCF for the convertible instruments is recognized and measured by allocating a portion of the proceeds to warrants and as a reduction to the carrying amount of the convertible instrument equal to the intrinsic value of the conversion features, both of which are credited to paid-in-capital.
The Company calculates the fair value of warrants issued with the convertible instruments using the Black-Scholes valuation method, using the same assumptions used for valuing employee options for purposes of ASC 718 “Compensation – Stock Compensation”, except that the contractual life of the warrant is used. Under these guidelines, the Company allocates the value of the proceeds received from a convertible debt transaction between the conversion feature and any other detachable instruments (such as warrants) on a relative fair value basis. The allocated fair value is recorded as a debt discount or premium and is amortized over the expected term of the convertible debt to interest expense. For a conversion price change of a convertible debt issue, the additional intrinsic value of the debt conversion feature, calculated as the number of additional shares issuable due to a conversion price change multiplied by the previous conversion price, is recorded as additional debt discount and amortized over the remaining life of the debt.
The Company accounts for modifications of its BCF’s in accordance with ASC 470 “Modifications and Exchanges”. ASC 470 requires the modification of a convertible debt instrument that changes the fair value of an embedded conversion feature and the subsequent recognition of interest expense or the associated debt instrument when the modification does not result in a debt extinguishment.
Equity Instruments Issued with Registration Rights Agreement
The Company accounts for these penalties as contingent liabilities, applying the accounting guidance of ASC 450 “Contingencies”. This accounting is consistent with views established in ASC 825 “Financial Instruments”. Accordingly, the Company recognizes damages when it becomes probable that they will be incurred and amounts are reasonably estimable.
In connection with the issuance of common stock for gross proceeds of $15,500,000 in December 2007 and the $2,000,000 convertible note financing in August 2007, the Company was required to file a registration statement on Form SB-2 or Form S-3 with the Securities and Exchange Commission in order to register the resale of the common stock under the Securities Act. The Company filed that registration statement on December 18, 2007 and as required under the registration rights agreement had the registration statement declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 27, 2009 and in so doing incurred no liquidated damages. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company does not believe that any liquidated damages are probable and thus no amounts have been accrued in the accompanying financial statements.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740 ”Income Taxes” requires the Company to provide a net deferred tax asset/liability equal to the expected future tax benefit/expense of temporary reporting differences between book and tax accounting methods and any available operating loss or tax credit carry forwards.
This Interpretation sets forth a recognition threshold and valuation method to recognize and measure an income tax position taken, or expected to be taken, in a tax return. The evaluation is based on a two-step approach. The first step requires an entity to evaluate whether the tax position would “more likely than not,” based upon its technical merits, be sustained upon examination by the appropriate taxing authority. The second step requires the tax position to be measured at the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50 percent likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. In addition, previously recognized benefits from tax positions that no longer meet the new criteria would no longer be recognized. This Interpretation was effective for the Company on January 1, 2007 and did not have a material impact on our financial position,results of operations or cash flows.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
On January 1, 2009, the Company adopted ASC 820 “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures”. The Company did not record an adjustment to its accumulated deficit as a result of the adoption of the guidance for fair value measurements, and the adoption did not have a material effect on the Company’s results of operations.
Fair value is defined as the exit price, or the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants as of the measurement date. The guidance also establishes a hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are inputs market participants would use in valuing the asset or liability and are developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Company. Unobservable inputs are inputs that reflect the Company’s assumptions about the factors market participants would use in valuing the asset or liability. The guidance establishes three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value:
Level 1. Observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets;
Level 2. Inputs, other than the quoted prices in active markets, that are observable either directly or indirectly; and Level 3. Unobservable inputs in which there is little or no market data, which require the reporting entity to develop its own assumptions.
The Company did not have any level 1finanical instruments at December 31, 2011 and 2010.
As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, the warrant liability is considered a level 2 item, see Note 6.
As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company’s redeemable noncontrolling interest is considered a level 3 item and changed during 2010 and 2011 due to the following:
See Note 8 for details of valuation and changes during the years 2010 and 2011.
Risks and Uncertainties
The Company's operations are subject to new innovations in product design and function. Significant technical changes can have an adverse effect on product lives. Design and development of new products are important elements to achieve and maintain profitability in the Company's industry segment. The Company may be subject to federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations. The Company does not anticipate expenditures to comply with such laws and does not believe that regulations will have a material impact on the Company's financial position, results of operations, or liquidity. The Company believes that its operations comply, in all material respects, with applicable federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations.
Concentrations of Credit Risk
The Company maintains its cash accounts in a commercial bank and in an institutional money-market fund account. The total cash balances held in a commercial bank are secured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) up to $250,000, although on January 1, 2014 this amount is scheduled to return to $100,000 per depositor, per insured bank. At times, the Company has cash deposits in excess of federally insured limits. In addition, the Institutional Funds Account is insured through the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (“SIPC”) up to $500,000 per customer, including up to $100,000 for cash. At times, the Company has cash deposits in excess of federally and institutional insured limits.
As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Department of Energy made up 100% of billed and unbilled Grant Revenues and Department of Energy grant receivables. Management believes the loss of these organizations would have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.
As of December 31, 2011 and 2010 three and one venders made up 63% and 39% of accounts payable, respectively.
Loss per Common Share
The Company presents basic loss per share (“EPS”) and diluted EPS on the face of the consolidated statement of operations. Basic loss per share is computed as net loss divided by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution that could occur from common shares issuable through stock options, warrants, and other convertible securities. For the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company had 1,229,659 options and 7,115,275 warrants outstanding, for which all of the exercise prices were in excess of the average closing price of the Company’s common stock during the corresponding year and thus no shares are considered as dilutive under the treasury-stock method of accounting and their effects would have been antidilutive due to the loss. For the year ended December 31, 2010, the Company had 3,287,159 options and 6,886,694 warrants, to purchase shares of common stock that were excluded from the calculation of diluted loss per share as their effects would have been anti-dilutive due to the loss, and because all of the exercise prices were in excess of the average closing price of the Company’s common stock during the corresponding year.
Share-Based Payments
The Company accounts for stock options issued to employees and consultants under ASC 718 “Share-Based Payment”. Under ASC 718, share-based compensation cost to employees is measured at the grant date, based on the estimated fair value of the award, and is recognized as expense over the employee's requisite vesting period.
The Company measures compensation expense for its non-employee stock-based compensation under ASC 505 “Equity”. The fair value of the option issued or committed to be issued is used to measure the transaction, as this is more reliable than the fair value of the services received. The fair value is measured at the value of the Company's common stock on the date that the commitment for performance by the counterparty has been reached or the counterparty's performance is complete. The fair value of the equity instrument is charged directly to stock-based compensation expense and credited to additional paid-in capital.
Redeemable - Noncontrolling Interest
Redeemable interest held by third parties in subsidiaries owned or controlled by the Company. As these redeemable noncontrolling interests provide for redemption features not solely within the control of the issuer, we classify such interests outside of permanent equity in accordance with ASC 480-10, “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity”. All redeemable noncontrolling interest reported in the consolidated statements of operations reflects the respective interests in the income or loss after income taxes of the subsidiaries attributable to the other parties, the effect of which is removed from the net loss available to the Company. The Company accretes the redemption value of the redeemable noncontrolling interest over the redemption period using the straight-line method.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
The Company regularly evaluates whether events and circumstances have occurred that indicate the carrying amount of property and equipment may not be recoverable. When factors indicate that these long-lived assets should be evaluated for possible impairment, the Company assesses the potential impairment by determining whether the carrying value of such long-lived assets will be recovered through the future undiscounted cash flows expected from use of the asset and its eventual disposition. If the carrying amount of the asset is determined not to be recoverable, a write-down to fair value is recorded. Fair values are determined based on quoted market values, discounted cash flows, or external appraisals, as applicable. The Company regularly evaluates whether events and circumstances have occurred that indicate the useful lives of property and equipment may warrant revision. In our opinion, the carrying values of our long-lived assets, including property and equipment, were not impaired at December 31, 2011.
New Accounting Pronouncements
In May 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued amended standards to achieve common fair value measurements and disclosures between GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards. The standards include amendments that clarify the intent behind the application of existing fair value measurements and disclosures and other amendments which change principles or requirements for fair value measurements or disclosures. The amended standards are to be applied prospectively for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. Management does not believe the adoption of these changes will not have an impact on the consolidated financial statements.
In June 2011, the FASB issued amended standards that eliminated the option to report other comprehensive income in the statement of stockholders’ equity and require companies to present the components of net income and other comprehensive income as either one continuous statement of comprehensive income or two separate but consecutive statements. The amended standards do not affect the reported amounts of comprehensive income. In December 2011, the FASB deferred the requirement to present components of reclassifications of other comprehensive income on the face of the income statement that had previously been included in the June 2011 amended standard. These amended standards are to be applied retrospectively for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. Management does not believe the adoption of these changes will not have an impact on the consolidated financial statements
In September 2011, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2011-08, Intangibles — “Goodwill and Other” (Topic 350). This Accounting Standards Update amends FASB ASC Topic 350. This amendment specifies the change in method for determining the potential impairment of goodwill. It includes examples of circumstances and events that the entity should consider in evaluating whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. The amendments are effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011. Management does not believe the adoption of these changes will not have an impact on the consolidated financial statements.
In December 2011, the FASB issued changes to the disclosure of offsetting assets and liabilities. These changes require an entity to disclose both gross information and net information about both instruments and transactions eligible for offset in the statement of financial position and instruments and transactions subject to an agreement similar to a master netting arrangement. The enhanced disclosures will enable users of an entity’s financial statements to understand and evaluate the effect or potential effect of master netting arrangements on an entity’s financial position, including the effect or potential effect of rights of setoff associated with certain financial instruments and derivative instruments. These changes become effective for the Company on January 1, 2013. Management does not believe the adoption of these changes will not have an impact on the consolidated financial statements.
Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective accounting pronouncements, if adopted, would have a material effect on the accompanying financial statements. |