Major Acquisitions
The Company did not make any major acquisitions during the three months ended March, 31, 2011.
Cash Position and Outstanding Indebtedness
Our total indebtedness at March 31, 2011 was $8,164,990 consisting of all current liabilities due within the year. Current liabilities consist of accounts payable, advances from related parties, accrued expenses and the note for the acquisition of Lima Energy Company. At March 31, 2011, we had current assets of $33 in cash. We had long term assets of $1 at March 31, 2011 and $0 at March 31, 2010.
Contractual Obligations
As part of the Lima Energy Company acquisition, the Company issued a senior secured note to Global Energy, Inc., a related party, for $6,439,429 with 7% per annum accrued interest, which, as amended, is payable at the first to occur of $400 million in Lima Energy financing, an equity offering by the Company of $75 million or more, or September 30, 2011. We have not yet secured the financing required to pay the $6.4 million note. In the event we do not secure such financing, we will seek a further extension from GEI. At its option, GEI may agree to a further extension or require that Lima Energy ownership revert to GEI.
Future Capital Requirements
The Company has focused its efforts to date in 2011 on obtaining large amounts of capital to fund its project development activity. Our current business plan calls for new investment capital to fund our operations for the next twelve to twenty four months or until commercial operations at Lima Energy commence. Accordingly, we need to raise capital to provide working capital for the next two years in order to meet our funding commitments and business plan objectives.
At this filing date, we have a firm commitment for $20 million in equity funding, as more fully described below, to meet both our project capital requirements and working capital requirements. Specifically, the $20 million equity capital raise will enable the following to occur: Lima land purchase and ancillary costs estimated at $2.0 million and Lima project advancement, including site work and further engineering and permit work, in the amount of $3.0 million. The costs are currently contained within the scope of the full construction costs of Gas 1. The balance of $15.0 million would be used for general corporate purposes.
We intend to finance our operations primarily through long and short-term borrowings, together with equity capital. In the event the Company raises additional funds due to investment demand and various financing options, the additional funds will further advance the Lima Energy Gas 1 project and add to corporate working capital to accelerate the business plan. In addition to or as an alternative, the Company is considering a $100 million level equity raise and corresponding increase in the public float.
On May 12, 2011, the Company filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission covering the sale of 5,000,000 shares pursuant to an investment agreement and registration rights agreement with Kodiak Capital Group, LLC (“Kodiak”), a New York-based institutional investor, signed on April 6, 2011. Kodiak has committed to invest up to $20 million in the Company over a 6-month period, subject to certain conditions, at the Company's discretion. Once the registration statement is effective, Kodiak is obligated to purchase shares of the Company's common stock from time to time at the Company's discretion. Kodiak’s commitment provides the company with the flexibility to obtain capital in increments of up to $5,000,000 over a six month period as growth capital is needed. The facility sets the purchase price at 70% of the volume weighted average price over five consecutive trading days as reported by Bloomberg. The Company expects to fully utilize the $20 million in order to accelerate project milestones and fund corporate growth. The Company can terminate the agreement at any time without cost or penalty.
On February 14, 2011, the Company signed an engagement letter with an unrelated third party to secure a convertible note facility for Lima Energy Company in the amount of $30M, which will be used to advance project milestones for Lima Energy and provide other working capital for the Lima Energy project as it moves forward.
On January 12, 2011, the Company entered into a non-binding term sheet with Socius CG II, a subsidiary of Socius Capital Group, for a commitment of up to $10 million in equity capital contingent upon the Company’s listing on the NASDAQ exchange, which is a goal of the Company.
Our cash requirements depend on many factors, including the pace of our project development activities, and the employee team, build-up to drive our future growth. Over the next four years, we expect to make significant expenditures to expand our projects currently under development and construction and to bring them into commercial operation. We expect to incur total project costs of $497.0 million for full construction of Gas 1, $1.02 billion for full construction of Gas 2, $627.3 million for full construction of CCGT, and $2.3 billion for full construction of Cleantech Energy Project to bring each project into commercial operation.
We intend to finance a significant amount of the costs of these projects through a mix of equity and debt, which will consist primarily of project-specific non-recourse debt using the assets of each project to secure such debt. We will require substantial capital resources to fund the project costs related to our development and construction plan. Our ability to obtain adequate funding for our development and construction plan as well as for our working capital needs will depend on a variety of factors and cannot be guaranteed. For full finance for the Lima Energy Gas 1 phase, we are focusing primarily on $400 million of Ohio Air Quality Development Authority bonds. While under the auspices of OAQDA, the bond proceeds will be used by Lima Energy to complete construction of Lima Energy GAS 1 which is a cleantech facility being designed to deliver low cost synthetic natural gas (“SNG”) to Procter & Gamble under a long term contract and other customers.
We have been moving forward and anticipate closing on the bonds by June 30, 2011. Even so, there can be no assurance that the placement of the OAQDA bonds will be completed in a timely manner or that a market will develop for the bonds. The Air Quality bonds will be nonrecourse to USASF.
As the economy improves, we anticipate that the market for low cost clean energy and cleantech facilities such as Lima Energy Gas 1, will also improve. The long term agreement for the sale of SNG to P&G is for approximately half of the SNG to be produced from Gas 1. P&G has extended this agreement by amendment a total of 9 times, the latest amendment of which has expired. The next amendment, extending the agreement for one year, continues to be reviewed by P&G, who has recently indicated approval by the first of two internal approval levels. We included amendment 10 in the exhibits for completeness, but acknowledge that it is not yet executed. P&G has indicated that its approval will provide a one-year window for the project to achieve the next contractual milestone. We continue to believe, although we can give no assurances, that the pricing terms within the agreement are very favorable to P&G, even considering current market conditions and, therefore, that the agreement will be renewed by this amendment.. It is management’s belief that Procter & Gamble remains an advocate for low cost clean energy as evidenced by the long term contract for SNG.
No Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We have not, and do not have, any relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, such as entities often referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities, which would have been established for the purpose of establishing off-balance sheet arrangements or other contractually narrow or limited purposes. Therefore, we do not believe we are exposed to any financing, liquidity, market or credit risk that could arise if we had engaged in such relationships.
Inflation
Certain of our product offerings and supplies potentially may be subject to future price fluctuations due to inflationary and other market conditions. We believe that we largely will be able to pass such increased costs on to our customers through price increases, although we may not be able to adjust our prices immediately due to fixed price contracts for specific terms. In general, we do not believe that inflation will have a material effect on our results of operations in coming years. Technological advances have not caused prices on certain products to decrease, which could have a negative impact on margins.
ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
This information has been omitted based on our status as a smaller reporting company.
ITEM 4T. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
As of March 31, 2011, we carried out an evaluation, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of March 31, 2011 to ensure that the information required to be disclosed by us in reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our principal executive and principal financial officer as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our Company has limited internal resources and limited ability to have multiple levels of transaction review. We presently have only ten employees, and this leads to limited segregation of duties within the Company. However, our controls and procedures provide for full flow of information to Company management, especially to the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, and our evaluation shows we are able to meet our reporting obligations under the Exchange Act Rules stated above. While our disclosure controls and procedures are effective, we recognize that continued improvement is desired in the areas of management oversight, control of documentation being produced, and review of such control documentation when it is produced. A policy and procedure directive has been established to initiate improvement in this area.
There were no changes in disclosure controls and procedures that occurred during the period covered by this report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our disclosure controls and procedures. We do not expect to implement any changes to our disclosure controls and procedures until there is a significant change in our operations or capital resources.
PART II - OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
We are not currently a party to any material litigation and we are not aware of any pending or threatened litigation against us that could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results or financial condition. However, we may from time to time be involved in legal proceedings in the ordinary course of our business.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry
We have no current operating revenues.
We are a development stage company and have no revenues from operations to use for operating expenses or project development. If we are not able to obtain adequate sources of funds to operate our business we may not be able to continue as a going concern. Our business strategy and plans could be adversely affected in the event we need additional financing and are unable to obtain such funding when needed. Insufficient funds may prevent us from implementing our business strategy or may require us to delay, scale back or eliminate certain opportunities for the commercialization of our technology. If we cannot obtain necessary funding, then we may be forced to cease operations.
We anticipate that we will incur operating losses and negative cash flows for the immediate future.
The Company does not expect to generate significant revenues, if any, until Gas 1 or CCGT commences commercial operations, which we currently anticipate will occur approximately 37 or 24 months, respectively, following financial closing. We anticipate that our expenses will continue to increase substantially as we implement our project development and construction plan and expand our marketing and general and administrative operations. For these reasons, we expect to continue to incur significant operating losses for the next several years. These losses will have an adverse effect on our shareholders’ equity and working capital.
Our ability to become profitable is uncertain.
Our ability to become and remain profitable will depend on, among other things:
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Our ability to identify, develop and construct gasification, SNG production and CCGT facilities, including our projects currently in development, at our projected cost and within our projected timetables.
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Our ability to obtain adequate financing for our projects on terms consistent with our expectations.
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Our ability to effectively manage the operations at our facilities and to avoid extended outages or other breakdowns or failures of equipment or processes, whether due to catastrophic natural events or otherwise.
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Prices for traditional and alternative fuel sources and competitive power generation technologies.
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Our ability to develop and market our end-products at a sufficient margin.
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Our ability to develop an effective internal corporate organization and systems.
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Our ability to attract, hire and retain qualified and experienced management and technical and field personnel.
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Because of the numerous uncertainties associated with the development, construction, ownership and future operation of our projects, we are unable to predict the extent of any future losses or when we will become profitable, if ever. Even if we do achieve profitability, we may be unable to sustain or increase our profitability in the future.
If we receive the financing for any or all of our projects, then Management believes our Company should undergo a period of rapid growth and activity related to our development and construction plan and our failure to manage this growth and activity could harm our business.
If we receive the financing for any or all of our projects, Management believes we should undergo a period of growth and activity. This possible growth, as well as any other growth that we may experience in the future, will provide challenges to our organization and may strain our management, technical and field personnel and operations, especially since our development and construction plan involves simultaneous activity on multiple projects. We may misjudge the amount of time or resources that will be required to manage effectively any anticipated or unanticipated growth or activity in our business or with respect to our development and construction plan or we may not be able to attract, hire or retain qualified and experienced personnel, including additional senior management personnel and technical and field personnel, to meet our needs. Our ability to manage growth and to execute our development and construction plan will depend in large part on our ability to continue to enhance our operating, financial and management information systems. If we cannot scale our business appropriately, maintain control over expenses or otherwise adapt to anticipated and unanticipated growth or changes to our development and construction plan, our business resources may become strained, and we may fail to stay within our project budgets or fail to achieve our target commercial operation dates for one or more of our projects.
Our development and construction plan requires substantial capital, and we may be unable to raise capital when needed, which could force us to delay, reduce or eliminate some or all of our development and construction plan.
We will require substantial capital resources to fund our development and construction plan going forward. Over the next four years, we expect to need $497.0 million for full construction of Gas 1, $1.02 billion for full construction of Gas 2, and approximately $627.3 million for full construction of CCGT, the three phases of the Lima Energy Project. We also expect to need approximately $2.3 billion for the development and construction of our Cleantech Energy Project in Wyoming. Our ability to obtain adequate funding for our projects will depend on a variety of factors, including adequacy of equity investment, adequacy of EPC and related contracts, and the adequacy of off-take arrangements and market conditions for each project. We may not be able to obtain adequate funding on terms consistent with our expectations to support our development and construction plan in a timely manner.
We may also need additional financing for a variety of reasons, including to support ongoing operations (including operations and maintenance expenses at our projects after commercial operations start), to pursue new project development opportunities (including EOR and CO2 sequestration), to attract and retain qualified management and technical and field personnel, to establish an effective infrastructure and to acquire complementary businesses or technologies. We do not yet have a credit facility to provide short-term borrowing capacity, or sufficient equity investment to support ongoing development operations. Future financings may include terms that disadvantage us or restrict our operations or use of operating cash flow.
In addition, it is also possible that the actual costs to complete any one of our projects may be greater than anticipated, in which case we may be forced to raise additional funds to complete the project on terms that substantially reduce the value of the project to us. If we are unable to raise adequate funds, or to raise adequate funds on terms acceptable to us, we may have to delay, reduce or eliminate some or all of our development and construction plans, liquidate some or all of our assets, or transfer ownership of one or more of our projects to our lenders or strategic partners.
If we are unable to obtain financing that provides sufficient funds to pay the note to Global Energy in the amount of $6,439,429.00 as part of our agreement to acquire the Lima Energy Project, we may be forced to renegotiate the terms of the acquisition agreement or eliminate this project from our development and construction plan.
In June 2010, the Company entered into an agreement and acquired from Global Energy, Inc., a related party, all of the outstanding stock of Lima Energy Company, the project company for the Lima Energy Project. In exchange for Lima Energy stock, the Company issued a senior secured note to Global Energy in the amount of $6,439,429.00 with repayment of the note on the earlier of Lima Energy project financing of $400 million, a $75 million or higher equity raise by USASF, or September 30, 2011. On March 15, 2011, the parties executed an amendment to the note, extending the payment date to September 30, 2011. If the Company is not able to obtain financing that provides sufficient funds to pay the note by September 30, 2011, then the Company would have to obtain a reasonable extension or renegotiate the payment terms for the note. If neither are agreed upon, the Lima Energy asset would be subject to reclaim by the seller, which would eliminate this project from our development and construction plans moving forward. We can give no assurances that we can secure the funding necessary to pay the note or that an extension or suitable renegotiation of the note will occur.
We may be unable to complete the development and construction of our projects on our planned schedule or within our project budget.
Our ability to complete the design, development and construction of each project, and to commence commercial operations at each project, according to our planned schedule and within project budgets, if at all, will depend upon a variety of factors, including some of which may be out of our control. The development and construction process for our first two projects is expected to require at 24 to 37 months from the date of the projects’ financing given the complex nature of designing, constructing, permitting and commencing operation of commercial scale gasification and SNG production facilities. Any delay in, or failure to, achieve one or more of the foregoing factors could cause a project to miss its scheduled date and budget to begin operations or not begin operations at all.
Our dependence on third-party service providers and suppliers may cause delays in the development and construction of our projects.
In certain instances we will rely entirely on third parties to supply us with all of the equipment, components and construction and engineering services necessary for the development and construction of our projects. As of the date of this registration statement, we have entered into limited contractual arrangements with service providers and suppliers for the development and construction of our projects. As a result, we do not yet have many of the contractual arrangements with service providers, such as fixed price EPC contracts for the Cleantech Energy Project, or equipment and component suppliers that will be needed to obtain adequate financing for our projects and to complete the development and construction of our projects. We may have difficulty obtaining agreements with third-party service providers and equipment and component suppliers on terms favorable or acceptable to us. Once a services or supply agreement is obtained, we cannot be sure that our third-party service providers and equipment and component suppliers will provide their services or deliver equipment or components in a timely manner.
We may be subject to additional construction risk as a result of GEC acting as the main EPC contractor for our Lima Energy Project.
For the construction of the Lima Energy Project, Lima Energy entered into an EPC contract with GEC to provide main EPC contractor services for the Lima Energy Project. GEC is responsible for building and testing the Lima Energy Project and training the operators of the Lima Energy Project. Gasification Engineering Corporation (GEC) is an Ohio corporation authorized to provide engineering and contracting services in the State of Ohio. GEC is neither a related party to, nor an affiliate of, USA Synthetic Fuel Corporation, but is an affiliate of GEI. As an affiliate of GEI, GEC can utilize the technical expertise residing within GEI or its affiliates. This particularly includes the extensive gasification and power plant expertise possessed by GEI employees at the Westfield Development Center, which can also include expertise held by USASF management. GEC in turn has entered into an EPC agreement with ICC, which is not a related party, where ICC will provide general contractor services, and will provide day-to-day execution and implementation, certain construction services and hire additional, separate subcontractors with respect to the Lima Energy Project. The Lima Energy Project is the first gasification project attempted by ICC and the first project for GEC. Notwithstanding the project management experience possessed by GEC management and the cumulative experience in gasification and Btu conversion technologies and project management available to GEC by its staff and the cumulative similar experience held by several members and management of the related companies, the construction and construction management of our Lima Energy Project will be the first constructed by these personnel as a team.
We anticipate that GEC will be responsible for the technical execution of the Company’s projects, and currently is contracted by us to do so for both the Lima Energy and Cleantech Energy Projects. This is the classic Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contractor role. As the EPC contractor, GEC expects to, when and as appropriate, engage other contractors and engineering firms to complete its tasks. In some cases a contractor may be a General Contractor, responsible for the day to day activities of the project. GEC also has responsibility for hiring and training operation and support staff for our Lima Energy facility. Our intention is that this will apply to our other projects, beginning with CTE, as well. While the personnel available to the Company have extensive experience, specific gasification facility construction experience is lacking here, which would be preferred and which absence gives rise to additional construction risk.
If GEC or ICC fail to perform under its contract for any reason, GEC may be forced to engage a substitute contractor, which could result in a significant delay in the construction schedule for the Lima Energy Project, as well as an increase in construction cost. Although ICC has guaranteed the facility’s performance and construction schedule, it is obligated to pay liquidated damages up to a specified amount in the event of certain delays or performance shortfalls. GEC has guaranteed that commercial operation of the Lima Energy Project will occur by the guaranteed completion date and is required to pay liquidated damages to Lima Energy in the event that the schedule and performance guarantees agreed to in the ICC contract are not satisfied by ICC. Due to the delay in completing financing for this project, the commercial operation date will be reestablished with GEC when it is released to proceed with field work and construction.
Our projects use specialized technology and equipment that must conform to particular design specifications, which may cause delays or increased costs in connection with their completion and delivery.
Gasification, SNG production, and IGCC projects are technically complex. Our projects are being designed to meet specified engineering and performance standards and they involve the use of specialized gasification equipment, including fuel islands, gasification and gas processing islands, power islands, air separation units, and environmental systems and control equipment, as well as various custom design elements. The manufacturing of this specialized gasification equipment and the construction of facilities in accordance with established design specifications involves substantial engineering expertise coupled with the use of highly specialized, gasification technology, which may vary from project to project. We have not completed (or, in certain cases, significantly begun) the design and engineering work for the projects currently in development, which means we may encounter unexpected engineering, construction or technical difficulties and delays during the construction process as a result of required design modifications. In addition, this equipment or engineering expertise may become more costly in the future. Factors such as design and engineering errors and construction performance falling below expected levels of output or efficiency could cause us to experience delays in completing the construction or commencing the commercial operations of our projects on time or on budget.
We may be unable to obtain or maintain the regulatory permits, approvals and consents required to construct and operate our projects.
We must obtain numerous environmental and other regulatory permits and certifications from federal, state and local agencies and authorities, including air permits and wastewater discharge permits, in order to construct and operate our projects. A number of these permits and certifications must be obtained prior to the start of construction of a project, while other permits are required to be obtained at or prior to the time of first commercial operation, and still other permits must be obtained within prescribed time frames following commencement of initial operations. Any failure to obtain the necessary environmental permits and certifications on a timely basis could delay the construction or commercial operation of our projects. In addition, once a permit or certification has been issued for a project, we must take steps to comply with each permit’s substantive conditions, which can include conditions as to timely commencement and completion of the project, otherwise the permit could be subject to revocation or suspension, or the Company could be exposed to penalties or other consequences, which could be significant. We also may need to modify existing permits to reflect changes in design or in project requirements, which modification could trigger a legal or regulatory review under a standard that may be more stringent than when the permits were originally granted.
We do not currently operate a gasification facility, and we have a limited history of operations.
We do not currently operate a gasification facility. Our Company has a limited operating history upon which to evaluate our business. Our recent operating history and expertise is limited to our management and technical staff operation of the Wabash River facility, in which the Company has no ownership interest, from 2000 through January 2005 and the joint management and operation of that facility from February 2005 to September 2008. As a consequence, our prospects must be considered in light of the uncertainties and risks associated with a limited operating history.
If we or our project companies are unable to meet the debt service requirements of the financing arrangements used to finance our projects, our lenders may take over ownership of our projects.
We intend to supply a significant amount of the funds necessary for our projects through non-recourse debt financing specific to each project, which will be secured by the assets of such project. As a result, we expect to be highly leveraged. In the event that after a debt financing, a project experiences cost overruns or a material delay in the start of commercial operations, the project may be unable to meet its debt service requirements. In addition, once a project becomes operational, an increase in the price of feedstock or other raw materials, a decrease in prices for natural gas and electricity, a failure of the project to achieve its specified reliability or performance standards, or the occurrence of other events that may or may not be within our control, such as natural disasters, could cause the project to be unable to meet its debt service requirements, possibly resulting in a default under a project financing agreement and ultimately the bankruptcy of that project company. In the event of a default that we or our project company cannot cure, the lenders would generally have rights to enforce their security interest in the assets of the relevant project and assume control over the ownership of such project. A bankruptcy of a project company may also constitute an event of default under any future debt agreements of ours even though such project company may not be a party to such agreement.
We may not be able to obtain feedstock at acceptable prices, which could increase operating costs significantly and harm our profitability.
Our ability to operate our facilities once we have completed development and construction activities is dependent upon the availability of feedstock at reasonable prices. Different gasification technologies utilize different types of feedstock and we may not have routine access to the feedstock appropriate for each technology at our facilities. In addition to the approximately 1.02 billion BOE solid hydrocarbon energy asset that our subsidiary Cleantech Energy Company has entered into an agreement and acquired from Interfuel E&P Ltd., an unrelated party, as described elsewhere, we plan to purchase solid hydrocarbon feedstock such as coal and petcoke as feed sources for our projects. In addition, we plan to purchase electricity and natural gas during the initial plant start-up period to supplement these feedstocks. Such electricity and natural gas will be purchased at market prices which may be high. During periods of rising prices for such feedstock, we may incur significant increases in our operating costs while not being able to increase our selling prices in a timely manner due to the fixed price nature of our existing off-take agreements. In addition, as a result of increased demand during such periods, our suppliers may be unable to supply the necessary feedstock to us or may otherwise fail to deliver products to us in the quantities required and at acceptable prices.
We may not be able to implement an effective system for the management of CO2, a significant byproduct of our proposed gasification facilities, which may become regulated in the United States in the near future.
Regulations affecting controls and limits on CO2 for industrial plants are not currently in place. Though such controls are anticipated, several years are generally expected to be allowed for achieving compliance, once a rule is finalized. The Company has made a strategic commitment to capture and manage CO2 at its facilities. As a result of the challenges associated with CO2 management, the implementation of the Company’s CO2 management strategy may not be completed until considerably later than the date on which the Lima Energy Project or our other facilities commence commercial operation and may require us to incur expenditures greater than currently anticipated. Until an effective CO2 management plan has been fully implemented at our facilities, their CO2 emissions may become subject to significant restrictions as part of any federal or state program to control global warming.
We do not own proven or probable reserves in connection with any of our projects nor do we know if it is commercially feasible to receive a sufficient quantity of BOE from our solid hydrocarbon energy asset to support the development and operation of our Cleantech Energy Project. As a result, we may be required to abandon one of our gasification projects and record impairment or other charges on our consolidated financial statements.
We have no proven or probable reserves in connection with any of our projects. Construction of the Cleantech Energy Project will depend, in part, upon our confirmation that it is economically feasible to extract a sufficient quantity of BOE from the solid hydrocarbon energy asset and upon future delivery of the solid hydrocarbon energy asset to support the development and operation of that project. If we determine that we will be unable to extract a sufficient quantity of BOE from the energy asset or if we are unable to receive a sufficient quantity of solid hydrocarbons from this energy asset to justify the construction of the Cleantech Energy Project, we may decide to redesign, relocate, develop alternate feedstock supplies, delay, or elect not to proceed on the development of this project. Furthermore, if we determine that it is not commercially feasible to receive our solid hydrocarbon energy asset, we may be required to write off the value of the asset or to record an impairment or other charge on our consolidated financial statements that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Claims that current or future technologies used in our projects infringe or misappropriate the proprietary rights of others could adversely affect our ability to utilize those technologies and cause us to incur additional costs.
We could be subject to third-party infringement claims if third parties challenge our use of a particular technology, including the E-Gas™ technology referred to elsewhere in this Form 10-Q. Any litigation, regardless of its outcome, would likely result in the expenditure of significant financial resources and the diversion of management’s time and resources. In addition, litigation in which we are accused of infringement may cause negative publicity, adversely impact prospective off-take customers, require us to develop non-infringing technology, make substantial payments to third parties or enter into royalty or license agreements, which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all.
If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of sensitive information and know-how, our ability to develop, complete and operate our projects could be materially adversely affected.
We believe that the most important element of our intellectual property comes from the knowledge base of our management and employees, which consists of expertise, art and trade secrets obtained through many years of our management and technical team’s gasification and IGCC facility operational experience. As a result, we consider our trade secrets, operational experience, processes and know-how to be one of our principal competitive strengths. We will seek to limit disclosure of these trade secrets, operational experience, processes and know-how by requiring employees, consultants and any third parties with access to such information to execute confidentiality agreements and by restricting access to such information. We cannot be certain, however, that all of our existing employees will execute such agreements and, if they choose not to do so, we will have no contractual recourse against them if they disclose our trade secrets, processes or know-how to third parties or otherwise use such intellectual property in connection with future employment. In addition, even if executed, these agreements may be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any such breach. Furthermore, trade secrets may otherwise become known or be independently developed by third parties. To the extent that our employees, consultants or third parties use intellectual property owned by others in their work for us, disputes may arise as to the rights in related or resulting know-how and inventions. Such disputes could result in our having to enter into licensing arrangements that may require the payment of a license fee or royalties to the owner of the intellectual property. Such royalty or licensing arrangements, if required, may not be available on terms acceptable to us, or at all.
In addition, we believe that our management team has been instrumental in the advancement of gasification and SNG production technologies through the optimization of such technologies and the operational process over their careers with us and other companies. Accordingly, our success in effectively protecting the confidentiality of our sensitive information and know-how will depend in large part upon our ability to retain our current senior management. The loss of the services of certain members of our senior management team could cause significant harm to our competitive position and technical capabilities, prevent or delay the development, construction and operation of our projects, and negatively reflect upon our reputation.
Fluctuations in natural gas and other energy commodity prices, our inability to enter into off-take agreements at acceptable prices, or a lack of acceptance of gasification and related production technologies could adversely affect our business plan and ability to become profitable.
Our results of operations will be affected by our ability to negotiate energy contracts in a marketplace generally controlled by wholesale prices of those energy products and commodities which we intend to trade, such as natural gas, electricity, petcoke and coal. Some of these markets are often highly volatile, and often experience significant price fluctuations. Current prices for such commodities may not be indicative of prices that will be in effect when we expect to commence operations. Wholesale energy market prices may fluctuate to such extremes that our products may fail to remain price competitive relative to such energy products. Difficulties or failure to negotiate acceptable contracts could delay our projects or cause us to alter our production or project development plans, which could lead to additional incurred costs.
Contract provisions, including those currently in place in our ten-year off-take agreement with P&G for SNG to be produced at the Lima Energy Project, may allow such contracts to be terminated or unfavorably modified, and result in adverse effects on the financial performance of the respective projects. P&G has extended this agreement by amendment a total of 9 times, the latest amendment of which has expired. The next amendment, extending the agreement for one year, continues to be reviewed by P&G, who has recently indicated approval by the first of two internal approval levels. We included amendment 10 in the exhibits for completeness, but acknowledge that it is not yet executed. P&G has indicated that its approval will provide a one-year window for the project to achieve the next contractual milestone. We can give no assurances that P&G will renew this amendment. We are also exposed to the risk that the counterparties to our long-term off-take agreements will not perform their obligations under such agreements. Should these counterparties fail to perform, we may incur unanticipated losses or the failure may adversely impact our ability to obtain adequate financing for other projects being developed.
We believe that a significant increase in the demand for and price level of natural gas, national security concerns associated with foreign oil reserves, increasingly stringent environmental regulations, and public support surrounding climate change have all led to increasing demand for “clean” power utilizing environmentally responsible coal-based generation technology. However, there can be no assurance that the acceptance and adoption of gasification and SNG production technologies and the related demand for gasification and SNG end-products will continue to grow or that the pricing of these end-products in the future will be at satisfactory levels.
We compete with other suppliers, including utility companies, in each of our anticipated product areas and our revenue could decline if we are unable to compete successfully.
We expect to compete with all traditional suppliers of natural gas and with utilities and independent power producers who sell power in our anticipated target markets. Our ability to compete with established energy suppliers, particularly utilities and natural gas suppliers, depends on, among other factors, providing competitively priced SNG and electricity in reliable quantities. Some of our competitors, particularly utilities and natural gas suppliers, may be larger and better capitalized than us and, as such, may have significant advantages over us. In addition, to the extent that our gasification and SNG production facilities enjoy product support that is derived in part from the environmental advantages associated with our technologies, such advantages may be compromised to the extent that owners of coal-fired generation assets, particularly utility companies, are able to cost- effectively upgrade pollution control techniques or utilize competing power technologies at these plants.
In addition, there are gasification projects under consideration by companies other than large utilities and industrial companies. Some of these companies may compete with us in the future for customers, sites and government funding. Certain well-known companies, such as General Electric and Shell US Clean Coal Energy, Inc., own the major gasification technologies in the United States and may decide to develop or invest in, or form alliances to develop, gasification or SNG production technologies. These companies may have the manufacturing, marketing, finance and sales capabilities to complete development of gasification projects that could be more competitive than our projects and could be brought to market or constructed more quickly than our projects. To the extent that these companies already have name recognition, their initiatives into gasification technology may enjoy greater market acceptance. Lastly, oil production and petrochemical firms have proposed new plants that have the capability to produce transportation fuels, H2 and a wide range of other products. Although these firms are focused on their own needs, they could reduce the available market for the products that can be produced at our gasification facilities. A substantial increase in the number of gasification or IGCC facilities, or the advancement of competing power technologies, could impact our competitive attractiveness, and, therefore, our ability to become profitable.
Terrorist attacks or sustained military campaigns may adversely impact our business.
The terrorist attacks that took place in the United States on September 11, 2001 were unprecedented events that have created many economic and political uncertainties, some of which may materially adversely impact our business. The continued threat of terrorism and the impact of military and other action will likely lead to continued volatility in prices for natural gas and could affect the markets for the operations of our customers on which we will be dependent. Furthermore, the United States government has issued public warnings that indicate that energy assets might be specific targets of terrorist organizations. The continuation of these developments may subject our operations to increased risks and, depending on their ultimate magnitude, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We and our project companies may be unable to access the credit and capital markets to finance projects and working capital requirements.
We and our project companies will rely on access to the credit and capital markets to finance our projects (including the Lima Energy Project and the Cleantech Energy Project) and our working capital requirements. Access to these markets may be adversely affected by factors beyond our control, including volatility in securities trading markets, turmoil in the financial services industry and general economic conditions.
Market disruptions such as those recently experienced in the United States and abroad may adversely affect our and our project companies’ ability to access sources of liquidity upon which we and they will rely to finance operations (including the Lima Energy Project and the Cleantech Energy Project), and satisfy obligations as they become due. These disruptions may include unprecedented volatility in the markets where our securities are proposed to trade following completion of this registration, turmoil in the financial services industry, including substantial uncertainty surrounding lending institutions with which we and our project companies may do business, and general economic downturns in the areas where we and our project companies do business. In addition, if we or our project companies are unable to access credit at competitive rates, our collective ability to finance our operations and those of our project companies, meet our and our project companies’ short-term obligations and implement our and our project companies’ operating strategy could be adversely affected.
Our existing shareholders have substantial control over us after and could limit and influence the outcome of key transactions, including changes of control.
Our current shareholders, if acting together, would be able to control or influence significantly all matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including the election of our directors and the approval of mergers or other significant corporate transactions. The concentration of ownership of our common stock may have the effect of delaying, preventing or deterring a change of control of our Company, could deprive our shareholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their common stock as part of a sale of our company and may affect the market price of our common stock. This significant concentration of stock ownership may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock due to investor perception that conflicts of interest may exist or arise.
Our common stock has not been widely traded and the price of our common stock may fluctuate substantially.
Prior to this registration, there has been a limited public market for shares of our common stock, with limited trading relating to the 159,100 shares of previously registered common stock referred to as the “public float.” An active public trading market may not develop following the effective date of this registration statement or, if developed, may not be sustained. The market price of our common stock following this registration, and any possible subsequent listing on the NASDAQ Market or other securities exchange, if and when we are successful in doing so, will be affected by a number of factors, including those discussed above.
Future sales of our common stock by existing shareholders could cause our stock price to decline.
If our existing shareholders sell substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, the market price of our common stock could decrease significantly. The perception in the public market that our shareholders might sell shares of common stock could also depress the market price of our common stock. There are 75,000,000 shares of common stock outstanding, of which only 159,100 shares are freely saleable currently. The balance of our issued and outstanding common shares are restricted until the earlier of (i) one year after the filing date of this registration statement; or (ii) six months from the date our shares are listed on the NASDAQ Market if the Company seeks to have, and is successful in having, its shares listed on the NASDAQ Market. Additional restrictions apply to certain key management shareholdings. We may in the future issue and register additional shares of our common stock that might be freely transferable at the time of such transaction.
A decline in the price of shares of our common stock might impede our ability to raise capital through the issuance of additional shares of our common stock or other equity securities.
We do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future, and any return on investment may be limited to the value of our common stock.
We do not anticipate paying dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. The payment of dividends on our common stock will depend on our earnings, financial condition, opportunities to invest in the growth of our business and other business and economic factors affecting us at such time as our Board of Directors may consider relevant. If we do not pay dividends, our common stock may be less valuable because a return on investment will occur only if our stock price increases.
Our charter documents may discourage or prevent a change of control, even if an acquisition would be beneficial to our shareholders, which could adversely affect our stock price and prevent attempts by our shareholders to replace or remove our current management.
Our current Bylaws, which will remain in effect after the effective date of this registration statement, contain provisions that could delay or prevent a change of control of our Company or changes in our Board of Directors that our shareholders might consider favorable and limit the price that certain investors might be willing to pay in the future for our securities. Among other things, these provisions:
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Authorize the issuance of preferred stock which can be created and issued by the Board of Directors without prior shareholder approval, with rights senior to those of our common stock.
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Require advance written notice of shareholder proposals and director nominations to be considered at shareholders’ meetings.
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These and other provisions in our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws could make it more difficult for shareholders or potential acquirers to obtain control of our Board of Directors or initiate actions that are opposed by our then current Board of Directors, including a merger, tender offer or proxy contest involving our Company. Any delay or prevention of a change of control transaction or changes in our Board of Directors could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.
Summary
We believe it is important to communicate our expectations to our investors. There may be events in the future, however, that we are unable to predict accurately or over which we have no control. The risk factors listed on the previous pages, as well as any cautionary language in this registration statement, provide examples of risks, uncertainties and events that may cause our actual results to differ materially from the expectations we describe in our forward-looking statements. The occurrence of the events described in the previous risk factors and elsewhere in this registration statement could negatively impact our business, cash flows, results of operations, prospects, financial condition and stock price.
All future written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. You should read this registration statement completely and with the understanding that actual future results may be materially different from what we expect.
ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS
Sales of unregistered securities during the period indicated are disclosed below.
During the three months ended March 31, 2011, we issued the following unregistered shares of our common stock:
On March 29, 2011, the Company issued 6,250 shares of common stock to Glenn G. Wattley in consideration for consulting services rendered in the amount of $43,750.
On March 18, 2011, the Company issued 3,500 shares of common stock to Kodiak Capital Group LLC in consideration for the preparation of the Kodiak Capital Group LLLC investment agreement and registration rights agreement.
On March 18, 2011, the Company issued 5,000 shares of common stock to Cynthia Craft in consideration for legal services in connection for the preparation of the Kodiak Capital Group LLC investment agreement and registration rights agreement.
On March 18, 2011, the Company issued 1,500 shares of common stock to Feargal Gleeson in consideration for legal services in connection with the preparation of the Kodiak Capital Group LLC investment agreement and registration rights agreement.
ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES
NONE
ITEM 4. [REMOVED AND RESERVED]
ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION
None
ITEM 6. EXHIBITS
No.
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Description
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2.1*
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Exchange Agreement, dated December 4, 2009 By and among BigStar Entertainment, Inc., USA Synthetic Fuel Corporation, Shareholder of USASF, and Pegasus Funds LLC
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2.2**
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Letter dated July 21, 2010 clarifying expiration of obligation to issue additional shares pursuant to the terms of the Exchange Agreement, dated December 4, 2009 by and among BigStar Entertainment, Inc., USA Synthetic Fuel Corporation, Shareholder of USASF, and Pegasus Funds LLC.
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3.1*
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USA Synthetic Fuel Corporation - Restated Certificate of Incorporation
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3.2*
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Bylaws of USA Synthetic Fuel Corporation
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4.1*
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Specimen certificate for shares of common stock
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10.1**
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License Agreement between GEC and Lima Energy
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10.2*
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Revision to License Agreement between GEC, Lima Energy, and ConocoPhillips, July 30, 2003
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10.3*
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EPC Agreement Lima Energy Co and Gasification Engineering Corp -
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10.4*
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Reserved by Company
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10.5*
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Amended and Restated SNG Purchase and Sale Agreement- August 13, 2007
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10.5a*
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First Amendment, effective as of January 1, 2008, P&G Restated SNG Agreement
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10.5b*
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Second Amendment, effective as of June 1, 2008, P&G Restated SNG Agreement
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10.5c*
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Third Amendment, effective as of July 2008, P&G Restated SNG Agreement
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10.5d*
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Fourth Amendment, effective as of October 30, 2008, P&G Restated SNG Agreement
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10.5e*
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Fifth Amendment, effective as of January 1, 2009, P&G Restated SNG Agreement
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10.5f*
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Sixth Amendment, effective as of April 1, 2009, P&G Restated SNG Agreement
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10.5g*
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Seventh Amendment, effective as of July 1, 2009, P&G Restated SNG Agreement
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10.5h*
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Eighth Amendment, effective as of October 1, 2009, P&G Restated SNG Agreement
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10.5i*
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Ninth Amendment, effective as of April 1, 2010, P&G Restated SNG Agreement
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10.5j*
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Letter Amendment Definition of Facility, effective October 28, 2008, P&G Restated SNG Agreement
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10.5k**
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Tenth Amendment, effective as of October XX, 2010, P&G Restated SNG Agreement
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10.6*
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Form of Indemnification Agreement entered into by and between USA Synthetic Fuel Corporation and each of its directors, executive officers, and key consultants
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10.7**
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Carbon Dioxide Sales Agreement, dated March 17, 2008, by and between Lima Energy Company and Cambridge Resources, LLC.
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10.8*
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Stock Purchase Agreement Among USA Synthetic Fuel Corporation, Global Energy, Inc., and Lima Energy Company, June 11, 2010
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10.9*
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Senior Secured Note by USA Synthetic Fuel Corporation to the order of Global Energy, Inc., June 11, 2010
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10.10*
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Energy Contract: Barrel of Oil Equivalent (BOE) Purchase & Sale Agreement between Cleantech Energy Company and Interfuel E&P Ltd., June 18, 2010
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10.11**
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Strategic Alliance Agreement, dated December 21, 2006, between Global Energy, Inc. and Oxbow Carbon & Minerals LLC
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10.12**
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Draft – Real Estate Acquisition and Development Agreement by and between The City of Lima, Ohio and Lima Energy Company, Dated as of July 1, 2010 – Draft version subject to change
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10.13+
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First Amendment to Senior Secured Note by USA Synthetic Fuel Corporation to the order of Global Energy, Inc., dated March 15, 2011
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10.14+
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Investment Agreement between Kodiak Capital Group, LLC and USA Synthetic Fuel Corporation, dated April 6, 2011
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10.15+
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Registration Rights Agreement between Kodiak Capital Group, LLC and USA Synthetic Fuel Corporation, dated April 6, 2011
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21.1*
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Subsidiaries of USA Synthetic Fuel Corporation
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31.1++
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Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
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31.2++
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Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
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32.1++
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Certification Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
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Incorporated by reference from Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form 10 filed on July 29, 2010
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**
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Incorporated by reference from Registrant’s Registration Statement on Amendment No. 1 to Form 10 filed on October 21, 2010
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Incorporated by reference from Registrant’s Annual Report On Form 10-K filed on April 19, 2011
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Filed Herewith
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
Dated: May 16, 2011
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USA SYNTHETIC FUEL CORPORATION
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By: /s/ Dr. Steven C. Vick
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Name: Dr. Steven C. Vick
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Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
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By: /s/ Harry H. Graves
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Name: Harry H. Graves
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Title: Chief Financial Officer
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