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Organization, Nature Of Business, Going Concern And Management's Plans
6 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
Organization, Nature Of Business, Going Concern And Management's Plans [Abstract]  
Organization, Nature Of Business, Going Concern And Management's Plans

1. ORGANIZATION, NATURE OF BUSINESS, GOING CONCERN AND MANAGEMENT'S PLANS: Organization and nature of business:

Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc. ("Bion" or "We" or the "Company") was incorporated in 1987 in the State of Colorado.

Bion's patented and proprietary technology provides a comprehensive environmental solution to a significant source of pollution in US agriculture, Confined Animal Feeding Operations ("CAFO's"). Bion's technology produces substantial reductions of both nutrient releases to water and air emissions including ammonia (which is subsequently re-deposited to the ground) from livestock waste streams based upon our research to date. Because Bion's technology reduces the harmful releases and emissions from a CAFO on which it is utilized, the CAFO can potentially increase its herd concentration while lowering or maintaining its level of nutrient releases and atmospheric emissions.

From 2003 through early 2008, the Company primarily focused on completing re-development of its technology platform and business model. As such, during that period we elected not to pursue near-term revenue opportunities such as retrofitting existing CAFO's with our waste management solutions, because we believe such efforts would have diverted scarce management and financial resources and negatively impacted our ability to complete: 1) re-development of our technology for environmentally sound treatment of CAFO waste streams and 2) development of our integrated technology platform in support of large-scale sustainable Integrated Projects (defined below) including renewable energy production.

Bion is now actively pursuing business opportunities in two broad areas 1) retrofit and environmental remediation of existing CAFO's to reduce nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) releases, gaseous emissions (ammonia, greenhouse gases, volatile organic compounds, etc.), and pathogens, hormones and other compounds in order to clean the air and water in the surrounding areas (as described below) and 2) development of "closed loop" Integrated Projects. Bion is pursuing these opportunities within the United States and internationally.

We believe that Bion's technology platform allows the integration of large-scale CAFO's and their end-product users, renewable energy production from the CAFO waste stream, on site utilization of the renewable energy generated and biofuel/ethanol production in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner while reducing the aggregate capital expense and operating costs for the entire integrated complex ("Integrated Projects" or "Projects"). In the context of Integrated Projects, Bion's waste treatment process, in addition to mitigating polluting releases, generates renewable energy from cellulosic portions of the CAFO waste stream, which renewable energy can be utilized by integrated facilities including ethanol plants, CAFO end-product processors (including cheese, ice cream and/or bottling plants in the case of dairy CAFO's and/or slaughter and/or processing facilities in the context of beef CAFO's) and/or other users as a fossil fuel replacement. Bion is presently involved in the very early development stage of Integrated Projects in New York and Pennsylvania and is involved in pre-development evaluations regarding opportunities for Integrated Projects in Nebraska and elsewhere in the Midwest and the North Central United States (dairy and/or beef). Discussions, still in very preliminary stages, have recently commenced regarding development of Integrated Projects to meet specific needs of certain international markets (and regarding licensing our technology for use in overseas locations).

On September 27, 2008, the Company executed an agreement with Kreider Farms (and its affiliated entities) (collectively "Kreider") to design, construct and operate (through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Bion Services Group, Inc. ("Bion Services") and Bion PA-1 LLC ("PA-1") a Bion system to treat the waste of 1,200 milking dairy cows (milkers, dry cows and heifers) at the Kreider Dairy, located in Manheim, Pennsylvania. In addition, the agreement provides for a second phase which will treat the wastes from the rest of Kreider's herd and includes renewable energy production from the cellulosic solid wastes from the Phase 1 system together with the waste stream from Kreider's poultry facilities for use at the facilities and/or for market sales. The Kreider projects are owned and operated by Bion through subsidiaries, in which Kreider has the option to purchase a noncontrolling interest. To complete these projects substantial capital (equity and/or debt) has been and will continue to be expended. Additional funds will be expended for construction, shakedown operations and continuing operations. Upon successful construction and operation of these systems, the Company anticipates that it will earn revenue from the sale of nutrient (and other) environmental credits related to the Kreider system and through sales of renewable energy generated by the Kreider systems.

During January 2009, the Board of Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority ("Pennvest") approved a loan up to $7.8 million ("Pennvest Loan") to PA-1 for development and construction of the Phase 1 System at Kreider. After substantial unanticipated delays over the previous year, on August 12, 2010 the Company received its permit for construction of the Phase I Kreider System. Initial construction-related activities, including bidding and ordering of equipment, commenced in October 2010. The closing/settlement of the Pennvest Loan took place on November 3, 2010, and PA-1 received the initial drawdown/reimbursement from Pennvest pursuant to the Pennvest Loan on January 6, 2011 (Note 6). Construction of the Phase 1 Kreider System has been completed and a period of system 'operation shakedown' commenced in May 2011. It is anticipated that the Phase 1 Kreider System will be in full, stabilized operation by the end of the 2012 fiscal year. During 2011 the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection ("PADEP") re-certified the nutrient credits for this project. It is anticipated that the PADEP will issue final permits for the system and verify its credits over the next six months. Work continues related to the details of the second phase of the Kreider project.

Going concern and management's plans:

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern. The Company has not generated revenues and has incurred net losses (including significant non-cash expenses) of approximately $6,998,000 and $2,976,000 during the years ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively, and a net loss of approximately $4,899,000 for the six months ended December 31, 2011. At December 31, 2011, the Company has a working capital deficit and a stockholders' deficit of approximately $344,000 and $1,543,000, respectively. These factors raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. The accompanying consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability or classification of assets or the amounts and classification of liabilities that may result should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern. The following paragraphs describe management's plans with regard to these conditions.

During the year ended June 30, 2011, the Company sold 14,150 shares of the Company's Series C Preferred shares at $100 per share, which resulted in net proceeds to the Company of $1,231,050, and the Company sold 311,746 shares of its common stock for net proceeds of $813,200. Also during the year ended June 30, 2011, the Company sold 306,000 units at $2.50 per unit, and received proceeds of $765,000. Each unit consisted of one share of the Company's restricted common stock and one warrant to purchase half of a share of the Company's restricted common stock at $3.00 per share until December 31, 2016. During the six months ended December 31, 2011, the Company has sold an additional 110,000 units for proceeds of $275,000.

The Company continues to explore sources of additional financing to satisfy its current operating requirements. While the Company currently does not face a severe working capital shortage, it is not currently generating any revenues. The Company will need to obtain additional capital to fund its operations and technology development, to satisfy existing creditors, to develop Projects and to finish construction and operate the Kreider Farm facilities. The Company anticipates that it will seek to raise from $5,000,000 to $50,000,000 or more (debt and equity) during the next twelve months. There is no assurance, especially in the extremely unsettled capital markets that presently exist, that the Company will be able to obtain the funds that it needs to stay in business, complete its technology development or to successfully develop its business.

There can be no assurance that funds required during the next twelve months or thereafter will be generated from operations or that those funds will be available from external sources such as debt or equity financings or other potential sources. The lack of additional capital resulting from the inability to generate cash flow from operations or to raise capital from external sources would force the Company to substantially curtail or cease operations and would, therefore, have a material adverse effect on its business. Further, there can be no assurance that any such required funds, if available, will be available on attractive terms or that they will not have a significantly dilutive effect on the Company's existing shareholders. All of these factors have been exacerbated by the extremely unsettled credit and capital markets presently existing.