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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies  
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

NOTE 2.  SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Reclassifications

Certain amounts previously reported in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 have been reclassified to conform to the 2011 presentation.  These reclassifications have no impact on net income.

Principles of consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries.  All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Cash and cash equivalents

For purposes of the statement of cash flows, the Company considers all short-term investments purchased with original maturities of three months or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents.

Accounts receivable

Accounts receivable represents amounts due from customers.  Accounts receivable are recorded at invoiced amounts, net of reserves and allowances, and do not bear interest.  The Company uses its best estimate to determine the required allowance for doubtful accounts based on a variety of factors, including the length of time receivables are past due, economic trends and conditions affecting its customer base, significant one-time events and historical write-off experience.  Specific provisions are recorded for individual receivables when we become aware of a customer’s inability to meet its financial obligations.  The Company reviews the adequacy of its reserves and allowances quarterly.

Receivable balances greater than 30 days past due are individually reviewed for collectability and if deemed uncollectible, are charged off against the allowance accounts after all means of collection have been exhausted and the potential for recovery is considered remote.  The Company does not have any significant off balance sheet credit exposure related to its customers.  The allowance was $0 at December 31, 2011 and 2010.

Inventory

Inventories of products consist of feedstocks and refined petroleum products and are reported at the lower of cost or market.

Fixed assets

Fixed assets are stated at historical costs. Depreciation of fixed assets placed in operations is provided using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets.  The policy of the Company is to charge amounts for maintenance and repairs to expenses, and to capitalize expenditures for major replacements and betterments.
 
Intangible assets
 
Intangible assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives. Amortizable intangible assets are reviewed at least annually to determine whether events and circumstances warrant a revision to the remaining period of amortization.
 
License agreement development costs
 
The Company capitalizes costs to improve any acquired intangible asset which is specifically identifiable, and has a definite life.  All other costs are expensed as incurred.

Revenue recognition

Revenue for each of the Company’s divisions is recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, goods are delivered, sales price is determinable, and collection is reasonably assured.  Revenue is recognized upon delivery by truck and railcar of feedstock to its re-refining customers and upon product leaving the Company’s terminal facilities via barge.

Leases

The Company recognizes lease expense on a straight-line basis over the minimum lease terms which expire at various dates through 2012.  These leases are for office and storage tank facilities and are classified as operating leases.  For leases that contain predetermined, fixed escalations of the minimum rentals, the Company recognizes the rent expense on a straight-line basis and records the difference between the rent expense and the rental amount payable in liabilities.

 
Leasehold improvements made at the inception of the lease are amortized over the shorter of the asset life or the initial lease term as described above.  Leasehold improvements made during the lease term are also amortized over the shorter of the asset life or the remaining lease term.

Fair value of financial instruments

Under the Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification (“FASB ASC”), we are permitted to elect to measure financial instruments and certain other items at fair value, with the change in fair value recorded in earnings.  We elected not to measure any eligible items using the fair value option.  Consistent with the Fair Value Measurement Topic of the FASB ASC, we implemented guidelines relating to the disclosure of our methodology for periodic measurement of our assets and liabilities recorded at fair market value.

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.  A three-tier fair value hierarchy prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value.  The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (level 3 measurements).  These tiers include:

·  
Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets;
·  
Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and
·  
Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions, such as valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable.

Our Level 1 assets primarily include our cash and cash equivalents. Valuations are obtained from readily available pricing sources for market transactions involving identical assets or liabilities. The carrying amounts of accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities and accounts payable to related party amounts approximate their fair values due to the immediate or short-term maturities of these financial instruments.  We do not have any financial instruments for which estimates of fair value disclosures utilize Level 2 and 3 inputs.

Use of estimates

These consolidated financial statements were prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.  Certain amounts included in or affecting the financial statements and related disclosures must be estimated by management, requiring certain assumptions with respect to values or conditions which cannot be known with certainty at the time the financial statements are prepared.  These estimates and assumptions affect the amounts reported for assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements.  Any effects on the business, financial position or results of operations from revisions to these estimates are recorded in the period in which the facts that give rise to the revision become known.

Impairment of long-lived assets

The Company evaluates the carrying value and recoverability of its long-lived assets when circumstances warrant such evaluation by applying the provisions of the FASB ASC regarding long-lived assets. It requires that long-lived assets be reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable through the estimated undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and eventual disposition of the assets.  Whenever any such impairment exists, an impairment loss will be recognized for the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the fair value.
 
Income taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with the FASB ASC Topic 740. The Company records a valuation allowance against net deferred tax assets if, based upon the available evidence, it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income and when temporary differences become deductible. The Company considers, among other available information, uncertainties surrounding the recoverability of deferred tax assets, scheduled reversals of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income, and other matters in making this assessment.

As part of the process of preparing its consolidated financial statements, the Company is required to estimate its income taxes in each of the jurisdictions in which it operates.  This process requires the Company to estimate its actual current tax liability and to assess temporary differences resulting from differing book versus tax treatment of items, such as deferred revenue, compensation and benefits expense and depreciation.  These temporary differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which are included within the Company’s consolidated statements of financial condition.  Significant management judgment is required in determining the Company’s provision for income taxes, its deferred tax assets and liabilities and any valuation allowance recorded against its net deferred tax assets.  In assessing the realization of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will be realized and, when necessary, valuation allowances are established.  The ultimate realization of the deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which temporary differences become deductible.  Management considers the level of historical taxable income, scheduled reversals of deferred taxes, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies that can be implemented by the Company in making this assessment.  If actual results differ from these estimates or the Company adjusts these estimates in future periods, the Company may need to adjust its valuation allowance, which could materially impact the Company’s consolidated financial position and results of operations.

Tax contingencies can involve complex issues and may require an extended period of time to resolve.  Changes in the level of annual pre-tax income can affect the Company’s overall effective tax rate.  Significant management judgment is required in determining the Company’s provision for income taxes, its deferred tax assets and liabilities and any valuation allowance recorded against its net deferred tax assets.  Furthermore, the Company’s interpretation of complex tax laws may impact its recognition and measurement of current and deferred income taxes.

Stock based compensation

The Company accounts for share-based expense and activity in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, which establishes accounting for equity instruments exchanged for services. Under this provision, share-based compensation costs are measured at the grant date, based on the calculated fair value of the award, and are recognized as an expense over both the employee and non-employee’s requisite service period, generally the vesting period of the equity grant.
 
The Company estimates the fair value of stock options using the Black-Scholes valuation model. Key input assumptions used to estimate the fair value of stock options include the exercise price of the award, expected option term, expected volatility of the stock over the option’s expected term, risk-free interest rate over the option’s expected term, and the expected annual dividend yield. The Company believes that the valuation technique and approach utilized to develop the underlying assumptions are appropriate in calculating the fair values of the stock options granted.

Earnings per share

The Company has adopted FASB ASC Topic 260, which provides for the calculation of basic and diluted earnings per share.  Basic and diluted loss per share has been calculated based on the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period.
 
Recently issued accounting pronouncements

In May 2011, the provisions of ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurement,” were amended to clarify the application of existing fair value measurements and to change certain fair value measurement and disclosure requirements.  Amendments that change measurement and disclosure requirements relate to (i) fair value measurement of financial instruments that are managed within a portfolio, (ii) application of premiums and discounts in a fair value measurement, and (iii) additional disclosures about fair value measurements categorized with Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy.  These provisions are effective for the first interim or annual period beginning after December 31, 2011.  The adoption of this guidance effective January 1, 2012 will not affect our financial position or results of operations, but may result in additional disclosure.

In December 2011, the provisions of ASC Topic 210, “Balance Sheet,” were amended to require an entity to disclose information about offsetting and related arrangements to enable users of its financial statements to understand the effect of these arrangements on its financial position.  The guidance requires entities to disclose both gross information and net information about both instruments and transactions eligible for offset in the balance sheet and instruments and transactions subject to an agreement similar to a master netting arrangement.  These provisions are effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning on January 1, 2013. The adoption of this guidance effective January 1, 2013 will not affect our financial position or results of operations, but may result in additional disclosures.