Preliminary Offering Circular dated July __, 2020
An offering statement pursuant to Regulation A relating to these securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Information contained in this Preliminary Offering Circular is subject to completion or amendment. These securities may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted before the offering statement filed with the Commission is qualified. This Preliminary Offering Circular shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor may there be any sales of these securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful before registration or qualification under the laws of any such state. We may elect to satisfy our obligation to deliver a Final Offering Circular by sending you a notice within two business days after the completion of our sale to you that contains the URL where the Final Offering Circular or the offering statement in which such Final Offering Circular was filed may be obtained.
OFFERING CIRCULAR
10SION ENERGY INCORPORATED
1812 Front Street
10sion Holdings, Inc.
Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
(908) 462-2766
info@10sionenergy.com
We are offering 1,000,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $3.00 per share, in a self-underwritten, all or none, best-efforts public offering for gross proceeds of $3,000,000. We will not place subscription funds in escrow pending sale of any or all of the shares, but will use the proceeds from sale of the shares as and when received from acceptable subscriptions. You have no assurance of whether we will be able to sell any shares or how many shares we may sell, which may be less than required to achieve our business plan. See, How We Plan to Use Proceeds from the Sale of Our Shares. Each subscriber to purchase our shares must purchase not less than 100 shares. The offering will terminate one year from the date of this offering circular. We plan to commence sales of our common stock as soon as the Regulation A Offering Statement, of which this offering circular is a part, is qualified by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. See, Description of Securities We Are Offering and How We Plan To Offer and Sell Our Shares. We are using the Form 1-A disclosure format for this offering circular.
Investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. See, “Risk Factors”, beginning on page __ of this offering circular.
THE U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION DOES NOT PASS UPON THE MERITS OF OR GIVE ITS APPROVAL TO ANY SECURITIES OFFERED OR THE TERMS OF THE OFFERING, NOR DOES IT PASS UPON THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF ANY OFFERING CIRCULAR OR OTHER SOLICITATION MATERIALS. THESE SECURITIES ARE OFFERED PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION WITH THE COMMISSION; HOWEVER, THE COMMISSION HAS NOT MADE AN INDEPENDENT DETERMINATION THAT THE SECURITIES OFFERED ARE EXEMPT FROM REGISTRATION.
GENERALLY, NO SALE MAY BE MADE TO YOU IN THIS OFFERING IF THE AGGREGATE PURCHASE PRICE YOU PAY IS MORE THAN 10% OF THE GREATER OF YOUR ANNUAL INCOME OR NET WORTH. DIFFERENT RULES APPLY TO ACCREDITED INVESTORS AND NON-NATURAL PERSONS. BEFORE MAKING ANY REPRESENTATION THAT YOUR INVESTMENT DOES NOT EXCEED APPLICABLE THRESHOLDS, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO REVIEW RULE 251(D)(2)(I)(C) OF REGULATION A. FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ON INVESTING, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO REFER TO WWW.INVESTOR.GOV.
| Price to the Public | Underwriting discount and commissions | Proceeds we will receive (1) | ||||||||||||
| Per share | $ | 3.00 | None | $ | 3.00 | |||||||||
| Total | $ | 3,000,000 | None | $ | 3,000,000 | |||||||||
| (1) We expect to incur $30,000 in costs and expenses related to the sale of our shares. We do not expect to incur any underwriting discounts, commissions or related expenses or allowances. | ||||||||||||||
Legends or information required by the laws of the states in which we intend to offer our common stock are set forth following the Table of Contents.
The date of this offering circular is ___________, 2020
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Legends or Information Required by State Laws
[To be filed by amendment]
Use of Pronouns and Other Words
The pronouns “we”, “us”, “our” and the equivalent used in this offering circular mean 10sion Energy Incorporated and our joint venture subsidiary to be formed, 10sion Coal Inc. In some disclosures, the activities of our joint venture subsidiary are distinguished from our operations as a parent company. In the footnotes to our financial statements, the “Company” means 10sion Energy Incorporated. The pronoun “you” means the reader of this offering circular.
Summaries of Referenced Documents
This offering circular contains references to, summaries of and selected information from agreements and other documents. These agreements and other documents are not incorporated by reference; but, are filed as exhibits to our Regulation A Offering Statement of which this offering circular is a part and which we have filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We believe the summaries and selected information provide all material terms from these agreements and other documents. Whenever we make reference in this offering circular to any of our agreements and other documents, you should refer to the exhibits filed with our Regulation A Offering Statement of which this offering circular is a part for copies of the actual agreement or other document. See “Where You Can Find Additional Information About Us” for instructions as to how to access and obtain these agreements and other documents.
Forward-Looking Statements
This offering circular contains forward–looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. We use words such as “project”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “plan”, “expect”, “estimate”, “intend”, “should”, “would”, “could”, or “may”, or other such words, verbs in the future tense and words and phrases that convey similar meaning and uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward–looking statements. There are a number of important factors beyond our control that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated by these forward–looking statements. While we make these forward–looking statements based on various factors and using numerous assumptions, you have no assurance the factors and assumptions will prove to be materially accurate when the events they anticipate actually occur in the future.
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The forward–looking statements are based upon our beliefs and assumptions using information available at the time we make these statements. We caution you not to place undue reliance on our forward–looking statements as (i) these statements are neither predictions nor guaranties of future events or circumstances, and (ii) the assumptions, beliefs, expectations, forecasts and projections about future events may differ materially from actual results. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward–looking statement to reflect developments occurring after the date of this offering circular.
You Should Rely Only on the Information in this Offering Circular
You should rely only on the information contained in this offering circular. We have not authorized anyone to provide information different from that contained in this offering circular. We will sell our shares only in jurisdictions where such sale and distribution are permitted. The information contained in this offering circular is accurate only as of the date of this offering circular regardless of the time of delivery of this offering circular or the distribution of our common stock.
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Summary of Information in Offering Circular
We were incorporated in Florida on July 17, 2020. At the date of this offering circular, we do not have a public market for our common stock, own any assets or have any operations. We do have a specific business purpose as described in this offering circular.
We are offering 1,000,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $3.00 per share, in a self-underwritten, best-efforts public offering for gross proceeds of $3,000,000 and estimated net proceeds of $2,970,000. We will not place subscription funds in escrow pending sale of any or all of the shares, but will use the proceeds from sale of the shares as and when received from acceptable subscriptions. You have no assurance of whether we will be able to sell any shares or how many shares we may sell, which may be less than required to achieve our business plan. Each subscriber to purchase our shares must purchase not less than 100 shares. The offering will terminate one year from the date of this offering circular.
We plan to invest the net proceeds from the offering made by this offering circular in a joint venture subsidiary, 10sion Coal Inc. to be formed, which will use the funds to purchase three mining leases covering nine operating areas with evaluated metallurgical coal reserves in an established coal mining region in Greenbrier County, West Virginia and to commence mining operations at one of the leased properties. This area has produced mid-volatility metallurgical grade coal for use in steel manufacturing since the 1930s. The coal seams on which the mining leases are located include Sewell, Beckley, Firecreek, and Pocahontas #7, #6 and #3. Our interest in the joint venture subsidiary will begin at fifty-one percent and decline to forty-nine percent by 2022. Mining operations will be conducted by our joint venture partner which has, through its management, more than forty-five years of experience in coal mining operations. For information about our joint venture partner, see Management of Our Joint Venture Partner.
Investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. See, “Risk Factors”, the next following section.
In addition to the forward-looking statements and other comments regarding risks and uncertainties included in the description of our business and elsewhere in this offering circular, the following risk factors should be carefully considered when evaluating our business and prospects, financial and otherwise. Our business, financial condition and financial results could be materially and adversely affected by any of these risks. The following risk factors do not include factors or risks which may arise or result from general economic conditions that apply to all businesses in general or risks that could apply to any issuer or any offering.
Risks Related to Our Corporation
Our limited liquidity and financial resources threaten our ability to remain in business and pursue our business plan.
We do not have any liquidity and financial resources. We do not have capital to fund our planned acquisition and plan of operations and cannot become a going concern without the sale of shares pursuant to this offering circular. You have no assurance as to if or how many shares we can sell pursuant to this offering circular. If you are an earlier investor, you will have a greater risk of loss than later investors because you will not be able determine how many additional shares, if any, we may be able to sell and whether the sale of additional shares will enable us to pursue our business plan. If we do not raise sufficient net proceeds to purchase the three mining leases covering nine operating areas, investors will lose the amount invested because we expect to spend proceeds on other costs as described in How We Plan To Use Proceeds From The Sale Of Our Shares. In the event we are not able to obtain sufficient funding to become a going concern, you may expect us to cease operations, in which event you would lose your entire investment. We have placed a “going-concern” qualification in the notes to our financial statements which expresses doubt about our ability to remain in business.
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You will experience substantial dilution in the equity value of your investment.
Certain members of our management have contributed and are expected to contribute services and not cash or tangible assets for the issue of our common stock and our Series A Preferred Stock, when authorized, will issued to our founder, Mr. Bland. The preferred stock will be convertible into shares of our common stock equal to eighty percent of our issued and outstanding common stock at any time. In the event we were to liquidate, any net funds remaining after payment of creditors would be distributed equally per share on all shares of common stock outstanding (including shares issued for services), which would include shares issued in conversion of our preferred stock but only after shares of issued and outstanding common stock prior to conversion of the preferred stock have received liquidating distributions equal to the highest cash price at which we have sold common stock. Accordingly, the funds would be averaged across all issued and outstanding common stock, including the shares for which cash or tangible assets have not been contributed, resulting in distributions on shares sold pursuant to this offering circular which could be expected to be less than the price paid by the initial purchaser. The terms of our preferred stock will include a provision that the preferred stock either before or after conversion is not eligible to participate in liquidating distributions until all common stockholders, including those who have contributed only serviced in payment for the shares, have received a distribution equal to the highest cash price at which we have sold our shares, and only then will the preferred stock participate in further distributions on an as converted basis.
You will not have any ability to influence the election of directors or other matters requiring stockholder approval because our management will own preferred stock with 80% of the vote on all stockholder matters.
Our founder, sole director and chief executive officer, Kenneth D. Bland, will own 3,000,000 shares of our Series A Preferred Stock to be authorized. This preferred stock will have a vote on all matters submitted to the stockholders for approval, voting as a single class, equal to eighty percent of all votes eligible to be cast. All shares of common stock, regardless of the number issued and outstanding, have an aggregate vote equal to twenty percent. Therefore holders of common stock will not be able to elect directors or able to approve other matters submitted to stockholders for approval.
Our ability to pay dividends may be limited by the amount of cash we generate from operations following the payment of fees and expenses, by restrictions in any future debt instruments and by additional factors unrelated to our profitability.
The declaration and payment of dividends, if any, is subject to the discretion of our board of directors and the requirements of applicable law. The timing and amount of any dividends declared will depend on, among other things: (a) our earnings, earnings outlook, financial condition, cash flow, cash requirements and outlook on current and future market conditions, (b) our liquidity, including our ability to obtain debt and equity financing on acceptable terms, (c) restrictive covenants in any future debt instruments and (d) provisions of applicable law governing the payment of dividends.
The metallurgical coal industry is highly volatile, and we cannot predict with certainty the amount of cash, if any, that will be available for distribution as dividends in any period. Also, there may be a high degree of variability from period to period in the amount of cash, if any, that is available for the payment of dividends. The amount of cash we generate from operations and the actual amount of cash we will have available for dividends will vary based upon, among other things:
| ● | the ability to begin generating significant revenues and operating cash flows; | |
| ● | the market price for coal; | |
| ● | overall domestic and global economic conditions, including the supply of and demand for domestic and foreign coal, coke and steel; | |
| ● | unexpected operational events or geological conditions; | |
| ● | cost overruns; | |
| ● | our ability to enter into agreements governing the sale of coal, which are generally short-term in nature and subject to fluctuations in market pricing; | |
| ● | the level of our operating costs; | |
| ● | prevailing global and regional economic and political conditions; | |
| ● | changes in interest rates; | |
| ● | the impact of domestic and foreign governmental laws and regulations, including environmental and climate change regulations and regulations affecting the coal mining industry; | |
| ● | delays in the receipt of, failure to receive, failure to maintain or revocation of necessary governmental permits; | |
| ● | modification or revocation of our dividend policy by our board of directors; and | |
| ● | the amount of any cash reserves established by our board of directors. |
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The amount of cash we generate from our operations may differ materially from our net income or loss for the period, which will be affected by non-cash items. We may incur other expenses or liabilities that could reduce or eliminate the cash available for distribution as dividends. In addition, any future financing agreements may prohibit the payment of dividends if an event of default has occurred and is continuing or would occur as a result of the payment of such dividends.
We may need to raise additional capital that may not be available on acceptable terms.
We may in the future raise additional capital through a variety of sources, including the public equity markets, additional private equity financings, collaborative arrangements and/or private debt financings. Additional capital may not be available on terms acceptable to us, if at all. If additional capital is raised through the issuance of equity securities, our stockholders will experience dilution in the percentage of issued and outstanding shares owned, and such securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of the holders of our common stock. If we raise additional capital through the issuance of debt securities, the debt securities would have rights, preferences and privileges senior to holders of common stock, and the terms of that debt could impose restrictions on our operations.
The Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act will allow us to postpone the date by which we must comply with certain laws and regulations intended to protect investors and to reduce the amount of information provided in reports filed with the SEC.
The JOBS Act enacted in 2012 is intended to reduce the regulatory burden on “emerging growth companies”. We meet the definition of an “emerging growth company” and so long as we qualify as an “emerging growth company,” we will, among other things:
| ● | be exempt from the provisions of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requiring that in the event we engage an independent registered public accounting firm that firm will not be required to provide an attestation report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting; | |
| ● | be exempt from the “say on pay” provisions (requiring a non-binding shareholder vote to approve compensation of certain executive officers) and the “say on golden parachute” provisions (requiring a non-binding shareholder vote approve golden parachute arrangements for certain executive officers in connection with mergers and certain other business combinations) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) and certain disclosure requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act relating to compensation of Chief Executive Officers; | |
| ● | We intend to make a “Tier 1” Regulation A offering pursuant to this offering circular when the offering statement of which it is a part is qualified. We will not be required to file any reports after such qualification other than an exit report not later than thirty days after we terminate or complete the offering. Should we be required at any later time to file reports and to submit proxy or information statements to our stockholders under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), requirements we do not have as a result of qualification of the Reg. A offering statement of which this Reg. A offering circular is a part, we will be permitted to omit the detailed compensation discussion and analysis from such reports and proxy or information statements and instead provide a reduced level of disclosure concerning executive compensation; and be exempt from any rules that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”). |
Although we are still evaluating the JOBS Act, it currently intends to take advantage of all of the reduced regulatory and reporting requirements that will be available to it so long as it qualifies as an “emerging growth company.” We have elected not to opt out of the extension of time to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards available under Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act. Among other things, this means that our future independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to provide an attestation report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting so long as it qualifies as an “emerging growth company”, which may increase the risk that weaknesses or deficiencies in the internal control over financial reporting go undetected. Likewise, so long as it qualifies as an “emerging growth company”, we may elect not to provide certain information, including certain financial information and certain information regarding compensation of executive officers, which would otherwise have been required to provide in filings with the SEC, which may make it more difficult for investors and securities analysts to evaluate us. As a result, investor confidence in us and the market price of our common stock may be adversely affected.
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Notwithstanding the above, we are also currently a “smaller reporting company”, meaning that we are not an investment company, an asset-backed issuer, or a majority-owned subsidiary of a parent company that is not a smaller reporting company and have a public float of less than $75 million and annual revenues of less than $50 million during the most recently completed fiscal year. In the event that we are still considered a “smaller reporting company”, at such time are we cease being an “emerging growth company”, the disclosure we will be required to provide in our SEC filings will increase, but will still be less than it would be if we were not considered either an “emerging growth company” or a “smaller reporting company”. Specifically, similar to “emerging growth companies”, “smaller reporting companies” are able to provide simplified executive compensation disclosures in their filings; are exempt from the provisions of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requiring that independent registered public accounting firms provide an attestation report on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting; and have certain other decreased disclosure obligations in their SEC filings, including, among other things, being required to provide only two years of audited financial statements in annual reports. Decreased disclosures in our SEC filings due to our status as an “emerging growth company” or “smaller reporting company” may make it harder for investors to analyze our results of operations and financial prospects.
We are an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act of 2012, and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our common stock less attractive to investors.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our Common Stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We are choosing to take advantage of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to those of companies that comply with public company effective dates.
If you invest in our stock, your investment may be disadvantaged by future funding, if we are able to obtain it.
To the extent we obtain funding by issuance of common stock or securities convertible into common stock, you may suffer significant dilution in percentage of ownership and, if such issuances are below the then value of stockholder equity, in stockholder equity per share. In addition, any debt financing we may secure could involve restrictive covenants relating to our capital raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which may make it more difficult for us to obtain additional capital with which to pursue our business plan, and to pay dividends. You have no assurance we will be able to obtain any additional financing on terms favorable to us, if at all.
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Early investors have a greater risk of loss than later investors.
We have not established any minimum number of shares we must sell in order to sell any shares. We plan to begin using proceeds from the sale of our common stock for the purposes set forth under “How We Plan to Use Proceeds from the Sale of Our Shares” as soon as received. Early investors will not know how many shares we will ultimately be able to sell, the amount of proceeds from sales and whether the proceeds will be sufficient for us to establish facilities and minimum operations described in this offering circular. Later investors will be able to evaluate the amount of proceeds we have raised prior to their investment, how we have actually used those proceeds and whether we are likely to establish appropriate facilities and operations needed to initiate sales of our insulin products.
Investors cannot withdraw funds once invested and will not receive a refund.
Investors do not have the right to withdraw invested funds. Subscription payments will be paid to and held in our corporate bank account if the Subscription Agreements are in good order and we accept the investment. Therefore, once an investment is made, investors will not have the use or right to return of such funds.
We are selling the shares of this offering without an underwriter and may be unable to sell any shares.
Our offering is self-underwritten, that is, we are not going to engage the services of an underwriter to sell the shares; we intend to sell our shares through our directors and executive officers, who will receive no commissions. There is no guarantee our directors and executive officers will be able to sell any of the shares. Unless they are successful in selling all of the shares we are offering, we may have to seek alternative financing to implement our business plan.
Risk of expanding operations and management of growth.
We expect to experience rapid growth, which may place a significant strain on our financial and managerial resources. In order to achieve and manage growth effectively, we must establish, improve and expand our operational and financial management capabilities. Moreover, we will need to increase staffing and effectively train, motivate and manage our employees. Failure to manage growth effectively could harm our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Operating results may significantly fluctuate from quarter to quarter and year to year.
We expect that our revenues, if any, for the foreseeable future will be comprised of revenue that is tied to market fluctuations in the metallurgical coal industry. The timing of revenue in the future will depend largely upon the signing offtake agreements that protect such revenue. As a result, operating results may vary substantially from quarter to quarter, and thus from year to year. Revenue for any given period may be greater or less than revenue in the immediately preceding period or in the comparable period of the prior year.
Loss of key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our operations.
We are entirely dependent upon our current management during the period before we achieve commercially sustainable operations, of which you have no assurance. The termination of a key person of our current management for any reason in the near future could be expected to have a materially adverse effect on us because they are our only management at the date of this offering circular and we believe we cannot employ replacements for them who would have their level of dedication to, vision for and financial interest in us. Furthermore, the salary and benefits required by replacements would be expected to exceed our financial resources in the foreseeable future.
If we are unable to effectively manage our growth, our ability to implement our business strategy and our operating results will likely be materially adversely affected.
Implementation of our business plan will likely place a significant strain on our management who must develop administrative, operating and financial infrastructures. To manage our business and planned growth effectively, we must successfully develop, implement, maintain and enhance our financial and accounting systems and controls, identify, hire and integrate new personnel and manage expanded operations. Our failure to do so could either limit our growth or cause our business to fail.
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Risks Related to Our Business
If we experience any development delays or cost increases, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We do not expect to have coal production until at least four months after we complete the acquisition of the mining leases. We expect to incur significant capital expenditures until we have completed the development of he leased property we have identified for initial development and which is fully permitted. In addition, the development of our properties involves regulatory, environmental, political and legal uncertainties that are beyond our control and that may cause delays in, or increase the costs associated with, their completion. Accordingly, we may not be able to complete the restart of the properties on schedule, at the budgeted cost or at all, and any delays beyond the expected development periods or increased costs above those expected to be incurred could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay dividends to our stockholders. If we are unable to complete or are substantially delayed in completing the development of any of the leased properties we plan to acquire, our business, financial condition, results of operations cash flows and ability to pay dividends to our stockholders could be adversely affected.
We could fail to retain customers or gain new ones.
The failure to obtain and retain customers or the loss of all or a portion of the revenues attributable to any customer as a result of competition, creditworthiness, inability to negotiate extensions or replacement of contracts or otherwise, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
Our customer base is highly dependent on the steel industry.
Substantially all of the metallurgical coal that we plan to produce is sold to steel manufacturers. Therefore, demand for our metallurgical coal is highly correlated to the steel industry. The steel industry’s demand for metallurgical coal is affected by a number of factors including the cyclical nature of that industry’s business, technological developments in the steel-making process and the availability of substitutes for steel such as aluminum, composites and plastics. A significant reduction in the demand for steel products would reduce the demand for metallurgical coal, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations. Similarly, if less expensive ingredients could be used in substitution for metallurgical coal in the integrated steel mill process, the demand for metallurgical coal would materially decrease, which would also materially adversely affect demand for our metallurgical coal. Metallurgical coal markets weakened significantly during 2019 as certain China ports placed restrictions on imported coal. Between these restrictions, concerns about the stability of the global economy and the ongoing trade dispute between China and the U.S., metallurgical coal prices dropped meaningfully during 2019.
Our customer base is may continue to be adversely affected by Covid-19.
On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared that the recent coronavirus outbreak as a global health emergency. The current and anticipated economic impact of these actions have caused declines in many commodity prices, including a modest decline in metallurgical coal prices. If the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak, including the accompanying travel restrictions and business closures, continue for an extended period of time or worsen, it could reduce the demand for metallurgical coal, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.
Deterioration in the global economic conditions in any of the industries in which prospective customers operate, a worldwide financial downturn or negative credit market conditions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
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Economic conditions in the business sectors that drive the domestic demand for steel substantially deteriorated in recent years and reduced the demand for coal. A deterioration of economic conditions in our prospective customers’ industries could cause a decline in demand for and production of metallurgical coal. Renewed or continued weakness in the economic conditions of any of the industries served by prospective customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
We do not enter into long-term sales contracts for our coal and as a result we are exposed to fluctuations in market pricing.
Sales commitments in the metallurgical coal market are typically not long-term in nature and are generally no longer than one year in duration. Most metallurgical coal transactions in the U.S. are done on a calendar year basis, where both prices and volumes are fixed in the third and fourth quarter for the following calendar year. Globally the market is evolving to shorter term pricing. Some annual contracts have shifted to quarterly contracts and most volumes are being sold on an indexed basis, where prices are determined by averaging the leading spot indexes reported in the market and adjusting for quality. As a result, we are subject to fluctuations in market pricing. We are not protected from oversupply or market conditions where we cannot sell our coal at economic prices. Metallurgical coal has been an extremely volatile commodity over the past ten years and prices are likely to be volatile in the future. There can be no assurances we will be able to mitigate such conditions as they arise. Any sustained failure to be able to market our coal during such periods would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
Our failure to access coal preparation facilities may have a material adverse effect on our ability to produce coal for our prospective customers and to meet quality specifications.
We may require access to either newly constructed preparation and loading facilities or arrangements with third parties to process and load our coal. Alternatively, we might mine the coal in a manner that allows us to ship the coal direct without washing. We will analyze whether to expend capital to construct preparation facilities or enter into third-party processing arrangements. Our failure to provide the necessary preparation, processing and loading facilities for our projects would have a material adverse effect on our operations.
The risks associated with the operation of surface mines, processing plants and related infrastructure include:
| ● | the potential lack of availability or cost of skilled and unskilled labor, equipment and principal supplies needed for construction of facilities; | |
| ● | the need to obtain necessary environmental and other governmental approvals and permits and the timing of the receipt of those approvals and permits; | |
| ● | industrial accidents; | |
| ● | geologic mine failures, surface facility construction failures or mining, coal processing or transport equipment failures; | |
| ● | structural failure of an impoundment or refuse area; | |
| ● | natural phenomena such as inclement weather conditions, floods, droughts, rock slides and seismic activity; | |
| ● | unusual or unexpected geological and metallurgic conditions; | |
| ● | potential opposition from non-governmental organizations, environmental groups or other activists, which may delay or prevent development activities; and | |
| ● | restrictions or regulations imposed by governmental or regulatory authorities. |
The costs, timing and complexities of developing our projects may be greater than anticipated. Cost estimates may increase significantly as more detailed engineering work is completed on a project. It is common in mining operations to experience unexpected costs, problems and delays during construction, development and mine start-up.
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Product alternatives may reduce demand for our products.
Substantially all of our coal production is comprised of metallurgical coal, which commands a significant price premium over the majority of other forms of coal because of its use in blast furnaces for steel production. Metallurgical coal has specific physical and chemical properties, which are necessary for efficient blast furnace operation. Steel producers are continually investigating alternative steel production technologies with a view to reducing production costs. The steel industry has increased utilization of electric arc furnaces or pulverized coal injection processes, which reduce or eliminate the use of furnace coke, an intermediate product produced from metallurgical coal and, in turn, generally decreases the demand for metallurgical coal. Many alternative technologies are designed to use lower quality coals or other sources of carbon instead of higher cost high-quality metallurgical coal. While conventional blast furnace technology has been the most economic large-scale steel production technology for a number of years, and emergent technologies typically take many years to commercialize, there can be no assurance that over the longer term competitive technologies not reliant on metallurgical coal would not emerge, which could reduce the demand and price premiums for metallurgical coal.
We face uncertainties in estimating our economically recoverable coal reserves, and inaccuracies in our estimates could result in lower than expected revenues, higher than expected costs and decreased profitability.
Coal is economically recoverable when the price at which coal can be sold exceeds the costs and expenses of mining and selling the coal. Any forecasts of our future performance are based on, among other things, estimates of our recoverable coal reserves. We base our reserve information on geologic data, coal ownership information and current and proposed mine plans. There are numerous uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities and qualities of coal and costs to mine recoverable reserves, including many factors beyond our control. As a result, estimates of economically recoverable coal reserves are by their nature uncertain. Some of the factors and assumptions that can impact economically recoverable coal reserve estimates include:
| ● | geologic and mining conditions; | |
| ● | historical production from the area compared with production from other producing areas; | |
| ● | the assumed effects of environmental and other regulations and taxes by governmental agencies; | |
| ● | our ability to obtain, maintain and renew all required permits; | |
| ● | future improvements in mining technology; | |
| ● | assumptions related to future prices; and | |
| ● | future operating costs, including the cost of materials, and capital expenditures. |
Each of the factors that impacts reserve estimation may vary considerably from the assumptions used in estimating the reserves. For these reasons, estimates of coal reserves may vary substantially. Actual production, revenues and expenditures with respect to our future coal reserves may vary from estimates, and these variances may be material. As a result, our estimates may not accurately reflect our actual future coal reserves.
We are entirely dependent on our joint venture partner for the successful development and operation of our planned coal mines.
Our management has no experience in the mining or sale of coal. Our joint venture partner will be entirely responsible for development of the leased properties we plan to acquire and the operation of the mines we expect to develop on those properties. In the event we have disagreements with our joint venture partner over any business or operating matters which has a deleterious effect on our relationship, our operations may be significantly and adversely impacted, leading to deterioration in our business and conditions, financial and otherwise, which could be expected to lead to a decline in the value of our common stock and our ability to pay dividends.
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We will be substantially dependent on contractors for the successful completion of the development of the mining properties we plan to acquire.
We will use contractors in the development of our planned mines. Timely and cost-effective completion of the development of our planned properties, including necessary facilities and infrastructure, in compliance with agreed specifications is central to our business strategy and is highly dependent on the performance of our contractors under the agreements with them. We do not have contracts in place with mining contractors. If a contractor fails to perform in the manner required with respect to certain of its obligations, the events that trigger a requirement to pay liquidated damages may delay or impair the operation of our properties, and any liquidated damages that we receive may not be sufficient to cover the damages that we suffer as a result of any such delay or impairment. Further, we may have disagreements with our contractors about different elements of the construction process, which could lead to the assertion of rights and remedies under their contracts and increase the costs associated with development of the properties or result in a contractor’s unwillingness to perform further work. If any contractor is unable or unwilling to perform according to the negotiated terms and timetable of its respective agreement for any reason or terminates its agreement, we would be required to engage a substitute contractor. This would likely result in significant project delays and increased costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
Prices for coal are volatile and can fluctuate widely based upon a number of factors beyond our control, including oversupply relative to the demand available for our coal and weather. A substantial or extended decline in the prices we receive for our coal could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
Our financial results are significantly affected by the prices we receive for our coal and depend, in part, on the margins that we earn on sales of our coal. Our margins will reflect the price we receive for our coal over our cost of producing and transporting our coal. Prices and quantities under U.S. domestic metallurgical coal sales contracts are generally based on expectations of the next year’s coal prices at the time the contract is entered into, renewed, extended or re-opened. Pricing in the global seaborne market is moving towards shorter term pricing models, typically using indexes. The expectation of future prices for coal depends upon many factors beyond our control, including the following:
| ● | the market price for coal; | |
| ● | overall domestic and global economic conditions, including the supply of and demand for domestic and foreign coal, coke and steel; | |
| ● | the consumption pattern of industrial consumers and commercial users; | |
| ● | weather conditions in our markets that affect the demand for thermal coal or that affect the ability to produce metallurgical coal; | |
| ● | competition from other coal suppliers; | |
| ● | technological advances affecting energy consumption; | |
| ● | the costs, availability and capacity of transportation infrastructure; | |
| ● | the impact of domestic and foreign governmental laws and regulations, including environmental and climate change regulations and regulations affecting the coal mining industry, and delays in the receipt of, failure to receive, failure to maintain or revocation of necessary governmental permits; and | |
| ● | increased utilization by the steel industry of electric arc furnaces or pulverized coal injection processes, which reduce or eliminate the use of furnace coke, an intermediate product produced from metallurgical coal, and generally decrease the demand for metallurgical coal. |
Metallurgical coal has been an extremely volatile commodity over the past 10 years. There are no assurances that supplies will remain low, that demand will not decrease or that overcapacity may resume, which could cause declines in the prices of and demand for coal, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows.
Increased competition or a loss of our competitive position could adversely affect sales of, or prices for, our coal, which could impair our profitability.
We expect to compete with other producers primarily on the basis of coal quality, delivered costs to the customer and reliability of supply. We compete primarily with U.S. coal producers for sales of metallurgical coal to domestic steel producers. We also compete with both domestic and foreign coal producers for sales of metallurgical coal in international markets. Certain of these coal producers may have greater financial resources and larger reserve bases than we do.
You have no assurance that competition from other producers will not adversely affect us in the future. The coal industry has experienced significant consolidation in recent years, including consolidation among some of our major competitors. You have no assurance that the result of current or further consolidation in the coal industry, or the reorganization through bankruptcy of competitors with large legacy liabilities, will not adversely affect us. A number of the companies against whom we expect to compete have idled production over the last several years in light of lower metallurgical coal prices. A stabilization or increase in coal prices could encourage existing producers to expand capacity or could encourage new producers to enter the market.
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In addition, we face competition from foreign producers that sell their coal in the export market. Potential changes to international trade agreements, trade concessions, foreign currency fluctuations or other political and economic arrangements may benefit coal producers operating in countries other than the United States. Additionally, North American steel producers face competition from foreign steel producers, which could adversely impact the financial condition and business of our prospective customers. You have no assurance that we will be able to compete on the basis of price or other factors with companies that in the future may benefit from favorable foreign trade policies or other arrangements. Coal is sold internationally in U.S. dollars and, as a result, general economic conditions in foreign markets and changes in foreign currency exchange rates may provide our foreign competitors with a competitive advantage. If our competitors’ currencies decline against the U.S. dollar or against our prospective foreign customers’ local currencies, those competitors may be able to offer lower prices for coal to prospective customers. Furthermore, if the currencies of our prospective overseas customers were to significantly decline in value in comparison to the U.S. dollar, those prospective customers may seek decreased prices for the coal we sell to them. Consequently, currency fluctuations could adversely affect the competitiveness of our coal in international markets, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Our planned business involves many hazards and operating risks, some of which may not be fully covered by insurance. The occurrence of a significant accident or other event that is not fully insured could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
Our planned mining operations, including our preparation and transportation infrastructure, are subject to many hazards and operating risks. Mining and related processing activities present inherent risks of injury to persons and damage to property and equipment, as well as to a number of operating risks that could disrupt operations, decrease production and increase the cost of mining for varying lengths of time, thereby adversely affecting our operating results. In addition, if coal production declines, we may not be able to produce sufficient amounts of coal to deliver under future sales contracts, if we are a party to such contracts. Our inability to satisfy contractual obligations could result in customers initiating claims against us. The operating risks that may have a significant impact on our future coal operations include:
| ● | variations in thickness of seams of coal; | |
| ● | adverse geologic conditions, including amounts of rock and other natural materials intruding into the coal seam, that could affect the stability of the roof and the side walls of the mine; | |
| ● | environmental hazards; | |
| ● | mining and processing equipment failures, structural failures and unexpected maintenance problems; | |
| ● | fires or explosions, including as a result of methane, coal, coal dust or other explosive materials, or other accidents; | |
| ● | inclement or hazardous weather conditions and natural disasters or other force majeure events; | |
| ● | seismic activities, ground failures, rock bursts or structural cave-ins or slides; | |
| ● | delays in moving our mining equipment; | |
| ● | railroad delays or derailments; | |
| ● | security breaches or terroristic acts; and | |
| ● | other hazards or occurrences that could also result in personal injury and loss of life, pollution and suspension of operations. |
Any of these risks could adversely affect our ability to conduct operations or result in substantial loss to us personal injury or loss of life;
| ● | damage to and destruction of property, natural resources and equipment, including our coal properties and our coal production or transportation facilities; | |
| ● | pollution, contamination and other environmental damage to our properties or the properties of others; | |
| ● | potential legal liability and monetary losses; | |
| ● | regulatory investigations, actions and penalties; | |
| ● | suspension of our operations; and | |
| ● | repair and remediation costs. |
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Although we plan to maintain insurance for a number of risks and hazards, we may not be insured or fully insured, and we may not be able to recover under our insurance policies, against the losses or liabilities that could arise from a significant accident in our future coal operations. We may elect not to obtain insurance for any or all of these risks if we believe that the cost of available insurance is excessive relative to the risks presented. In addition, pollution, contamination and environmental risks generally are not fully insurable. Moreover, a significant mine accident or regulatory infraction could potentially cause a mine shutdown. The occurrence of an event that is not fully covered by insurance could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
In addition, if any of the foregoing changes, conditions or events occurs and is not determined to be a force majeure event, any resulting failure on our part to deliver coal to the purchaser under contract could result in economic penalties, suspension or cancellation of shipments or ultimately termination of the agreement, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
Our planned operations are exclusively located in a single geographic region, making us vulnerable to risks associated with operating in a single geographic area.
Currently, our planned operations are permitted in a single geographic region in the eastern United States in the state of West Virginia. The geographic concentration of our operations may disproportionately expose us to disruptions in our operations if the region experiences severe weather, transportation capacity constraints, constraints on the availability of required equipment, facilities, personnel or services, significant governmental regulation or natural disasters. If any of these factors were to impact the region in which we operate more than other coal producing regions, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows will be adversely affected relative to other mining companies that have a more geographically diversified asset portfolio.
In addition, scientists have warned that increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases (“GHGs”) in the Earth’s atmosphere may produce climate changes that have significant physical effects, such as increased frequency and severity of storms, droughts and floods and other climatic events. If these warnings are correct, and if any such effects were to occur in areas where we or our customers operate, they could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and cash flows.
The availability and reliability of transportation facilities and fluctuations in transportation costs could affect the demand for our coal or impair our ability to supply coal to customers.
Transportation logistics are expected to play an important role in allowing us to supply coal to prospective customers. Any significant delays, interruptions or other limitations on the ability to transport our coal could negatively affect our operations. Delays and interruptions of rail services because of accidents, failure to complete construction of rail infrastructure, infrastructure damage, lack of rail or port capacity, weather-related problems, governmental regulation, terrorism, strikes, lock-outs, third-party actions or other events could impair our ability to supply coal to customers and adversely affect our profitability. In addition, transportation costs represent a significant portion of the delivered cost of coal and, as a result, the cost of delivery is a critical factor in a customer’s purchasing decision. Increases in transportation costs, including increases resulting from emission control requirements and fluctuations in the price of locomotive diesel fuel and demurrage, could make our coal less competitive, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
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Any significant downtime of the contractor’s mining equipment, including any preparation plants, could impair our ability to supply coal to customers and materially and adversely affect our results of operations.
We expect to depend on several major pieces of mining equipment to produce and transport our coal, including, but not limited to, continuous mining units and coal conveying systems, surface mining equipment such as highwall miners, augers, front-end loaders and coal overburden haul trucks, preparation plants and related facilities, conveyors and transloading facilities. If any of these pieces of equipment or facilities suffered major damage or were destroyed by fire, abnormal wear, flooding, incorrect operation or otherwise, we may be unable to replace or repair them in a timely manner or at a reasonable cost, which would impact our ability to produce and transport coal and materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Moreover, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (“MSHA”) and other regulatory agencies sometimes make changes with regards to requirements for pieces of equipment. Such changes could cause delays if manufacturers and suppliers are unable to make the required changes in compliance with mandated deadlines.
If either loadout facilities, or those of a third party processing or loading our coal, suffer extended downtime, including from major damage, or is destroyed, our ability to process and deliver coal to prospective customers would be materially impacted, which would materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
To maintain and grow our business, we will be required to make substantial capital expenditures. If we are unable to obtain needed capital or financing on satisfactory terms, we may have to curtail our operations and delay our construction and growth plans, which may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
In order to maintain and grow our business, we will need to make substantial capital expenditures associated with our mines and the construction of coal preparation facilities which have not yet been constructed. Constructing, maintaining, repairing and expanding mines and infrastructure, including coal preparation and loading facilities, is capital intensive. Specifically, the exploration, permitting and development of coal reserves, and the maintenance of machinery, equipment and facilities, and compliance with applicable laws and regulations require substantial capital expenditures. Decisions to increase our production levels could also affect our capital needs. You have no assurance that we will be able to maintain our production levels or generate sufficient cash flow, or that we will have access to sufficient financing to continue our production, exploration, permitting and development activities, and we may be required to defer all or a portion of our capital expenditures.
If we do not make sufficient or effective capital expenditures, we will be unable to develop and grow our business. To fund our projected capital expenditures, we will be required to use cash from our operations, incur debt or issue additional common stock or other equity securities. Using cash from our operations will reduce cash available for maintaining or increasing our operating activities and paying dividends to our stockholders. Our ability to obtain bank financing or our ability to access the capital markets for future equity or debt offerings may be limited by our financial condition at the time of any such financing or offering and the covenants in our future debt agreements, as well as by general economic conditions, contingencies and uncertainties that are beyond our control.
In addition, incurring debt may significantly increase our interest expense and financial leverage, and issuing additional equity securities may result in significant stockholder dilution.
We may not be able to obtain equipment, parts and supplies in a timely manner, in sufficient quantities or at reasonable costs to support our coal mining and transportation operations.
Coal mining consumes large quantities of commodities including steel, copper, rubber products and liquid fuels and requires the use of capital equipment. Some commodities, such as steel, are needed to comply with roof control plans required by regulation. The prices we pay for commodities and capital equipment are strongly impacted by the global market. A rapid or significant increase in the costs of commodities or capital equipment we use in our operations could impact our mining operations costs because we may have a limited ability to negotiate lower prices and, in some cases, may not have a ready substitute.
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Our mining contractors will use equipment in our coal mining and transportation operations such as continuous mining units, conveyors, shuttle cars, rail cars, locomotives, and roof bolters. We procure this equipment from a concentrated group of suppliers, and obtaining this equipment often involves long lead times. Occasionally, demand for such equipment by mining companies can be high and some types of equipment may be in short supply. Delays in receiving or shortages of this equipment, as well as the raw materials used in the manufacturing of supplies and mining equipment, which, in some cases, do not have ready substitutes, or the cancellation of any future supply contracts under which we obtain equipment and other consumables, could limit our ability to obtain these supplies or equipment. In addition, if any of our suppliers experiences an adverse event, or decides to no longer do business with us, our mining contractors may be unable to obtain sufficient equipment and raw materials in a timely manner or at a reasonable price to allow us to meet our production goals and our revenues may be adversely impacted. The mining process uses considerable quantities of steels. If the price of steel or other materials increases substantially or if the value of the U.S. dollar declines relative to foreign currencies with respect to certain imported supplies or other products, our operating expenses could increase. Any of the foregoing events could materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
We are a holding company and we depend on the ability of our subsidiaries to distribute funds to us in order to satisfy our financial obligations and to make dividend payments.
We are a holding company and our subsidiaries conduct all of our operations and own all of our operating assets. We have no significant assets other than the equity interests in our subsidiaries. As a result, our ability to pay our obligations and to make dividend payments, should we choose to do so in the future, depends entirely on our subsidiaries and their ability to distribute funds to us. The ability of a subsidiary to make these distributions could be affected by a claim or other action by a third-party, including a creditor, or by the law of their respective jurisdictions of formation which regulates the payment of dividends. If we are unable to obtain funds from our subsidiaries, we may not be able to declare or pay dividends.
Our operations could be adversely affected if we are unable to obtain required financial assurance, or if the costs of financial assurance increase materially.
Federal and state laws require financial assurance to secure our permit obligations including to reclaim lands used for mining, to pay federal and state workers’ compensation and black lung benefits, and to satisfy other miscellaneous obligations. Several of these companies relied on self-bonding to guarantee their responsibilities under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (“SMCRA”) permits including for reclamation. In response to these bankruptcies, the OSMRE issued a Policy Advisory in August 2016 to state agencies that was intended to discourage authorized states from approving self-bonding arrangements. Although the Policy Advisory was rescinded in October 2017, certain states, including Virginia, had previously announced that it would no longer accept self-bonding to secure reclamation obligations under the state mining laws. Individually and collectively, these and future revised financial assurance requirements may lead to increased demand for other forms of financial assurance, which may strain capacity for those instruments and increase our costs of obtaining and maintaining the amounts of financial assurance needed for our operations, which may delay the timing for and increase the costs of obtaining this financial assurance.
We may use surety bonds, trusts and letters of credit to provide financial assurance for certain transactions and business activities. If, in the future, we are unable to secure surety bonds for these obligations and are forced to secure letters of credit indefinitely or obtain some other form of financial assurance at too high of a cost, we may not be able to obtain permits and production on our properties could be adversely affected. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
Defects in title or loss of any leasehold interests in our properties could limit our ability to conduct mining operations on these properties or result in significant unanticipated costs.
We will conduct mining operations on properties that we will lease. A title defect or the loss of any lease upon expiration of its term, upon a default or otherwise, could adversely affect our ability to mine the associated reserves and/or process the coal we mine. Title to most of our owned or leased properties and mineral rights is not usually verified until we make a commitment to develop a property, which may not occur until after we have obtained necessary permits and completed exploration of the property. In some cases, we rely on title information or representations and warranties provided by our lessors or grantors. Our right to mine some of our reserves may be adversely affected if defects in title or boundaries exist or if a lease expires. Any challenge to our title or leasehold interests could delay the exploration and development of the property and could ultimately result in the loss of some or all of our interest in the property and, accordingly, require us to reduce our estimated coal reserves. Mining operations from time to time may rely on an expired lease that we are unable to renew. If we were default on one or more of the mining leases for properties on which we plan to have mining operations, we may have to close down or significantly alter the sequence of such mining operations, which may adversely affect our future coal production and future revenues. If we mine on property that we do not own or lease, we could incur liability for such mining.
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In any such case, the investigation and resolution of title issues would divert management’s time from our business and our results of operations could be adversely affected. Additionally, if we lose any leasehold interests relating to any preparation plants, we may need to find an alternative location to process our coal and load it for delivery to customers, which could result in significant unanticipated costs.
In order to obtain leases or mining contracts to conduct our mining operations on property where these defects exist, we may in the future have to incur unanticipated costs. In addition, we may not be able to successfully negotiate new leases or mining contracts for properties containing additional reserves or maintain our leasehold interests in properties where we have not commenced mining operations during the term of the lease. Some leases have minimum production requirements. Failure to meet those requirements could result in losses of prepaid royalties and, in some rare cases, could result in a loss of the lease itself.
Although we do not expect employees of our mining contractors to currently be members of unions our business could be adversely affected by future union activities.
We do not expect our contract mine operator’s employees to be subject to any collective bargaining or union agreement. However, it is possible that in the future employees of our contract miners may join or seek recognition to form a labor union or may be required to become a labor agreement signatory. If some or all of the employees who conduct mining operations were to become unionized, it could adversely affect productivity, increase labor costs and increase the risk of work stoppages. If a work stoppage were to occur, it could interfere with operations and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
A shortage of skilled labor in the mining industry could pose a risk to achieving improved labor productivity, which could adversely affect our profitability.
Efficient coal mining using modern techniques and equipment requires skilled laborers, preferably with at least a year of experience and proficiency in multiple mining tasks. In the event there is a shortage of experienced labor, it could have an adverse impact on our labor productivity and our ability to expand production in the event there is an increase in the demand for our coal.
Our ability to operate effectively could be impaired if we fail to retain our qualified and experienced mine operator.
The loss of our senior executives could have a material adverse effect on our business. There may be a limited number of persons with the requisite experience and skills to serve in our senior management positions. We may not be able to locate or employ qualified executives on acceptable terms. In addition, as our business develops and expands, we believe that our future success will depend greatly on our continued ability to attract and retain highly skilled personnel with coal industry experience. We may not be able to continue to employ key personnel or attract and retain qualified personnel in the future. Our failure to retain or attract key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our ability to effectively operate our business.
Failure to adequately protect critical data and technology systems and the impact of data privacy regulation could materially affect us.
Information technology solution failures, network disruptions and breaches of data security could disrupt our operations by causing delays or canceling or impeding processing of transactions and reporting financial results, resulting in the unintentional disclosure of employee, royalty owner, or other third party or our information, or damage to our reputation. There can be no assurance that a system failure or data security breach will not have a material adverse effect on our operations, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. In addition, new laws and regulations governing data privacy and the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information pose increasingly complex compliance challenges and potentially elevate costs, and any failure to comply with these laws and regulations could result in significant penalties and legal liability, require us to change our business practices, increase the costs and complexity of compliance, and adversely affect our business. As noted above, we are also subject to the possibility of cyber incidents or attacks, which themselves may result in a violation of these laws.
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Future changes in tax legislation could have an adverse impact on our cash tax liabilities, results of operations or financial condition.
On December22, 2017, tax legislation commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”) was enacted. Among other things, the TCJA reduced the U.S. corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21% and repealed the alternative minimum tax (“AMT”) beginning in 2018. Given these changes, we expect a significant reduction in the income taxes we will pay in the future compared to what we would have paid under prior law. Congress could, in the future, revise or repeal the changes made by the TCJA or enact other tax law changes, such as the elimination of tax preferences currently available with respect to coal exploration and development and the percentage depletion allowance, to help reduce budget deficits. We are unable to predict whether any of these changes will ultimately be enacted, but any such changes could have a material impact on our cash tax liabilities, results of operations or financial condition.
Risks Related to Environmental, Health, Safety and Other Regulations
Laws and regulations restricting greenhouse gas emissions as well as uncertainty concerning such regulations could adversely impact the market for coal, increase our operating costs, and reduce the value of our coal assets.
Climate change continues to attract considerable public and scientific attention. There is widespread concern about the contributions of human activity to such changes, especially through the emission of GHGs. There are three primary sources of GHGs associated with the coal industry. First, the end use of our coal by our customers in coke plants and steelmaking is a source of GHGs. Second, combustion of fuel by equipment used in coal production and to transport our coal to our customers is a source of GHGs. Third, coal mining itself can release methane, which is considered to be a more potent GHG than CO2, directly into the atmosphere. These emissions from coal consumption, transportation and production are subject to pending and proposed regulation as part of initiatives to address global climate change. As a result, numerous proposals have been made and are likely to continue to be made at the international, national, regional and state levels of government to monitor and limit emissions of GHGs. They could also result in direct regulation of the GHGs produced by our operations. See “Business— Laws and Regulations Governing Our Business.”
We are principally focused on metallurgical coal production, which is not used in connection with the production of power generation. The market for our coal may be adversely impacted if comprehensive legislation or regulations focusing on GHG emission reductions are adopted, or if our customers are unable to obtain financing for their operations. The uncertainty over the outcome of litigation challenging the CPP or its replacement, and the extent of future regulation of GHG emissions may inhibit utilities from investing in the building of new coal-fired plants to replace older plants or investing in the upgrading of existing coal-fired plants. We or prospective customers may also have to invest in CO2 capture and storage technologies in order to burn coal and comply with future GHG emission standards.
Current and future government laws, regulations and other legal requirements relating to protection of the environment and natural resources may increase our costs of doing business and may restrict our coal operations.
We and our potential customers are subject to stringent and complex laws, regulations and other legal requirements enacted by federal, state and local authorities relating to protection of the environment and natural resources. These include those legal requirements that govern discharges or emissions of materials into the environment, the management and disposal of substances and wastes, including hazardous wastes, the cleanup of contaminated sites, threatened and endangered plant and wildlife protection, reclamation and restoration of mining properties after mining is completed, mitigation and restoration of streams or other waters, the protection of drinking water, assessment of the environmental impacts of mining, monitoring and reporting requirements, the installation of various safety equipment in our mines, remediation of impacts of surface subsidence from underground mining, and work practices related to employee health and safety. See “Business— Laws and Regulations Governing Our Business.” Examples include laws and regulations relating to:
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| ● | employee health and safety; | |
| ● | emissions to air and discharges to water; | |
| ● | plant and wildlife protection, including endangered species protections; | |
| ● | the reclamation and restoration of properties after mining or other activity has been completed; | |
| ● | limitations on land use; | |
| ● | mine permitting and licensing requirements; | |
| ● | the storage, treatment and disposal of wastes; | |
| ● | air quality standards; | |
| ● | water pollution; | |
| ● | protection of human health, plant-life and wildlife, including endangered and threatened species; | |
| ● | protection of wetlands; | |
| ● | the discharge of materials into the environment; | |
| ● | remediation of contaminated soil, surface and groundwater; and | |
| ● | the effects of operations on surface water and groundwater quality and availability. |
Complying with these environmental and employee health and safety requirements, including the terms of our permits, are likely to have a significant effect on our costs of operations. In addition, there is the possibility that we could incur substantial costs as a result of violations of environmental laws, judicial interpretations of or rulings on environmental laws or permits, or in connection with the investigation and remediation of environmental contamination. For example, the EPA and several of the states where we operate have, or intend to, propose revised recommended criteria for discharges of selenium regulated under the CWA, which may be more stringent than current criteria. Any additional laws, regulations and other legal requirements enacted or adopted by federal, state and local authorities, or new interpretations of existing legal requirements by regulatory bodies relating to the protection of the environment, including those related to discharges of selenium, could further affect our costs or limit our operations. See “Business— Laws and Regulations Governing Our Business.”
Our operations may impact the environment or cause exposure to hazardous substances, and our properties may have environmental contamination, which could expose us to significant costs and liabilities.
Our operations will use hazardous materials and generate limited quantities of hazardous wastes from time to time. Drainage flowing from or caused by mining activities can be acidic with elevated levels of dissolved metals, a condition referred to as “acid mine drainage,” or may include other pollutants requiring treatment. We could become subject to claims for toxic torts, natural resource damages and other damages as well as for the investigation and clean-up of soil, surface water, groundwater, and other media. Such claims may arise, for example, out of conditions at sites that we currently own or operate, as well as at sites that we previously owned or operated, or may acquire. Our liability for such claims may be joint and several, so that we may be held responsible for more than our share of the contamination or other damages, or for the entire share.
We will maintain coal refuse areas and slurry impoundments as necessary. Such areas and impoundments are subject to extensive regulation. Structural failure of a slurry impoundment or coal refuse area could result in extensive damage to the environment and natural resources, such as bodies of water that the coal slurry reaches, as well as liability for related personal injuries and property damages, and injuries to wildlife. If an impoundment were to fail, we could be subject to claims for the resulting environmental contamination and associated liability, as well as for fines and penalties. Our coal refuse areas and slurry impoundments will be designed, constructed, and inspected by our company and by regulatory authorities according to stringent environmental and safety standards.
We must obtain, maintain, and renew governmental permits and approvals for mining operations, which can be a costly and time-consuming process and result in restrictions on our operations.
Numerous governmental permits and approvals are required for mining operations. Our operations are principally regulated under permits issued pursuant to SMCRA and the federal CWA. State and federal regulatory authorities exercise considerable discretion in the timing and scope of permit issuance. Requirements imposed by these authorities may be costly and time consuming and may result in delays in the commencement or continuation of exploration or production operations. In addition, we may be required to prepare and present to permitting or other regulatory authorities data pertaining to the effect or impact that proposed exploration for or production of coal might have on the environment.
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Our coal production is expected to be dependent upon our ability to obtain various federal and state permits and approvals to mine our coal reserves. The permitting rules, and the interpretations of these rules, are complex, change frequently, and are often subject to discretionary interpretations by regulators, all of which may make compliance more difficult or impractical, and which may possibly preclude the continuance of ongoing mine development or operations or the development of future mining operations. The pace with which the government issues permits needed for new operations and for ongoing operations to continue mining, particularly CWA permits, can be time-consuming and subject to delays and denials. These delays or denials of environmental permits needed for mining could reduce our production and materially adversely impact our cash flow and results of operations.
Prior to discharging any pollutants to waters of the United States, coal mining companies must obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (“NPDES”) permit from the appropriate state or federal permitting authority. NPDES permits include effluent limitations for discharged pollutants and other terms and conditions, including required monitoring of discharges. Changes and proposed changes in state and federally recommended water quality standards may result in the issuance or modification of permits with new or more stringent effluent limits or terms and conditions. See “Business— Laws and Regulations Governing Our Business.”
Further, the public has certain statutory rights to comment on and submit objections to requested permits and environmental impact statements prepared in connection with applicable regulatory processes, and otherwise engage in the permitting process, including bringing citizens’ claims to challenge the issuance or renewal of permits, the validity of environmental impact statements or performance of mining activities. As a result of challenges like these, the permits we need may not be issued or renewed in a timely fashion or issued or renewed at all, or permits issued or renewed may not be maintained, may be challenged or may be conditioned in a manner that may restrict our ability to efficiently and economically conduct our mining activities, any of which would materially reduce our production, cash flow, and profitability.
Permitting rules may also require, under certain circumstances, that we obtain surface owner consent if the surface estate has been severed from the mineral estate. This could require us to negotiate with third parties for surface access that overlies coal we acquired or intend to acquire. These negotiations can be costly and time-consuming, lasting years in some instances, which can create additional delays in the permitting process. If we cannot successfully negotiate for land access, we could be denied a permit to mine coal we already own.
We and our significant stockholders are subject to the Applicant Violator System.
Under SMCRA and its state law counterparts, all coal mining applications must include mandatory “ownership and control” information, which generally includes listing the names of our officers and directors, and our principal stockholders owning 10 percent or more of our voting shares, among others. Ownership and control reporting requirements are designed to allow regulatory review of any entities or persons deemed to have ownership or control of a coal mine, and bars the granting of a coal mining permit to any such entity or person (including any “owner and controller”) who has had a mining permit revoked or suspended, or a bond or similar security forfeited within the five-year period preceding a permit application or application for a permit revision. Regulatory agencies also block the issuance of permits to an applicant who, or whose owner and controller, has permit violations outstanding that have not been timely abated.
A federal database, known as the Applicant Violator System, is maintained for this purpose. Certain relationships are presumed to constitute ownership or control, including the following: being an officer or director of an entity; being the operator of the coal mining operation; having the ability to commit the financial or real property assets or working resources of the permittee or operator; based on the instruments of ownership or the voting securities of a corporate entity, owning of record 10% or more of the mining operator, among others. This presumption, in most cases, can be rebutted where the person or entity can demonstrate that it in fact does not or did not have authority directly or indirectly to determine the manner in which the relevant coal mining operation is conducted. An ownership and control notice must be filed by us each time an entity obtains a 10% or greater interest in us. If we have unabated violations of SMCRA or its state law counterparts, have a coal mining permit suspended or revoked, or forfeit a reclamation bond, we and our “owners and controllers,” as discussed above, may be prohibited from obtaining new coal mining permits, or amendments to existing permits, until such violations of law are corrected. This is known as being “permit-blocked.” This could adversely affect production from our properties.
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We may be subject to additional limitations on our ability to conduct mining operations due to federal jurisdiction.
We may conduct some underground mining activities on properties that are within the designated boundary of federally protected lands or national forests where the above-mentioned restrictions within the meaning of SMCRA could apply. Federal court decisions could pose a potential restriction on underground mining within 100 feet of a public road as well as other restrictions. If these SMCRA restrictions ultimately apply to underground mining, considerable uncertainty would exist about the nature and extent of this restriction. While it could remain possible to obtain permits for underground mining operations in these areas even where this 100-foot restriction was applied, the time and expense of that permitting process would be likely to increase significantly, and the restrictions placed on the mining of those properties could adversely affect our costs.
Our prospective customers are subject to extensive existing and future government laws, regulations and other legal requirements relating to protection of the environment, which could negatively impact our business and the market for our products.
Coal contains impurities, including sulfur, mercury, chlorine and other elements or compounds, many of which are released into the air when coal is burned. Complying with regulations to address these emissions can be costly for our customers. For example, in order to meet the CAA limits for sulfur dioxide emissions from electric power plants, coal users must install costly pollution control devices, use sulfur dioxide emission allowances (some of which they may purchase), or switch to other fuels. More costly and stringent environmental regulations could adversely impact the operations of our customers, which could in turn adversely impact our business. A number of coal-fired power plants, particularly smaller and older plants, already have retired or announced that they will retire rather than retrofit to meet the obligations of these rules. Additional retirements of coal-fired power plants by prospective customers could further decrease demand for thermal coal and reduce our revenues and adversely affect our business and results of operations. See “Business—Laws and Regulations Governing Our Business.”
In addition, considerable uncertainty is associated with new air emissions initiatives that may require significant emissions control expenditures for many coal-fired power plants. As a result, some of our prospective customers may switch to other fuels that generate fewer of these emissions or may install more effective pollution control equipment that reduces the need for low-sulfur coal. Any further switching of fuel sources away from coal, closure of existing coal-fired power plants, or reduced construction of new coal-fired power plants could have a material adverse effect on demand for, and prices received for, our coal. In addition, our coke plant and steelmaking customers may face increased operational costs as a result of higher electric costs. See “Business— Laws and Regulations Governing Our Business.”
Environmental activism and initiatives aimed at limiting climate change and a reduction of air pollutants could interfere with our business activities, operations and ability to access capital sources.
Participants in the coal mining industry are frequently targeted by environmental activist groups that openly attempt to disrupt the industry. For example, Greenpeace International filed a letter with the SEC alleging that one coal mining company’s filings relating to a proposed public offering of securities may contain incomplete and misleading disclosures regarding the risks of investing in the coal market. On another occasion, the Sierra Club sent a letter to the SEC stating that it believed a coal mining company may be giving potential investors false impressions regarding risks to its business. It is possible that we could be the target of similar actions in the future, including when we attempt to grow our business through acquisitions or commence new mining operations. If that were to happen, our ability to operate our business or raise capital could be materially and adversely impacted.
Our planned mining operations will be subject to stringent federal and state safety regulations that will increase our cost of doing business at active operations and may place restrictions on our methods of operation. In addition, government inspectors in certain circumstances may have the ability to order our operations to be shut down based on safety considerations.
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The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (the “Mine Act”) and Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act (the “MINER Act”), and regulations issued under these federal statutes, impose stringent health and safety standards on mining operations. The regulations that have been adopted under the Mine Act and the MINER Act are comprehensive and affect numerous aspects of mining operations, including training of mine personnel, mining procedures, roof control, ventilation, blasting, use and maintenance of mining equipment, dust and noise control, communications, emergency response procedures, and other matters. MSHA regularly inspects mines to ensure compliance with regulations promulgated under the Mine Act and MINER Act. In addition, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia all have similar programs for mine safety and health regulation and enforcement.
The various requirements mandated by federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations may place restrictions on our methods of operation and potentially result in fees and civil penalties for violations of such requirements or criminal liability for the knowing violation of such standards, significantly impacting operating costs and productivity. In addition, government inspectors have the authority to issue orders to shut down our operations based on safety considerations under certain circumstances, such as imminent dangers, accidents, failures to abate violations, and unwarrantable failures to comply with mandatory safety standards. See “Business— Laws and Regulations Governing Our Business.”
The regulations enacted under the Mine Act and MINER Act as well as under similar state acts are routinely expanded, raising compliance costs and increasing potential liability. These existing and other future mine safety rules could potentially result in or require significant expenditures, as well as additional safety training and planning, enhanced safety equipment, more frequent mine inspections, stricter enforcement practices and enhanced reporting requirements. At this time, it is not possible to predict the full effect that new or proposed statutes, regulations and policies will have on our operating costs, but any expansion of existing regulations, or making such regulations more stringent may have a negative impact on the profitability of our operations. If we were to be found in violation of mine safety and health regulations, we could face penalties or restrictions that may materially and adversely impact our operations, financial results and liquidity.
We must also compensate employees for work-related injuries. State workers’ compensation acts typically provide for an exception to an employer’s immunity from civil lawsuits for workplace injuries in the case of intentional torts. In such situations, an injured worker would be able to bring suit against his or her employer for damages in excess of workers’ compensation benefits. In addition, West Virginia’s workers’ compensation act provides a much broader exception to workers’ compensation immunity, allowing an injured employee to recover against his or her employer if he or she can show damages caused by an unsafe working condition of which the employer was aware and that was a violation of a statute, regulation, ruler consensus industry standard. These types of lawsuits are not uncommon and could have a significant effect on our operating costs.
We plan to obtain, from a third-party insurer, a workers’ compensation insurance policy, which includes coverage for medical and disability benefits for black lung disease under the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 and the Mine Act, as amended. We perform periodic evaluations of our black lung liability, using assumptions regarding rates of successful claims, discount factors, benefit increases and mortality rates, among others. Of note, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 significantly amended the black lung provisions of the Mine Act by reenacting two provisions, which had been eliminated in 1981. Under the amendments, a miner with at least fifteen years of underground coal mine employment (or surface mine employment with similar dust exposure) who can prove that he suffers from a totally disabling respiratory condition is entitled to a rebuttable presumption that his disability is caused by black lung. The other amendment provides that the surviving spouse of a miner who was collecting federal black lung benefits at the time of his death is entitled to a continuation of those benefits. These changes could have a material impact on our costs expended in association with the federal black lung program.
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Dilution to Purchasers of Our Shares
You should note that the requirement for disclosure of dilution information contained in the regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission apply and are deemed to be a material investment consideration for enterprises which, like us, do not have a public market for the shares being offered for sale. If a public trading market develops and sets the price for the common stock of an enterprise, dilution is no longer deemed to be relevant to an investment decision and disclosure of dilution information is no longer required. Although we plan to apply for a trading symbol and, if received, we plan encourage the development of a public market for our common stock, you have no assurance we will receive a trading symbol and even if we do, that a public trading market will develop or if it does develop that it will be active. Therefore, you may want to consider how dilution may affect your investment.
We have no net tangible book value at the date of this offering circular, with 5,000,001 shares of common stock outstanding issued for services (non-tangible consideration which we expensed and does not increase net tangible book value – assets minus liabilities) performed and to be performed. The following table sets forth the dilution purchasers of our common stock will incur (a) in book value per share assuming we had sold the specified percentages of the 1,000,000 shares we are offering with net proceeds to us of $2.70 per share, and (b) the amount per share available for a liquidating distribution assume we were to be liquidated immediately following the date of such sale, had no expenses (including expenses of liquidation) and had incurred no debts. Expenses and debts incurred prior to such liquidation would increase the dilution experienced by purchasers of our shares. Issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock will not affect the data in the following table because the preferred stock is not used in calculating basic book value per share of common stock, but is included in calculating fully diluted book value per share, and and will not participate in liquidating distributions until and after holders of common stock have received distributions equal to the highest cash price at which we have sold common stock, which would be $3.00 per share upon completion of the offering made by this offering circular.
| % sold | Total outstanding | Net tangible book value /share | Increase/share to existing stockholders | % owned by existing stockholders | Dilution/share to new stockholders | % owned by new stockholders | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 25 | % | 5,250,001 | $ | 742,500 | $ | 0.141 | 95.2 | % | $ | 2.829 | 4.8 | % | ||||||||||||||
| 50 | % | 5,500,001 | $ | 1,485,000 | $ | 0.270 | 90.9 | % | $ | 2.700 | 9.1 | % | ||||||||||||||
| 75 | % | 5,750,001 | $ | 2,227,500 | $ | 0.387 | 87.0 | % | $ | 2.583 | 13.0 | % | ||||||||||||||
| 100 | % | 6,000,001 | $ | 2,970,000 | $ | 0.495 | 83.3 | % | $ | 2.475 | 16.7 | % | ||||||||||||||
Dilution is the amount which purchasers of the shares would lose, assuming we were to have been liquidated immediately following the sale of the respective percentages of the shares, assuming realization of tangible assets at book value, no costs of liquidation, no recovery on intangible assets, no incurrence of expenses and no outstanding debt.
How We Plan to Offer and Sell Our Shares
We are offering 1,000,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $3.00 per share, in a self-underwritten, best-efforts public offering for gross proceeds of $3,000,000 and estimated net proceeds of $2,970,000. We will not place subscription funds in escrow pending sale of any or all of the shares, but will use the proceeds from sale of the shares as and when received from acceptable subscriptions. You have no assurance of whether we will be able to sell any shares or how many shares we may sell, which may be less than required to achieve our business plan. Each subscriber to purchase our shares must purchase not less than 100 shares. The offering will terminate one year from the date of this offering circular. Our directors and executive officers will offer and sell our shares and will not receive any commission or other compensation related to these activities. You have no assurance we will be able sell all of the shares.
Should you decide to purchase our common stock, you will be required to complete a subscription agreement (attached at the end of this offering circular) and submit it to us at the address set forth in the subscription agreement together with a bank check for the subscription price or concurrently wire the subscription price as directed in the subscription agreement. We reserve the right to reject subscriptions for any reason. In the event we reject your subscription, the associated funds will be promptly refunded to you without interest, offset or deduction.
How We Plan to Use Proceeds from the Sale of Our Shares
We will receive gross proceeds of $3,000,000 from the sale of all 1,000,000 shares and expect to incur expenses of $30,000 associated with the offering. The purposes to which we intend to apply the proceeds are set forth in the following table. The percentage column captions represent what percentage of the offering we sell, in the event we sell less than all of the shares.
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| 10% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| Gross Proceeds | $ | 300,000 | $ | 1,500,000 | $ | 3,000,000 | ||||||
| Costs and Expenses Related to the Offering | 3,000 | 15,000 | 30,000 | |||||||||
| Net Proceeds | $ | 297,000 | $ | 1,485,000 | $ | 2,970,000 | ||||||
| Use of Net Proceeds | ||||||||||||
| Lease Acquisition | 50,000 | 250,000 | 500,000 | |||||||||
| Highland Mineral Minimum Lease Payments | 22,500 | 112,500 | 225,000 | |||||||||
| Reclamation Bonds | 30,000 | 150,000 | 300,000 | |||||||||
| General Liability Insurance | 3,500 | 17,500 | 35,000 | |||||||||
| Engineering Services | 2,500 | 12,500 | 25,000 | |||||||||
| Wage Bond | 3,000 | 15,000 | 30,000 | |||||||||
| Permit Transfer | 1,000 | 5,000 | 10,000 | |||||||||
| Equipment Repairs | 18,000 | 90,000 | 180,000 | |||||||||
| Equipment Mobilization | 14,500 | 72,500 | 145,000 | |||||||||
| Fuel & Oil | 5,000 | 25,000 | 50,000 | |||||||||
| Mine Face Up | 30,000 | 150,000 | 300,000 | |||||||||
| Legal and Transaction Expenses | 20,000 | 100,000 | 200,000 | |||||||||
| PCAB Audit | 5,000 | 25,000 | 50,000 | |||||||||
| SEC Attorney and Public Company Legal Fees | 5,000 | 25,000 | 50,000 | |||||||||
| Transfer Agent, DTC & Additional PubCo Fees | 5,000 | 25,000 | 50,000 | |||||||||
| NASDAQ Fees | 5,000 | 25,000 | 50,000 | |||||||||
| Management Compensation (includes $30,000, $148,000 and $300,000 payable to our management) | 47,000 | 235,000 | 470,000 | |||||||||
| Working Capital | 30,000 | 150,000 | 300,000 | |||||||||
| Total uses of net proceeds | $ | 297,000 | $ | 1,485,000 | $ | 2,970,000 | ||||||
We believe the net proceeds from the sale of all the shares we are offering, assuming all the shares are sold (of which you have no assurance), will be sufficient to fund the operations of our joint venture subsidiary for approximately six months, assuming application of the proceeds as outlined above and assuming our joint venture subsidiary do not earn revenues. If it does generate revenues, of which you have no assurance, revenues would extend the period over which the net proceeds from the sale of the shares will sustain its operations. See, “Risk Factors”. The board of directors or our joint venture subsidiary, which will be composed of directors we and our joint venture partner nominate and elect, reserves the right to reallocate the use of net proceeds, if, in its judgment, such reallocation will best serve its needs in meeting changes, developments and unforeseen delays and difficulties. Pending use, the net proceeds shall be invested in certificates of deposit, money market accounts, treasury bills, and similar short term, liquid investments with substantial safety of principal.
All of our operations will be conducted in our joint venture subsidiary of which we own fifty-one percent of the common stock, declining to forty-nine percent in 2022. The following table presents information about our planned operations and business activities and those conducted by our joint venture subsidiary in each of the twelve months following funding, including the estimated budge per month.
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| MONTH | ACTIVITY | BUDGET | ||||||
| 1 | Lease acquisition, minimum lease payments | $ | 725,000 | |||||
| 2 | Contract for offtake signed, reclamation bonds paid, liability insurance paid | $ | 335,000 | |||||
| 3 | Transfer of permits completed, engineering services, wages bond | $ | 650,000 | |||||
| 4 | Equipment mobilization, mine face-up | $ | 675,000 | |||||
| 5 | Commence surface mining operations at 20,000 tons per day | $ | 1,105,693 | |||||
| 6 | Mining continues and sales commence (additional legal fees and royalties paid on sales) | $ | 1,132,026 | |||||
| 7 | Mining and sales continue at 20,000 tons per day (legal fees and royalties on sales) | $ | 1,132,026 | |||||
| 8 | Mining and sales continue at 20,000 tons per day (legal fees and royalties on sales) | $ | 1,132,026 | |||||
| 9 | Mining and sales continue at 20,000 tons per day (legal fees and royalties on sales) | $ | 1,132,026 | |||||
| 10 | Mining and sales continue at 20,000 tons per day (legal fees and royalties on sales) | $ | 1,132,026 | |||||
| 11 | Mining and sales continue at 20,000 tons per day (legal fees and royalties on sales) | $ | 1,132,026 | |||||
| 12 | Mining and sales continue at 20,000 tons per day (legal fees and royalties on sales) | $ | 1,132,026 | |||||
Our Corporate History
We were incorporated on July 17, 2020 in Florida. Kenneth D. Bland is our founder. We will found a joint venture subsidiary, 10sion Coal, Inc., immediately following the first sale of our common stock pursuant to this offering circular. Our interest in the joint venture subsidiary will begin at fifty-one percent and declines to forty-nine percent by 2022.
The address of our executive offices 1812 Front Street, Scotch Plains, NJ 07076, and our telephone number is (908) 379-7715. The address of our website is www.10sionenergy.com.
Overview of Our Business
Our joint venture partner, MacArthur Resources, LLC, a West Virginia limited liability company founded in 2015, has a letter of intent to purchase three mining leases for covering nine operating areas in Greenbrier County, West Virginia. We will contribute the net proceeds from the sale of our shares to the joint venture subsidiary and MacArthur will contribute the letter of intent to purchase the mining leases to our joint venture subsidiary, which will then contract with the seller to complete the purchase and commence mining operations. MacArthur will manage the business and operations of our joint venture subsidiary. For information about MacArthur see, Management of Our Joint Venture Partner.
The Properties to be Leased
The properties we intend to lease contain total reserves estimated at 12.62 million tons mid-vol coal. Mid-vol coal is also known as medium volatile bituminous coal or medium coking coal and is used in steel production. Three of the properties are permitted for immediate mining operations. The reserves have been fully de-risked by extensive core drilling and mapping specific to these properties. The following table summarizes information about each property.
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| Operating Area | Seam | Reserves (000 tons) | Mine Type | |||||
| Area 1 | Sewell | 1,827 | Strip, Auger, HWM | |||||
| Area 2 | Pocahontas No. 6 & No. 7 | 92 | Auger | |||||
| Area 3 | Beckely & Fire Creek | 2,372 | Strip, Underground | |||||
| Area 4 | Pocahontas No. 3, No. 6 & No. 7 | 1,908 | Strip, HWM, Underground | |||||
| Area 5 | Beckely, Fire Creek & Pocahontas No. 3 | 1,311 | Strip, HWM | |||||
| Area 6 | Sewell & above | 755 | Strip | |||||
| Area 7 | Sewell & above | 1050 | Strip | |||||
| Area 8 | Sewell & above | 1447 | Strip | |||||
| Area 9 | Pocahontas #7 | 1,858 | Underground | |||||
| Total Reserves (000 tons) | 12,620 | |||||||
(1) Permits to mine four areas are included in the three mining leases. Permitted areas are immediately available for production. Cost of and time to permit unpermitted properties is expected to vary from property to property. The time required is 5 years to mine currently permitted reserves. We believe, based on MacArthur’s advice, that permits can be obtained for the unpermitted areas without greater than normal cost and time.
(2) Strip means surface contour mining. HWM means high wall mining. The estimated average production cost for contour surface mining (Strip), high wall mining (HWM), and auger mining is $30-$35 per ton, while we estimate $50 per ton for underground operations.
(3) Estimated at currently prevailing costs. The estimated costs nclude reclamation after completion of mining.
Since 2011, approximately $8.0 million has been investing in the properties in acquiring the leases, developing engineering and geologic analyses, conducting exploration programs that drilled and logged core holes, securing and maintaining mining permits and acquiring road access to support mining operations.
Surface contour mining is a category of mining that involves removal of overburden (soil and rock) to expose the coal seam for excavation. The properties we plan to lease have an average overburden depth of 100 feet. We plan to set aside the overburden for later use in reclamation of the mine sites. Highwall mining is used to recover additional coal adjacent to a surface mined area. The method evolved from auger mining but does not meet the definition of surface mining since it does not involve the removal of overburden to expose the coal seam. The auger mining method often used by strip-mine operators where the overburden is too thick to be removed economically. Large-diameter, spaced holes are drilled up to 200 ft (61 m) into the coalbed by an auger. Underground mining means mining by digging or constructing access tunnels, adits, ramps, or shafts and excavating directly from the natural mineral deposits exposed.
Presently, 2.76 million tons of these reserves are permitted to mine, which will cover our first five years of projected coal production. During our first five years of operations, we intend to secure permits to mine our remaining reserves. We expect to start mining at the rate of 20,000 tons of coal per month and grow this amount to 50,000 tons of coal per month by the year 2023. Based on advice of MacArthur, we believe these reserves present advantageous geologic characteristics such as relatively thin overburden and relatively thick coal seams resulting in a low effective mining ratio at the mines. These characteristics contribute to a production profile that we believe has a cash cost of production that is significantly lower than most U. S. metallurgical coal producers. [this will need to be sourced]
The following map identifies the general location of Greenbrier County, West Virginia and of the properties we expect our joint venture subsidiary to lease and the geologic zone in which the properties are located.
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Reserve Analysis
The following table presents the results of analysis of the coal seams on the properties we plan to lease are located. The analysis was performed by SGS North America Inc in May 2019. The analysis confirms the quality and mid-vol metallurgical coal status of these seams.
| Seam | Yield (%) | Ash (%) | Sulfur (%) | Vol | BTU | CSR (%)* | Reflectance (%)** | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Castle | 98.90 | 2.03 | 0.76 | 32.50 | 15,389.00 | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Fire Creek | 89.20 | 4.02 | 0.84 | 26.30 | 15,006.00 | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Pocahontas #3 | 79.90 | 6.43 | 1.07 | 22.50 | 14,528.00 | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Pocahontas #7 (**) | 81.80 | 5.28 | 1.07 | 24.40 | 14,778.00 | 61.00 | 1.28 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Pocahontas #6 | 89.80 | 3.63 | 0.94 | 25.80 | 14,991.00 | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sewell | 74.50 | 5.44 | 0.66 | 26.50 | 14,493.00 | 72.60 | 1.27 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sewell ‘A’ | 91.40 | 7.21 | 0.81 | 26.70 | 13,422.00 | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sewell ‘B’ | 93.80 | 9.56 | 0.83 | 25.30 | 13,143.00 | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
Notes:
| ● | All data is based on 1.55 Float Sink Washabilities except as noted. | |
| ● | *Coking analysis performed on currently permitted seams only - Sewell & Pocahontas #7 | |
| ● | **CSR & Reflectance values derived from P7 coal washed at a 1.45 Float |
Lease Terms
MacArthur has advised us that the initial payment to acquire the three mining leases will be $500,000, plus $225,000 in minimum lease payments. We will pay a royalty on production and fixed minimum payments on leases not in production. Based on advice from MacArthur, we believe the lease terms are competitive.
Market Overview
Coal prices differ substantially by region and are impacted by many factors including the overall economy, demand for steel, demand for electricity, location, market, quality and type of coal, mine operation costs and the cost of customer alternatives. As a result, the major factors influencing our development and operations plan are the domestic and global economy and demand for steel.
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The following table provides information about annual US coke consumption beginning 2015 through the first quarter of 2020. Although the relationship between a short ton of metallurgical coal to a short ton of coke varies depending on the whether the coal is high-vol, mid-vol or low-vol and on the particular source, on average, the by-product coking process typically yields between 1,200 and 1,400 pounds of coke per ton of coal.
| U.S. coke summary statistics, 2015 - 2020 (000 tons) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Year | Production | Imports | Producer and distributor stocks | Consumption (1) | Exports | |||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | 13,755 | 140 | 3,663 | 13,128 | 857 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | 11,855 | 229 | 2831 | 11,212 | 1000 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | 12,948 | 58 | 1885 | 11,818 | 1209 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | 13,806 | 117 | 1595 | 12,976 | 1151 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | 13,464 | 116 | 1701 | 12,492 | 967 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2020 - Q1 | 3,244 | 6 | 528 | 3,008 | 188 | |||||||||||||||||
(1) Consumption is equal to production plus imports minus the change in producer and distributor stocks minus exports. Note: Total may not equal sum of components because of independent rounding. Source: ‘Production, Consumption, and Producer and Distributor Stocks: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Form EIA-3, ‘Quarterly Survey of Industrial, Commercial & Institutional Coal Users.’; Imports: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, ‘Monthly Report IM 145.’; Exports: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, ‘Monthly Report EM 545.’ Prior to third quarter 2014, coke plant data was collected under Form EIA-5, ‘Quarterly Coal Consumption and Quality Report - Coke Plants.’
Metallurgical coal is a key component of the blast furnace steelmaking process. North American metallurgical mines are primarily located in the Appalachian area of the eastern United States, and supply all of the requirements of the steel industry. Metallurgical coals are generally classified as high, medium or low volatile. Volatiles are products, other than water, that are released as gas or vapor when coal is converted to coke. Carbon is what remains when the volatiles are released.
Imported metallurgical coal has historically been un-economic due to transportation costs. Supply in excess of what can be consumed in North America is exported to the seaborne market to buyers in Europe, South America, Africa, India and Asia. Metallurgical coal is transported by truck, rail and barge to coke batteries. Metallurgical coal contracts in North America frequently are calendar year contracts where both prices and volumes are fixed in the third or fourth quarter for the following calendar year.
The United States is the second largest global supplier to the seaborne metallurgical coal market behind Australia. U. S. producers, with their variable production volumes, generally serve as a swing supplier to the international metallurgical coal market. U. S. metallurgical coal exports compete with Australian metallurgical coals that are generally produced at lower cost, but are geographically disadvantaged to supply Western Europe. Conversely, Australian production has a much shorter logistical route to East Asian customers. Any supply shortfall out of Australia, or increase in global demand beyond Australia’s capacity, has historically been serviced by U. S. coal producers.
Export metallurgical coal pricing is determined utilizing a series of indices from a number of independent sources and is adjusted for coal quality. Contracted volumes have terms that vary in duration from spot to one year, rarely exceeding one year. In some cases, indices are used at the point that the coal changes hands. In other cases, an average over time may be utilized. When the term “benchmark” is still utilized, it too is determined based on index values, typically for the preceding three months.
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According the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, US steel capacity utilization is currently 52%. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the utilization rate had been steady since 2017 at 75%-80%. In early 2020, steel plant utilization was at 80.7%. The recent plunge in steel capacity utilization is due to the shutdown of the manufacturing economy. We anticipate that as steel plants reopen, utilization will rise back to pre-COVID-19 levels and that metallurgical coal prices will recover to the $90 level seen in early 2020. For mid-vol metallurgical grade coal, the market could be better with sales of $80 and $200 per ton documented in central Appalachia over the last five years
Globally, steel consumption has risen steadily since 2017, and U.S. steel production is forecast to increase through at least 2022. Our assets are in excellent proximity to the end user market for metallurgical coal. We have identified 17 coke plants in the greater Ohio Valley and Great Lakes regions, with seven of these categorized as major domestic coke plant operators. All of these facilities are supplied via rail with coal from mines in central and northern Appalachia.
How We Plan To Market Our Coal
We plan to market to U. S.-based blast furnace steel mills and U. S.-based coke plants. When at full production, we may additionally market limited amounts annually to specialty coal customers, such as foundry coke, activated carbon products, and specialty metal producers. [more info/detail needed]
Competition
Our principal domestic competitors include Blackhawk Mining, LLC, Coronado Global Resources, Inc., Corsa Coal Corp, Arch Coal, Inc., Contura Energy, Inc. Ramaco Resources, Inc. and Warrior Met Coal, Inc. All of these companies are well established with significant market share and are better able to compete in the metallurgical coal market than we are. We expect to effectively compete on basis of price.
Laws and Regulations Governing Our Business
Our operations are subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations, such as those relating to matters such as permitting and licensing, employee health and safety, reclamation and restoration of mining properties, water discharges, air emissions, plant and wildlife protection, the storage, treatment and disposal of wastes, remediation of contaminants, surface subsidence from underground mining and the effects of mining on surface water and groundwater conditions. Compliance with these laws and regulations may be costly and time-consuming and may delay commencement, continuation or expansion of exploration or production at our facilities. They may also depress demand for our products by imposing more stringent requirements and limits on our customers’ operations. Moreover, these laws are constantly evolving and are becoming increasingly complex and stringent over time. These laws and regulations, particularly new legislative or administrative proposals, or judicial interpretations of existing laws and regulations related to the protection of the environment could result in substantially increased capital, operating and compliance costs.
Due in part to these extensive and comprehensive regulatory requirements and ever-changing interpretations of these requirements, violations of these laws can occur from time to time in our industry and also in our operations. Expenditures relating to environmental compliance are a major cost consideration for our operations and safety and compliance is a significant factor in mine design, both to meet regulatory requirements and to minimize long-term environmental liabilities. The following is a summary of the various federal and state environmental and similar regulations that have a material impact on our business:
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. SMCRA establishes operational, reclamation and closure standards for our mining operations and requires that comprehensive environmental protection and reclamation standards be met during the course of and following completion of mining activities. SMCRA also stipulates compliance with many other major environmental statutes, including the CAA, the CWA, the ESA, RCRA and CERCLA. Permits for all mining operations must be obtained from the United States Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (“OSMRE”) or, where state regulatory agencies have adopted federally approved state programs under SMCRA, the appropriate state regulatory authority. Our operations are located in a state which have achieved primary jurisdiction for enforcement of SMCRA through approved state programs.
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Abandoned Mine Lands Fund. SMCRA also imposes a reclamation fee on all current mining operations, the proceeds of which are deposited in the AML Fund, which is used to restore unclaimed and abandoned mine lands mined before 1977. The current per ton fee is $0. 28 per ton for surface-mined coal and $0. 12 per ton for underground-mined coal. Estimates of our total reclamation and mine-closing liabilities are based upon permit requirements.
Mining Permits and Approvals. Numerous governmental permits and approvals are required for mining operations. We are required to prepare and present to federal, state, and local authorities data detailing the effect or impact that any proposed exploration project for production of coal may have upon the environment, the public and our employees. The governing laws, rules, and regulations authorize substantial fines and penalties, including revocation or suspension of mining permits under some circumstances. Monetary sanctions and, in certain circumstances, even criminal sanctions may be imposed for failure to comply with these laws. In order to obtain mining permits and approvals from state regulatory authorities, mine operators must also submit a reclamation plan for restoring the mined property to its prior condition, productive use or other permitted condition. The conditions of certain permits also require that we obtain surface owner consent if the surface estate has been split from the mineral estate.
Financial Assurance. Federal and state laws require a mine operator to secure the performance of its reclamation and lease obligations under SMCRA through the use of surety bonds or other approved forms of financial security for payment of certain long-term obligations, including mine closure or reclamation costs.
Mine Safety and Health. The Mine Act and the MINER Act, and regulations issued under these federal statutes, impose stringent health and safety standards on mining operations. The regulations that have been adopted under the Mine Act and the MINER Act are comprehensive and affect numerous aspects of mining operations, including training of mine personnel, mining procedures, roof control, ventilation, blasting, use and maintenance of mining equipment, dust and noise control, communications, emergency response procedures, and other matters. MSHA regularly inspects mines to ensure compliance with regulations promulgated under the Mine Act and MINER Act. West Virginia has similar programs for mine safety and health regulation and enforcement. The various requirements mandated by federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations place restrictions on our methods of operation and result in fees and civil penalties for violations of such requirements or criminal liability for the knowing violation of such standards, significantly impacting operating costs and productivity.
Workers’ Compensation and Black Lung. We will be insured for workers’ compensation benefits for work related injuries that occur within our United States operations. However, West Virginia’s workers’ compensation act provides a much broader exception to workers’ compensation immunity. The exception allows an injured employee to recover against his or her employer where he or she can show damages caused by an unsafe working condition of which the employer was aware that was a violation of a statute, regulation, ruler consensus industry standard. These types of lawsuits are not uncommon and could have a significant impact on our operating costs. In addition, we will obtain, from a third-party insurer a workers’ compensation insurance policy, which includes coverage for medical and disability benefits for black lung disease under the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 and the Mine Act, as amended. Under the Black Lung Benefits Revenue Act of 1977 and the Black Lung Benefits Reform Act of 1977, as amended in 1981, each coal mine operator must pay federal black lung benefits to claimants who are current and former employees and also make payments to a trust fund for the payment of benefits and medical expenses to claimants who last worked in the coal industry prior to January1, 1970.
Clean Air Act. The CAA and comparable state laws that regulate air emissions affect coal mining operations both directly and indirectly. Direct impacts on coal mining and processing operations include CAA permitting requirements and emission control requirements relating to air pollutants, including particulate matter such as fugitive dust. The CAA indirectly affects coal mining operations by extensively regulating the emissions of particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury and other compounds emitted by coal-fired power plants. In addition to the GHG issues discussed below, the air emissions programs that may materially and adversely affect our operations, financial results, liquidity, and demand for our coal, directly or indirectly.
Global Climate Change. Climate change continues to attract considerable public and scientific attention. The emissions from coal consumption, transportation and production are subject to pending and proposed regulation as part of initiatives to address global climate change. As a result, numerous proposals have been made and are likely to continue to be made at the international, national, regional and state levels of government to monitor and limit emissions of greenhouse gas emissions. We are principally focused on metallurgical coal production, which is not used in connection with the production of power generation.
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Clean Water Act. The CWA and corresponding state laws and regulations affect coal mining operations by restricting the discharge of pollutants, including dredged or fill materials, into waters of the United States. Likewise, permits are required under the CWA to construct impoundments, fills or other structure in areas that are designated as waters of the United States. Prior to discharging any pollutants into waters of the United States, coal mining companies must obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (“NPDES”) permit from the appropriate state or federal permitting authority. NPDES permits include effluent limitations for discharged pollutants and other terms and conditions, including required monitoring of discharges. Failure to comply with the CWA or NPDES permits can lead to the imposition of significant penalties, litigation, compliance costs and delays in coal production.
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. RCRA and corresponding state laws establish standards for the management of solid and hazardous wastes generated at our various facilities. Besides affecting current waste disposal practices, RCRA also addresses the environmental effects of certain past hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal practices. In addition, RCRA requires certain of our facilities to evaluate and respond to any past release, or threatened release, of a hazardous substance that may pose a risk to human health or the environment. Currently, certain coal mine wastes, such as earth and rock covering a mineral deposit (commonly referred to as overburden) and coal cleaning wastes, are exempted from hazardous waste management under RCRA. Any change or reclassification of this exemption could significantly increase our coal mining costs.
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act. CERCLA and similar state laws affect coal mining operations by, among other things, imposing cleanup requirements for threatened or actual releases of hazardous substances into the environment. Although the EPA excludes most wastes generated by coal mining and processing operations from the primary hazardous waste laws, such wastes can, in certain circumstances, constitute hazardous substances for the purposes of CERCLA
Endangered Species and Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Acts. The ESA and similar state legislation protect species designated as threatened, endangered or other special status. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the “USFWS”) works closely with the OSMRE and state regulatory agencies to ensure that species subject to the ESA are protected from mining-related impacts. Several species indigenous to the areas in which we operate area protected under the ESA. The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act prohibits taking certain actions that would harm bald or golden eagles without obtaining a permit from the USFWS.
Use of Explosives. Our surface mining operations are subject to numerous regulations relating to blasting activities. Due to these regulations, we will incur costs to design and implement blast schedules and to conduct pre-blast surveys and blast monitoring.
National Environmental Policy Act. NEPA requires federal agencies, including the Department of Interior, to evaluate major agency actions that have the potential to significantly impact the environment, such as issuing a permit or other approval. In the course of such evaluations, an agency will typically prepare an environmental assessment to determine the potential direct, indirect and cumulative impacts of a proposed project.
Other Environmental Laws. Additional laws include but are not limited to the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.
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Information about our directors and executive officers is set forth in the following table. The address of our directors and executive officers is our address. We do not have any employees, other than our directors and executive officers.
| Name | Age | Position | Director Since | |||||
| Kenneth D. Bland | 58 | Director and Chief Executive Officer | Inception | |||||
| Jonathan C. Gruchy | 31 | Chief Financial Officer | N/A | |||||
| Jackson L. Morris | 76 | Corporation Secretary | N/A | |||||
| Allison A. Pease | 59 | President & Chief Operating Officer | N/A | |||||
Our stockholders elect our directors. Our directors serve terms of one year and are generally elected at each annual stockholder meeting; provided, that you have no assurance we will hold a stockholders’ meeting annually. Each director will remain in office until his successor is elected and qualified, or his/her earlier resignation. Our executive officers are elected by the board of directors and their terms of office are at the discretion of the board of directors, subject to terms and conditions of their respective employment agreements, if any. We have the authority under Florida law and our bylaws to indemnify our directors and officers against certain liabilities. We have been informed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that indemnification against violations of federal securities law is against public policy and therefore unenforceable.
Management Biographies
Below are biographical summaries for our management team of 10sion Energy.
Kenneth D. Bland is our sole director and chief executive officer on a full-time basis. He served as VP of sales 2006-2010 and Chief Executive Officer 2010-2013 of Worldwide Internet, Inc. He implemented an emergency response broadcast technology, which he created, and has been the sole member of Briken LLC which developed live streaming video technology. Until 2019, he was the CEO of SixtySix Oilfield Services, and has held senior executive positions in management, finance, sales and marketing at telecommunications companies including, Phone Two Communications, Broadwin Communications and AT&T. He attended Rutgers University (1983-1987).
Jonathan C. Gruchy is our chief financial officer on a full-time basis. Mr. Gruchy has served in accounting and management roles in a variety of industries over the last eight years. Mr. Gruchy started his career at CitiGroup as a Financial Analyst in 2012 and worked until 2015. He was then hired as a Financial Controller with a heavy machinery manufacturer from 2015 to 2020. He also serves a variety of clients offering services in accounting, management, and taxation under his firm GRUCHY CPA, which opened in 2017 and continues to the present day. He earned a B.S. in Accounting from the University at Buffalo (2012) and is a certified public accountant in New York as of 2015.
Jackson L. Morris is our corporation secretary, serves as a courtesy incidental to his services as our independent corporate and securities counsel. Mr. Morris has practiced law beginning 1971 and been engaged in the private practice of law since 1975, maintaining his own practice in the Tampa Bay area since 1993. Mr. Morris focuses his practice in corporate, securities and business transaction law. Mr. Morris earned a B.A. degree in economics from Emory University (1966), a J.D. degree from Emory University Law School (1969) and a L.L.M. degree in Federal Taxation from Georgetown Law School (1974).
Allison A. Pease is our president and chief operating officer on a full-time basis. Ms. Pease served in the oil & gas industry from 1984-2016 in locations such as Nigeria, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom. She worked at Mobil Oil Corporation for much of her career as an exploration and production geophysicist in basins worldwide. She also managed global IT and applications for geoscientists and engineers. She was the senior geophysicist for Exco Resources from 2013-2016 and responsible for drilling programs and budgets in the Eagle Ford, Buda and Haynesville. She earned a B.Sc. in Geophysical Engineering from Colorado School of Mines with a minor in Environmental Science (1983) and a M.B.A. in Marketing from the University of Phoenix (2006).
Compensation of Directors and Executive Officers
We have not paid any cash or other compensation to our executive officers inception. We do not compensate our directors other than their compensation as executive officers. The following table presents information about cash and non-cash compensation we intend to pay to our executive officers annually beginning commencement of operations.
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| Name | Position | Planned Annual Cash Compensation | |||||
| Kenneth D. Bland | Chief Executive Officer | $ | 75,000 | ||||
| Jonathan C. Gruchy | Chief Financial Officer | $ | 75,000 | ||||
| Jackson L. Morris | Corporation Secretary | $ | 75,000 | (1) | |||
| Allison A. Pease | Chief Operating Officer | $ | 75,000 | ||||
| (1) For legal services. | |||||||
Employment Contracts
We do not have employment agreements with our executive officers. We may consider entering into employment agreements in the future.
Our principal stockholders are set forth in the following table. These principal stockholders include:
| ● | each of our directors and executive officers, |
| ● | our directors and executive officers as a group, and |
| ● | others who we know own more than five percent of our issued and outstanding equity securities. |
We believe each of these persons has sole voting and investment power over the shares they own, unless otherwise noted. The address of our directors and executive officers is our address.
| Number | Percentage(1) | |||||||||||||||
| Name/Class | Before | After(2) | Before | After(2) | ||||||||||||
| Kenneth D. Bland | ||||||||||||||||
| Series A Preferred Stock(3) | 3,000,000 | 3,000,000 | 80.00 | % | 80.00 | % | ||||||||||
| Jonathan C. Gruchy | ||||||||||||||||
| Common Stock | 1,666,667 | 1,666,667 | 6.67 | % | 5.56 | % | ||||||||||
| Jackson L. Morris | ||||||||||||||||
| Common Stock | 1,666,667 | 1,666,667 | 6.67 | % | 5.56 | % | ||||||||||
| Allison A. Pease | ||||||||||||||||
| Common Stock | 1,666,667 | 1,666,667 | 6.67 | % | 5.56 | % | ||||||||||
| All directors and executive officers as a group, 4 persons | ||||||||||||||||
| Series A Preferred Stock(3) | 3,000,000 | 3,000,000 | 80.00 | % | 80.00 | % | ||||||||||
| Common Stock | 5,000,001 | 5,000,001 | 20.00 | % | 16.67 | % | ||||||||||
| (1) Based on total equity, treating as converted the Series A Preferred Stock to be issued. |
| (2) Assumes we sell all 1,000,000 shares offered by this offering circular. |
| (3) The Series A Preferred Stock will be convertible into a number of common shares equal to 80% of the total issued and outstanding common shares. |
Management of Our Joint Venture Partner
Biographical information about the management of our joint venture partner is provided below. [this info should parallel that provided about our management]
Paul Moran is the operations manager of MacArthur and will be he operations manager of our joint venture subsidiary. He has twenty-five years of experience in the Greenbrier, Fayette & Nicholas Counties of West Virginia, mining mid & low volatile metallurgical coal, and has compiled reserve information that covers the entire coal field. He has worked for Quinwood Coal Company, Covington Coal Company, and High Wall Mining Company among others. In addition, he served as a mining consultant during which his efforts received a reclamation award for using new methods in providing excellent grass cover along with tree growth. He has also been the recipient of a reclamation award from the state of West Virginia. He has a long record of producing 35,000-50,000 tons of clean metallurgical coal monthly. He earned a B.A in History and Political Science from Central Connecticut State University.
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Mike Hill is the mine superintendent of MacArthur and he will be the mine superintendent of our joint venture subsidiary. He has fifty years of experience in the mining industry as a section foreman, mine foreman, safety director, and mine superintendent in charge of contract miners. His experience spans West Virginia and Kentucky and includes surface and underground operations as well as reclamation. He holds certifications in West Virginia and Kentucky for Mine Emergency Technician, Surface Mine Foreman and Deep Mine Foreman. He received a national award as the captain of two mine rescue teams as well as the Professional Miners Award from the Holmes Safety Association.
We have not engaged in any related party transactions, not including compensation transactions and stock issuance transactions in connection with our founding beginning at inception to date of this offering circular.
Description of Shares We Are Offering
The following description of our common stock is qualified in its entirety by reference to our Articles of Incorporation, as amended, our bylaws and Florida corporation law. We are authorized to issue 600,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share. At the date of this offering circular, we have 5,000,001 shares of common stock issued and outstanding. If we sell all of the shares offered by this offering circular, we will have 6,000,001 shares of common stock issued and outstanding. Holders of our common stock:
| ● | have one vote per share on election of each director and other matters submitted to a vote of stockholders; | |
| ● | have equal rights with all holders of issued and outstanding common stock to receive dividends from funds legally available therefore, if any, when, as and if declared from time to time by the board of directors; | |
| ● | re entitled to share equally with all holders of issued and outstanding common stock in all of our assets remaining after payment of liabilities, upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs; | |
| ● | do not have preemptive, subscription or conversion rights; and | |
| ● | do not have cumulative voting rights. |
As soon as our Articles of Incorporation receive a document number from the Florida Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, we will amend our charter documents to authorize 7,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock, eligible for designation by the board of directors without stockholder approval, and 3,000,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock to be issued to Mr. Bland as founder’s shares. The issuance of the preferred stock will have the following affects on our common stock. All shares of our common stock outstanding, regardless of the number, including shares we sell pursuant to this offering circular, have a right to vote an aggregate of twenty percent of all votes cast for the election of directors and on any other matter subject to stockholder approval. The Series A Preferred Stock will the right to vote the balance of eighty percent of all votes cast. Holders of common stock and the holderof the preferred stock will vote together as a single group (in pari passu) on all matters subject to stockholder approval. For illustration, based on 6,000,001 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, assuming we sell all of the shares pursuant to this offering circular, the common stock has an aggregate of 6,000,001 votes (one vote per share) and the preferred stock has an aggregate of 24,000,004 votes (eight votes per share). Accordingly, holders of common stock, regardless of the number of issued and outstanding shares will vote not more than twenty percent of all votes cast and will not be able to elect any directors or approve or effectively oppose any actions or transactions requiring stockholder approval. Likewise, all shares of our common stock outstanding, regardless of the number, represent twenty percent of total equity, because the Series A Preferred Stock will have a right to convert into a number of shares of common stock equal to eighty percent of total issued and outstanding common stock computed after the conversion. The Series A Preferred Stock will be entitled to receive eighty percent of distributions in liquidation and a ten percent non-cumulative dividend prior to any dividend on common stock. The preferred stock will not participate in liquidating distributions until holders of our common stock have received liquidating distributions equal to the highest price at which we have ever sold common stock.
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We plan to engage Signature Stock Transfer Inc. as our transfer agent. Its address is 14673 Midway Road, Suite #220, Addison, Texas 75001, whose phone number is (972) 612-4120 and whose email address is info@signaturestocktransfer.com.
Certain legal matters with respect to the validity of the shares of common stock to be distributed pursuant to this offering circular will be passed upon for us by Jackson L. Morris, Attorney at Law, Tampa, Florida. Mr. Morris owns 1,666,667 shares of our common stock.
We have not relied on any experts for audit of our financial statements.
Where You Can Find More Information About Us
We have filed an offering statement on Form 1-A under the Securities Act with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for the common stock offered by this offering circular. This offering circular does not include all of the information contained in the offering statement. You should refer to the offering statement and our exhibits for additional information. Whenever we make reference in this offering circular to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the references are not necessarily complete and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the offering statement for copies of the actual contract, agreement or other document. When we complete this offering, we will also be required to file certain reports and other information with the SEC for a period of time and may continue to voluntarily file such reports.
You can read our SEC filings, including the offering statement of which this offering circular is a part, and exhibits, over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any document we file with the SEC at our Public Reference Room located at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may also obtain copies of the documents at prescribed rates by writing to the Public Reference Room of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the Public Reference Room.
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10sion Energy Incorporated
Financial Statements
(unaudited)
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| 10SION ENERGY INCORPORATED |
| CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS |
| July 17, 2020 (date of inception) |
| (unaudited) |
| July 17, 2020 | ||||
| ASSETS | ||||
| Current Assets | ||||
| Cash and Cash Equivalents | $ | — | ||
| Net Receivables | — | |||
| Inventory | — | |||
| Other Current Assets | — | |||
| Total Current Assets | — | |||
| Non Current Assets | ||||
| Long Term Investments | — | |||
| Property Plant and Equipment | — | |||
| Total Non Current Assets | — | |||
| Total Assets | $ | — | ||
| LIABILITIES | ||||
| Current Liabilities | ||||
| Accounts Payable | $ | — | ||
| Convertible Debt | — | |||
| Other Current Liabilities | — | |||
| Total Current Liabilities | — | |||
| Noncurrent liabilities | ||||
| Long Term Debt | — | |||
| Total Non Current Liabilities | — | |||
| Total Liabilities | $ | — | ||
| STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||
| Series A Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share, 10,000,000 authorized, 3,000,000 shares issued and outstanding at inception | $ | 3,000 | ||
| Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share, 600,000,000 authorized. 5,000,001 issued and outstanding at inception | 5,000 | |||
| Income for Period | — | |||
| Retained Earnings | — | |||
| Capital Surplus | (8,000 | ) | ||
| Other Stockholder Equity | — | |||
| Total Stockholder Equity | — | |||
| Total Liabilities & Equity | $ | — | ||
| The notes are an integral part of these financial statements. |
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| 10SION ENERGY INCORPORATED |
| CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS |
| July 17, 2020 (date of inception) |
| (unaudited) |
| July 17, 2020 | ||||
| Gross Revenue | $ | — | ||
| Cost of Goods | — | |||
| Gross Profit | — | |||
| Selling, General and Administrative | — | |||
| Operating Income | — | |||
| Earnings Before Interest and Tax | — | |||
| Interest Expense | — | |||
| Earnings Before Tax | — | |||
| Income Tax | — | |||
| Net Income Continuing Operations | — | |||
| Net Income | $ | — | ||
| The notes are an integral part of these financial statements. |
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| 10SION ENERGY INCORPORATED |
| STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY |
| July 17, 2020 (date of inception) |
| (unaudited) |
| Common stock par | Common stock excess of par | Retained earnings | Accumulated other comprehensive income | Net income | Total | |||||||||||||||||||
| July 17, 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock Issuance: 3 Million preferred shares | $ | 3,000 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | (3,000 | ) | $ | — | |||||||||||||
| Stock Issuance: 5 Million common shares | 5,000 | — | — | (5,000 | ) | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
| July 17, 2020 | $ | 8,000 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | (8,000 | ) | $ | — | $ | — | |||||||||||
| The notes are an integral part of these financial statements. |
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| 10SION ENERGY INCORPORATED |
| CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS |
| July 17, 2020 (date of inception) |
| (unaudited) |
| July 17, 2020 | ||||
| Net Income | $ | — | ||
| Operating Activities | ||||
| Depreciation | — | |||
| Adjustments to Net Income | — | |||
| Changes in Other Liabilities | — | |||
| Changes in Accounts Payable | — | |||
| Changes in Accounts Receivables | — | |||
| Changes in Inventories | — | |||
| Changes in fixed assets | — | |||
| Changes in Other Operating Activities | — | |||
| Total Cash Flow From Operating Activities | — | |||
| Investing Activities | ||||
| Capital Expenditures | — | |||
| Investments | — | |||
| Other Cash Flows From Investing Activities | — | |||
| Total Cash Flow From Investing Activities | — | |||
| Financing Activities | ||||
| Dividends Paid | — | |||
| Sale/Purchase of Stock | — | |||
| Proceeds from owner’s investment | — | |||
| Other Cash Flows From Financing Activities | — | |||
| Total Cash Flow From Financing Activities | — | |||
| Effect of Exchange Rate Changes | — | |||
| Change in Cash and Cash Equivalents | — | |||
| Cash at beginning of period | — | |||
| Net cash increase (decrease) for period | — | |||
| Cash at end of period | $ | — | ||
| The notes are an integral part of these financial statements. |
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10SION ENERGY INCORPORATED
JULY 17, 2020 (DATE OF INCEPTION)
(unaudited)
1. SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS
General Development and Narrative Description of Business – The Company was incorporated on July 17, 2020 (date of inception) in Florida for the purpose of engaging in a joint venture to mine and market metallurgical coal on properties subject to mining leases.
2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation - Company financial statements are unaudited and have been compiled following United States GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles).
Revenue Recognition –The Company follows ASC 606 2014-09 Revenue from Contracts with Customers. This involves identifying the contract with the customer, identify separate performance obligations, determine the transaction price, allocate the transaction price to the separate performance obligations, and then recognize revenue when (or as) performance obligations are satisfied. Our revenue is derived from contracts for the sale of coal which is recognized at the point in time control is transferred to our customer. As of the dates reported for financials, we have recognized no revenue from the sale of coal.
Inventories – Inventories are measured at the lower of cost and net realizable value. The cost of inventory is based on the weighted average principle for finished goods and on the standard cost principle for raw materials and work-in-progress for inventories that are manufactured. Cost includes expenditure incurred in acquiring the inventories, production or conversion costs and other costs incurred in bringing them to their existing location and condition. In the case of manufactured inventories and work in progress, cost includes an appropriate share of production overheads based on normal operating capacity. Net realizable value is the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business, less the estimated cost of completion and selling expenses. The inventory we expect to reporting future periods will be the mined coal from properties. As of the date of reported financials, we have reported $0 in inventory as production has not commenced.
Cash and Cash Equivalents - All highly liquid investments with original maturities of nine months or less are classified as cash and cash equivalents. The fair value of cash and cash equivalents approximates the amounts shown on the financial statements.
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 reporting period. These estimates and assumptions are used in, but not limited to, certain receivables and accounts payable and the provision for uncertain liabilities. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates.
Mine development costs – The Company expects to incur mine development costs in the future. Mine development costs represent the costs incurred to prepare future mine sites for mining. These costs include costs of acquiring, permitting, planning, research, and establishing access to identify mineral reserves and other preparations for commercial production as necessary to develop and permit the properties for mining activities. As of the date of the reported financial statements, we have incurred $0 in development costs.
Income Taxes - The Company is subject to income taxes in the United States. Income tax expense (benefit) is provided for using the asset and liability method. Deferred income taxes are recognized at currently enacted tax rates for the expected future tax consequences attributable to temporary differences between amounts reported for income tax purposes and financial reporting purposes. Deferred taxes are provided for the undistributed earnings as if they were to be distributed. The tax rate for future periods is affected by the estimated valuation allowance against the Company’s deferred tax assets. The Company regularly reviews its deferred tax assets for recoverability taking into consideration such factors as recurring operating losses, projected future taxable income and the expected timing of the reversals of existing temporary differences. The authoritative guidance issued by the FASB requires the Company to record a valuation allowance when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.
Page 41
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards - The Company has adopted all recently issued accounting pronouncements. The adoption of the accounting pronouncements, include those not yet effective, is not anticipated to have a material effect on the financial position or results of operation of the Company.
5. SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
At July 17, 2020( date of inception), the total number of shares of all classes of stock, which the Company has authority to issue is 600,000,000 of common stock par value $0.001, of which 5,000,001 shares have been issued for services performed and to be performed valued at par of $5,000. The Company is committed to issue to its founder 3,000,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock par value $0.001 valued at par of $5,000 when the articles are amended to authorized the preferred shares and an additional 7,000,000 preferred shares, the terms of series and class to be determined by the board of directors. The Series A Preferred Stock, when authorized and issued, will represent eighty percent of total equity securities at all times.
6. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
The Company has no commitments or contingencies.
8. CONTRACTUAL ARRANGEMENTS
The Company has no contractual arrangements.
9. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company has no subsequent events as of the date of this filing.
Page 42
PART III—EXHIBITS
| Item 16. | Index to Exhibits |
| 2(a)(1) | Articles of Incorporation(to be filed by amendment – filed with Florida electronically and not available for download at date) |
| 2(a)(2) | Form of Articles of Amendment (to be filed by amendment) |
| 2(b) | Bylaws |
| 4.1 | Form of Subscription Agreement |
| 4.2 | Letter of intent to acquire leases (redacted) |
| 4.3 | Letter of intent to form joint venture (to be filed by amendment) |
| 11(b) | Consent of counsel (included in Exhibit 12) |
| 12 | Amended Opinion re: legality |
Signatures
Pursuant to the requirements of Regulation A, the issuer certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form 1-A and has duly caused this offering statement to be signed on July 21, 2020.
10sion Energy Incorporated
| By: /s/ Kenneth D. Bland | |
| Kenneth D. Bland, Chief Executive Officer |
This offering statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Name | Position | Date | ||
| /s/ Kenneth D. Bland | Director, Chief Executive Officer | July 21, 2020 | ||
| Kenneth D. Bland | ||||
| /s/ Jonathan C. Gruchy | Chief Financial Officer | July 21, 2020 | ||
| Jonathan C. Gruchy | ||||
| /s/ Allison A. Pease | Chief Executive Officer | July 21, 2020 | ||
| Allison A. Pease |
Page 43
Exhibit 2.3
BYLAWS
OF
10sion ENERGY INCORPORATED
ARTICLE I. GENERAL
The provisions of this document constitute the Bylaws of 10sion Energy Incorporated, a Florida corporation, hereinafter referred to as the Corporation, which Bylaws shall be utilized to govern the management and operation of the Corporation.
ARTICLE II. OFFICES AND AGENCY
Section 1. Registered Office and Registered Agent. The registered office of the Corporation shall be located in the state of incorporation at such place as may be fixed from time to time by the Board of Directors of the Corporation, the members of which shall be hereinafter referred to as Directors, upon filing of such notices as may be required by law, and the registered agent shall have a business office identical with such registered office.
Section 2. Other Offices. The Corporation may have other offices within or outside the state of incorporation at such place or places as the Board of Directors may from time to time determine.
ARTICLE III. STOCKHOLDERS
Section 1. Closing Transfer Books. For the purpose of determining stockholders entitled to notice of, or to vote at, any meeting of stockholders or any adjournment thereof, or entitled to receive payment of any dividend, or in order to make a determination of stockholders for any other purpose, the Board of Directors may, but is not required to, provide that the stock transfer books shall be closed for a stated period not to exceed, in any case, sixty (60) days. If the stock transfer books shall be closed for the purpose of determining stockholders entitled to notice of, or to vote at, a meeting of stockholders, such books shall be closed for at least ten (10) days immediately preceding such meeting.
Section 2. Fixing Record Date. In lieu of closing the stock transfer books, the Board of Directors may fix in advance a date as the record date for any determination of stockholders, such date in any case to be not more than sixty (60) days and, in case of a meeting of stockholders, not less than ten (10) days prior to the date on which the particular action requiring such determination of stockholders is to be taken.
Section 3. Other Determination of Stockholders. If the stock transfer books are not closed and no record date is fixed for the determination of stockholders entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders or stockholders entitled to receive payment of a dividend the date on which notice of the meeting is mailed or the date on which the resolution of the Board of Directors declaring such dividend is adopted, as the case may be, shall be the record date for such determination of stockholders.
Section 4. Adjourned Meetings. When a determination of stockholders entitled to vote at any meeting of stockholders has been made as provided in this Article, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof, unless the Board of Directors fixes a new record date for the adjourned meeting.
Page 1 of 18 pages, plus History of Bylaws.
Section 5. Record of Stockholders.
(a) If the Corporation has six or more stockholders of record, the officer or agent having charge of the stock transfer books for shares of the Corporation shall make, at least ten (10) days before each meeting of stockholders, a complete list of the stockholders entitled to vote at such meeting or any adjournment thereof, with the address of and the number and class and series, if any, of shares held by each. The list shall be kept on file at the registered office of the Corporation, at the principal place of business of the Corporation or at the office of the transfer agent or registrar of the Corporation for a period of ten (10) days prior to such meeting and shall be subject to inspection by any stockholder at any time during usual business hours. The list shall also be produced and kept open at the time and place of the meeting and shall be subject to the inspection of any stockholder at any time during the meeting.
(b) If the requirements of paragraph (a) above have not been substantially complied with, the meeting, on demand of any stockholder in person or by proxy, shall be adjourned until the requirements are complied with. If no such demand is made, failure to comply with the requirements of paragraph (a) shall not affect the validity of any action at such meeting.
ARTICLE IV. STOCKHOLDERS’ MEETINGS
Section 1. Annual Meetings. The annual meeting of the stockholders for the election of Directors and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the meeting, shall be held each year within three months after the end of the fiscal year, or at such other time as the Board of Directors or stockholders shall direct; provided, however, that the annual meeting for any year shall be held at no later than thirteen (13) months after the last preceding annual meeting of stockholders.
Section 2. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the stockholders for any purpose may be called at any time by the President of the Corporation, Board of Directors, or the holders of not less than ten percent (10%) of all shares entitled to vote at the meeting.
Section 3. Place of Meetings. All meetings of the stockholders shall be at the principal place of business of the Corporation or at such other place, either within or without the state of incorporation, as the Board of Directors or the stockholders may from time to time designate.
Section 4. Notice. Written or printed notice stating the place, day and hour of any meeting and, in case of a special meeting, the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called, shall be given to each stockholder of record entitled to vote at such meeting not less than ten (10) nor more than sixty (60) days before the meeting, by or at the direction of the President, the Secretary or other persons calling the meeting. Notice to stockholders shall be given by personal delivery, by first class U.S. Mail or by telephone facsimile or electronic mail with receipt confirmed; and, if mailed, such notice shall be deemed to be delivered when deposited, the deposit thereof certified by the Secretary of the Corporation, in the United States mail addressed to the stockholder at his address as it appears on the stock transfer books of the Corporation, with postage thereon prepaid. The Corporation shall obtain a receipt of mailing from the U.S. Postal Service, if notice is delivered by first class U.S. Mail; or the Corporation’s officer effecting delivery by telephone facsimile or by electronic mail shall certify in writing for the records of the Corporation, the name of each stockholder, the facsimile number or electronic mail address, the date and the time of initiation of such delivery.
Page 2 of 18 pages, plus History of Bylaws.
Section 5. Adjourned Meetings. A majority of the stockholders present, whether or not a quorum exists, may adjourn any meeting of the stockholders to another time and place. Notice of any such adjourned meeting, or of the business to be transacted thereat need not be given of any adjourned meeting if the time and place of the adjourned meeting are announced at the time of the adjournment, unless the time of the adjourned meeting is more than thirty days after the meeting at which the adjournment is taken.
Section 6. Waiver of Notice. A written waiver of notice signed by any stockholder, whether before or after any meeting, shall be equivalent to the giving of timely notice to said stockholder. Attendance of a stockholder at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting and a waiver of any and all objections to the place of the meeting, the time of the meeting, or the manner in which it has been called or convened, except when a stockholder attends a meeting for the express purpose of objecting, at the beginning of the meeting, to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened. Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any regular or special meeting of the stockholders need be specified in any written waiver of notice.
Section 7. Quorum and Voting.
(a) Stockholders representing not less than one-third of the shares entitled to vote in attendance at any meeting of stockholders, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at such meeting, unless otherwise specifically provided by these Bylaws or applicable law. When a specified item of business is required to be voted on by a class or series of stock, not less than one-third of the shares of such class or series shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of such item of business by that class or series. Attendance shall be either in person, by proxy, or by telephonic, radio or electronic connection whereby the distant stockholder and those stockholders present in person all hear and may speak to and be heard on the matters raised therein.
(b) If a quorum is present, the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares represented at the meeting, in person or by legally valid proxy, and entitled to vote on the subject matter shall be the act of the stockholders, unless the vote of a greater number or voting by classes is required by the Articles of Incorporation, these Bylaws or applicable law.
(c) After a quorum has been established at a stockholders’ meeting, the subsequent withdrawal of stockholders, so as to reduce the number of stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting below the number required for a quorum, shall not affect the validity of any action taken at the meeting or any adjournment thereof. The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares then represented at the meeting and entitled to vote on the subject matter shall be the act of the stockholders unless otherwise provided by the Articles of Incorporation, these Bylaws or applicable law.
(d) A person entitled to vote shares at a meeting of the stockholders shall be deemed to have attended such meeting in person if such person has attended by telephone, radio or electronic connection whereby the distant person and the other stockholders present at such meeting all hear and may speak to and be heard on the matters raised therein.
Page 3 of 18 pages, plus History of Bylaws.
Section 8. Voting of Shares.
(a) Each outstanding share of common stock shall be entitled to one vote, unless otherwise provided in the Articles of Incorporation which authorize it, and each outstanding share of preferred stock shall be entitled to the number of votes provided in the Articles of Incorporation which authorize it, in each case on each matter submitted to a vote at a meeting of stockholders.
(b) Treasury shares, shares of stock of the Corporation owned by another corporation of which the majority of the voting stock is owned or controlled by the Corporation, and shares of stock of the Corporation held by it in a fiduciary capacity shall not be voted, directly or indirectly, at any meeting, and shall not be counted in determining the total number of outstanding shares at any given time.
(c) A stockholder may vote either in person or by proxy executed in writing by the stockholder or his duly authorized attorney-in-fact.
(d) Shares standing in the name of another corporation, domestic or foreign, may be voted by the officer, agent, or proxy designated by the bylaws of the corporate stockholder; or, in the absence of any applicable bylaw, by such person as the Board of Directors of the corporate stockholder may designate. Proof of such designation may be made by presentation of a certified copy of the bylaws or other instrument of the corporate stockholder. In the absence of any such designation, or in case of conflicting designation by the corporate stockholder, the chairman of the board, president, any vice president, secretary and treasurer of the corporate stockholder shall be presumed to possess, in that order, authority to vote such shares.
(e) Shares held by an administrator, executor, guardian or conservator may be voted by him, either in person or by proxy, without a transfer of such shares into his name. Shares standing in the name of a trustee may be voted by him, either in person or by proxy, but no trustee shall be entitled to vote shares held by him in trust without a transfer of such shares into his name.
(f) Shares standing in the name of a receiver may be voted by such receiver, and shares held by or under the control of a receiver may be voted by such receiver without the transfer thereof into his name if authority to do so is contained in an appropriate order of the court by which such receiver was appointed.
(g) A stockholder whose shares are pledged shall be entitled to vote such shares until the shares have been transferred into the name of the pledgee, and thereafter the pledgee or his nominee shall be entitled to vote the shares so transferred.
(h) On and after the date on which written notice of redemption of redeemable shares has been mailed to the holders thereof and a sum sufficient to redeem such shares has been deposited with a bank or trust company with irrevocable instruction and authority to pay the redemption price to the holders thereof upon surrender of certificates therefor, such shares shall not be entitled to vote on any matter and shall not be deemed to be outstanding shares.
Section 9. Proxies.
(a) Every stockholder entitled to vote at a meeting of stockholders, or to express consent or dissent without a meeting or a stockholder’s duly authorized attorney-in-fact, may authorize another person or persons to act for him by proxy.
(b) Every proxy must be signed by the stockholder or his attorney-in-fact. No proxy shall be valid after the expiration of eleven (11) months from the date thereof unless otherwise provided in the proxy. Every proxy shall be revocable at the pleasure of the stockholder executing it, except as otherwise provided by law.
Page 4 of 18 pages, plus History of Bylaws.
(c) The authority of the holder of a proxy to act shall not be revoked by the incompetence or death of the stockholder who executed the proxy unless, before the authority is exercised, written notice of an adjudication of such incompetence or of such death is received by the corporate officer responsible for maintaining the list of stockholders.
(d) If a proxy for the same shares confers authority upon two or more persons and does not otherwise provide, a majority of them present at the meeting, or if only one is present, then that one, may exercise all the powers conferred by the proxy; but if the proxy holders present at the meeting are equally divided as to the right and manner of voting in any particular case, the voting of such shares shall be prorated.
(e) If a proxy expressly provides, any proxy holder may appoint, in writing, a substitute to act in his place.
Section 10. Voting Trusts. Any number of stockholders of the Corporation may create a voting trust for the purpose of conferring upon a trustee or trustees the right to vote or otherwise represent their shares for a period not to exceed ten (10) years, as provided by law. A counterpart of the voting trust agreement and a copy of the record of the holders of voting trust certificates shall be deposited with the Corporation at its registered office as provided by law. These documents shall be subject to the same right of examination by a stockholder of the Corporation, in person or by agent or attorney, as are the books and records of the Corporation and shall also be subject to examination by any holder of record of voting trust certificates, either in person or by agent or attorney, at any reasonable time for any proper purpose.
Section 11. Stockholders’ Agreements. Two or more stockholders of the Corporation may enter a written agreement, signed by the parties thereto, providing for the exercise of voting rights in the manner provided in the agreement or relating to any phase of the affairs of the Corporation as provided by law. Nothing therein shall impair the right of the Corporation to treat the stockholders of record as entitled to vote the shares standing in their names.
Section 12. Action by Stockholders Without a Meeting.
(a) Any action required by law, these Bylaws, or the Articles of Incorporation of the Corporation to be taken at any annual or special meeting of stockholders of the Corporation, or any action which may be taken at any annual or special meeting of such stockholders, may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of outstanding stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares entitled to vote thereon were present and voted. If any class of shares is entitled to vote thereon as a class, such written consent shall be required of the holders of a majority of the shares of each class of shares entitled to vote as a class thereon and of the total shares entitled to vote thereon.
(b) Within ten (10) days after obtaining such authorization by written consent, notice shall be given to those stockholders who have not consented in writing. The notice shall fairly summarize the material features of the authorized action and, if the action be a merger, consolidation or sale or exchange of assets for which dissenters rights are provided under law, the notice shall contain a clear statement of the right of stockholders dissenting therefrom to be paid the fair value of their shares upon compliance with further provisions of the law regarding the rights of dissenting stockholders.
Page 5 of 18 pages, plus History of Bylaws.
Section 13. New Business. Any Stockholder of record may make a proposal of new business to be acted upon at an annual or special meeting of Stockholders, only if and provided written notice of such proposed new business is filed with the Secretary of the Corporation not less than five business days prior to the day of meeting, but no other proposal shall be acted upon at such meeting.
ARTICLE V. DIRECTORS
Section 1. Function. All corporate powers shall be exercised by or under the authority of, and the business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed under the direction of, the Board of Directors, except as may otherwise be provided by the Articles of Incorporation, these Bylaws or applicable law. The Board of Directors shall make appropriate delegations of authority to the officers and, to the extent permitted by law, by appropriate resolution, the Board of Directors may authorize one or more committees to act on its behalf when it is not in session.
Section 2. Qualification. Directors need not be residents of the state of incorporation or stockholders of the Corporation.
Section 3. Compensation. The Board of Directors shall have authority to fix the compensation of Directors.
Section 4. Duties of Directors.
(a) A Director shall be expected to attend meetings, whether annual, or special, of the Board of Directors and of any committee to which the Director has been appointed.
(b) A Director shall perform his duties as a Director, including his duties as a member of any committee of the Board of Directors upon which he may serve, in good faith, in a manner he reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the Corporation, and with such care as an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would use under similar circumstances.
(c) In performing his duties, a Director shall be entitled to rely on information, opinions, reports or statements, including financial statements and other financial data, in each case prepared or presented by:
(1) One or more officers or employees of the Corporation whom the Director reasonably believes to be reliable and competent in the matters presented;
(2) Counsel, public accountants or other persons as to matters which the Director reasonably believes to be within such persons’ professional or expert competence; or
(3) A committee of the Board of Directors upon which he does not serve, duly designated in accordance with a provision of the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws, as to matters within its designated authority, which committee the Director reasonably believes to merit confidence.
(d) A Director shall not be considered to be acting in good faith if he has knowledge concerning the matter in question that would cause such reliance described above to be unwarranted.
(e) A person who performs his duties in compliance with this section shall have no liability by reason of being or having been a Director of the Corporation.
Page 6 of 18 pages, plus History of Bylaws.
Section 5. Number. The number of Directors of the Corporation shall be a minimum of one (1) and a maximum of seven (7). This number may be increased or decreased from time to time by amendment to these Bylaws or by election of a number of persons as directors which exceeds or is less than the immediately preceding incumbent number of directors, as the case may be, at any time such number, but no decrease shall have the effect of shortening the term of any incumbent Director; provided, that the resignation or removal of a number of directors director(s) which exceeds the number set forth first in this Section shall reduce the authorized number of directors to the number thereof remaining in office, but not to a number less than the number set forth first in this Section. Unfilled vacancies on the board of directors shall not prevent the board of directors from conducting business.
Section 6. Election and Term.
(a) Each person named in the Articles of Incorporation as a member of the initial Board of Directors shall hold office until the first annual meeting of stockholders and until his successor shall have been elected and qualified or until his earlier resignation, removal from office or death.
(b) At the first meeting of stockholders and at each annual meeting thereafter, the stockholders shall elect Directors to hold office until the next succeeding annual meeting. Each Director shall hold office for the term for which he is elected and until his successor shall have been elected and qualified or until his earlier resignation, removal from office or death.
Section 7. Election of Chair and Vice Chair. At the organizational meeting of the Board of Directors and at each first Board of Directors’ meeting following the election of directors at the annual meeting of stockholders, the Board of Directors shall elect from among the then incumbent Directors a person to serve as Chair of the Board. The Chair of the Board shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and of the stockholders. At any time, the board of directors may, but is not required to, elect a Vice Chair, who shall preside at such meetings in the absence of of the Chair.
Section 8. Removal of Directors.
(a) At a meeting of stockholders called expressly for that purpose, any Director or the entire Board of Directors may be removed, with or without cause, by a vote of the holders of a majority of the shares then entitled to vote in an election of Directors.
(b) If less than the entire Board of Directors is to be removed and if cumulative voting is permitted by the Articles of Incorporation, no one of the Directors may be removed if the votes cast against his removal would be sufficient to elect him if then cumulatively voted at an election of the entire Board of Directors.
Section 9. Resignation of Director. A Director may resign from the Board of Directors by providing written notification of such resignation to the President of the Corporation, and such resignation shall become effective immediately upon receipt by the President of said written notification or at such later date as may be specified in the notification.
Page 7 of 18 pages, plus History of Bylaws.
Section 10. Vacancies. Any vacancy occurring in the membership of the Board of Directors, including any vacancy created by reason of an increase in the number of Directors, may be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining Directors though less than a quorum of the Board of Directors. A Director so elected shall hold office until the next election of Directors by the stockholders.
ARTICLE VI. DIRECTORS’ MEETINGS
Section 1. Regular Meetings. The Board of Directors shall hold, without notice, a regular meeting immediately after the adjournment of the annual meeting of stockholders and such other regular meetings as they may, by resolution, designate from time to time.
Section 2. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called at any time by the President of the Corporation or by any two Directors.
Section 3. Place of Meeting. All meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held at the principal place of business of the Corporation or at such other place, either within or without the state of incorporation, as the Directors may from time to time designate; provided, however, no such meeting shall be held outside the state of incorporation if at least two (2) Directors object in writing not less than three (3) days before such meeting.
Section 4. Notice of Meeting. Written or printed notice stating the place, day and hour of any special meeting of the Board of Directors must be given to each Director not less than five (5) nor more than thirty (30) days before the meeting, by or at the direction of the President or other persons calling the meeting. Notice shall be given either personally or by telephone facsimile or by electronic mail or first class U.S. mail; and if mailed, the notice shall be deemed to be given when deposited in the United States mail addressed to the Director at his or her address, as it appears in the records of the Corporation, with postage thereon prepaid. Except as otherwise specified in these Bylaws, the notice need not specify the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any meeting.
Section 5. Waiver of Notice. A written waiver of notice signed by any Director, whether before or after any meeting, shall be equivalent to the giving of timely notice to said Director. Attendance of a Director at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting and waiver of any and all objections to the place of the meeting, the time of the meeting, or the manner in which it has been called or convened, except when a Director attends a meeting for the express purpose, as stated at the beginning of the meeting, of objecting to the transaction of business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened. Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any annual or special meeting of the Directors need be specified in any written waiver of notice.
Section 6. Presumption of Assent. A Director of the Corporation who is present at a meeting of the Board of Directors at which action on any corporate matter is taken shall be presumed to have assented to the action taken, unless he votes against such action or abstains from voting in respect thereto because of an asserted conflict of interest.
Section 7. Adjourned Meeting. A majority of the Directors present, whether or not a quorum exists, may adjourn any meeting of the Board of Directors to another time and place. Notice of any such adjourned meeting shall be given to the Directors who were not present at the time of the adjournment and, unless the time and place of the adjourned meeting are announced at the time of the adjournment, to the other Directors.
Page 8 of 18 pages, plus History of Bylaws.
Section 8. Quorum. A majority of the number of Directors fixed by these Bylaws shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the Directors, unless otherwise specifically provided by the Articles of Incorporation, these Bylaws or applicable law. Attendance shall be either in person or by telephonic, electronic or radio connection whereby the distant Director and those Directors present in person all hear and may speak to and be heard on the matters raised therein.
Section 9. Voting. Each Director who is entitled to vote and who is present at any meeting of the Board of Directors, including the Chair and, if any, the Vice Chair, shall be entitled to one (1) vote on each matter submitted to a vote of the Directors. An affirmative vote, of a majority of the Directors present at a meeting of Directors at which a quorum is present, shall constitute the approval, ratification and confirmation of the Board of Directors.
Section 10. Proxies Prohibited. No Director may authorize another person or entity to act in said Director’s stead by proxy or otherwise.
Section 11. Action by Directors Without a Meeting. Any action required or which may be taken at a meeting of the Directors, or of a committee thereof, may be taken without a meeting if a consent in writing, setting forth the action so to be taken, shall be signed or otherwise approved in writing by all of the Directors or all of the members of the committee, as the case may be. Such consent shall have the same effect as a unanimous vote.
Section 12. Directors’ Conflicts of Interest.
(a) No contract or other transaction between the Corporation and one or more of its Directors or any other corporation, firm, association or entity in which one or more of the Directors are directors or officers or are financially interested shall be either void or voidable because of such relationship or interest, or because such Director or Directors are present at the meeting of the Board of Directors or a committee thereof which authorizes, approves or ratifies such contract or transaction, or because his or their votes are counted for such purpose, if:
(1) The fact of such relationship or interest is disclosed or known to the Board of Directors or committee which authorizes, approves or ratifies the contract or transaction by a vote or consent sufficient for the purpose, even though less than a majority of the quorum, without counting the votes or consents of such interested Directors; or
(2) The fact of such relationship or interest is disclosed or known to the stockholders entitled to vote, and they authorize, approve or ratify such contract or transaction by vote or written consent; or
(3) The contract or transaction is fair and reasonable as to the Corporation at the time it is authorized by the Board of Directors, a committee or the stockholders.
(b) Common or interested Directors may be counted in determining the presence of a quorum at a meeting of the Board of Directors or a committee thereof which authorizes, approves or ratifies such contract or transaction.
(c) The position of director, officer or employee of a not-for-profit corporation held by a Director of the Corporation shall not be deemed to create a conflict of interest for such Director, with respect to approval of dealings between the Corporation and the not-for-profit corporation.
Page 9 of 18 pages, plus History of Bylaws.
(d) In the event all Directors of the Corporation are directors, officers or employees of or have a financial interest in another corporation, firm, association or entity, the vote or consent of all Directors shall be counted for purposes of approving any contract or transaction between the Corporation and such other corporation, firm, association or entity.
Section 13. Procedure. The Board of Directors may adopt their own rules of procedure which shall not be inconsistent with the Articles of Incorporation, these Bylaws or applicable law.
ARTICLE VII. EXECUTIVE AND OTHER COMMITTEES
Section 1. Designation. The Board of Directors, by resolution adopted by a majority of the full Board of Directors may designate from among its members an executive committee and one or more other committees. The Board of Directors, by resolution adopted in accordance with this section, may designate one or more Directors as alternate members of any such committee, who may act in the place and stead of any absent member or members at any meeting of such committee.
Section 2. Powers. Any committee designated as provided above shall have and may exercise all the authority granted to it by the Board of Directors, except that no committee shall have the authority to:
(a) Approve or recommend to stockholders actions or proposals required by law to be approved by stockholders;
(b) Designate candidates for the office of Director, for purposes of proxy solicitation or otherwise;
(c) Fill vacancies on the Board of Directors or any committee thereof;
(d) Amend the Bylaws;
(e) Authorize or approve the reacquisition of shares unless pursuant to a general formula or method specified by the Board of Directors; or
(f) Authorize or approve the issuance or sale of, or any contract to issue or sell, shares or designate the terms of a series of a class of shares, except that the Board of Directors, having acted regarding general authorization for the issuance or sale of shares, or any contract therefor, and, in the case of a series, the designation thereof, may, pursuant to a general formula or method specified by the Board of Directors by resolution or by adoption of a stock option or other plan, authorize a committee to fix the terms of any contract for the sale of the shares and to fix the terms upon which such shares may be issued or sold, including, without limitation, the price, the rate or manner of payment of dividends, provisions for redemption, sinking fund, conversion, voting or preferential rights, and provisions for other features of a class of shares, or a series of a class of shares, with full power in such committee to adopt any final resolution setting forth all the terms thereof and to authorize the statement of the terms of a series for filing with the Department of State.
Page 10 of 18 pages, plus History of Bylaws.
ARTICLE VIII. OFFICERS
Section 1. Designation. The officers of the Corporation shall consist of a president, one or more vice presidents (if determined to be necessary by the Board of Directors), a corporation secretary and a treasurer. The Corporation shall also have such other officers, assistant officers and agents as may be deemed necessary or appropriate by the Board of Directors from time to time. Any two or more offices may be held by the same person. The failure to elect a president, vice president, secretary or treasurer shall not affect the existence of the Corporation. The office of the president may, in the discretion of the Board of Directors, be divided into the office of the chief executive officer and the office of the chief operating officer, provided, that the office of the chief executive officer shall be the office of the president for purposes of state and federal laws requiring such office or the signature of such officer.
Section 2. Duties. The officers of the Corporation shall have the following duties.
(a) President. The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation, shall have general and active management of the business and affairs of the Corporation subject to the directions of the Board of Directors, and shall preside at all meetings of the stockholders and Board of Directors. The Board of Directors, in its discretion from time to time, may separate from the duties and responsibilities of the President, the duties and responsibilities of a Chief Operating Officer by the election thereof.
(b) Vice President. In the absence of the President or in the event of his death, inability or refusal to act, the Vice President (or in the event there is more than one vice president, the vice presidents in the order designated at the time of their election, or in the absence of any designation, then in the order of their election) shall perform the duties of the President and, when so acting, shall have all the powers of and be subject to all the restrictions upon the President. Any Vice President may sign, with the attestation of the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary, certificates for shares of the Corporation, and shall perform such other duties as from time to time may be assigned to him by the President or by the Board of Directors.
(c) Corporation Secretary. The Secretary shall have custody of, and maintain, all of the corporate records except the financial records; shall record the minutes of all meetings of the stockholders and Board of Directors; send out all notices of meetings; and perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors or the President.
(d) Treasurer. The Treasurer shall have custody of all corporate funds and financial records, shall keep full and accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements and render accounts thereof at the annual meetings of stockholders and whenever else required by the Board of Directors or the President, and shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors or the President. The Board of Directors may designate the title of the Treasurer as Chief Financial Officer.
Section 3. Election. All officers shall be elected by the Board of Directors.
Section 4. Tenure. Each officer shall take and hold office from the date of his election until the next annual meeting of the Board of Directors and until his successor shall have been duly elected and qualified or until his earlier resignation, removal from office or death.
Section 5. Resignation of Officers. Any officer or agent elected or appointed by the Board of Directors may resign such office by providing written notification of such resignation to the President (or if the President is resigning, to the Vice President) of the Corporation.
Page 11 of 18 pages, plus History of Bylaws.
Section 6. Removal of Officers.
(a) Any officer or agent elected or appointed by the Board of Directors may be removed by the Board of Directors whenever in its judgment the best interests of the Corporation will be served thereby.
(b) Any officer or agent elected by the stockholders may be removed only by vote of the stockholders, unless the stockholders shall have authorized the Directors to remove such officer or agent.
(c) Removal of any officer shall be without prejudice to the contract rights, if any, of the person so removed; however, election or appointment of an officer or agent shall not of itself create contract rights.
Section 7. Vacancies. Any vacancy, however occurring, in any office, may be filled by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE IX. STOCK CERTIFICATES
Section 1. Issuance. Every holder of shares in the Corporation shall be entitled to have a certificate, representing all shares to which he is entitled. No certificate shall be issued for any share until such share is fully paid.
Section 2. Form.
(a) Certificates representing shares in this Corporation shall be signed by the President or Vice President and the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary and may be sealed with the seal of this Corporation or a facsimile thereof. The signatures of the President or Vice President and the Secretary or Assistant Secretary may be facsimiles if the certificate is manually signed on behalf of a transfer agent or a registrar, other than the Corporation itself or an employee of the Corporation. In case any officer who signed or whose facsimile signature has been placed upon such certificate shall have ceased to be such officer before such certificate is issued, it may be issued by the Corporation with the same effect as if he were such officer at the date of its issuance.
(b) If there is more than one class of stock, every certificate representing shares issued by the Corporation shall set forth or fairly summarize upon the face or back of the certificate, or shall state that the Corporation will furnish to any stockholder upon request and without charge a full statement of: the designations, preferences, limitations and relative rights of the shares of each class or series authorized to be issued; the variations in the relative rights and preferences between the shares of each series so far as the same have been fixed and determined; and the authority of the Board of Directors to fix and determine the relative rights and preferences of subsequent series.
(c) Every certificate representing shares which are restricted as to the sale, disposition or other transfer of such shares shall state that such shares are restricted as to transfer and shall set forth or fairly summarize upon the certificate, or shall state that the Corporation will furnish to any stockholder upon request and without charge a full statement of, such restrictions.
(d) Each certificate representing shares shall state upon the face thereof: the name of the Corporation; that the Corporation is organized under the laws state of incorporation; the name of the person or persons to whom issued; the number and class, if any, of shares, and the designation of the series, if any, which such certificate represents; and the par value of each share represented by such certificate, or a statement that the shares are without par value.
Page 12 of 18 pages, plus History of Bylaws.
Section 3. Transfers of Stock. Transfers of stock shall be made only upon the stock transfer books of the Corporation, kept at the registered office of the Corporation or at its principal place of business, or at the office of its transfer agent or registrar; and before a new certificate is issued, the old certificate shall be surrendered for cancellation and shall be properly endorsed by the holder of record or by his duly authorized attorney. The Board of Directors may, by resolution, open a share register in any state of the United States and may employ an agent or agents to keep such register and to record transfers of shares therein.
Section 4. Registered Owner. Registered stockholders only shall be entitled to be treated by the Corporation as the holders in fact of the stock standing in their respective names, and the Corporation shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in any share on the part of any other person, whether or not it shall have express or other notice thereof, except as expressly provided by the laws of the state of incorporation.
Section 5. Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Certificates. The Corporation shall issue a new stock certificate in the place of any certificate previously issued if the holder of record of the certificate:
(a) Makes proof in affidavit form that it has been lost, destroyed or wrongfully taken;
(b) Requests the issuance of a new certificate before the Corporation has notice that the certificate has been acquired by a purchaser for value in good faith and without notice of any adverse claim;
(c) Gives bond or other security in such form as the Corporation may direct to indemnify the Corporation, the transfer agent and registrar against any claim that may be made on account of the alleged loss, destruction or theft of a certificate; and
(d) Satisfies any other reasonable requirements imposed by the Corporation.
Section 6. Fractional Shares or Scrip. The Corporation shall not issue fractional shares. In the event a recapitalization, share combination or share division would result in fractional shares, each fractional share shall be rounded to one whole share.
Section 7. Shares of Another Corporation. Shares owned by the Corporation in another corporation, domestic or foreign, may be voted by such officer, agent or proxy as the Board of Directors may determine or, in the absence of such determination, by the President of the Corporation.
ARTICLE X. DIVIDENDS
Section 1. Declaration. The Board may from time to time declare, and the Corporation may pay, dividends on its shares in cash, property or its own shares, except when the Corporation is insolvent, when the payment thereof would render the Corporation insolvent, or when the declaration or payment thereof would be contrary to any restrictions contained in the Articles of Incorporation, subject to the following provisions:
(a) Unless otherwise provided by Florida law, dividends in cash or property may be declared and paid, except as otherwise provided in this section, only out of the unreserved and unrestricted earned surplus of the Corporation or out of capital surplus, howsoever arising, but each dividend paid out of capital surplus shall be identified as a distribution of capital surplus, and the amount per share paid from such surplus shall be disclosed to the stockholders receiving the same concurrently with the distribution.
Page 13 of 18 pages, plus History of Bylaws.
(b) Dividends may be declared and paid in the Corporation’s own treasury shares.
(c) Dividends may be declared and paid in the Corporation’s own authorized but unissued shares out of any unreserved and unrestricted surplus of the Corporation upon the following conditions:
(1) If a dividend is payable in shares having a par value, such shares shall be issued at not less than the par value thereof, and there shall be transferred to stated capital, at the time such dividend is paid, an amount of surplus equal to the aggregate par value of the shares to be issued as a dividend.
(2) If a dividend is payable in shares without par value, such shares shall be issued at such stated value as shall be fixed by the Board of Directors by resolution adopted at the time such dividend is declared, and there shall be transferred to stated capital, at the time such dividend is paid, an amount of surplus equal to the aggregate stated value so fixed in respect of such shares; and the amount per share so transferred to stated capital shall be disclosed to the stockholders receiving such dividend concurrently with the payment thereof.
(d) No dividend payable in shares of any class shall be paid to the holders of shares of any other class unless the Articles of Incorporation so provide or such payment is authorized by the affirmative vote or the written consent of the holders of at least a majority of the outstanding shares of the class in which the payment is to be made.
(e) A split-up or division of the issued shares of any class into a greater number of shares of the same class without increasing the stated capital of the Corporation shall not be construed to be a share dividend within the meaning of this section.
Section 2. Holders of Record. The holders of record shall be determined as provided in Article III of these Bylaws.
ARTICLE XI. INDEMNIFICATION OF
OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES AND AGENTS
Section 1. Indemnification For Actions, Suits or Proceedings.
(a) The Corporation shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the Corporation) by reason of the fact that he is or was a Director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, including any appeal thereof, if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, and with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. The adverse termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not of itself create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner in which he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, and with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful.
Page 14 of 18 pages, plus History of Bylaws.
(b) The Corporation shall indemnify any person who was or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the Corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that he is or was a Director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation; provided, however, that no indemnification shall be made in respect to any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable for negligence or misconduct in the performance of his duty to the Corporation unless and only to the extent that the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all circumstances of the case, such person is firmly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which such court shall deem proper.
(c) To the extent that a Director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b), or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, he shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection therewith.
(d) Any indemnification under subsections (a) or (b) (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the Corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because he has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in subsections (a) or (b). Such determination shall be made:
(1) By the Board of Directors by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of Directors who were not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, or
(2) If such a quorum is not obtainable, or even if obtainable, a quorum of disinterested Directors so directs, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or
(3) By the stockholders by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of stockholders who were not parties to such action, suit or proceeding.
(e) Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred in defending a civil or criminal action, suit or proceeding may be paid by the Corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding as authorized in the manner provided in subsection (d) upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the Director, officer, employee or agent to repay such amount, unless it shall ultimately be determined that he is entitled to be indemnified by the Corporation as authorized in this section.
Section 2. Other Indemnification. The indemnification provided by these Articles shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those indemnified may be entitled under any Bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested Directors, under Florida law or otherwise, both as to actions in his official capacity and as to actions in another capacity while holding such position and shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a Director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.
Page 15 of 18 pages, plus History of Bylaws.
Section 3. Liability Insurance. The Corporation may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a Director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against him and incurred by him in any such capacity, or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the Corporation shall have indemnified him against such liability under the provisions of this Article XI.
ARTICLE XII. BOOKS AND RECORDS
Section 1. Books and Records.
(a) This Corporation shall keep correct and complete books and records of account and shall keep minutes of the proceedings of its stockholders, Board of Directors and committees of Directors.
(b) This Corporation shall keep at its registered office or principal place of business, or at the office of its transfer agent or registrar, a record of its stockholders, giving the names and addresses of all stockholders and the number, class and series, if any, of the shares held by each.
(c) Any books, records and minutes may be in written form or in any other form capable of being converted into written form within a reasonable time.
Section 2. Stockholders’ Inspection Rights. Any person who shall have been a holder of record of shares or of voting trust certificates therefor at least six (6) months immediately preceding his demand or shall be the holder of record of, or the holder of record of voting trust certificates for, at least five percent (5%) of the outstanding shares of any class or series of the Corporation, upon written demand stating the purpose thereof, shall have the right to examine, in person or by agent or attorney, at any reasonable time or times, for any proper purpose, its relevant books and records of accounts, minutes and records of stockholders and to make extracts therefrom.
Section 3. Financial Information.
(a) Not later than four (4) months after the close of each fiscal year, the Corporation shall prepare a balance sheet showing in reasonable detail the financial condition of the Corporation as of the close of its fiscal year, and a profit and loss statement showing the results of the operations of the Corporation during its fiscal year.
(b) Upon the written request of any stockholder or holder of voting trust certificates for shares of the Corporation, the Corporation shall mail to such stockholder or holder of voting trust certificates a copy of the most recent such balance sheet and profit and loss statement.
(c) The balance sheets and profit and loss statements shall be maintained in the principal place of business of the, shall be kept for at least five (5) years, and shall be subject to inspection during business hours by any stockholder or holder of voting trust certificates, in person or by agent.
Page 16 of 18 pages, plus History of Bylaws.
ARTICLE XIII. CORPORATE SEAL
The Board of Directors shall provide a corporate seal or stamp which shall be circular or rectangular in form and shall have inscribed thereon the name of the Corporation, the state of incorporation and the year of incorporation. The use of a seal or stamp by a Corporation on any corporate record is not necessary. The Corporation may use a seal or stamp, if it desires, but such use or nonuse must not in any way affect the legality of the record.
ARTICLE XIV. AMENDMENT TO BYLAWS
Section 1. By Stockholders. The stockholders, by the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting stock, shall have the power to alter, amend, and repeal the Bylaws of this Corporation or to adopt additional Bylaws and any Bylaw so adopted may specifically provide that such Bylaw can only be altered, amended or repealed by the stockholders.
Section 2. By Directors. The Board of Directors, by affirmative vote of a majority of the Board of Directors, shall have the power to adopt additional Bylaws or to alter, amend, and repeal the Bylaws of this Corporation, except when any Bylaw adopted by the stockholders specifically provides that such Bylaw can only be altered, amended, or repealed by the stockholders.
SECRETARY’S CERTIFICATION
I, the undersigned Secretary of this Corporation, hereby certify that the foregoing Bylaws were duly adopted by its Board of Directors on the date above indicated and that the foregoing text of the Bylaws are currently in full force and effect and have not been revoked, suspended or amended since adoption thereof.
Dated: As of July 17, 2020
| /s/ Jackson L. Morris | |
| Jackson L. Morris, Corporation Secretary |
Page 17 of 18 pages, plus History of Bylaws.
HISTORY OF BYLAWS
The initial Bylaws of 10sion Energy Incorporated were first adopted as of May 1, 2018. Amendments made subsequent to that date should be listed below
| chANGE NUMBER | DATE OF ADOPTION | BY WHOM ADOPTED | ARTICLE AMENDED | SECTIONS AMENDED |
Page 18 of 18 pages, plus History of Bylaws.
Exhibit 4.1
10SION ENERGY INCORPORATED
A FLORIDA, CORPORATION
COMMON STOCK SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT
10sion Energy Incorporated
Suite 1540
401 Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas 78701
The undersigned (“Subscriber”), on the terms and conditions herein set forth, hereby irrevocably submits this Subscription (the “Subscription”) to 10sion Energy Incorporated, a Florida corporation (the “Company”) for the purchase of shares of common stock of the Company (the “Shares”.)
1. Subscription for the Purchase of Shares.
1.1 Shares Being Offered for Sale. The Company is offering up to 1,000,000 shares of its common stock pursuant to an exemption from registration under Regulation A(the “Offering”), on the terms and conditions described in the Offering Circular dated __________, 2020 and in this Subscription Agreement. The purchase price of the shares is $3.00 in cash. The shares are subject to a reverse stock split in a ratio of 1:35 which will be effective when announced by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
1.2 Offer to Purchase. Subscriber hereby irrevocably offers to purchase a total of ______________ shares being offered for sale in the Offering and tenders, herewith, the sum of $________________ payable to the order of 10sion Energy Incorporated or concurrent by bank wire (see, 1.4, below) Subscriber recognizes and agrees that (i) this Subscription is irrevocable and, if Subscriber is a natural person, shall survive Subscriber’s death, disability or other incapacity, and (ii) the Company has complete discretion to accept this Subscription, either in whole or in part, or to reject this subscription in its entirety and shall have no liability for any rejection, in whole or in part, of this Subscription. This Subscription shall be deemed to be accepted by the Company only when the Company executes the Subscription Agreement and only as to the number of shares set forth in the space provided on the signature page herein to evidence the action of the Company with respect to this Subscription.
1.3 Effect of Acceptance. Subscriber hereby acknowledges and agrees that (i) on the Company’s acceptance of this Subscription, either in whole or in part, this agreement shall become a binding and fully enforceable agreement between the Company and the Subscriber as to the number of the shares for which this Subscription is accepted by the CompanyAs a result, on acceptance by the Company of this Subscription, Subscriber will become the record and beneficial holder of the number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock for which this Subscription is accepted by the Company and the Company will be entitled to retain the purchase price of such shares, whether or not the Company is able to raise all of the funds it is seeking in the offering. If this Subscription is rejected by the Company for any reason, the Subscriber’s funds will be promptly refunded in full without interest, offset or deduction.
1.4 Payment by Wire. Check this box, if you are making your subscription payment by bank wire - ☐ Send you wire in accordance with the following:
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
Fax a copy of your wire confirmation to ____________ or scan and email to _____________.
2. Representation as to Investor Status.
2.1 Accredited Investor. In order for the Company to sell the shares in conformance with state and federal securities laws, the following information must be obtained regarding Subscriber’s investor status. Please initial each item applicable to you as an investor in the Company. If an item does not apply to you, then please do not check the item.
_____ (a) A natural person whose net worth, either individually or jointly with such person’s spouse, at the time of Subscriber’s purchase, exceeds $1,000,000;
_____ (b) A natural person who had an individual income in excess of $200,000, or joint income with that person’s spouse in excess of $300,000, in each of 2012 and 2013 and reasonably expects to reach the same income level in 2014.
_____ (c) A bank as defined in Section 3(a)(2) of the Securities Act, or any Savings and Loan Association or other institution as defined in Section 3(a)(5)(A) of the Securities Act, whether acting in its individual or fiduciary capacity;
_____ (d) A broker or dealer registered pursuant to Section 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended;
_____ (e) An Investment Company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or a Business Development Company as defined in Section 2(a)(48) of that Act;
_____ (f) A Small Business Investment Company licensed by the U.S. Small Business Administration under Section 301 (c) or (d) of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958;
_____ (g) An employee benefit plan within the meaning of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, if the investment decision is made by a plan fiduciary, as defined in Section 3(21) of such act, which is either a bank, savings and loan association, insurance company, or registered investment adviser, or if the employee benefit plan has total assets in excess of $5,000,000 or, if a self-directed plan, with investment decisions made solely by persons that are accredited investors;
_____ (h) A private business development company as defined in Section 202(a)(22) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940;
_____ (i) An organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, corporation, business trust, or partnership, not formed for the specific purpose of acquiring the shares, with total assets in excess of $5,000,000;
_____ (j) A Director or Executive Officer of the Company;
_____ (k) A trust, with total assets in excess of $5,000,000, not formed for the specific purpose of acquiring the shares, whose purchase is directed by a sophisticated person who has such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters that such person is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of investing in the Company;
_____ (l) An entity in which all of the equity owners qualify under any of the above subparagraphs.
_____ (m) Subscriber does not qualify under any of the investor categories set forth in (a) through (l) above.
2.2 Net Worth. The term “net worth” means the excess of total assets over total liabilities. In calculating net worth, Subscriber may include the estimated fair market value of his or her principal residence as an asset.
2.3 Income. In determining individual “income,” Subscriber should add to Subscriber’s individual taxable adjusted gross income (exclusive of any spousal income) any amounts attributable to tax exempt income received, losses claimed as a limited partner in any limited partnership, deductions claimed for depletion, contributions to an IRA or Keogh retirement plan, alimony payments, and any amount by which income from long-term capital gains has been reduced in arriving at adjusted gross income.
2.4 Type of Subscriber. Indicate the form of entity of Subscriber:
| ☐ Individual | ☐ Limited Partnership |
| ☐ Corporation | ☐ General Partnership |
| ☐ Revocable Trust | ☐ Other Type of Trust (indicate type):________________________ |
| ☐ Other (indicate form of organization):________________________ | |
(a) If Subscriber is not an individual, indicate the approximate date Subscriber entity was formed: ___________________________________
(b) If Subscriber is not an individual, initial the line below which correctly describes the application of the following statement to Subscriber’s situation: Subscriber (i) was not organized or reorganized for the specific purpose of acquiring the shares and (ii) has made investments prior to the date hereof, and each beneficial owner thereof has and will share in the investment in proportion to his or her ownership interest in Subscriber.
______True _____False
If the “False” box is checked, each person participating in the entity will be required to fill out a Subscription Agreement.
2.5 Other Representations and Warranties of Subscriber. Subscriber hereby represents and warrants to the Company as follows:
(a) The shares are being acquired for Subscriber’s own account for investment, with no intention of distributing or selling any portion thereof within the meaning of the Securities Act, and will not be transferred by Subscriber in violation of the Securities Act or the then applicable rules or regulations there under. No one other than Subscriber has any interest in or any right to acquire the shares. Subscriber understands and acknowledges that the Company will have no obligation to recognize the ownership, beneficial or otherwise, of the shares by anyone but Subscriber.
(b) Subscriber’s financial condition is such that Subscriber is able to bear the risk of holding the shares that Subscriber may acquire pursuant to this agreement, for an indefinite period of time, and the risk of loss of Subscriber’s entire investment in the Company.
(c) Subscriber has received, has read and understood and is familiar with the Company’s Offering Circular, including, without limitation, the risk factors included therein (the “Offering Circular”) and this Subscription Agreement.
(d) The Company has made available all additional information which Subscriber has requested in connection with the Company and its representatives and Subscriber has been afforded an opportunity to make further inquiries of the Company and its representatives and the opportunity to obtain any additional information (to the extent the Company has such information or could acquire it without unreasonable effort or expense) necessary to verify the accuracy of information contained in the Offering Circular or otherwise furnished by the Company to Subscriber.
(e) No representations or warranties have been made to Subscriber by the Company, or any representative of the Company, or any securities broker/dealer, other than as set forth in the Offering Circular and this Subscription Agreement.
(f) Subscriber has investigated the acquisition of the shares to the extent Subscriber deemed necessary or desirable and the Company has provided Subscriber with any reasonable assistance Subscriber has requested in connection therewith.
(g) Subscriber, either personally, or together with his advisors (other than any securities broker/dealers who may receive compensation from the sale of any of the shares), has such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters that Subscriber is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of purchasing the shares and of making an informed investment decision with respect thereto.
(h) Subscriber is aware that Subscriber’s rights to transfer the shares are restricted by the Securities Act, applicable state securities laws and the absence of a market for the shares, and Subscriber will not offer for sale, sell or otherwise transfer the shares without registration under the Securities Act and qualification under the securities laws of all applicable states, unless such sale would be exempt there from.
(i) Subscriber understands and agrees that the shares it acquires have not been registered under the Securities Act or any state securities act in reliance on an exemption for private offerings and that the Company has no obligation to effectuate any such registration. Subscriber further acknowledges that Subscriber is purchasing the shares without being furnished any offering literature or prospectus other than the Offering Circular and this Subscription Agreement.
(j) Any certificate representing the shares will be endorsed with a legend similar to the following:
THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, BUT HAVE BEEN OFFERED AND SOLD IN RELIANCE UPON THE EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION PROVIDED BY SECTION 3(b) OF THE ACT AND REGULATION A PROMULGATED THEREUNDER IN A PUBLIC OFFERING. THE SHARES ARE SUBJECT TO ANY RESTRICTIONS ON RESALE, IF ANY, REQUIRED FOR COMPLIANCE WITH RESALE OF SHARES ACQUIRED IN RELIANCE ON REGULATION A.
(k) Subscriber also acknowledges and agrees to the following:
(i) an investment in the shares is speculative and involves a high degree of risk of loss of the entire investment in the Company; and
(ii) no public market exists and there is no assurance that any public market may ever develop either for the shares and that, as a result, Subscriber may not be able to liquidate Subscriber’s investment in the shares should a need arise to do so.
(l) Subscriber is not dependent for liquidity on any of the amounts Subscriber is investing in the shares.
(m) Subscriber’s address set forth below is his or her correct residence address.
(n) Subscriber has full power and authority to make the representations referred to herein, to purchase the shares and to execute and deliver this Subscription Agreement.
(o) Subscriber understands that the foregoing representations and warranties are to be relied upon by the Company as a basis for the exemptions from registration and qualification of the sale of the shares under the federal and state securities laws and for other purposes.
The foregoing representations and warranties are true and accurate as of the date hereof and shall survive such date. If any of the above representations and warranties shall cease to be true and accurate prior to the acceptance of this Subscription, Subscriber shall give prompt notice of such fact to the Company by telegram, or facsimile or e-mail, specifying which representations and warranties are not true and accurate and the reasons therefore.
3. Indemnification. Subscriber acknowledges that Subscriber understands the meaning and legal consequences of the representations and warranties made by Subscriber herein and that the Company is relying on such representations and warranties in making the determination to accept or reject this Subscription. Subscriber hereby agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and each employee and agent thereof from and against any and all losses, damages or liabilities due to or arising out of a breach of any representation or warranty of Subscriber contained in this Subscription Agreement.
4. Transferability. Subscriber agrees not to transfer or assign this Subscription Agreement, or any interest herein, and further agrees that the assignment and transferability of the shares acquired pursuant hereto shall be made only in accordance with applicable federal and state securities laws.
5. Market Stand Off. Subscriber agrees that if requested by the Company or the managing underwriter of any proposed public offering of the Company’s securities Subscriber will not sell or otherwise transfer or dispose of any of the shares held by the Subscriber without the prior written consent of the Company and such underwriter during such period of time, not to exceed 180 days, following the effective date of the registration statement filed by the Company with respect to such offering, as the Company or the underwriter may specify.
6. Termination of Agreement; Return of Funds. In the event that for any reason this Subscription is rejected in its entirety by the Company, this Subscription Agreement shall be null and void and if no further force and effect, and no party shall have any rights against any other party hereunder. In the event that the Company rejects this Subscription either in whole or in part, the Company shall promptly return or cause to be returned to Subscriber any money tendered hereunder with respect to the shares as to which the Subscription is rejected, with interest.
7. Notices. All notices or other communications given or made hereunder shall be in writing and shall be delivered by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, or delivered by, facsimile or e-mail to Subscriber at the address set forth below and to the Company at the address set forth on the first page of this agreement or at such other place as the Company may designate by written notice to Subscriber.
8. Amendments. Neither this Subscription Agreement nor any term hereof may be changed, waived, discharged or terminated except in a writing signed by Subscriber and the Company.
9. Governing Law. This Subscription Agreement and all amendments hereto shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Florida.
10. Headings. The headings in this Subscription Agreement are for convenience of reference, and shall not by themselves determine the meaning of this Subscription Agreement or of any part hereof.
INDIVIDUALS
Dated: ________________
| Signatures: | ||
| Name (Please Print): | ||
| Residence Address: | ||
| Phone #: | ||
| Social Security Number: | ||
Acceptance or Rejection of Subscription [Appropriate Box to be Checked]
☐ Accepted for all of the shares subscribed for
☐ Accepted as to__________shares, and rejected as to the remaining shares subscribed for
☐ Rejected in its entirety
| 10sion Energy Incorporated, | |
| a Florida corporation |
Exhibit 4.2
Exhibit 12
Jackson L. Morris
Attorney at Law
Admitted in Florida and Georgia
July __, 2020
Board of Directors
10sion Energy Incorporated
1812 Front Street
Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
Gentlemen:
I have acted, at your request, as special counsel to 10sion Energy Incorporated, a Florida corporation, (“10sion Energy”) for the purpose of rendering an opinion as to the legality of 1,000,000 shares of 10sion Energy’s common stock, $0.001 par value per share, (“Shares”) to be offered and distributed by 10sion Energy pursuant to the Regulation A exemption from registration pursuant to an offering statement to be filed under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, by 10sion Energy with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on Form 1-A, for the purpose of qualifying the offer and sale of the Shares (“Offering Statement”).
For the purpose of rendering my opinion herein, I have reviewed statutes of the State of Nevada, to the extent I deem relevant to the matter opined upon herein, true copies of the Articles of Incorporation and amendments thereto of 10sion Energy, the Bylaws of 10sion Energy, selected proceedings of the board of directors of 10sion Energy authorizing the issuance of the Shares, a current draft of the Offering Statement, certificates of officers of 10sion Energy and of public officials, the form of stock certificate, and such other documents of 10sion Energy and of public officials as I have deemed necessary and relevant to the matter opined upon herein. 10sion Energy has appointed Signature Stock Transfer, Inc. as its transfer agent. I have assumed, with respect to persons other than directors and officers of 10sion Energy, the due and proper election or appointment of all persons signing and purporting to sign the documents in their respective capacities, as stated therein, the genuineness of all signatures, the conformity to authentic original documents of the copies of all such documents submitted to me as certified, conformed and photocopied, including the quoted, extracted, excerpted and reprocessed text of such documents.
Based upon the review described above, it is my opinion that, the Shares are duly authorized and when, as and if issued and delivered by 10sion Energy against payment therefore at a price of $3.00 per Share, as described in the Offering Statement, will be legally issued, fully paid and non assessable.
My forgoing opinion is strictly limited to matters of Nevada corporation law; and, I do not express an opinion on the federal law of the United States of America or the law of any state or jurisdiction therein other than Nevada, as specified herein. I am not a member of the State Bar of Nevada. I serve as the corporation secretary of 10sion Energy.
I consent to the use of my opinion as an exhibit to the Offering Statement and to the reference thereto under the heading “Index To Exhibits And Description Of Exhibits” in the Offering Circular contained in the Offering Statement.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Jackson L. Morris
Jackson L. Morris
Office Address – 3116 W. North A Street, Tampa, Floridoa
Mailing Address – 126 21st Avenue SE, St. Petersburg, Florida 33705-2827
Cell 8138925969 ♦ Fax 8003101695
Email: jackson.morris@rule144solution.com ♦ Jackson.morris@verizon.net
www.Rule144Solution.com
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