UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
(Mark One)
[X] ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019
OR
[ ] TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from [ ] to [ ]
Commission file number 001-38025
U.S. WELL SERVICES, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware |
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81-1847117 |
(State or other jurisdiction of |
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(I.R.S. Employer incorporation or |
organization) |
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Identification No.) |
1360 Post Oak Boulevard, Suite 1800, Houston, TX |
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77056 |
(Address of principal executive offices) |
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(Zip Code) |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (832) 562-3730
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class |
Trading Symbol(s) |
Name of each exchange on which registered |
CLASS A COMMON SHARES $0.0001, par value WARRANTS |
USWS USWSW |
NASDAQ Capital Market NASDAQ Capital Market |
Securities registered pursuant to section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. [ ] Yes [✓] No
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. [ ] Yes [✓] No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. [✓]Yes [ ] No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). [✓]Yes [ ] No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer |
[ ] |
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Accelerated filer |
[✓] |
Non-accelerated filer |
[ ] |
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Smaller reporting company |
[ ] |
Emerging growth company |
[✓] |
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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. [ ]
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). [ ]Yes [✓]No
The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant computed as of June 28, 2019 (the last business day of the registrant’s most recent completed second fiscal quarter) based on the closing price of the Class A common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market was $92,974,894.
As of March 2, 2020, the registrant had 62,857,624 shares of Class A Common Stock and 5,500,692 shares of Class B Common Stock outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Certain information required to be disclosed in Part III of this report is incorporated by reference from the registrant’s definitive proxy statement or an amendment to this report, which will be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this report.
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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Annual Report”) contains “forward-looking statements” as defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Forward-looking statements usually relate to future events, conditions and anticipated revenues, earnings, cash flows or other aspects of our operations or operating results. All statements, other than statements of historical information, should be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by the words such as “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “estimates,” “projects,” “anticipates,” “will,” “plans,” “may,” “should,” “would,” “foresee,” or the negative thereof. The absence of these words, however, does not mean that these statements are not forward-looking. These are based on our current expectation, belief and assumptions concerning future developments and business conditions and their potential effect on us. While management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made, there can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we anticipate.
All of our forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties (some of which are significant or beyond our control) and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical experience and our present expectations or projections. Known material factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in the forward-looking statements include those set forth in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any of our forward-looking statements after the date they are made, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except to the extent required by law.
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Overview
We are a growth-oriented and technology-focused oilfield service company focused exclusively on hydraulic fracturing for oil and natural gas exploration and production (“E&P”) companies in the United States. We are one of the first companies to develop and commercially deploy electric-powered hydraulic fracturing technology, which we believe is an industry-changing technology. Currently, we provide our services in the Appalachian Basin, the Eagle Ford, and the Permian Basin. We have demonstrated the capability to expeditiously deploy our fleets to new oil and gas basins when requested by customers. Our customers include Apache, Diamondback, Equinor, Marathon, Range Resources, Shell, and other leading E&P companies.
Company Formation
On February 21, 2012, U.S. Well Services, LLC (“USWS LLC”) was formed as a Delaware limited liability company. We are a Houston, Texas-based oilfield service provider that grew organically from one diesel powered hydraulic fracturing fleet (“Conventional Fleets”) in April 2012 to 13 available fleets representing 684,545 hydraulic horsepower (“HHP”); five of which utilize our patented electric-powered hydraulic fracturing technology (the “Clean Fleets”).
As part of a corporate restructuring (the “Restructuring”) in February 2017, all of the outstanding equity interest of USWS LLC (“Predecessor”) was acquired by a newly-formed entity, USWS Holdings, LLC (“Successor” or “USWS Holdings”), a Delaware limited liability company that was formed for the purposes of effecting the Restructuring and that had no operations of its own. The Restructuring was accounted for as a business combination under the acquisition method of accounting. USWS Holdings was acquired by U.S. Well Services, Inc. (f/k/a Matlin & Partners Acquisition Corporation) on November 9, 2018, as discussed further under Business Combination herein.
Business Combination
On March 10, 2016, Matlin & Partners Acquisition Corporation was incorporated in Delaware as a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or other similar business combination with one or more target businesses. On March 15, 2017, Matlin & Partners Acquisition Corporation consummated its initial public offering (the “IPO”), following which its shares began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”).
On November 9, 2018 (the “Closing Date”), Matlin & Partners Acquisition Corporation acquired USWS Holdings (the “Transaction”) pursuant to a Merger and Contribution Agreement, dated as of July 13, 2018 (as amended, the “Merger and Contribution Agreement”). The Transaction was accounted for as a reverse recapitalization. Under this method of accounting, USWS Holdings is treated as the acquirer and Matlin & Partners Acquisition Corporation is treated as the acquired party.
In connection with the closing of the Transaction, Matlin & Partners Acquisition Corporation changed its name to U.S. Well Services, Inc. (“USWS Inc.”) and its trading symbols on Nasdaq from “MPAC,” and “MPACW,” to “USWS” and “USWSW”. Unless the context otherwise requires, “we,” “us,” “our,” “Company” and the “Registrant” refer, for periods prior to the completion of the Transaction, to USWS Holdings and its subsidiaries and, for periods upon or after the completion of the Transaction, to USWS Inc. and its subsidiaries, including USWS Holdings and its subsidiaries.
Pursuant to the Merger and Contribution Agreement, on the Closing Date, USWS Inc. issued Class A common stock to certain members of USWS Holdings in exchange for their interests in USWS Holdings and Class B common stock to certain members of USWS Holdings who retained their interests in USWS Holdings.
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Following the completion of the Transaction, the Company was organized as an “Up-C” structure, meaning that substantially all of the Company’s assets and operations are held and conducted by USWS LLC. The Company’s only assets are equity interests representing 92% ownership of USWS Holdings as of December 31, 2019. The Transaction did not include a tax receivable agreement.
Organizational Structure
The following diagram illustrates the ownership structure of the Company as of December 31, 2019:
Each share of Class B common stock has no economic rights in USWS Inc., but entitles its holder to one vote on all matters to be voted on by shareholders generally. Holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all matters presented to our shareholders for their vote or approval, except as otherwise required by applicable law. We do not intend to list the Class B common stock on any exchange.
Under the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of USWS Holdings, each share of Class B common stock of USWS Inc., together with one unit of USWS Holdings and subject to certain limitations, is exchangeable (the "Exchange Right") for one share of Class A common stock of USWS Inc. or, at the Company's election, the cash equivalent to the market value of one share of Class A common stock of USWS Inc. The exchange is subject to conversion rate adjustments for stock splits, stock dividends, reclassifications and other similar transactions. In addition, upon a change in control of USWS Inc., USWS Inc. has the right to require each holder of USWS Holdings units (other than USWS Inc.) to exercise its Exchange Right with respect to some or all of such holder's USWS Holdings units. An exchange of Class B common stock of USWS Inc., together with the corresponding one unit of USWS Holdings, will result in both being cancelled.
Operations
Our operations are organized into a single business segment, which consists of hydraulic fracturing services, and we have one reportable geographical business segment, the United States.
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We provide hydraulic fracturing services to E&P companies. Hydraulic fracturing services are performed to enhance the production of oil and natural gas from formations with low permeability and restricted flow of hydrocarbons. Our customers benefit from our expertise in fracturing of horizontal and vertical oil and natural gas-producing wells in shale and other unconventional geological formations.
The process of hydraulic fracturing involves pumping a pressurized stream of fracturing fluid — typically a mixture of water, chemicals and proppant — into a well casing or tubing in order to cause the underground mineral formation to fracture or crack. Fractures release trapped hydrocarbon particles and provide a conductive channel for the oil or natural gas to flow freely to the wellbore for collection. The propping agent, or proppant, becomes lodged in the cracks created by the hydraulic fracturing process, “propping” them open to facilitate the flow of hydrocarbons from the reservoir to the well.
Our fleets consist of mobile hydraulic fracturing units and other auxiliary heavy equipment to perform fracturing services. We have two designs for our hydraulic fracturing units: (1) our Conventional Fleets, which are powered by diesel fuel and utilize traditional internal combustion engines, transmissions, and radiators and (2) our Clean Fleets, which replace the traditional engines, transmissions, and radiators with electric motors powered by electricity generated by natural gas-fueled turbine generators. Both designs utilize high-pressure hydraulic fracturing pumps mounted on trailers. We refer to the group of pump trailers and other equipment necessary to perform a typical fracturing job as a “fleet,” and the personnel assigned to each fleet as a “crew.”
Clean Fleet® Technology
Our Clean Fleets combine natural gas turbine generators with electric motors and existing industry equipment to provide fracturing services with numerous advantages over conventional fleets. Our Clean Fleet® technology is a proven technology that has been in commercial operations since July 2014, making us a leading provider of electric-powered hydraulic fracturing services. Our Clean Fleet® technology is supported by a robust intellectual property portfolio. We have been granted, or have received notice of allowance, for 30 patents and have an additional 104 patents pending.
We believe Clean Fleet® technology provides the Company with a distinct competitive advantage over our competitors because of the following characteristics:
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Environmental benefits. Clean Fleet® technology can substantially reduce emissions of air pollutants as compared to conventional fleets, reducing the environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing operations. |
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Fuel cost savings. The use of natural gas directly from the field allows our Clean Fleets to eliminate diesel fuel costs including cost of delivery to wellsite, providing significant fuel cost savings versus a conventional diesel-powered fleet. |
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Improved operational efficiency. The elimination of diesel delivery results in simpler logistics, reduced truck traffic and congestion on location and in the community. The reduction of routine maintenance services (e.g., oil changes) along with the inherent stability of the electric system maximizes productive time at the wellsite, allowing our Clean Fleets to pump more hours per day versus a conventional diesel-powered fleet, resulting in fewer days on location. In addition to the cost of the completion crew, our customers incur significant costs for ancillary equipment and service providers each day on site. The reduction in days on site creates additional economic benefit to our customers by reducing these costs. |
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Reduced repair and maintenance cost. Clean Fleet® technology eliminates the use of diesel engines and transmissions, which require on-going maintenance in the form of routine oil and filter changes, component replacements and eventual rebuilds. In addition to having a materially longer rebuild cycle, the cost to rebuild an electric motor is significantly less than the cost to rebuild a conventional engine, transmission and radiator. |
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Reduced noise pollution. Clean Fleet® technology offers a dramatic reduction in sound pressure and low frequency noise as compared to conventional fracturing fleets, which benefits the surrounding communities and improves worksite conditions for our employees and customers. |
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Enhanced safety features. Clean Fleet® technology reduces heat and noise emissions, making the wellsite safer for our employees and all personnel at the wellsite. Additionally, by eliminating diesel truck deliveries, Clean Fleet® technology decreases the danger from refueling operations, reduces traffic in the communities in which we operate and limits wellsite crowding. |
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Competitive Strengths
We believe that the following strengths will position us to provide high-quality service to our customers and create value for our stockholders:
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Proprietary Clean Fleet® technology. We are a market leader in electric fracturing technology, with five all-electric hydraulic fracturing fleets. Our Clean Fleets provide substantial cost savings by replacing diesel fuel with natural gas and offer considerable operational, safety and environmental advantages. Clean Fleet® technology offers superior operational efficiency resulting from reduced non-productive time due to repairs, maintenance and failures associated with diesel-powered engines and transmissions. Additionally, Clean Fleet® technology can substantially reduce emissions of air pollutants and noise from the wellsite. We believe that adoption of this technology in the near term will materially increase and allow us to continue to significantly expand our market share over the next several years. |
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Strong customer relationships supported by contracts and dedications. We have cultivated strong relationships with a diverse group of customers as a result of the quality of our service, safety performance and ability to work with customers to establish mutually beneficial service agreements. Our contracts and dedications provide customers with certainty of service pricing, allowing them to efficiently budget and plan the development of their wells. Additionally, our contracts and dedications allow us to maintain higher utilization of our fleet and generate revenue and cash flow through industry cycles. We believe our relationships and the structure of our contracts and dedications position us to continue to build long-term partnerships with customers and support stable financial performance. |
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Modern, high-quality equipment and rigorous maintenance program. Our hydraulic fracturing fleets consist of modern, well-maintained equipment. We invest in high-quality equipment from leading original equipment manufacturers. Moreover, we take proactive measures to maintain the quality of our equipment, using specialized equipment to monitor frac pump integrity and our proprietary FRAC MD® data analytics platform to support preventative maintenance efforts. We believe the quality of our equipment is critical to our ability to provide high quality service to our customers. |
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Strong, employee-centered culture. Our employees are critical to our success and are a key source of our competitive advantage. We continuously invest in training and development for our employees, and as a result, we are able to provide consistent, high-quality service and safe working conditions for both employees and customers. During the last industry downturn, we maintained higher levels of utilization and were able to operate without making significant reductions in force. The continuity of our workforce has ensured a consistent culture and the high quality of service for which we are known. |
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Proven, cycle-tested management team. Our management team has a proven track record for building and operating oilfield service companies. As a result of our strategy, we have grown the business organically. Our operating and commercial teams have significant industry experience and longstanding relationships with our clients. We believe our management team’s experience and relationships position us to generate business and create value for stockholders. |
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Customer Concentration
Our customers include a broad range of leading E&P companies. For the year ended December 31, 2019, Apache Corporation, Hawkwood Energy, and Sable Permian Resources each comprised greater than 10% of our consolidated revenues.
Suppliers
We purchase a wide variety of raw materials, parts and components that are manufactured and supplied for our operations. We currently rely on a limited number of suppliers from which we procure major equipment components used to maintain, build or upgrade our custom Clean Fleet® hydraulic fracturing equipment. In addition, some of these components have few suppliers and long lead times to acquire. Historically, we have generally been able to obtain the equipment, parts and supplies necessary to support our operations on a timely basis. While we believe that we will be able to make satisfactory alternative arrangements in the event of any interruption in the supply of these materials and/or equipment by one of our suppliers, we may not always be able to do so. In addition, certain materials for which we do not currently have long-term supply agreements could experience shortages and significant price increases in the future. As a result, we may be unable to mitigate any future supply shortages and our results of operations, prospects and financial condition could be adversely affected.
Competition
The markets in which we operate are very competitive. We provide services in various geographic regions across the United States, and our competitors include many large and small oilfield service providers, including some of the largest integrated service companies. Our hydraulic fracturing services compete with large, integrated companies such as Halliburton Company and Schlumberger Limited as well as other companies including BJ Services Company, Calfrac Well Services Ltd., FTS International Inc., Liberty Oilfield Services Inc., NexTier Oilfield Solutions Inc., Patterson-UTI Energy Inc., ProPetro Services Inc., and RPC Inc. In addition, our industry is highly fragmented and we compete regionally with a significant number of smaller service providers.
We believe that the principal competitive factors in the markets we serve are technical expertise, equipment capacity, workforce competency, efficiency, safety record, reputation, experience and price. Additionally, projects are often awarded on a bid basis, which tends to create a highly competitive environment.
Cyclical Nature of Industry
We operate in a cyclical industry. The key factor driving demand for our services is the level of well completions by E&P companies, which in turn depends largely on the current and anticipated economics of new well completions. Global supply and demand for oil and the domestic supply and demand for natural gas are critical in assessing industry outlook. Demand for oil and natural gas is cyclical and subject to large, rapid fluctuations. E&P companies tend to increase capital expenditures in response to increases in oil and natural gas prices, which generally results in greater revenues and profits for oilfield service companies like us. Increased E&P capital expenditures ultimately lead to greater production, which historically has resulted in increased supplies and reduced prices which in turn tend to reduce demand for oilfield services. For these reasons, the results of our operations may fluctuate from quarter to quarter and from year to year, and these fluctuations may distort comparisons of results across periods.
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Our results of operations have historically reflected seasonal tendencies, generally in the fourth quarter, relating to holiday seasons, inclement weather, and the conclusion of our customers’ annual drilling and completion capital expenditure budgets, during which we may experience declines in our operating results.
Insurance
Although we maintain insurance coverage of types and amounts that we believe to be customary in the industry, we are not fully insured against all risks, either because insurance is not available or because of the high premium costs relative to perceived risk. Further, insurance rates have in the past been subject to wide fluctuation and changes in coverage could result in less coverage, increases in cost or higher deductibles and retentions. Liabilities for which we are not insured, or which exceed the policy limits of their applicable insurance, could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations
Our operations are subject to stringent laws and regulations governing the discharge of materials into the environment or otherwise relating to environmental protection, and occupational health and safety. Numerous federal, state and local governmental agencies issue regulations that often require difficult and costly compliance measures that could carry substantial administrative, civil and criminal penalties and may result in permit revocations or modifications, operational disruptions, or injunctive obligations for noncompliance. These laws and regulations may, for example, restrict the types, quantities and concentrations of various substances that can be released into the environment, limit or prohibit construction or drilling activities on certain lands lying within wilderness, wetlands, ecologically or seismically-sensitive areas and other protected areas, or require action to prevent or remediate pollution from current or former operations. Moreover, it is not uncommon for neighboring landowners and other third parties to file claims for personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by the release of hazardous substances, hydrocarbons or other waste products into the environment. Changes in environmental, health and safety laws and regulations occur frequently, and any changes in the laws or regulations or the interpretation thereof that result in more stringent and costly requirements could materially adversely affect our operations and financial position. We have not experienced any material adverse effect from compliance with these requirements. This trend, however, may not continue in the future.
Below is an overview of some of the more significant environmental, health and safety requirements with which we must comply. Our customers’ operations are subject to similar laws and regulations. Any material adverse effect of these laws and regulations on our customers’ operations and financial position may also have an indirect material adverse effect on our operations and financial position.
Waste Handling. We handle, transport, store and dispose of wastes that are subject to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”) and comparable state laws and regulations, which impose requirements regarding the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, disposal and cleanup of hazardous and nonhazardous wastes. With federal approval, the individual states administer some or all of the provisions of RCRA, sometimes in conjunction with our own, more stringent requirements. Although certain petroleum production wastes are exempt from regulation as hazardous wastes under RCRA, such wastes may constitute “solid wastes” that are subject to the less stringent requirements of nonhazardous waste provisions.
Administrative, civil and criminal penalties can be imposed for failure to comply with waste handling requirements. Moreover, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) or state or local governments may adopt more stringent requirements for the handling of nonhazardous wastes or re-categorize some nonhazardous wastes as hazardous for future regulation. Indeed, legislation has been proposed from time to time in Congress to re-categorize certain oil and natural gas exploration, development and production wastes as hazardous wastes. Several environmental organizations have also petitioned the EPA to modify existing regulations to re-categorize certain oil and natural gas exploration, development and production wastes as hazardous. Any such changes in these laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on our capital expenditures and operating expenses. Although we do not believe the current costs of managing our wastes, as presently classified, to be significant, any legislative or regulatory reclassification of oil and natural gas exploration and production wastes could increase our costs to manage and dispose of such wastes.
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Remediation of Hazardous Substances. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA” or “Superfund”) and analogous state laws generally impose liability without regard to fault or legality of the original conduct, on classes of persons who are considered to be responsible for the release of a hazardous substance into the environment or, under some state CERCLA-analogous laws, the release of solid waste. These persons include the current owner or operator of a contaminated facility, a former owner or operator of the facility at the time of contamination, those persons that disposed or arranged for the disposal of the substance at the facility, and transporters who selected the disposal site. Liability for the costs of removing or remediating previously disposed wastes or contamination, damages to natural resources, and the costs of conducting certain health studies, amongst other things, is strict and joint and several. In addition, it is not uncommon for neighboring landowners and other third parties to file claims for personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by the hazardous substances released into the environment. In the course of our operations, we use materials that, if released, would be subject to CERCLA and comparable state laws. Therefore, governmental agencies or third parties may seek to hold us responsible under CERCLA and comparable state statutes for all or part of the costs to clean up sites at which such substances have been released.
NORM. In the course of our operations, some of our equipment may be exposed to naturally occurring radioactive materials (“NORM”) associated with oil and gas deposits and accordingly may result in the generation of wastes and other materials containing NORM. NORM exhibiting levels of naturally occurring radiation in excess of established state standards are subject to special handling and disposal requirements, and any storage vessels, piping and work area affected by NORM may be subject to remediation or restoration requirements.
Water Discharges. The Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Oil Pollution Act and analogous state laws and regulations impose restrictions and strict controls regarding the unauthorized discharge of pollutants, including produced waters and other gas and oil wastes, into regulated waters. The discharge of pollutants into regulated waters is prohibited, except in accordance with the terms of a permit issued by the EPA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the “Corps”), or the applicable state. The Clean Water Act has been interpreted by these agencies to apply broadly. The EPA and the Corps released a rule to revise the definition of “waters of the United States,” or WOTUS, for all Clean Water Act programs, which went into effect in August 2015. Litigation and political maneuverings surrounding the revised WOTUS definition have been ongoing since that time. More recently, on October 22, 2019, the EPA and the Corps issued a final rule to repeal the 2015 Clean Water Rule and re-codify the regulatory text that existed prior to 2015 (the “Step One Rule”). The Step One Rule became effective on December 23, 2019. On January 23, 2020, the EPA and the Corps announced the final Navigable Waters Protection Rule, which would revise and narrow the WOTUS definition. The Navigable Waters Protection Rule will become effective 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register, at which time it will replace the Step One Rule. We expect litigation regarding the WOTUS definition to continue, creating uncertainty as to what constitutes a protected “water of the United States.” In addition, spill prevention, control and countermeasure plan requirements require appropriate containment berms and similar structures to help prevent the contamination of regulated waters.
Air Emissions. The Clean Air Act (“CAA”) and comparable state laws and regulations, regulate emissions of various air pollutants through the issuance of permits and the imposition of other emissions control requirements. The EPA has developed, and continues to develop, stringent regulations governing emissions of air pollutants from specified sources. New facilities may be required to obtain permits before work can begin, and existing facilities may be required to obtain additional permits and incur capital costs in order to remain in compliance. These and other laws and regulations may increase the costs of compliance for some facilities where we operate. Obtaining or renewing permits also has the potential to delay the development of oil and natural gas projects.
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Climate Change. The EPA has determined that greenhouse gasses (“GHGs”) present an endangerment to public health and the environment because such gases contribute to warming of the Earth’s atmosphere and other climatic changes. Based on these findings, the EPA has adopted and implemented, and continues to adopt and implement, regulations that restrict emissions of GHGs under existing provisions of the CAA. The EPA also requires the annual reporting of GHG emissions from certain large sources of GHG emissions in the United States, including certain oil and gas production facilities. The U.S. Congress has from time to time considered adopting legislation to reduce emissions of GHGs and almost one-half of the states have already taken legal measures to reduce emissions of GHGs primarily through the development of GHG emission inventories and/or regional GHG cap and trade programs and through the establishment of emissions reduction targets. In December 2015, the United States joined the international community at the 21st Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris, France. The resulting Paris Agreement calls for the parties to undertake “ambitious efforts” to limit the average global temperature, and to conserve and enhance sinks and reservoirs of greenhouse gases. The Paris Agreement entered into force in November 2016. On June 1, 2017, the United States President announced that the U.S. planned to withdraw from the Paris Agreement and to seek negotiations either to reenter the Paris Agreement on different terms or establish a new framework agreement. The United States formally began the process of withdrawing from the Paris Agreement on November 4, 2019 by submitting a notification to the United Nations. Per the U.S. Department of State, the withdrawal will take effect one year from delivery of this notification, on or about November 4, 2020.
Moreover, climate change may cause more extreme weather conditions and increased volatility in seasonal temperatures. Extreme weather conditions can interfere with our operations and increase our costs, and damage resulting from extreme weather may not be fully insured.
Endangered and Threatened Species. Environmental laws such as the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) and analogous state laws may impact exploration, development and production activities in areas where we operate. The ESA provides broad protection for species of fish, wildlife and plants that are listed as threatened or endangered. Similar protections are offered to migratory birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and various state analogs. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may identify previously unidentified endangered or threatened species or may designate critical habitat and suitable habitat areas that it believes are necessary for survival of a threatened or endangered species, which could cause us or our customers to incur additional costs or become subject to operating restrictions or operating bans in the affected areas.
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Regulation of Hydraulic Fracturing and Related Activities. Hydraulic fracturing is an important and common practice that is used to stimulate production of hydrocarbons, particularly natural gas, from tight formations, including shales. The process, which involves the injection of water, sand and chemicals under pressure into formations to fracture the surrounding rock and stimulate production, is typically regulated by state oil and natural gas commissions. However, federal agencies have asserted regulatory authority over certain aspects of the process. For example, beginning in August 2012, the EPA issued a series of rules under the CAA that establish new emission control requirements for certain oil and natural gas production and natural gas processing operations and associated equipment. However, in June 2017, the EPA proposed a two year stay of the fugitive emissions monitoring requirements, pneumatic pump standards, and closed vent system certification requirements in the 2016 New Source Performance Standards rule for the oil and gas industry while it reconsiders these aspects of the rule. On September 11, 2018, the EPA proposed targeted improvements to the rule, including amendments to the rule’s fugitive emissions monitoring requirements, and expects to “significantly reduce” the regulatory burden of the rule in doing so. On September 24, 2019, the EPA proposed additional amendments to the 2016 New Source Performance Standards that would rescind certain methane control requirements and may remove the transmission and storage segment from the oil and natural gas source category. To date, none of these proposed amendments to the 2016 New Source Performance Standards has been finalized. The U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) finalized similar rules in November 2016 that limit methane emissions from new and existing oil and natural gas operations on federal lands through limitations on the venting and flaring of gas, as well as enhanced leak detection and repair requirements. The BLM adopted final rules in January 2017. Operators generally had one year from the January 2017 effective date to come into compliance with the rule’s requirements. In December 2017, the BLM temporarily suspended or delayed certain of these requirements set forth in its Venting and Flaring Rule until January 2019, and in September 2018, the BLM published a final rule which scaled back the waste-prevention requirements of the 2016 rule. Environmental groups sued in federal district court a day later to challenge the legality of aspects of the revised rule, and the outcome of this litigation is currently uncertain. Moreover, in March 2015, the BLM issued a final rule that imposes requirements on hydraulic fracturing activities on federal and Indian lands, including new requirements relating to public disclosure, wellbore integrity and handling of flowback water. However, the BLM rescinded this rule in December 2017. In January 2018, California and a coalition of environmental groups filed suit in the Northern District of California to challenge the BLM’s rescission of the 2015 rule. This litigation is ongoing and future implementation of the rule is uncertain at this time.
Further, legislation to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to repeal the exemption for hydraulic fracturing (except when diesel fuels are used) from the definition of “underground injection” and require federal permitting and regulatory control of hydraulic fracturing have been proposed in recent sessions of Congress. Several states and local jurisdictions in which we or our customers operate also have adopted or are considering adopting regulations that could require disclosure of the chemical constituents of the fluids used in the fracturing process, restrict or prohibit hydraulic fracturing in certain circumstances, impose more stringent operating standards and/or require the disclosure of the composition of hydraulic fracturing fluids.
More recently, federal and state governments have begun investigating whether the disposal of produced water into underground injection wells has caused increased seismic activity in certain areas. For example, in December 2016, the EPA released its final report regarding the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources, concluding that “water cycle” activities associated with hydraulic fracturing may impact drinking water resources under certain circumstances such as water withdrawals for fracturing in times or areas of low water availability, surface spills during the management of fracturing fluids, chemicals or produced water, injection of fracturing fluids into wells with inadequate mechanical integrity, injection of fracturing fluids directly into groundwater resources, discharge of inadequately treated fracturing wastewater to surface waters, and disposal or storage of fracturing wastewater in unlined pits. The results of these studies could lead the federal government and has led some state governments to develop and implement additional regulations, including stricter regulatory requirements relating to the location and operation of underground injection wells or requirements regarding the permitting of produced water disposal wells or otherwise.
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Increased regulation of hydraulic fracturing and related activities (whether as a result of the EPA study results or resulting from other factors) could subject us and our customers to additional permitting and financial assurance requirements, more stringent construction specifications, increased monitoring, reporting and recordkeeping obligations, and plugging and abandonment requirements. New requirements could result in increased operational costs for us and our customers and reduce the demand for our services.
OSHA Matters. The Occupational Safety and Health Act (“OSHA”) and comparable state statutes regulate the protection of the health and safety of workers. In addition, the OSHA hazard communication standard requires that information be maintained about hazardous materials used or produced in operations and that this information be provided to employees, state and local government authorities, and the public.
Employees
As of December 31, 2019, we had 871 full-time employees and no part-time employees. We are not a party to any collective bargaining agreements and have not experienced any strikes or work stoppages. We believe our relationships with our employees are excellent. From time to time, we will utilize the services of independent contractors to perform various field and/or other services.
Intellectual Property
We have been granted or have received notice of allowance for 30 patents, which begin to expire in late 2033, and have an additional 104 patents pending. Our patents protect our Clean Fleet® technology from being duplicated by competitors. These patents help provide unique competitive advantages in operating areas where noise and emissions are key concerns. We also use proprietary FRAC MD® technology to support our preventative maintenance program and prolong equipment useful life. This technology utilizes specialized equipment to capture and analyze vibrations in order to identify component stress so maintenance can be performed prior to catastrophic failures.
Availability of Information
We file or furnish annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Exchange Act. The SEC maintains an internet website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers, including us, that file electronically with the SEC.
We also make available free of charge through our website, www.uswellservices.com, electronic copies of certain documents that we file with the SEC, including our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. Information on our website or any other website is not incorporated by reference into, and does not constitute a part of, this Annual Report.
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The following risk factors apply to our business and operations and the industry in which we operate. These risk factors are not exhaustive, and investors are encouraged to perform their own investigation with respect to our business, financial condition and prospects. You should carefully consider the following risk factors in addition to the other information included in this Annual Report, including matters addressed in the section entitled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” We may face additional risks and uncertainties that are not presently known to us, or that we currently deem immaterial, which may also impair our business, financial condition or prospects. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes to the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report.
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
Our business depends on the level of capital spending and exploration and production activity by the onshore oil and natural gas industry in the United States, and the level of such activity is affected by industry conditions that are beyond our control.
Our business is directly affected by the willingness of our customers to make expenditures to explore for, develop and produce oil and natural gas from onshore resources in the United States. The willingness of our customers to undertake these activities depends largely upon prevailing industry conditions that are influenced by numerous factors over which we have no control, including:
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prices, and expectations about future prices, for oil and natural gas; |
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domestic and foreign supply of, and demand for, oil and natural gas and related products; |
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the level of global and domestic oil and natural gas inventories; |
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the supply of and demand for hydraulic fracturing and other oilfield services and equipment in the United States; |
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the cost of exploring for, developing, producing and delivering oil and natural gas; |
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available pipeline, storage and other transportation capacity; |
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lead times associated with acquiring equipment and products and availability of qualified personnel; |
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the discovery rates of new oil and natural gas reserves; |
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federal, state and local regulation of hydraulic fracturing and other oilfield service activities, as well as exploration and production activities, including public pressure on governmental bodies and regulatory agencies to regulate our industry; |
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the availability of water resources, suitable proppant and chemicals in sufficient quantities for use in hydraulic fracturing fluids; |
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geopolitical developments and political instability in oil and natural gas producing countries; |
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actions of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”), its members and other state-controlled oil companies relating to oil price and production controls; |
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advances in exploration, development and production technologies or in technologies affecting energy consumption; |
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the price and availability of alternative fuels and energy sources; |
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weather conditions, natural disasters and other catastrophic events such as an epidemic or pandemic disease outbreak; |
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uncertainty in capital and commodities markets and the ability of oil and natural gas producers to raise equity capital and debt financing; and |
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U.S. federal, state and local and non-U.S. governmental regulations and taxes. |
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The oil and natural gas industry is volatile. A prolonged economic slowdown or recession in the United States, adverse events relating to the energy industry or regional, national and global economic conditions and factors, could negatively impact exploration and production activity and the level of drilling and completion activity by some of our customers. This volatility may result in a decline in the demand for, or adversely affect the price of, our services. In addition, material declines in oil and natural gas prices, the development of oil and natural gas reserves in our market areas or drilling or completion activity in the U.S. oil and natural gas shale regions, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, prospects, results of operations and cash flows.
The volatility of oil and natural gas prices may adversely affect the demand for our services and negatively impact our results of operations.
The demand for our services is substantially influenced by current and anticipated crude oil and natural gas commodity prices and the related levels of capital spending and drilling activity in the areas in which we have operations. Volatility or weakness in crude oil and natural gas commodity prices (or the perception that crude oil and natural gas commodity prices will decrease) affects the spending patterns of our customers, and the products and services we provide are, to a substantial extent, deferrable in the event oil and natural gas companies reduce capital expenditures. As a result, we may experience lower utilization of, and may be forced to lower our rates for, our equipment and services.
Historical prices for crude oil and natural gas have been extremely volatile and are expected to continue to be volatile. The market prices for crude oil and natural gas depend on factors beyond our control, including worldwide and domestic supplies of crude oil and natural gas and actions taken by foreign oil and gas producing nations. Crude oil and natural gas prices and, therefore, the level of exploration, development and production activity, experienced a sustained decline from the highs in the latter half of 2014 to the lows in 2016. Although commodity prices improved in late 2016 through the first part of 2018, prices significantly decreased during the third and fourth quarter of 2018 and throughout 2019, and continue to remain volatile.
As a result of declines and volatility in commodity prices, exploration and production companies moved to significantly cut costs, both by decreasing drilling and completion activity and by demanding price concessions from their service providers, including providers of hydraulic fracturing services. In turn, service providers, including hydraulic fracturing service providers, were forced to lower their operating costs and capital expenditures, while continuing to operate their businesses in an extremely competitive environment. Prolonged periods of price instability in the oil and natural gas industry will adversely affect the demand for our products and services, our financial condition, prospects and results of operations and our ability to service our debt or fund capital expenditures.
Additionally, fuel conservation measures, alternative fuel requirements and increasing consumer demand for alternatives to oil and natural gas could reduce the demand for oil and natural gas products, creating downward pressure on commodity prices and the prices we are able to charge for our services.
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Our level of current and future indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition.
As of December 31, 2019, we had $40.1 million of borrowings outstanding, with available capacity of $11.0 million, under our ABL credit facility, and $250.0 million of borrowings outstanding under our senior secured term loan. We are required to make quarterly principal payments of 2.0% per annum of the initial principal balance of our senior secured term loan, commencing on January 15, 2020, with final payment due at maturity on May 7, 2024. Our ABL credit facility is scheduled to mature on February 6, 2024. Upon maturity of our ABL credit facility and senior secured term loan, we will be required to repay, extend or refinance our indebtedness. We may not be able to extend, replace or refinance either one or both of our existing debt financing agreements on terms reasonably acceptable to us, or at all. Our obligations under both our ABL credit facility and senior secured term loan are secured by substantially all of our assets. In addition, we have entered into several security agreements with financial institutions for the purchase of certain fracturing equipment. As of December 31, 2019, the aggregate outstanding balance under our equipment financing arrangements was $16.1 million, of which $5.6 million is due within one year. Our equipment financing arrangements are secured by certain of our fracturing equipment. If we are unable to meet our debt service obligations, our lenders under our ABL credit facility, senior secured term loan, or equipment financing arrangements can seek to foreclose on our assets. For more information about our debt financing agreements and equipment financing arrangements, please see “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources.”
Our ability to meet our debt service obligations will be dependent upon future performance, which in turn will be subject to general economic conditions, industry cycles and financial, business and other factors affecting our operations, many of which are beyond our control. Our business may not continue to generate sufficient cash flow from operations to pay our debt service obligations when due. Moreover, we may incur additional indebtedness, which would increase the amount of cash flow we need to service debt obligations. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow from operations, we may be required to sell assets, to restructure or refinance all or a portion of such indebtedness or to obtain additional financing. We cannot assure you, however, that we would be able to sell assets, restructure or refinance all or a portion of our indebtedness or obtain additional financing on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Moreover, any failure to make scheduled payments of interest and principal on our outstanding indebtedness would likely result in a reduction of our credit rating, which could harm our ability to incur additional indebtedness on acceptable terms. To the extent inadequate liquidity or other considerations require us to seek to restructure or refinance our indebtedness, our ability to do so will depend on numerous factors, including many beyond our control, such as the condition of the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. Any refinancing or restructuring of our indebtedness could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants, which could further restrict our business operations.
Our debt financing agreements subject us to financial and other restrictive covenants. These restrictions may limit our operational or financial flexibility and could subject us to potential defaults under our credit facilities.
Our debt financing agreements subject us to restrictive covenants, including, among other things, limitations (each of which is subject to certain exceptions) on our ability to incur debt, grant liens, enter into transactions resulting in fundamental changes (such as mergers or sales of all or substantially all of our assets) and asset sales or other types of dispositions, restrict subsidiary dividends or other subsidiary distributions, enter into transactions with affiliates and swap counterparties, make investments and restricted payments, permit subsidiaries to provide guarantees to other material debt, and enter into leases and sale and lease back arrangements.
Additionally, our ABL credit facility is subject to a springing fixed charge coverage covenant. For a description of the covenants under our ABL credit facility, please see “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources.” If we are unable to remain in compliance with the covenants of our ABL credit facility, then amounts outstanding thereunder may be accelerated and become due immediately. We might not have, or be able to obtain, sufficient funds to make these accelerated payments, and any such acceleration could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
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Moreover, subject to the limits contained in our debt financing agreements, we may incur substantial additional debt from time to time. Any borrowings we may incur in the future would have several important consequences for our future operations, including that:
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covenants contained in the documents governing such indebtedness may require us to meet or maintain certain financial tests, which may affect our flexibility in planning for, and reacting to, changes in our industry, such as being able to take advantage of acquisition opportunities when they arise; |
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our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, general corporate and other purposes may be limited; |
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we may be competitively disadvantaged to our competitors that are less leveraged or have greater access to capital resources; and |
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we may be more vulnerable to adverse economic and industry conditions. |
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Changes in the method of determining LIBOR, or the replacement of LIBOR with an alternative reference rate, may adversely affect our ability to refinance our indebtedness.
Financial regulators are working to transition away from the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) as a reference rate for financial contracts. On July 27, 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority announced that it would phase out LIBOR as a benchmark by the end of 2021. It is unclear whether new methods of calculating LIBOR will be established such that it continues to exist after 2021. While our ABL credit facility and senior secured term loan are scheduled to mature in February 2024 and May 2024, respectively, potential changes, or uncertainty related to such potential changes in interest rate benchmarks may adversely affect our ability to refinance our indebtedness. There is no guarantee that a transition from LIBOR to an alternative will not result in financial market disruptions, significant increases in benchmark rates, or borrowing costs to borrowers, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our operations are subject to unforeseen interruptions and hazards inherent in the oil and natural gas industry, for which we may not be adequately insured.
Our operations are exposed to the risks inherent to our industry, such as equipment defects, vehicle accidents, fires, explosions, blowouts, surface cratering, uncontrollable flows of gas or well fluids, pipe or pipeline failures, abnormally pressured formations and various environmental hazards, such as oil spills and releases of, and exposure to, hazardous substances. For example, our operations are subject to risks associated with hydraulic fracturing, including any mishandling, surface spillage or potential underground migration of fracturing fluids, including chemical additives. In addition, our operations are exposed to potential natural disasters, including blizzards, tornadoes, storms, floods, other adverse weather conditions and earthquakes. The occurrence of any of these events could result in substantial losses to our business due to personal injury or loss of life, severe damage to or destruction of property, natural resources and equipment, pollution or other environmental damage or other damage resulting in curtailment or suspension of our operations. Litigation arising from operations where our services are provided, may cause us to be named as a defendant in lawsuits asserting potentially large claims including claims for exemplary damages. The cost of managing such risks may be significant, and the frequency and severity of such incidents may affect operating costs, insurability and relationships with customers, employees and regulators. In particular, our customers may elect not to purchase our services if they view our environmental or safety record as unacceptable, which could cause us to lose customers and substantial revenues.
Our insurance may not be adequate to cover all losses or liabilities we may suffer, and the insurance coverage may not be adequate to cover claims that may arise. We are not fully insured against all risks, either because insurance is not available or coverage is excluded from our policy, or because of the high premium costs relative to perceived risk. Furthermore, we may be unable to maintain or obtain insurance of the type and amount we desire at reasonable rates. Insurance rates in the past have been subject to wide fluctuation and changes in coverage could result in less coverage, increases in cost or higher deductibles and retentions or the imposition of sub-limits for certain risks. In addition, we may not be able to secure additional insurance or bonding that might be required by new governmental regulations. If we were to incur a significant liability for which we are not fully insured, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
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Our long-term contracts are subject to certain risks, including counterparty payment risks, inability to renew or replace at favorable economic terms, and changing market conditions that result in higher costs without offsetting revenue escalations.
We generally have long-term written contractual arrangements with our customers on the majority of our equipment. The counterparties to our contractual arrangements are subject to various market risks that impact their businesses and, as a result, they may be unable to make payments to us pursuant to the payment terms set forth in such contractual arrangements. Additionally, as contracts with our customers come up for replacement or renewal, changing market conditions may prevent us from replacing or renewing the contracts on comparable terms. Our ability to achieve favorable terms under these expiring contracts could be affected by many factors, including prolonged reduced commodity prices, decrease in demand for our services or increased competition in the markets we serve. If we are unable to replace or renew the expiring agreements on comparable terms, it could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, including our ability to make cash distributions to our shareholders.
With no long-term contract in place, such customers could cease buying our services at any time, for any reason, with little or no recourse. If multiple customers or a material customer with whom we did not have a long-term contract in place elected not to purchase our services, our business prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Competition within the oilfield services industry may adversely affect our ability to market our services.
The oilfield services industry is highly competitive and includes several large companies that compete in many of the markets we serve, as well as numerous small companies that compete with us on a local basis. Our larger competitors’ greater resources allow them to better withstand industry downturns and compete more effectively on the basis of technology, geographic scope and retained skilled personnel. Several of our competitors provide a broader array of services and have a stronger presence in more geographic markets.
We believe the principal competitive factors in the market areas we serve are price, equipment quality, supply chains, balance sheet strength and financial condition, product and service quality, safety record, availability of crews and equipment and technical proficiency. Our operations may be adversely affected if our current competitors or new market entrants introduce new products or services with better features, performance, prices or other characteristics than our products and services or expand into service areas where we operate. Competitive pressures or other factors may also result in significant price competition, particularly during industry downturns. During such downturns, we experience reductions in the prices we can charge for our services based on reduced demand and resulting overcapacity, including an intensified competitive environment as a result of an industry downturn and oversupply of oilfield services. Any inability to compete effectively with our competitors or overcapacity in the markets which we serve could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We are dependent on a few customers in a single industry. The loss of one or more significant customers could adversely affect our financial condition, prospects and results of operations.
Our customers are engaged in the oil and natural gas E&P business in the United States. Historically, we have been dependent upon a few customers for a significant portion of our revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2019, Apache Corporation, Hawkwood Energy, and Sable Permian Resources, each accounted for greater than 10% of total consolidated revenues. For the year ended December 31, 2018, Antero Resources, Southwestern Energy, Hawkwood Energy, Wildhorse Resources, and CNX Resources, each accounted for greater than 10% of total consolidated revenues. It is likely that we will continue to derive a significant portion of our revenue from a relatively small number of customers in the future. Additionally, the oil and natural gas industry is characterized by frequent consolidation activity and, recently by frequent financial distress and bankruptcy filings. Changes in ownership of our customers or bankruptcy filings by our customers may result in the loss of, or reduction in, business from those customers. If we were to lose any material customer, or if a major customer fails to pay or delays in paying for our services, we may not be able to redeploy our equipment at similar utilization or pricing levels or within a short period of time and such loss could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, prospects and results of operations.
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We currently rely on a limited number of suppliers for major equipment to build new and upgrade existing electric fleets to our current custom Clean Fleet® design, and our reliance on these vendors exposes us to risks including price and timing of delivery.
We currently rely on a limited number of suppliers for major equipment to build our new fleets and upgrade any existing electric fleets as needed to our current custom Clean Fleet® design. During periods in which fracturing services are in high demand, we have experienced delays in obtaining certain parts that are used in fabricating and assembling our fleets. If demand for hydraulic fracturing fleets or the components necessary to build such fleets increases or these vendors face financial distress or bankruptcy, these vendors may not be able to provide the new or upgraded fleets on schedule or at the current price. If this were to occur, we could be required to seek other suppliers for major equipment to build or upgrade our fleets, which may adversely affect our revenues or increase our costs.
Our assets require significant amounts of capital for maintenance, upgrades and refurbishment and may require significant capital expenditures for new equipment.
Our fleets and other completion service-related equipment require significant capital investment in maintenance, upgrades and refurbishment to maintain their competitiveness. The costs of components and labor may increase in the future which will require us to incur additional costs to maintain, upgrade and/or refurbish our fleets. Our fleets and other equipment typically do not generate revenue while they are undergoing maintenance, upgrades or refurbishment. Any maintenance, upgrade or refurbishment project for our assets could increase our indebtedness or reduce cash available for other opportunities. Furthermore, such projects may require proportionally greater capital investments as a percentage of total asset value, which may make such projects difficult to finance on acceptable terms. To the extent we are unable to fund such projects, we may have less equipment available for service or our equipment may not be attractive to potential or current customers. Additionally, competition or advances in technology within our industry may require us to update or replace existing fleets or build or acquire new fleets. Such demands on our capital or reductions in demand for our fleets and the increase in cost of labor necessary for such maintenance and improvement, in each case, could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity position, financial condition, prospects and results of operations and may increase our costs.
We are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations regarding issues of health, safety and protection of the environment, including with respect to our hydraulic fracturing operations. Under these laws and regulations, we may become liable for penalties, damages or costs of remediation or other corrective measures. Any changes in laws or government regulations could increase our costs of doing business.
Our operations are subject to stringent federal, state, and local laws and regulations relating to, among other things, protection of natural resources, clean air and drinking water, endangered species, GHGs, nonattainment areas, the environment, health and safety, chemical use and storage, waste management, waste disposal and transportation of waste and other hazardous and nonhazardous materials. Our operations involve risks of environmental liability, including leakage from an operator’s casing during our operations or accidental spills onto or into surface or subsurface soils, surface water or groundwater. Some environmental laws and regulations may impose strict liability, joint and several liability, or both. In some situations, we could be exposed to liability as a result of our conduct that was lawful at the time it occurred or the conduct of, or conditions caused by, third parties without regard to whether we caused or contributed to the conditions. Additionally, environmental concerns, including clean air, drinking water contamination and seismic activity, have prompted investigations that could lead to the enactment of regulations, limitations, restrictions or moratoria that could potentially result in the shutdown of our operations, fines and penalties (administrative, civil or criminal), revocations of permits to conduct business, expenditures for remediation or other corrective measures and/or claims for liability for property damage, exposure to hazardous materials, exposure to hazardous waste, nuisance or personal injuries. Sanctions for noncompliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations may also include the assessment of administrative, civil or criminal penalties, revocation of permits and temporary or permanent cessation of operations in a particular location and issuance of corrective action orders. Such claims or sanctions and related costs could cause us to incur substantial costs or losses and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, prospects and results of operations. Additionally, an increase in regulatory requirements, limitations, restrictions or moratoria on oil and natural gas exploration and completion activities at a federal, state or local level or changes in the way these requirements are interpreted or enforced could significantly delay or interrupt our operations, limit the amount of work we can perform, increase our costs of compliance, or increase the cost of our services, thereby possibly having a material adverse impact on our financial condition. For more information about regulations and laws regarding issues of health, safety and protection of the environment in our industry, please see “Item 1. Business - Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations.”
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In December 2016, the EPA issued a study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water and groundwater. The EPA report states that there is scientific evidence that hydraulic fracturing activities can impact drinking resources under some circumstances and identifies certain conditions in which the EPA believes the impact of such activities on drinking water and groundwater can be more frequent or severe. The EPA study could spur further initiatives to regulate hydraulic fracturing. Additionally, state legislatures, state regulatory agencies and local municipalities may consider legislation, regulations or ordinances, respectively that could affect all aspects of the oil and natural gas industry and occasionally take action to restrict or further regulate hydraulic fracturing operations. Some states, counties and municipalities have enacted or are considering moratoria on hydraulic fracturing or zoning ordinances, which could impose a de facto ban on drilling and hydraulic fracturing operations. At this time, it is not possible to estimate the potential impact on our business of these state and municipal actions or the enactment of additional federal or state legislation or regulations affecting hydraulic fracturing. Compliance, stricter regulations or the consequences of any failure to comply by us could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, prospects and results of operations. For more information about regulations relating to hydraulic fracturing, please see “Item 1. Business - Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations.”
Furthermore, many states in which we operate require the disclosure of some or all of the chemicals used in our hydraulic fracturing operations. Certain aspects of one or more of these chemicals may be considered proprietary by us or our chemical suppliers. Disclosure of our proprietary chemical information to third parties or to the public, even if inadvertent, could diminish the value of our trade secrets or those of our chemical suppliers and could result in competitive harm to us, which could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, prospects and results of operations. Additionally, our business could be affected by a moratorium or increased regulation of companies in our supply chain, such as sand mining by our proppant suppliers, which could limit our access to supplies and increase the costs of our raw materials. At this time, it is not possible to estimate how these various restrictions could affect our ongoing operations.
Many regulatory and legislative bodies routinely evaluate the adequacy and effectiveness of laws and regulations affecting the oil and gas industry. The oil and gas industry is one of the sectors designated for increased enforcement by the EPA, which will continue to regulate our industry in the years to come. Laws and regulations protecting the environment, especially those related to GHGs and climate change, generally have become more stringent over time, and we expect them to continue to do so. This could lead to material increases in our costs and liability exposure for future environmental compliance and remediation and may negatively impact demand for our services. For example, oil and natural gas exploration and production may decline as a result of environmental requirements, including land use policies responsive to environmental concerns. Additionally, if we expand the size or scope of our operations, we could be subject to regulations that are more stringent than the requirements under which we are currently allowed to operate or require additional authorizations to continue operations. Compliance with this additional regulatory burden could increase our operating or other costs.
Additionally, failure to comply with government, industry or our own health and safety laws and regulations, or failure to comply with our compliance or reporting requirements, could tarnish our reputation for safety and quality and have a material adverse effect on our competitive position. In addition, customers maintain their own compliance and reporting requirements, and if we do not perform in accordance with their requirements, we could lose business from our customers, many of whom have an increased focus on environmental and safety issues.
Climate change legislation, regulations restricting emissions of greenhouse gases or other action taken by public or private entities related to climate change could result in increased operating costs and reduced demand for the crude oil and natural gas produced by our customers.
In response to findings that emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other GHGs present an endangerment to public health and the environment, the EPA has issued regulations to restrict emissions of GHGs under existing provisions of the Clean Air Act. From time to time, the Congress has considered legislation to reduce emissions of GHGs but no such legislation has yet been adopted by Congress. Some states have individually or in regional cooperation, imposed restrictions on GHG emissions under various policies and approaches, including establishing a cap on emissions, requiring efficiency measures, or providing incentives for pollution reduction, use of renewable energy sources, or use of replacement fuels with lower carbon content. In the future, the United
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States may also choose to adhere to international agreements targeting GHGs reductions. The adoption of legislation or regulatory programs to reduce emissions of GHGs could require us to incur increased operating costs, such as costs to purchase and operate emissions control systems, to acquire emissions allowances or to comply with new regulatory or reporting requirements. Any such legislation or regulatory programs could also increase the cost of consuming, and thereby reduce demand for, the oil and natural gas our customers produce. Consequently, legislation and regulatory programs to reduce emissions of GHGs could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. For more information about climate change legislation, please see “Item 1. Business - Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations.”
Furthermore, increasing attention to the risks of climate change has resulted in an increased possibility of lawsuits or investigations brought by public and private entities against oil and natural gas companies in connection with their GHGs emissions. Should we be targeted by any such litigation or investigations, we may incur liability, which, to the extent that societal pressures or political or other factors are involved, could be imposed without regard to the causation of or contribution to the asserted damage, or to other mitigating factors. The ultimate impact of GHGs emissions-related agreements, legislation and measures on our Company’s financial performance is highly uncertain because we are unable to predict with certainty, for a multitude of individual jurisdictions, the outcome of political decision-making processes and the variables and tradeoffs that inevitably occur in connection with such processes.
If we are unable to fully protect our intellectual property rights, we may suffer a loss in our competitive advantage or market share.
We have been granted or have received notice of allowance for 30 patents, and have an additional 104 patents pending. If we are not able to maintain the confidentiality of our trade secrets or fail to adequately protect our intellectual property rights we have now or acquire in the future, our competitive advantage would be diminished. Additionally, competitors may be able to replicate our technology or services protected by our intellectual property rights. We cannot assure you that any patents we may obtain in the future would provide us with any significant commercial benefit or would allow us to prevent our competitors from employing comparable technologies or processes.
We may be adversely affected by disputes regarding intellectual property rights of third parties.
Third parties from time to time may initiate litigation against us by asserting that the conduct of our business infringes, misappropriates or otherwise violates intellectual property rights. If any third parties bring a claim of intellectual property infringement against us, we may be subject to costly and time-consuming litigation, diverting the attention of management and our employees. We may not prevail in any such legal proceedings related to such claims, and our products and services may be found to infringe, impair, misappropriate, dilute or otherwise violate the intellectual property rights of others. If we are unsuccessful in defending such claims, we could be required to pay substantial damages and/or be enjoined from using or selling the infringing products or technology. Any legal proceeding concerning intellectual property could be protracted and costly regardless of the merits of any claim and is inherently unpredictable and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, regardless of its outcome.
If we were to discover that our technologies or products infringe valid intellectual property rights of third parties, we may need to obtain licenses from these parties or substantially re-engineer our products in order to avoid infringement. We may not be able to obtain the necessary licenses on acceptable terms, or at all, or be able to re-engineer our products successfully. If our inability to obtain required licenses for our technologies or products prevents us from selling our products, it could adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.
We may be subject to interruptions or failures in our information technology systems.
We rely on sophisticated information technology systems and infrastructure to support our business, including process control technology. Any of these systems may be susceptible to outages due to fire, floods, power loss, telecommunications failures, usage errors by employees, computer viruses, cyberattacks or other security breaches, or similar events. The failure of any of our information technology systems may cause disruptions in our operations, which could adversely affect our sales and profitability.
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We are subject to cyber security risks. A cyber incident could occur and result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.
The oil and natural gas industry has become increasingly dependent on digital technologies to conduct certain processing activities. For example, we depend on digital technologies to perform many of our services and to process and record financial and operating data. At the same time, cyber incidents, including deliberate attacks, have increased. The U.S. government has issued public warnings that indicate that energy assets might be specific targets of cyber security threats. Our technologies, systems and networks, and those of our vendors, suppliers and other business partners, may become the target of cyberattacks or information security breaches that could result in the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss or destruction of proprietary and other information, or other disruption of business operations. In addition, certain cyber incidents, such as surveillance, may remain undetected for an extended period. In the past, we have experienced data security breaches resulting from unauthorized access to our systems, which to date have not had a material impact on our operations; however, there is no assurance that such impacts will not be material in the future. Our systems and insurance coverage for protecting against cyber security risks may not be sufficient. As cyber incidents continue to evolve, we will likely be required to expend additional resources to continue to modify or enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to cyber incidents. Our insurance coverage for cyberattacks may not be sufficient to cover all the losses we may experience as a result of such cyberattacks.
Changes in transportation regulations may increase our costs and negatively impact our results of operations.
We are subject to various transportation regulations, including as a motor carrier by the U.S. Department of Transportation and by various federal and state agencies, whose regulations include certain permit requirements of highway and safety authorities. These regulatory authorities exercise broad powers over our trucking operations, generally governing such matters as the authorization to engage in motor carrier operations, safety, equipment testing, driver requirements and specifications and insurance requirements. The trucking industry is subject to possible regulatory and legislative changes that may impact our operations, such as changes in fuel emissions limits, hours of service regulations that govern the amount of time a driver may drive or work in any specific period and limits on vehicle weight and size. As the federal government continues to develop and propose regulations relating to fuel quality, engine efficiency and GHG emissions, we may experience an increase in costs related to truck purchases and maintenance, impairment of equipment productivity, a decrease in the residual value of vehicles, unpredictable fluctuations in fuel prices and an increase in operating expenses. Increased truck traffic may contribute to deteriorating road conditions in some areas where our operations are performed. Our operations, including routing and weight restrictions, could be affected by road construction, road repairs, detours and state and local regulations and ordinances restricting access to certain routes or times on specific roadways. Proposals to increase federal, state or local taxes, including taxes on motor fuels, are also made from time to time, and any such increase would increase our operating costs. We cannot predict whether, or in what form, any legislative or regulatory changes or municipal ordinances applicable to our logistics operations will be enacted and to what extent any such legislation or regulations could increase our costs or otherwise adversely affect our business or operations.
We may be unable to employ a sufficient number of key employees, technical personnel and other skilled or qualified workers. In addition, the absence or loss of certain key employees could adversely affect our business.
The delivery of our services requires personnel with specialized skills and experience who can perform physically demanding work. Additionally, our ability to successfully operate our business is dependent upon the efforts of certain key personnel, including our senior management. The demand for skilled workers in our areas of operations can be high, the supply may be limited, and we may be unable to relocate our employees from areas of lower utilization to areas of higher demand. If we are unable to retain or meet growing demand for skilled technical personnel, our operating results and our ability to execute our growth strategies may be adversely affected. A significant increase in the wages paid by competing employers could result in a reduction of our skilled labor force, increases in the wage rates that we must pay, or both. Further, a significant decrease in the wages paid by us or our competitors as a result of reduced industry demand could result in a reduction of the available skilled labor force, and there is no assurance that the availability of skilled labor will improve following a subsequent increase in demand for our services or an increase in wage rates.
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We are subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act, which governs such matters as minimum wage, overtime and other working conditions, and require full compliance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and other laws concerning immigration and the hiring of legally documented workers. In some cases, it may be necessary to obtain a required work authorization from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or similar government agency prior to a foreign national working as an employee for us. There may be costs that arise in the course of our efforts to comply with various current or future labor and employment related regulations.
In addition, many key responsibilities within our business have been assigned to a small number of employees. The unexpected loss or unavailability of key members of management or technical personnel, in particular one or more members of our executive team, including our chief executive officer, chief financial officer, chief administrative officer and chief operating officer, may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, prospects or results of operations. We do not maintain “key person” life insurance policies on any of our employees. As a result, we are not insured against any losses resulting from the death of our key employees.
Anti-indemnity provisions enacted by many states may restrict or prohibit a party’s indemnification of us.
We typically enter into agreements with our customers governing the provision of our services, which usually include certain indemnification provisions for losses resulting from operations. Such agreements may require each party to indemnify the other against certain claims regardless of the negligence or other fault of the indemnified party; however, many states place limitations on contractual indemnity agreements, particularly agreements that indemnify a party against the consequences of its own negligence. Furthermore, certain states, including Texas, have enacted statutes generally referred to as “oilfield anti-indemnity acts” expressly prohibiting certain indemnity agreements contained in or related to oilfield services agreements. Such anti-indemnity acts may restrict or void a party’s indemnification of us, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, prospects and results of operations.
A terrorist attack or armed conflict could harm our business.
Terrorist activities, anti-terrorist efforts and other armed conflicts involving the United States could adversely affect the U.S. and global economies and could prevent us from meeting financial and other obligations. We could experience loss of business, delays or defaults in payments from payors or disruptions of fuel supplies and markets if wells, operations sites or other related facilities are direct targets or indirect casualties of an act of terror or war. Such activities could reduce the overall demand for oil and gas, which, in turn, could also reduce the demand for our products and services. Terrorist activities and the threat of potential terrorist activities and any resulting economic downturn could adversely affect our results of operations, impair our ability to raise capital or otherwise adversely impact our ability to realize certain business strategies.
We are exposed to the credit risk of our customers, and any material nonpayment or nonperformance by our customers could adversely affect our financial results.
We are subject to the risk of loss resulting from nonpayment or nonperformance by our customers, many of whose operations are concentrated solely in the domestic E&P industry which, as described above, is subject to volatility and, therefore, credit risk. Our credit procedures and policies may not be adequate to fully reduce customer credit risk. If we are unable to adequately assess the creditworthiness of existing or future customers or unanticipated deterioration in their creditworthiness, any resulting increase in nonpayment or nonperformance by them and our inability to re-market or otherwise use our equipment could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, prospects or results of operations.
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We rely on a limited number of third parties for sand, proppant and chemicals, and delays in deliveries of such materials, increases in the cost of such materials or our contractual obligations to pay for materials that we ultimately do not require could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We have established relationships with a limited number of suppliers of our raw materials (such as sand, proppant and chemicals). Should any of our current suppliers be unable to provide the necessary materials or otherwise fail to deliver the materials in a timely manner and in the quantities required, any resulting delays in the provision of services could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Additionally, increasing and volatile costs of such materials may negatively impact demand for our services or the profitability of our business operations. In the past, our industry faced sporadic proppant shortages associated with hydraulic fracturing operations requiring work stoppages, which adversely impacted the operating results of several competitors. We may not be able to mitigate any future shortages of materials, including proppant. Additionally, we have purchase commitments with certain vendors to supply a majority of the proppant used in our operations. Some of these agreements are “take or pay” agreements with minimum purchase obligations. If demand for our services decreases, demand for the raw materials we supply as part of these services will also decrease. Additionally, some of our customers have bought, and in the future may buy, proppant directly from vendors, reducing our need for proppant. If demand decreases enough, or our customers buy proppant directly from vendors, we could have contractual minimum commitments that exceed the required amount of goods we need to supply to our customers. To the extent our contracts require us to purchase more materials, including proppant, than we ultimately require, we may be forced to pay for the excess amount under “take or pay” contract provisions.
Delays or restrictions in obtaining permits by us for our operations or by our customers for their operations could impair our business.
Our operations and the operations of our oil and natural gas producing customers require permits from one or more governmental agencies in order to perform drilling and completion activities, secure water rights, or engage in other regulated activities. Such permits are typically issued by state agencies, but federal and local governmental permits may also be required. The requirements for such permits vary depending on the location where such regulated activities will be conducted. As with all governmental permitting processes, there is a degree of uncertainty as to whether a permit will be granted, the time it will take for a permit to be issued, and the conditions that may be imposed in connection with the granting of the permit. Therefore, our customers’ operations in certain areas of the United States may be interrupted or suspended for varying lengths of time, causing a loss of revenue to us and adversely affecting our results of operations in support of those customers.
Oil and natural gas companies’ operations using hydraulic fracturing are substantially dependent on the availability of water. Restrictions on the ability to obtain water for exploration and production activities and the disposal of flowback and produced water may impact their operations and have a corresponding adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Water is an essential component of shale oil and natural gas production during both the drilling and hydraulic fracturing processes. Our oil and natural gas producing customers’ access to water to be used in these processes may be adversely affected due to reasons such as periods of extended drought, private, third-party competition for water in localized areas or the implementation of local or state governmental programs to monitor or restrict the beneficial use of water subject to their jurisdiction for hydraulic fracturing to assure adequate local water supplies. The occurrence of these or similar developments may result in limitations being placed on allocations of water due to needs by third-party businesses with more senior contractual or permitting rights to the water. Our customers’ inability to locate or contractually acquire and sustain the receipt of sufficient amounts of water could adversely impact their exploration and production operations and have a corresponding adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
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Moreover, the imposition of new environmental regulations and other regulatory initiatives could include increased restrictions on our producing customers’ ability to dispose of flowback and produced water generated in hydraulic fracturing or other fluids resulting from exploration and production activities. For more information about water-related regulations, please see “Item 1. Business - Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations.” Compliance with current and future environmental regulations and permit requirements governing the withdrawal, storage and use of surface water or groundwater necessary for hydraulic fracturing of wells and any inability to secure transportation and access to disposal wells with sufficient capacity to accept all of our flowback and produced water on economic terms may increase our customers’ operating costs and cause delays, interruptions or termination of our customers’ operations, the extent of which cannot be predicted. In addition, the legal requirements related to the disposal of produced water into a non-producing geologic formation by means of underground injection wells are subject to change based on concerns of the public or governmental authorities regarding such disposal activities. One such concern arises from recent seismic events near underground disposal wells that are used for the disposal by injection of produced water resulting from oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids activities. In response to concerns regarding induced seismicity, regulators in some states have imposed, or are considering imposing, additional requirements in the permitting of produced water disposal wells to assess any relationship between seismicity and the use of such wells. Among other things, these rules require companies seeking permits for disposal wells to provide seismic activity data in permit applications, provide for more frequent monitoring and reporting for certain wells and allow the state to modify, suspend or terminate permits on grounds that a disposal well is likely to be, or determined to be, causing seismic activity. States may issue orders to temporarily shut down or to curtail the injection depth of existing wells in the vicinity of seismic events.
Another consequence of seismic events may be lawsuits alleging that disposal well operations have caused damage to neighboring properties or otherwise violated state and federal rules regulating waste disposal. These developments could result in additional regulation and restrictions on the use of injection wells by us. Increased regulation and attention given to induced seismicity could also lead to greater opposition, including litigation to limit or prohibit oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids activities utilizing injection wells for produced water disposal.
Any one or more of these developments may result in us or our vendors having to limit disposal well volumes, disposal rates and pressures or locations, or require us or our vendors to shut down or curtail the injection into disposal wells, which events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Our ability to expand our operations relies in part on our ability to market our Clean Fleet® technology, and advancements in well service technologies, including those involving hydraulic fracturing, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The hydraulic fracturing industry is characterized by rapid and significant technological advancements and introductions of new products and services using new technologies, some of which may be subject to patent or other intellectual property protections. For example, we use our patented Clean Fleet® technology as a competitive advantage in the markets we serve. As competitors and others use or develop new or comparable technologies in the future, we may lose market share or be placed at a competitive disadvantage. Further, we may face competitive pressure to develop, implement or acquire certain new technologies at a substantial cost. Some of our competitors may have greater financial, technical and personnel resources than we do, which may allow them to gain technological advantages or implement new technologies before we can. Additionally, we may be unable to implement new technologies or services at all, on a timely basis or at an acceptable cost. New technology could also make it easier for our customers to vertically integrate their operations, thereby reducing or eliminating the need for our services. Limits on our ability to effectively use or implement new technologies may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may record losses or impairment charges related to idle assets or assets that we sell.
Prolonged periods of low utilization, changes in technology or the sale of assets below their carrying value may cause us to experience losses. These events could result in the recognition of impairment charges that negatively impact our financial results. Significant impairment charges as a result of a decline in market conditions or otherwise could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations in future periods.
Risks Related to Our Securities
Our only significant assets are the ownership of a majority interest in USWS Holdings, and such ownership may not be sufficient to generate the funds necessary to meet our financial obligations.
We have no direct operations or significant assets other than the ownership of a majority (92%) interest in USWS Holdings. We depend on USWS Holdings and its subsidiaries, including U.S. Well Services, LLC, for distributions, loans and other payments to generate the funds necessary to meet our financial obligations. Subject to certain restrictions, USWS Holdings generally will be required to (i) make pro rata distributions to its members, including us, in an amount at least sufficient to enable us to pay our taxes and (ii) reimburse us for certain corporate and other overhead expenses. However, legal and contractual restrictions in agreements governing indebtedness of USWS Holdings and its subsidiaries, as well as the financial condition and operating requirements of USWS Holdings and its subsidiaries may limit our ability to obtain cash from USWS Holdings. The earnings from, or other available assets of, USWS Holdings and its subsidiaries, may not be sufficient to enable us to satisfy our financial obligations. USWS Holdings is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, will not be subject to any entity-level U.S. federal income tax. Instead, taxable income will be allocated to holders of USWS Units, including us. As a result, we generally will incur taxes on our allocable share of any net taxable income generated by USWS Holdings. Under the terms of the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of USWS Holdings, dated November 9, 2018 (the “A&R USWS Holdings LLC Agreement”), among MPAC and certain owners of common units in USWS Holdings, USWS Holdings is obligated to make tax distributions to holders of the USWS Units, including us, except to the extent such distributions would render USWS Holdings insolvent or are otherwise prohibited by law or the terms of any future financing agreement of USWS Holdings or its subsidiaries. In addition to our tax obligations, we also incur expenses related to our operations and our interests in USWS Holdings, including costs and expenses of being a publicly-traded company, all of which could be significant. To the extent that we require funds and USWS Holdings or its subsidiaries are restricted from making distributions under applicable law or regulation or under the terms of their financing arrangements, or are otherwise unable to provide such funds, it could materially adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition, including our ability to pay our income taxes when due.
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There can be no assurance that we will be able to comply with the continued listing standards of Nasdaq.
Our Class A common stock and warrants are currently listed on Nasdaq. There can be no assurance that we will be able to meet Nasdaq’s listing requirements with respect to our Class A common stock and warrants. If our Class A common stock or warrants are delisted, there could be limited availability of market quotations for the Class A common stock and warrants and reduced liquidity in trading for these securities. Although we anticipate that these securities would be eligible for quotation and trading on the over-the-counter market, there can be no assurance that trading would be commenced or maintained on the over-the-counter market.
In addition, if we fail to meet Nasdaq’s listing requirements with respect to our Class A common stock, in addition to reduced liquidity, we and our stockholders could face significant material adverse consequences including:
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a determination that our Class A common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities; |
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a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and |
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a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
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The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because our Class A common stock is listed on Nasdaq, it is a covered security. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our Class A common stock, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our Class A common stock would not be a covered security and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our Class A common stock.
The requirements of being a public company, including compliance with the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, and the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, increases costs and distracts management, and we may be unable to comply with these requirements in a timely or cost-effective manner.
As a public company, we are subject to laws, regulations and requirements, certain corporate governance provisions, related regulations of the SEC and the requirements of Nasdaq, including the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Act and other applicable securities rules and regulations. Compliance with these rules and regulations require us to incur significant additional legal, accounting and other expenses that we would not incur if we were not a public company.
The Exchange Act requires, among other things, that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business and operating results. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and the national securities exchanges, establish certain requirements for the corporate governance practices of public companies. For example, as a result of becoming a public company, we have additional board committees and are required to maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. In order to maintain and, if required, improve our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting to meet this standard, significant resources and management oversight are required.
We rely on a small number of key personnel to manage compliance with these regulations, and compliance with such regulations causes additional costs to our operations and diverts management’s attention from implementing our growth strategy, which could prevent us from improving our business, results of operations and financial condition. We have made, and will continue to make, changes to our internal control over financial reporting, accounting systems disclosure controls and procedures, auditing functions and other procedures related to public reporting in order to meet our reporting obligations as a public company.
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We are an “emerging growth company” and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will result in significant savings.
We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (“JOBS Act”). For as long as we remain an “emerging growth company,” we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies.” We will remain an “emerging growth company” for up to five years or until such earlier time that we have more than $1.07 billion in annual revenues, have more than $700 million in market value of our common shares held by non-affiliates, or issue more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt over a three-year period. Further, there is no guarantee that the exemptions available to us under the JOBS Act will result in significant savings. To the extent we choose not to use exemptions from various reporting requirements under the JOBS Act, we may incur additional compliance costs, which may impact earnings and result in further diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating activities.
An active, liquid and orderly trading market for our securities may not be maintained, which could adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
An active, liquid and orderly trading market for our securities may not be maintained. Active, liquid and orderly trading markets usually result in less price volatility and more efficiency in carrying out investors’ purchase and sale orders. The market price of our securities could vary significantly as a result of a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control. In the event of a drop in the market price of our securities, you could lose a substantial part or all of your investment in our securities.
The following factors could affect the price of our securities:
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quarterly variations in our financial and operating results; |
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the public reaction to our press releases, our other public announcements and our filings with the SEC; |
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strategic actions by our competitors; |
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the failure of securities or industry analysts to cover our securities or publish research or reports about us, our business, or our market; |
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changes in revenue or earnings estimates, or changes in recommendations or withdrawal of research coverage, by equity research analysts; |
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speculation in the press or investment community; |
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sales of our securities by us or our stockholders, or the perception that such sales may occur; |
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the volume of our securities available for public sale; |
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changes in accounting principles, policies, guidance, interpretations or standards; |
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additions or departures of key management personnel; |
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actions by our stockholders; |
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general market conditions, including fluctuations in commodity prices; |
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domestic and international economic, legal and regulatory factors unrelated to our performance; and |
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the realization of any risks described under this “Risk Factors” section. |
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The stock markets in general have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price of our securities. Securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies following periods of volatility in the overall market and in the market price of a company’s securities. Such litigation, if instituted against us, could result in very substantial costs, divert our management’s attention and resources and harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
Future sales or the availability for sale of substantial amounts of our Class A common stock, or the perception that these sales may occur, could adversely affect the trading price of our Class A common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through future sales of equity securities.
Our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (as amended, the “Second Amended and Restated Charter”) authorizes us to issue 400,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, of which 62,857,624 shares were outstanding as of March 2, 2020, and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, of which 55,000 shares of Series A convertible redeemable preferred stock (“Series A preferred stock”) were outstanding as of March 2, 2020. The holders of the Series A preferred stock will have the right to convert all or any portion of their shares of Series A preferred stock into shares of Class A common stock beginning in May 2020. In addition, as of March 2, 2020, warrants to purchase up to 15,680,651 shares of our Class A common stock were outstanding and immediately exercisable.
A large percentage of our shares of common stock are held by a relatively small number of investors. We entered into registration rights agreements (the “Registration Rights Agreements”) with certain of those investors in connection with the Transaction and in connection with their subsequent purchase of Series A preferred stock and warrants pursuant to which we have filed registration statements with the SEC to facilitate potential future sales of such shares by them.
We may issue shares of our Class A common stock or other securities from time to time as consideration for future acquisitions and investments. If any such acquisition or investment is significant, the number of shares of our Class A common stock, or the number or aggregate principal amount, as the case may be, of other securities that we may issue may in turn be substantial. We may also grant registration rights covering those shares of our Class A common stock or other securities in connection with any such acquisitions and investments.
We cannot predict the effect that future sales of our Class A common stock will have on the price at which our Class A common stock trades or the size of future issuances of our Class A common stock or the effect, if any, that future issuances will have on the market price of our Class A common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of our Class A common stock, or the perception that such sales could occur, may adversely affect the trading price of our Class A common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through a future sale of, or pay for acquisitions using, our equity securities.
Certain of our principal stockholders have significant influence over us.
A large percentage of our shares of Class A common stock are held by a relatively small number of investors whose interests may conflict with that of our other common stockholders. Consequently, these holders (each of whom we refer to as a “principal stockholder”) may have significant influence over all matters that require approval by our stockholders, including the election and removal of directors and the size of our Board, any amendment to our certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or the approval of any merger or other significant corporate transaction, including a sale of substantially all of our assets. This concentration of ownership and the rights of our principal stockholders will limit the ability of our other common stockholders to influence corporate matters and, as a result, actions may be taken that they may not view as beneficial.
Furthermore, conflicts of interest could arise in the future between us, on the one hand, and our principal stockholders and their respective affiliates, including portfolio companies, on the other hand, concerning among other things, potential competitive business activities or business opportunities. Several of our principal stockholders are private equity firms or investment funds in the business of making investments in entities in a variety of industries. As a result, our principal stockholders’ existing and future portfolio companies may compete with us for investment or business opportunities. Our Second and Amended and Restated Charter provides that our directors and officers, including any of the foregoing who were designated by our principal stockholders, do not have any obligation to offer to us any corporate opportunity of which he or she may become aware prior to offering such opportunities to other entities with which they may be affiliated, subject to certain limited exceptions.
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We may amend the terms of our Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding Public Warrants. As a result, the exercise price of these warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, without approval by all of the warrant holders.
We issued 32,500,000 warrants to purchase shares of our Class A common stock (the “Public Warrants”) as part of our IPO and 15,500,000 warrants to purchase shares of our Class A common stock in a private placement that closed simultaneously with the closing of our IPO (the “Private Placement Warrants”). Our Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants were issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision but requires the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding Public Warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the Public Warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding Public Warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the Public Warrants with the consent of at least 65% of the then outstanding Public Warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
We may redeem unexpired Public Warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to warrant holders, thereby making their Public Warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem outstanding Public Warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, provided that the last reported sales price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $24.00 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. If, and when, the Public Warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. Redemption of the outstanding Public Warrants could force the warrant holders (i) to exercise their Public Warrants and pay the exercise price therefore at a time when it may be disadvantageous for them to do so, (ii) to sell their warrants at the then-current market price when they might otherwise wish to hold their Public Warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of their Public Warrants. None of the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by Matlin & Partners Acquisition Sponsor, LLC (“M&P LLC”) or its permitted transferees.
The exercise of our outstanding warrants could increase the number of shares eligible for future resale in the public market and result in dilution to our stockholders.
As of December 31, 2019, we had 9,994,635 Public Warrants and 15,500,000 Private Placement Warrants outstanding that were issued concurrently with our IPO. Each warrant is exercisable to purchase one-half of one share of Class A common stock for $5.75 per half share, or $11.50 per whole share, commencing on December 9, 2018. In addition, 2,933,333 warrants were issued to certain institutional investors in connection with the issuance of our Series A preferred stock in May 2019, which are exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock for $7.66 per share. Additionally, subject to there being shares of Series A preferred stock outstanding, we will issue an aggregate of 488,888 additional warrants in quarterly installments beginning nine months after the closing date of our issuance of Series A preferred stock in May 2019. To the extent such warrants are exercised, additional shares of our Class A common stock will be issued, which will result in dilution to the then existing holders of our Class A common stock and increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market.
The Private Placement Warrants are identical to the Public Warrants, except that, so long as they are held by M&P LLC or its permitted transferees, (i) they will not be redeemable by us, (ii) they (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) could not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by M&P LLC until December 9, 2018 and (iii) they may be exercised by M&P LLC or its permitted transferees for cash or on a cashless basis.
30
Additionally, the Company has engaged, and in the future may engage, in transactions to exchange outstanding warrants for shares of Class A common stock. Any transactions to exchange warrants for shares of Class A common stock will result in dilution to the then existing holders of our Class A common stock and increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market. Sales in the public market of substantial numbers of shares issued in connection with the exercise or exchange of warrants could adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.
Our charter and bylaws contain provisions that could discourage acquisition bids or merger proposals, which may adversely affect the market price of the Class A common stock.
Our Second Amended and Restated Charter authorizes our board of directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval. If our board of directors elects to issue preferred stock, it could be more difficult for a third party to acquire us. In addition, some provisions of the Second Amended and Restated Charter and our bylaws could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us, even if the change of control would be beneficial to and desirable by our stockholders, including:
|
• |
a classified board of directors, so that only approximately one-third of our directors are elected each year; |
|
|
• |
removal of directors by our stockholders only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2∕3% of the voting power of all outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class; |
|
|
• |
adoption, amendment or repeal of our bylaws by our stockholders only by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2∕3% of the voting power of all outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class; |
|
|
• |
amendment or repeal of the supermajority voting provisions of the Second Amended and Restated Charter described above only by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2∕3% of the voting power of all outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote on such amendment or repeal, in addition to any other vote of stockholders required by the Second Amended and Restated Charter or applicable law; |
|
|
• |
inability of our stockholders to call special meetings or act by written consent; and |
|
|
• |
advance notice provisions for stockholder proposals and nominations for elections to our board of directors to be acted upon at meetings of stockholders. |
|
The Second Amended and Restated Charter designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.
The Second Amended and Restated Charter provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (“Court of Chancery”) will, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers or other employees to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers or employees of ours arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, the Second Amended and Restated Charter or our bylaws or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers or other employees that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each case except for such claims as to which (a) the Court of Chancery determines that it does not have personal jurisdiction over an indispensable party, (b) exclusive jurisdiction is vested in a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery or (c) the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to actions arising under the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. The Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware has recently held that a Delaware corporation can only use its constitutive documents to bind a plaintiff to a particular forum where the claim involves rights or relationships that were established by or under Delaware’s corporate law. As such, these exclusive forum provisions are also not meant to apply to actions arising under the Securities Act. In any case, our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
31
Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock will be deemed to have notice of, and consented to, the provisions of our Second Amended and Restated Charter described in the preceding paragraph. This exclusive forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and such persons. Additionally, a court could determine that the exclusive forum provision is unenforceable. If a court were to find these provisions of our Second Amended and Restated Charter inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Unanticipated changes in effective tax rates or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of our income or other tax returns could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
We will be subject to income taxes in the United States, and our domestic tax liabilities will be subject to the allocation of expenses in differing jurisdictions. Our future effective tax rates could be subject to volatility or adversely affected by a number of factors, including:
|
• |
changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities; |
|
• |
expected timing and amount of the release of any tax valuation allowances; |
|
• |
tax effects of stock-based compensation; |
|
• |
costs related to intercompany restructurings; |
|
• |
changes in tax laws, regulations or interpretations thereof; and |
|
• |
lower than anticipated future earnings in jurisdictions where we have lower statutory tax rates and higher than anticipated future earnings in jurisdictions where we have higher statutory tax rates. |
In addition, we may be subject to audits of our income, sales and other transaction taxes by U.S. federal and state authorities. Outcomes from these audits could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of our operations.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.
Our principal executive offices are located at 1360 Post Oak Boulevard, Suite 1800, Houston, Texas 77056. We lease our general office space at our corporate headquarters. We have additional corporate space at 770 South Post Oak Lane, Houston, Texas 77056. This lease expires in 2023 with the option to exit the lease in 2021. We lease various other facilities, which are located across multiple basins strategically to maximize efficiency of operations and exposure to customers.
We believe that our existing facilities are adequate for our operations and our locations allow us to efficiently serve our customers. We do not believe that any single facility is material to our operations and, if necessary, we could readily obtain a replacement facility.
We are involved in various pending or potential legal actions in the ordinary course of our business. Management is unable to predict the ultimate outcome of these actions because of the inherent uncertainty of litigation. However, management believes that the most probable, ultimate resolution of these matters will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not applicable.
32
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Market Information
Our Class A common stock and warrants are currently quoted on Nasdaq under the symbols “USWS” and “USWSW,” respectively. Through November 9, 2018, our common stock and warrants were quoted under the symbols “MPAC” and “MPACW,” respectively.
Additionally, the Company is authorized to issue 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. At December 31, 2019 there were 5,500,692 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding. The shares of Class B common stock are non-economic; however, holders are entitled to one vote per share. Each share of Class B common stock, together with one unit of USWS Holdings, is exchangeable for one share of Class A common stock or, at the Company’s election, the cash equivalent to the market value of one share of Class A common stock. There is no market for our Class B common stock.
Holders of our Common Stock
As of March 2, 2020, there were 107 stockholders of record of our Class A common stock and 8 stockholders of record of our Class B common stock. The number of record holders is based upon the actual number of holders registered on the books of the Company at such date and does not include holders of shares in “street name” or persons, partnerships, associations, corporations or other entities identified in security position listings maintained by depositories.
Dividend Policy
We have not paid any dividends since our inception and we do not intend to pay regular cash dividends in the foreseeable future. We are not required to pay dividends, and our stockholders will not be guaranteed, or have contractual or other rights to receive, dividends. The declaration and payment of any future dividends will be at the sole discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon, among other things, our earnings, financial condition, capital requirements, level of indebtedness, contractual restrictions to the extent there are any with respect to the payment of dividends, and other considerations that our board of directors deems relevant.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Equity Securities
We had no sales of unregistered equity securities during the period covered by this Annual Report that were not previously reported in a Current Report on Form 8-K.
Equity Compensation Plan Information
The following table summarizes our issuance of stock option awards under our 2018 Stock Incentive Plan as of December 31, 2019:
|
(a) |
|
(b) |
(c) |
|
||
Plan Category |
Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights (1) |
|
Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights |
Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plan (excluding securities reflected in column (a)) |
|
||
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders |
|
1,068,162 |
|
$8.91 per share |
|
4,321,826 |
|
33
Item 6. Selected Financial Data.
The following table shows selected historical financial information of the Company for the periods and as of the dates indicated. The selected historical consolidated financial information of the Company was derived from the audited historical consolidated financial statements of the Company included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of future operating results. The selected consolidated financial information should be read in conjunction with “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” as well as the historical consolidated financial statements of the Company and accompanying notes included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in this Annual Report.
(in thousands, except per share amounts) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31, 2017 |
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
Successor |
|
|
Successor |
|
|
Successor |
|
|
|
Predecessor |
|
|
Predecessor |
|
|||||
|
|
Year Ended December 31, 2019 |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, 2018 |
|
|
February 2, 2017 (inception) to December 31, 2017 |
|
|
|
January 1, 2017 to February 1, 2017 |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, 2016 |
|
|||||
Statement of Operations Data: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenue |
|
$ |
514,757 |
|
|
$ |
648,847 |
|
|
$ |
466,487 |
|
|
|
$ |
32,867 |
|
|
$ |
294,755 |
|
Costs and expenses: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost of services (excluding depreciation and amortization) |
|
|
383,957 |
|
|
|
533,031 |
|
|
|
394,125 |
|
|
|
|
28,053 |
|
|
|
262,311 |
|
Depreciation and amortization |
|
|
154,149 |
|
|
|
108,440 |
|
|
|
92,430 |
|
|
|
|
4,920 |
|
|
|
66,084 |
|
Selling, general and administrative expenses |
|
|
31,856 |
|
|
|
34,497 |
|
|
|
17,601 |
|
|
|
|
1,281 |
|
|
|
9,837 |
|
Impairment loss on intangible assets |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
20,247 |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Loss on disposal of assets |
|
|
20,065 |
|
|
|
10,848 |
|
|
|
11,958 |
|
|
|
|
201 |
|
|
|
6,560 |
|
Loss from operations |
|
|
(75,270 |
) |
|
|
(37,969 |
) |
|
|
(69,874 |
) |
|
|
|
(1,588 |
) |
|
|
(50,037 |
) |
Interest expense, net |
|
|
(30,099 |
) |
|
|
(32,636 |
) |
|
|
(22,961 |
) |
|
|
|
(4,067 |
) |
|
|
(45,376 |
) |
Loss on extinguishment of debt |
|
|
(12,558 |
) |
|
|
(190 |
) |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Other income (expense) |
|
|
1,768 |
|
|
|
333 |
|
|
|
(787 |
) |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
9 |
|
Loss before income taxes |
|
|
(116,159 |
) |
|
|
(70,462 |
) |
|
|
(93,622 |
) |
|
|
|
(5,654 |
) |
|
|
(95,404 |
) |
Income tax expense (benefit) |
|
|
(77 |
) |
|
|
352 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Net loss |
|
$ |
(116,082 |
) |
|
$ |
(70,814 |
) |
|
$ |
(93,622 |
) |
|
|
$ |
(5,654 |
) |
|
$ |
(95,404 |
) |
Loss per share |
|
$ |
(2.11 |
) |
|
$ |
(1.33 |
) |
|
$ |
(1.89 |
) |
|
|
$ |
(0.11 |
) |
|
$ |
(1.93 |
) |
Balance Sheet Data: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents |
|
$ |
33,794 |
|
|
$ |
29,529 |
|
|
$ |
5,923 |
|
|
|
(b) |
|
|
$ |
5,192 |
|
|
Property and equipment, net |
|
|
441,610 |
|
|
|
331,387 |
|
|
|
251,288 |
|
|
|
(b) |
|
|
|
197,512 |
|
|
Total assets |
|
|
612,782 |
|
|
|
480,230 |
|
|
|
407,596 |
|
|
|
(b) |
|
|
|
246,895 |
|
|
Total debt including capital leases |
|
|
315,248 |
|
|
|
133,477 |
|
|
|
264,594 |
|
|
|
(b) |
|
|
|
300,633 |
|
|
Total liabilities |
|
|
426,114 |
|
|
|
239,881 |
|
|
|
363,333 |
|
|
|
(b) |
|
|
|
369,847 |
|
|
Total mezzanine equity |
|
|
38,928 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
(b) |
|
|
|
159,431 |
|
|
Total members' equity |
|
|
147,740 |
|
|
|
240,349 |
|
|
|
44,263 |
|
|
|
(b) |
|
|
|
(282,383 |
) |
|
Cash Flow Statement Data: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities |
|
$ |
74,844 |
|
|
$ |
83,469 |
|
|
$ |
47,287 |
|
|
|
$ |
(2,777 |
) |
|
$ |
22,719 |
|
Net cash used in investing activities |
|
|
(208,294 |
) |
|
|
(139,573 |
) |
|
|
(71,565 |
) |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
(18,792 |
) |
Net cash provided by financing activities |
|
|
144,818 |
|
|
|
79,714 |
|
|
|
26,316 |
|
|
|
|
1,473 |
|
|
|
1,765 |
|
Other Financial Data |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adjusted EBITDA (a) |
|
$ |
117,996 |
|
|
$ |
117,445 |
|
|
$ |
67,729 |
|
|
|
$ |
4,628 |
|
|
$ |
24,692 |
|
Capital expenditures |
|
|
209,101 |
|
|
|
147,606 |
|
|
|
(71,584 |
) |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
19,045 |
|
(a) |
Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. For a definition of Adjusted EBITDA and a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net loss, see “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below. |
(b) |
Balance sheet data only provided as of each calendar year end. |
34
EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures and should not be considered as a substitute for net income (loss), operating income (loss) or any other performance measure derived in accordance with GAAP or as an alternative to net cash provided by operating activities as a measure of our profitability or liquidity. Our management believes EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are useful because they allow external users of our consolidated financial statements, such as industry analysts, investors, lenders and rating agencies, to more effectively evaluate our operating performance, compare the results of our operations from period to period and against our peers without regard to our financing methods or capital structure and because it highlights trends in our business that may not otherwise be apparent when relying solely on GAAP measures. We present EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA because we believe EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are important supplemental measures of our performance that are frequently used by others in evaluating companies in our industry. Because EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA exclude some, but not all, items that affect net income (loss) and may vary among companies, the EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA we present may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies. We define EBITDA as earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization. We define Adjusted EBITDA as EBITDA excluding the following: loss on disposal of assets; share-based compensation; impairments, and other items that management believes to be nonrecurring in nature.
The following table presents a reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA from net loss, our most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended |
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31, 2017 |
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
(in thousands) |
|
Successor |
|
|
Successor |
|
|
Successor |
|
|
|
Predecessor |
|
|
Predecessor |
|
|||||
|
|
Year Ended December 31, 2019 |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, 2018 |
|
|
February 2, 2017 (inception) to December 31, 2017 |
|
|
|
January 1, 2017 to February 1, 2017 |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, 2016 |
|
|||||
Net loss |
|
$ |
(116,082 |
) |
|
$ |
(70,814 |
) |
|
$ |
(93,622 |
) |
|
|
$ |
(5,654 |
) |
|
$ |
(95,404 |
) |
Interest expense, net |
|
|
30,099 |
|
|
|
32,636 |
|
|
|
22,961 |
|
|
|
|
4,067 |
|
|
|
45,376 |
|
Income tax expense (benefit) |
|
|
(77 |
) |
|
|
352 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Depreciation and amortization |
|
|
154,149 |
|
|
|
108,440 |
|
|
|
92,430 |
|
|
|
|
4,920 |
|
|
|
66,084 |
|
EBITDA |
|
|
68,089 |
|
|
|
70,614 |
|
|
|
21,769 |
|
|
|
|
3,333 |
|
|
|
16,056 |
|
Loss on disposal of assets (a) |
|
|
20,065 |
|
|
|
10,848 |
|
|
|
11,958 |
|
|
|
|
201 |
|
|
|
6,560 |
|
Share based compensation (b) |
|
|
7,755 |
|
|
|
20,633 |
|
|
|
4,546 |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Impairment loss (c) |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
20,247 |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Certain non-productive time (d) |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
1,200 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Fleet start-up and relocation costs (e) |
|
|
9,085 |
|
|
|
5,056 |
|
|
|
4,190 |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Restructuring and transaction related costs (f) |
|
|
1,738 |
|
|
|
4,391 |
|
|
|
5,019 |
|
|
|
|
1,094 |
|
|
|
2,076 |
|
Fleet 6 fire (g) |
|
|
(1,294 |
) |
|
|
1,294 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Loss on extinguishment of debt (h) |
|
|
12,558 |
|
|
|
190 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Terminated vendor contract (i) |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
3,219 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Adjusted EBITDA |
|
$ |
117,996 |
|
|
$ |
117,445 |
|
|
$ |
67,729 |
|
|
|
$ |
4,628 |
|
|
$ |
24,692 |
|
(a) |
Represents net losses on the disposal of property and equipment. |
(c) |
Represents a non-cash impairment loss with respect to intangible assets. |
(d) |
Represents revenue shortfall associated with non-productive time due to sand mine issues with a customer. The delays were caused by excessive wait times at the customer’s chosen sand mine as sand mine operations were starting up and have since been addressed. Additionally, the Company has come to an agreement with the customer to better define how non-productive time caused by sand mine delays are to be split between the two parties. As such, the Company does not anticipate, nor has experienced, additional material revenue shortfalls related to delays at the customer’s sand mine moving forward. |
(e) |
Represents non-recurring costs related to the start-up and relocation of hydraulic fracturing fleets. |
(f) |
Represents non-recurring third-party professional fees and other costs including costs related to the capital restructuring and the potential sale of U.S. Well Services, LLC. |
(g) |
Represents non-recurring costs related to a fleet fire (2018) and subsequent reimbursement via insurance proceeds (2019). |
(h) |
Represents non-recurring costs related to debt extinguishment. |
(i) |
Represents non-recurring accrued costs related to disputed charges under a vendor contract that was subsequently terminated. |
35
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and related notes included within “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.” In addition to historical consolidated financial information, the following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect the Company’s plans, estimates, or beliefs. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include those discussed below and elsewhere in this Annual Report, including, without limitation, those described in the sections titled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements” and Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” of this Annual Report.
Overview
We provide high-pressure, hydraulic fracturing services in oil and natural gas basins. Both our conventional and Clean Fleet® hydraulic fracturing fleets are among the most reliable and highest performing fleets in the industry, with the capability to meet the most demanding pressure and pump rate requirements in the industry. We operate in many of the active shale and unconventional oil and natural gas basins of the United States and our clients benefit from the performance and reliability of our equipment and personnel. Specifically, all of our fleets operate on a 24-hour basis and have the ability to withstand the high utilization rates that result in more efficient operations. Our senior management team has extensive industry experience providing pressure pumping services to exploration and production companies across North America.
How the Company Generates Revenue
We generate revenue by providing hydraulic fracturing services to our customers. We own and operate a fleet of hydraulic fracturing units to perform these services. We have written contractual arrangements with our customers. Under these contracts, we charge our customers base monthly rates, adjusted for activity and provision of materials such as proppant and chemicals or we charge a per stage amount based on the nature of the stage including well pressure, pumping time, sand and chemical volumes and transportation.
Our Costs of Conducting Business
The principal costs involved in conducting our hydraulic fracturing services are materials, transportation, labor and maintenance costs. A large portion of our costs are variable, based on the number and requirements of hydraulic fracturing jobs. We manage our fixed costs, other than depreciation and amortization, based on factors including industry conditions and the expected demand for our services.
Materials include the cost of sand delivered to the basin of operations, chemicals, and other consumables used in our operations. These costs vary based on the quantity and quality of sand and chemicals utilized when providing hydraulic fracturing services. Transportation represents the costs to transport materials and equipment from receipt points to customer locations. Labor costs include payroll and benefits related to our field crews and other employees. A majority of our employees are paid on an hourly basis. Maintenance costs include preventative and other repair costs that do not require the replacement of major components of our hydraulic fracturing fleets. Maintenance and repair costs are expensed as incurred.
36
The following table presents our cost of services for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017:
Cost of Services |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended |
|
||||||
(in thousands) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31, 2017 |
|
||||||
|
|
Successor |
|
|
Successor |
|
|
Successor |
|
|
|
Predecessor |
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
February 2, 2017 |
|
|
|
January 1, 2017 |
|
||
|
|
Year Ended |
|
|
Year Ended |
|
|
(inception) to |
|
|
|
to |
|
||||
|
|
December 31, 2019 |
|
|
December 31, 2018 |
|
|
December 31, 2017 |
|
|
|
February 1, 2017 |
|
||||
Materials |
|
$ |
71,530 |
|
|
$ |
175,610 |
|
|
$ |
144,492 |
|
|
|
$ |
10,113 |
|
Transportation |
|
|
45,681 |
|
|
|
86,611 |
|
|
|
62,060 |
|
|
|
|
5,231 |
|
Labor |
|
|
124,204 |
|
|
|
107,014 |
|
|
|
76,436 |
|
|
|
|
5,083 |
|
Maintenance |
|
|
65,201 |
|
|
|
64,467 |
|
|
|
45,235 |
|
|
|
|
2,469 |
|
Other (1) |
|
|
77,341 |
|
|
|
99,329 |
|
|
|
65,902 |
|
|
|
|
5,157 |
|
Cost of services |
|
$ |