Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Income Taxes.

v3.21.1
Income Taxes.
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
INCOME TAXES.
11. INCOME TAXES.

The Company recorded a provision (benefit) for income taxes as follows (in thousands):


    Years Ended December 31,  
    2020     2019  
Current provision (benefit)   $     $ (22 )
Deferred provision (benefit)     (17 )     2  
Total   $ (17 )   $ (20 )

A reconciliation of the differences between the United States statutory federal income tax rate and the effective tax rate as provided in the consolidated statements of operations is as follows:


    Years Ended December 31,  
    2020     2019  
Statutory rate     21.0 %     21.0 %
State income taxes, net of federal benefit     5.7       5.7  
Change in valuation allowance     (9.4 )     (22.4 )
Fair value adjustments     (12.7 )      
Noncontrolling interest     (3.4 )     (3.3 )
Non-deductible items     (0.4 )     (0.1 )
Other     (0.8 )     (1.0 )
Effective rate     (0.0 )%     (0.1 )%

Deferred income taxes are provided using the asset and liability method to reflect temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the tax bases of assets and liabilities using presently enacted tax rates and laws. The components of deferred income taxes included in the consolidated balance sheets were as follows (in thousands):


    December 31,  
    2020     2019  
Deferred tax assets:            
Net operating loss carryforwards   $ 61,208     $ 61,775  
Capital loss     29,684        
Disallowed interest     6,255       8,242  
R&D, Energy and AMT credits     3,864       3,864  
Pension liability     3,235       2,979  
Railcar contracts     302       379  
Stock-based compensation     441       551  
Allowance for doubtful accounts and other assets     461       578  
Property and equipment           3,325  
Other     1,963       3,458  
Total deferred tax assets     107,413       85,151  
                 
Deferred tax liabilities:                
Property and equipment     (16,243 )      
Intangibles     (749 )     (749 )
Derivatives     (4,497 )     (153 )
Other     (472 )     (437 )
Total deferred tax liabilities     (21,961 )     (1,339 )
                 
Valuation allowance     (85,688 )     (84,065 )
Net deferred tax liabilities, included in other liabilities   $ (236 )   $ (253 )

A portion of the Company’s net operating loss carryforwards are subject to provisions of the tax law that limit the use of losses incurred by a corporation prior to the date certain ownership changes occur. These limitations also apply to certain depreciation deductions associated with assets on hand at the time of the ownership change and otherwise allowable during the five-year period following the ownership change. As the five-year limitation period lapsed in 2019, these disallowed deductions are reflected in property and equipment in the schedule above but continue to be subject to the annual limitation that applies to the pre-change net operating losses. Due to the limitation on the use of net operating losses and depreciation deductions, a significant portion of these carryforwards will expire regardless of whether the Company generates future taxable income. After reducing these net operating loss carryforwards for the amount which will expire due to this limitation, the Company had remaining federal net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $227,817,000 and state net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $211,680,000 at December 31, 2020. These net operating loss carryforwards expire as follows (in thousands):


Tax Years   Federal     State  
2021–2025   $ 4,103     $  
2026–2030     9,678       56,174  
2031–2035     106,886       57,567  
2036 and after*     107,150       97,940  
Total NOLs   $ 227,817     $ 211,681  

* Includes indefinite life federal net operating losses of $77.5 million generated after 2017.


Certain of these net operating losses are not immediately available, but become available to be utilized in each of the years ended December 31, as follows (in thousands):


Year   Federal     State  
2021   $ 152,026     $ 135,458  
2022     6,308       5,318  
2023     6,308       5,318  
2024     6,308       5,135  
2025     6,308       5,089  
Beyond 2025     50,559       55,363  
Total   $ 227,817     $ 211,681  

To the extent amounts are not utilized in any year, they may be carried forward to the next year until expiration. These amounts may change if there are future additional limitations on their utilization.


Federal capital loss of $113,928,000 may be carried forward for 5 years and will expire in 2025. State capital loss of $110,279,000 may be carried forward for 5 years for most of the states in which the Company files returns and will expire in 2025.


In assessing whether the deferred tax assets are realizable, a more likely than not standard is applied. If it is determined that it is more likely than not that deferred tax assets will not be realized, a valuation allowance must be established against the deferred tax assets. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which the associated temporary differences become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in making this assessment.


A valuation allowance was established in the amount of $85,688,000 and $84,065,000 as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, based on the Company’s assessment of the future realizability of certain deferred tax assets. The valuation allowance on deferred tax assets is related to future deductible temporary differences and net operating loss carryforwards for which the Company has concluded it is more likely than not that these items will not be realized in the ordinary course of operations.


For the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company recorded an increase in valuation allowance of $1,623,000. This was primarily the offsetting impact of an increase in deferred tax assets associated with the capital loss carryforward offset by changes in depreciation and other adjustments associated with property plant and equipment, and mark-to-market adjustment related to derivatives in 2020. For the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company recorded an increase in the valuation allowance of $43,477,000. Of this increase, $22,641,000 was primarily the offsetting impact of an increase in deferred tax assets associated with additional net operating losses in 2019. The remaining increase of $20,836,000 relates to a deferred asset related to previously disallowed depreciation discussed above.


The Company is subject to income tax in the United States federal jurisdiction and various state jurisdictions and has identified its federal tax return and tax returns in state jurisdictions below as “major” tax filings. These jurisdictions, along with the years still open to audit under the applicable statutes of limitation, are as follows:


Jurisdiction   Tax Years
Federal   2017 – 2019
Alabama   2017 – 2019
Arizona   2016 – 2019
Arkansas   2017 – 2019
California   2016 – 2019
Colorado   2015 – 2019
Connecticut   2017 – 2019
Georgia   2017 – 2019
Idaho   2017 – 2019
Illinois   2017 – 2019
Indiana   2017 – 2019
Iowa   2017 – 2019
Kansas   2017 – 2019
Louisiana   2017 – 2019
Michigan   2017 – 2019
Minnesota   2017 – 2019
Mississippi   2017 – 2019
Missouri   2017 – 2019
Nebraska   2017 – 2019
New Mexico   2017 – 2019
Oklahoma   2017 – 2019
Oregon   2017 – 2019
Pennsylvania   2017 – 2019
Rhode Island   2017 – 2019
South Carolina   2017 – 2019
Tennessee   2017 – 2019
Texas   2016 – 2019

However, because the Company had net operating losses and credits carried forward in several of the jurisdictions, including the United States federal and California jurisdictions, certain items attributable to closed tax years are still subject to adjustment by applicable taxing authorities through an adjustment to tax attributes carried forward to open years.