SEC Company Response from DALECO RESOURCES CORP (CIK 0000746967) — May 26, 2005
DALECO RESOURCES CORP (CIK 0000746967)
Date: May 26, 2005 · CIK: 0000746967 · Accession: 0000950116-05-002007
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
Referenced dates: April 12, 2005, April 20, 2005
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CORRESP
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filename1.htm
Prepared and filed by St Ives Burrups
LAW OFFICES OF
EHMANN, VAN DENBERGH, TRAINOR & SCOTT, P.C.
TWO PENN CENTER PLAZA, SUITE 220
TELEPHONE: (215) 851-9800
1500 JOHN F. KENNEDY BOULEVARD
DIRECT DIAL: Ext. 222
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA 19102
FAX: (215) 851-9820
May 4, 2005
VIA FAX
Securities and Exchange Commission
Division of Corporate Finance
450 Fifth Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20549-00405
ATTN: Mr. Kevin Stertzel
Fax No: 202-942-9528
Re:
Daleco Resources Corporation
File No: 0-12214
Gentlemen:
By letter dated April 12, 2005, the Staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) (“Staff”) provided comments (“Comment Letter”) to Daleco Resources Corporation’s (“Daleco”, the “Company” or “Registrant”) Form 10-KSB filed with the SEC on January 18, 2005 and Form 10-KSB/A filed February 3, 2005 (“10-K”). By letter dated April 20, 2005, the Staff granted the Registrant until May 4, 2005 in which to respond to the Comment Letter. For ease of reference, we have incorporated the Staff’s comments, with Daleco’s comments immediately following.
Comment #1.
Note 2D. Site Restoration, Dismantlement and Abandonment Costs. page 48
1.
We note your accounting policy disclosure and it appears that you have not adopted the provisions of SFAS 143. On a supplemental basis, please provide us with an analysis of your asset retirement obligations, including the disclosures normally required in accordance with paragraph 22c. of SPAS 143. At a minimum, we would expect this to include all plugging and abandonment costs associated with your oil & gas wells, and also any reclamation costs incurred from mining activities.
EHMANN, VAN DENBERGH, TRAINOR & SCOTT, P.C.
Page 2
Answer:
The Company is aware of the provisions of SFAS 143 as they relate to anticipated oil and gas well plugging and mine reclamation expenditures. The Company’s position with respect to each of these areas are discussed below:
SFAS 143: Disclosures:
22. An entity shall disclose the following information about its asset retirement obligations:
a. A general description of the asset retirement obligations and the associated long-lived assets.
b. The fair value of assets that are legally restricted for purposes of settling asset retirement obligations.
c. A reconciliation of the beginning and ending aggregate carrying amount of asset retirement obligations showing separately the changes attributable to (1) liabilities incurred in the current period, (2) liabilities settled in the current period, (3) accretion expense, and (4) revisions in estimated cash flows, whenever there is a significant change in one of more of those four components during the reporting period.
If the fair value of an asset retirement obligation cannot be reasonably estimated, that fact and the reasons there for shall be disclosed.
Oil and Gas Well Abandonment Costs
As indicated in the Company’s financial statements, the Company believes that the projected salvage value of the residual lease and well equipment on its various properties will be sufficient to cover the various expenditures associated with well abandonment. This position is based on the Company’s historical ability to sell off its marginal properties prior to their eminent abandonment to local operators and /or to “sell” wells slated for abandonment to equipment salvage operators for their assumption of all plugging and abandonment obligations. Over the last several years, the Company has disposed of numerous wells in this manor. There is no reason based on the current state of the oil and gas industry to believe that these types of “well divestment” opportunities will not continue. As such, no abandonment obligations have been recorded on the financial statements. The Company also
maintains/complies with the various State bonding requirements dealing with future plugging obligations etc to cover “orphan well” situations.
Mine Site Reclamation Costs
The Company has not accrued on its financial statements any costs associated with the potential reclamation cost for its mineral extraction sites. As indicated in those statements, the Company typically conducts it mining operations through the use of site-specific contract operators. Under its agreements with its operators, the costs associated with the potential near term (initial year etc) site abandonment and reclamation costs are the obligation of the operators. Since the Company’s mineral deposits have just entered or now approaching the startup of significant extraction efforts the costs associated with any reclamation work is subject to the site
EHMANN, VAN DENBERGH, TRAINOR & SCOTT, P.C.
Page 3
management agreements. As the extraction work expands and extends beyond the initial operating years, the Company will include information relative to its percentage of indicated future site reclamation costs in its financial reports.
Comments #2.
Note 5- Mineral Properties, page 50
2.
We note the value assigned to your mineral properties and your related disclosures. It appears from your filings that the value assigned to these properties has not changed since your acquisition in year 2000. We also note from the explanatory paragraph within the Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Finn that the Company “has uncertainty relative to full recoverability of its assets including Clean Age Minerals, Incorporated”. It also appears from your filing that you have been unable to move these properties beyond an exploratory stage. Please provide us with a copy of your impairment analysis prepared in accordance with SEAS 144, and any supplemental support for your conclusion that the recoverability for amounts invested in these properties are not impaired.
Answer:
As indicated in SFAS 144, for the purpose of our financial statements, impairment is the condition that exists when the carrying amount of the long-lived asset (asset group) exceeds its fair value. In the case of the book carrying value of the Clean Age Minerals deposits, the Company “booked” these assets at their cost. At the time of acquisition the “booked cost basis “ was calculated to a value equivalent to approximately $0.006 per indicated ton of resource acquired. As such, the Company has a very conservative book value basis for its properties as compared to the indicated fair value of the various mineral deposits as identified in the geological reports. Furthermore, based on the apparent market acceptance of the various products now being offered (Sierra Gold ™ and ReNuGen™) and the margins being realized, there does not appear to be any basis for
“impairing” the carrying value of the individual properties at this time.
To assure that the commercialization efforts for the various mineral deposits are moved forward, the Company has entered into various operating arrangements with third party entities involved in the mining and/or marketing of industrial minerals. The execution of these various arrangements has been reported in the Company’s financial statements and in other required filings. (See Form 8-K dated December 3, 2004, Form 8-K dated February 17, 2005 and Form 8-K dated March 16, 2005.)
For reference, the following table is provided which reflects the company’s current internal assessment of the properties’ value versus their book carry values. The assessment takes into consideration the terms of the company’s various operating agreements (see above), expected cost structure and the targeted development
and marketing plans for the various minerals deposits.
EHMANN, VAN DENBERGH, TRAINOR & SCOTT, P.C.
Page 4
Carrying Value
Projected Value
Property
Original
Current
Cum CF
NPV@10%
CaCO3
$
2,731,972
$
2,479,972
$
8,807,400
$
3,000,043
Kaolin
$
3,572,578
$
3,560,578
$
92,967,994
$
28,308,079
Zeolite
$
6,304,550
$
6,268,550
$
307,439,675
$
92,484,030
As indicated no impairment is indicated at this time.
Note 6— Patents and Technology, page 51
3.
We note your disclosure relative to your subsidiary “16/6 Inc.” and its patent application denial in 2003. Please tell us and disclose the amount of assets included within you financial statements associated with this subsidiary and the related technology for all years presented We note within your subsequent event disclosures the sale of this technology for an undisclosed amount. Please modify your disclosures to indicate the value of the subsequent transaction and any expected gain or loss on sale. Please note, to date, we are unable to locate a registration statement filed in the name of the acquiring entity as anticipated by your disclosures.
Answer.
Under the terms of an Asset Acquisition Agreement (“AAA”) dated December 1, 2004 by and among PSNet Communications (Later merged with Ostara Corporation) and Daleco Resources Corporation, Daleco sold its I-Squared and I-Top information technologies to PSNet for 3,000,000 unrestricted common shares and the warrant rights to acquire an additional 15,000,000 shares. The warrants rights are for a period of one year and have an escalating exercise price starting at $2.00 per share and rising to $8.00 per share on a quarterly basis. That transaction had a targeted closing date of March 2005. At the time of the signing on the AAA PSNet was a private entity that was targeting a public offering and registration of its securities in March 2005. As such the no specific value could be placed on the PSNet securities. Subsequent to the PSNet/Daleco transaction PSNet was acquired
by/merged with Ostara Corporation (“Ostara”) a publicly traded entity with Ostara assuming the obligations of PSNet as the successor entity.
Ostara initiated the actual transfer of securities (Ostara Common Stock & Warrants) commenced on March 31, 2005.
In December 2004, the Daleco assets subject to the terms of the transaction had a Book Value Basis (“BVB”) of $542,621. Since PSNet’s securities were not registered under the ‘33 Act, but subject to a demand registration, Daleco treated the transaction as “swap” of assets of equivalent value. It therefore transferred the BVB of the IT assets divested to the securities it received for book purposes. No value was assigned to the warrant rights since they were priced significantly “out-of-the-money” market wise compared to the near term trading value of the stock received. 2,000,050 shares of the Ostara common
EHMANN, VAN DENBERGH, TRAINOR & SCOTT, P.C.
Page 5
stock and equivalent warrant rights were delivered to Daleco’s shareholders as a special dividend in accordance with the AAA. This Distribution also commenced on March 31, 2005 and was managed directly by Ostara’s stock transfer agent, PacWest Transfer.
We believe that the expected gain is the same subject as contingent gain discussed under FAS 5, paragraph 17 which prohibits the recognition and disclosure of contingent gain.
17. The board has not reconsidered ARB 50 with respect to gain contingencies. Accordingly, the following provisions of paragraphs 3 and 5 of that Bulletin shall continue in effect:
a. Contingencies that might result in gains usually are not reflected in the accounts since to do so might be to recognize revenue prior to its realization.
b. Adequate disclosure shall be made of contingencies that might result in gains, but care shall be exercised to avoid misleading implications as to the likelihood of realization.
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on Supplemental Financial information, page 65
4.
We note the additional opinion included within your filing but are unclear as to the information to which it opines. It would appear the report is intended for the information included within pages 66-71 of your filing; however, the report refers to pages 70-75. Also, to the extent the opinion covers pages 66-71 of your filing, tell us how your independent registered accountants are able to opine on the fairness of quantities presented for oil and gas reserves.
Answer:
The Opinion was intended to refer to Schedules V, VI and X of the Registrant’s 10-K. Future filings will only contain a reference to the Schedules and not pages.
Measure of Discounted Future Net Cash Flow from Estimated Production Proved Oil and Gas Reserves Standardized, page 70.
5.
We note within your presentation of the standardized measure the absence of any expected future income taxes. Please note, that only loss carry forwards pertaining to oil and gas activities can be considered for the determination of future income taxes for this measure. Please refer to paragraph 30c. of SFAS 69. If your measure considers loss carry forwards that are the result of non-oil & gas activities, please modify your presentation accordingly.
Answer:
The net loss carry forward reported in the financial statements relates to the Company’s oil and gas activities and therefore is applicable to the calculation. We will clarify in future reports that the NOL is available only against Oil and Gas revenues and activities.
EHMANN, VAN DENBERGH, TRAINOR & SCOTT, P.C.
Page 6
Petroleum Engineering Comments
Description of Business, page 1
Proved Reserves, page 9
6.
We note the statement that your reserve estimates for your in-house staff computed your Appalachian properties based on internally generated decline curves for each well. Please provide us with these internally generated decline curves showing the well’s actual production and your estimate of future production for the well on the same graph.
Answer:
The requested production curves for the various wells have been included. (See attached). By way of further answer, the State of West Virginia tax assessment on select wells have also been attached for reference. Note that the assessments are based on the reserve value assigned for each well by the State of West, Virginia.
7.
Supplementary describe the qualifications of the in-house staff that performed the Appalachian reserve estimates. We may have further comments.
Answer:
Mr. Novinskie is a 1972 graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering. Mr. Novinskie worked with Amoco Oil Company as a Petroleum Engineer for approximately 10 years. While with Amoco and holding the position of reservoir engineering supervisor, he worked as one on the Company’s representatives on the industry panel for the development of initial reserve recognition accounting guidelines. In 1981, Mr. Novinskie left Amoco to work for Omni Exploration a small, public independent oil and gas exploration and production Company. Mr. Novinskie rose from the position of a regional Petroleum Engineer to President of the Company. In 1987 Omni was sold to Carin Energy. Mr. Novinskie then was employed by the Huntington Bank, in Columbus, Ohio as a Vice President in the Energy Lending Department and Chief Oil and Gas Technical Officer. In this capacity, Mr. Novinskie and his
technical staff were responsible for the direct and oversight evaluations of several thousand Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia wells comprising the bank’s loan portfolio. Wh