Correspondence 0000789933-22-000071 from NACCO INDUSTRIES INC (NC) (CIK 0000789933) (NC)
NACCO INDUSTRIES INC (NC) (CIK 0000789933)
Date: Dec. 20, 2022 · CIK: 0000789933 · Accession: 0000789933-22-000071
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File numbers found in text: 001-09172
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CORRESP 1 filename1.htm Document 5875 Landerbrook Drive, Suite 220 Cleveland, Ohio 44124 December 16, 2022 VIA EDGAR CORRESPONDENCE Securities and Exchange Commission Division of Corporation Finance Office of Energy & Transportation 100 F Street, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20549 Re: NACCO Industries, Inc. Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2021 Filed March 2, 2022 File No. 001-09172 Ladies and Gentlemen: On behalf of NACCO Industries, Inc. (“NACCO” or the “Company”), set forth below are responses to the comments from the staff (the “Staff”) of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) received by letter, dated November 3, 2022 (the “Comment Letter”), regarding the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 (the “10-K”). The numbered paragraphs of this letter correspond to the paragraph numbers contained in the Comment Letter and, to facilitate the Staff’s review, we have reproduced the text of the Staff’s comments in bold and italics below. Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2021 Item 2. Properties Material Mining Properties, page 33 1.We note your responses to comments 1 through 8 indicating you will revise disclosures in your Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 or future filings to comply with these comments. Due to the number of modifications to bring your filing to minimal compliance with Item 1300 of Regulation S-K, please amend your Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 and related exhibits with your proposed revisions. For each of the revisions made in response to prior comments 1 through 8, please identify the location of the revisions made to your amended filing with your next response. In response to the Staff’s comment, the Company intends to file an amended Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. The Company acknowledges that it is subject to S-K 1300. Upon further review of the SEC’s comments and as discussed with the SEC Staff on November 18, 2022, the Company determined that The Coteau Properties Company (“Coteau”), The Falkirk Mining Company (“Falkirk”) and Coyote Creek Mining Company (“Coyote Creek”) will each be classified as “Exploration Stage Properties” pursuant to Items 1300 through 1305 of Regulation S-K and therefore the Company will not estimate mineral resources and reserves for Coteau, Falkirk and Coyote Creek in accordance with Items 1300 through 1305 of Regulation S-K. Coteau, Falkirk and Coyote 1 Creek will continue to be classified as exploration stage properties until such time as proven or probable mineral reserves have been established even though they continue to deliver lignite to their respective customers. As such, in the amended 2021 Form 10-K, the Company will remove references to such mineral reserves and resources, revise the Property Disclosures accordingly and remove the Technical Report Summaries for Coteau, Falkirk and Coyote Creek. The Company will include the information regarding Coteau, Falkirk and Coyote Creek in the “Material Mining Properties” section of Item 2 in the Form 10-K under a separate subheading entitled “Material Properties with no Mineral Resources or Mineral Reserves”. The Company will continue to report mineral resources and reserves for the Red Hills Mine operated by the Mississippi Lignite Mining Company (“MLMC”). The Company will amend the 2021 Form 10-K as noted below including filing an amended Technical Report Summary (“TRS Report”) that supersedes the previously filed report to include updates as a result of the comments received from the SEC Staff. The following updates will be included in the Coal Mining section of Item 2. Properties in the Form 10-K/A for the year ended December 31, 2021: Coal Mining Segment - Operations NACCO-owned Properties 1.0 INTRODUCTION Information concerning the Company’s mining properties in this Form 10-K have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K, which first became applicable to the Company for the year ended December 31, 2021. These requirements differ significantly from the previously applicable disclosure requirements of SEC Industry Guide 7. Among other differences, subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K requires the Company to disclose its mineral resources, in addition to its mineral reserves, both in the aggregate and for each of the Company’s individually material mining properties. As used in this Report on Form 10-K, the terms “mineral resource,” “measured mineral resource,” “indicated mineral resource,” “inferred mineral resource,” “mineral reserve,” “proven mineral reserve” and “probable mineral reserve” are defined and used in accordance with subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K. Under subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K, mineral resources may not be classified as “mineral reserves” unless the determination has been made by a qualified person that the mineral resources can be the basis of an economically viable project. Readers are specifically cautioned not to assume that any part or all of the mineral deposits (including any mineral resources) in these categories will ever be converted into mineral reserves, as defined by the subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K. Readers are cautioned that, except for that portion of mineral resources classified as mineral reserves, mineral resources do not have demonstrated economic value. Inferred mineral resources are estimates based on limited geological evidence and sampling and have a too high of a degree of uncertainty as to their existence to apply relevant technical and economic factors likely to influence the prospects of economic extraction in a manner useful for evaluation of economic viability. Estimates of inferred mineral resources may not be converted to a mineral reserve. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. A significant amount of exploration must be completed in order to determine whether an inferred mineral resource may be upgraded to a higher category. Therefore, readers are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource exists, that it can be the basis of an economically viable project, or that it will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Likewise, readers are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of measured or indicated mineral resources will ever be converted to mineral reserves. See "Item 1A - “Risk Factors” on page 20. The information that follows is derived, for the most part, from, and in some instances is an extract from, the technical report summary (“TRS”) prepared in compliance with the Item 601(b)(96) and subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K. The TRS was prepared by employees of the Company. Portions of the following information are based on assumptions, qualifications and procedures that are not fully described herein. Reference should be made to the full text of the TRS, incorporated herein by reference and made a part of this Report on Form 10-K. The information regarding Coteau, Falkirk and Coyote Creek was reviewed by employees of the Company that are qualified persons as defined by subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K. 2 Coteau, Falkirk, Coyote Creek and Mississippi Lignite Mining Company (“MLMC”), each wholly-owned subsidiaries of NACCO, operate surface coal mines under long-term contracts with power generation companies pursuant to a service-based business model. The Company operates additional surface coal mines where the customer owns or controls the coal tonnages. The Company conducts activities to extract these customer-owned coal tonnages pursuant to long-term contracts. The Company has determined these properties are not subject to subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K reporting and has not estimated mineral resources or reserves for these properties in accordance with subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K. Locations of the properties subject to SEC Section 1300 reporting are shown in Figure 1.1 Surface Coal Mines Operational During 2021 Subject to SEC Section 1300 reporting. 3 Figure 1.1 Surface Coal Mines Operational During 2021 Subject to SEC Section 1300 Reporting A summary of coal production at the Mines subject to SEC Section 1300 Reporting for the past three years has been tabulated and is presented on Table 1.1 Production Summary. Tons (in millions) 2019 2020 2021 The Coteau Properties Company 13.5 12.6 12.5 The Falkirk Mining Company 7.4 7.2 7.9 Coyote Creek Mining Company 1.7 2 2 Mississippi Lignite Mining Company 2.6 2.5 3 Totals 25.2 24.3 25.4 Table 1.1 Production Summary 4 2.0 MINING PROPERTIES SUBJECT TO SUBPART 1300 OF REGULATION S-K REPORTING 2.1 Red Hills Mine — Mississippi Lignite Mining Company MLMC is the owner and operator of the Red Hills Mine. The Red Hills Mine is a lignite surface mine in production. Prior to MLMC, there were no previous mining operations on the Red Hills Mine property. The MLMC contract is the only operating coal contract in which the Company is responsible for all operating costs, capital requirements and final mine reclamation; therefore, MLMC is consolidated within NACCO’s financial statements. MLMC sells coal to its customer at a contractually agreed-upon price which adjusts monthly, primarily based on changes in the level of established indices which reflect general U.S. inflation rates. Profitability at MLMC is affected by customer demand for coal and changes in the indices that determine sales price and actual costs incurred. A summary of coal production at MLMC for the past three years has been tabulated and is presented on Table 2.1 Production Summary. Tons (in millions) 2019 2020 2021 Mississippi Lignite Mining Company 2.6 2.5 3.0 Table 2.1 Production Summary The Red Hills Mine generally produces between 2 million and 3 million tons of lignite coal annually. The Red Hills Mine started delivering coal in 2000. All production from the mine is delivered to its customer's Red Hills Power Plant. The Red Hills Mine, operated by MLMC, is located approximately 120 miles northeast of Jackson, Mississippi (Figure 2.1). The entrance to the mine is by means of a paved road located approximately one mile west of Highway 9. MLMC owns in fee approximately 7,343 acres of surface interest and 4,425 acres of coal interests. MLMC holds leases granting the right to mine approximately 5,794 acres of coal interests and the right to utilize approximately 5,597 acres of surface interests. MLMC holds subleases under which it has the right to mine approximately 1,593 acres of coal interest. The majority of the leases held by MLMC were originally acquired during the mid-1970s to the early 1980s with terms extending 50 years, many of which can be further extended by the continuation of mining operations. The lignite deposits of the Gulf Coast are found primarily in a narrow band of strata that outcrops/subcrops along the margin of the Mississippi Embayment. The potentially exploitable tertiary lignites in Mississippi are found in the Wilcox Group. The outcropping Wilcox is composed predominately of non-marine sediments deposited on a broad flat plain. The towns of Ackerman, Eupora, Starkville, Louisville, Kosciusko, and numerous smaller communities are within a 40-mile radius of the Red Hills Mine and provide a vast employment base. Furthermore, Mississippi State University (MSU) is located approximately 30 miles east of the mine in Starkville. MLMC has a history of partnership with MSU as well as the local community colleges for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research and skilled trades training. The Red Hills Mine sources power for mine office facilities and operations from 4-County Electric Power Association, and water for the mine office facilities from the Choctaw Water Association. Fuel for equipment is supplied by Dickerson Petroleum located in Kosciusko. The Red Hills Mine has, or is currently constructing, all supporting infrastructure for mining operations. Local access to the Red Hills Mine is by way of Highway 9 between Ackerman, Mississippi and Eupora, Mississippi which connects to Pensacola Road that leads to the Red Hills Mine paved access road. Pensacola Road connects with Highway 9 approximately 5 miles north of Ackerman, MS. The mine road is approximately 1 mile west from Highway 9 along Pensacola Road. Travel to the Red Hills Mine by air is possible using the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport in Jackson, Mississippi, approximately 104 miles south of the mine, and then using ground transportation, traveling via Highway 25, Highway 15, and Highway 9. Alternatively, the Golden Triangle Regional Airport is a smaller airport approximately 50 miles from the Red Hills Mine by means of Highway 82 west, Highway 15 south, and Highway 9 north. 5 The Red Hills Mine is in close proximately to river ports of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway and the Mississippi River. The Lowndes County Port is approximately 60 miles east of the mine. The Port of Greenville is approximately 135 miles west of the mine, and the Port of Vicksburg, approximately 150 miles southwest of the mine. All ports are connected by major state and federal highways. In additional to transportation via roadways, air and waterways, the Kansas City Southern (KCS) railroad has a depot located approximately 5 miles south of the mine in Ackerman, and is accessible by Highway 9 and Highway 15.MLMC currently has all permits in place for the Red Hills Mine to operate and adhere to a mine plan projected through April 2032. No mineral processing occurs at the Red Hills Mine. The geology encountered at the Red Hills Mine is stratigraphic in nature with depositional sequences of sands, silts, clays, and lignite. The vertical repetition of geologic strata facilitated a straightforward setting to establish and study the baseline geological, geochemical, geotechnical, and geohydrological conditions at the Red Hills Mine. Development of the Red Hills Mine began in 1997, with full commercial deliveries commencing in 2002. The mining operation is comprised of four major equipment fleets. Primary removal of burden is achieved with one 82-cubic yard electric-powered dragline, four large track-type push dozers, and a truck and shovel fleet utilizing a 41-cubic yard electric rope shovel. Lignite is mined using a surface miner or a hydraulic backhoe to load a fleet of end dump haul trucks, and is directly shipped to the RHPP or the lignite stockpile. The overall average quality of the mined lignite seams meets the required power plant quality specifications. Therefore, no mineral processing is performed by MLMC. The mine office facilities and original equipment fleets at the Red Hills Mine were constructed, acquired, or purchased new during the development stage of the mine. The facilities and equipment are maintained to allow for safe and efficient operation. The equipment is well maintained, in good physical condition and is either updated or replaced periodically with newer models or upgrades available to keep up with modern technology. As equipment wears out, MLMC evaluates what replacement option will be the most cost-efficient, including the evaluation of both new and used equipment. The total cost of the property and equipment, net of applicable accumulated amortization, depreciation and impairment as of December 31, 2021 is $67.9 million. The Red Hills Mine currently has no significant encumbrances to the property. No mining permit violations have been issued at the Red Hills Mine in the past ten years. One notice of violation (“NOV”) was issued in April 2020 for a water quality exceedance that was determined not to be the fault of Red Hills Mine and no further action was required. Permitting requirements are discussed in Section 17.0 of the TRS. 6 Figure 2.1 – Red Hills Mine Location Mineral resources and