| SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | NOTE 3 – SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation These consolidated financial statements are presented in United States dollars and have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”). The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Western and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Western Uranium Corp. (Utah), PRM, Black Range, Black Range Copper Inc., Ranger Resources Inc., Black Range Minerals Inc., Black Range Minerals Colorado LLC, Black Range Minerals Wyoming LLC, Haggerty Resources LLC, Ranger Alaska LLC, Black Range Minerals Utah LLC, Black Range Minerals Ablation Holdings Inc. and Black Range Development Utah LLC. All significant inter-company transactions and balances have been eliminated upon consolidation. The Company has established the existence of mineralized materials for certain uranium projects. The Company has not established proven or probable reserves, as defined by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under Industry Guide 7, through the completion of a “final” or “bankable” feasibility study for any of its uranium projects. Exploration Stage In accordance with U.S. GAAP, expenditures relating to the acquisition of mineral rights are initially capitalized as incurred while exploration and pre-extraction expenditures are expensed as incurred until such time the Company exits the Exploration Stage by establishing proven or probable reserves. Expenditures relating to exploration activities such as drill programs to search for additional mineralized materials are expensed as incurred. Expenditures relating to pre-extraction activities such as the construction of mine wellfields, ion exchange facilities and disposal wells are expensed as incurred until such time proven or probable reserves are established for that uranium project, after which subsequent expenditures relating to mine development activities for that particular project are capitalized as incurred. Companies in the Production Stage as defined under Industry Guide 7, having established proven and probable reserves and exited the Exploration Stage, typically capitalize expenditures relating to ongoing development activities, with corresponding depletion calculated over proven and probable reserves using the units-of-production method and allocated to future reporting periods to inventory and, as that inventory is sold, to cost of goods sold. The Company is in the Exploration Stage which has resulted in the Company reporting larger losses than if it had been in the Production Stage due to the expensing, instead of capitalizing, of expenditures relating to ongoing mill and mine development activities. Additionally, there would be no corresponding amortization allocated to future reporting periods of the Company since those costs would have been expensed previously, resulting in both lower inventory costs and cost of goods sold and results of operations with higher gross profits and lower losses than if the Company had been in the Production Stage. Any capitalized costs, such as expenditures relating to the acquisition of mineral rights, are depleted over the estimated extraction life using the straight-line method. As a result, the Company’s consolidated financial statements may not be directly comparable to the financial statements of companies in the Production Stage. Use of Estimates The preparation of these consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and revenues and expenses during the periods reported. By their nature, these estimates are subject to measurement uncertainty and the effects on the financial statements of changes in such estimates in future periods could be significant. Significant areas requiring management’s estimates and assumptions include determining the fair value of transactions involving common stock, assessment of the useful life and evaluation for impairment of intangible assets, valuation and impairment assessments on mineral properties, deferred contingent consideration, and the reclamation liability, valuation of stock-based compensation, valuation of available-for-sale securities and valuation of long-term debt. Other areas requiring estimates include allocations of expenditures, depletion and amortization of mineral rights and properties. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Foreign Currency Translation The reporting currency of the Company, including its subsidiaries, is the United States dollar. The financial statements of subsidiaries located outside of the U.S. are measured in their functional currency, which is the local currency. The functional currency of the parent (Western Uranium & Vanadium Corp. (Ontario)) is the Canadian dollar. Monetary assets and liabilities of these subsidiaries are translated at the exchange rates at the balance sheet date. Income and expense items are translated using average monthly exchange rates. Non-monetary assets are translated at their historical exchange rates. Translation adjustments are included in accumulated other comprehensive loss in the consolidated balance sheets. Segment Information The Company determines its reporting units in accordance with FASB ASC 280, “ Segment Reporting Cash and Cash Equivalents The Company considers all highly-liquid instruments with an original maturity of three months or less at the time of issuance to be cash equivalents. As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company had no cash equivalents. Marketable Securities The Company classifies its marketable securities as available-for-sale securities, which are carried at their fair value based on the quoted market prices of the securities with unrealized gains and losses reported as accumulated comprehensive income (loss), a separate component of shareholders’ equity. Realized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities are included in net earnings in the period earned or incurred. Restricted Cash Certain cash balances are restricted as they relate to deposits with banks that have been assigned to state reclamation authorities in the United States to secure various reclamation guarantees with respect to mineral properties in Utah, Alaska and Colorado. As these funds are not available for general corporate purposes and secure the long term reclamation liability (see Note 6), they have been separately disclosed and classified as long-term. Revenue Recognition The Company leases certain of its mineral properties for the exploration and production of oil and gas reserves. The Company accounts for lease revenue in accordance with ASC 840 “Leases”. Lease payments received in advance are deferred and recognized on a straight – line basis over the related lease term associated with the prepayment. Royalty payments are recognized as revenues when received. Fair Values of Financial Instruments The carrying amounts of cash, restricted cash, accounts payable, accrued liabilities, and notes payable approximate their fair value due to the short-term nature of these instruments. Marketable securities are adjusted to fair value at each balance sheet date based on quoted prices which are considered level 1 inputs. The reclamation deposits, which are reflected in restricted cash on the consolidated balance sheets, are deposits mainly invested in certificates of deposit at major financial institutions and their fair values were estimated to approximate their carrying values. The Company’s operations and financing activities are conducted primarily in United States dollars and as a result, the Company is not subject to significant exposure to market risks from changes in foreign currency rates. The Company is exposed to credit risk through its cash and restricted cash, but mitigates this risk by keeping these deposits at major financial institutions. ASC 820 “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” provides the framework for measuring fair value. That framework provides a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (level 3 measurements). Fair value is defined as an exit price, representing the amount that would be received upon the sale of an asset or payment to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. Fair value is a market-based measurement that is determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability. A three-tier fair value hierarchy is used to prioritize the inputs in measuring fair value as follows: Fair Values of Financial Instruments Level 1 Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Level 2 Quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable, either directly or indirectly. Level 3 Significant unobservable inputs that cannot be corroborated by market data. The fair value of the Company’s financial instruments are as follows: Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets or Liabilities (Level 1) Quoted
Prices for Similar Assets or Liabilities in Active Markets (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs Marketable securities as of December 31, 2018 $ 4,781 $ - $ - Marketable securities as of December 31, 2017 $ 3,123 $ - $ - Mineral Properties Acquisition costs of mineral properties are capitalized as incurred while
exploration and pre-extraction expenditures are expensed as incurred until such time the Company exits the
Exploration Stage by establishing proven or probable reserves, as defined by the SEC under Industry Guide 7, through the completion of a “final” or “bankable” feasibility study. Expenditures relating to exploration activities are expensed as incurred and expenditures relating to pre-extraction activities are expensed as incurred until such time proven or probable reserves are established for that project, after which subsequent expenditures relating to development activities for that particular project are capitalized as incurred. Where proven and probable reserves have been established, the project’s capitalized expenditures are depleted over proven and probable reserves upon commencement of production using the units-of-production method. Where proven and probable reserves have not been established, such capitalized expenditures are depleted over the estimated production life upon commencement of extraction using the straight-line method. The Company has not established proven or probable reserves for any of its projects. The carrying values of the mineral properties are assessed for impairment by management. Impairment of Long-Lived Assets The Company reviews and evaluates its long-lived assets for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the related carrying amounts may not be recoverable. Impairment is considered to exist if the total estimated future cash flows on an undiscounted basis are less than the carrying amount of the assets. An impairment loss is measured and recorded based on discounted estimated future cash flows or upon an estimate of fair value that may be received in an exchange transaction. Future cash flows are estimated based on estimated quantities of recoverable minerals, expected U3O8 prices (considering current and historical prices, trends and related factors), production levels, operating costs of production and capital and restoration and reclamation costs, based upon the projected remaining future uranium production from each project. The Company’s long-lived assets (which include its mineral assets and ablation intellectual property) were acquired during the end of 2014 and in 2015 in arms-length transactions. As of December 31, 2018, the Company evaluated the total estimated future cash flows on an undiscounted basis for its mineral properties and ablation intellectual property and determined that no impairment was deemed to exist. Estimates and assumptions used to assess recoverability of the Company’s long-lived assets and measure fair value of our uranium properties are subject to risk uncertainty. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could result in the impairment of its long-lived assets. In estimating future cash flows, assets are grouped at the lowest level for which there are identifiable cash flows that are largely independent of future cash flows from other asset groups. Income Taxes The Company utilizes an asset and liability approach for financial accounting and reporting for income taxes. The provision for income taxes is based upon income or loss after adjustment for those permanent items that are not considered in the determination of taxable income. Deferred income taxes represent the tax effects of differences between the financial reporting and tax basis of the Company’s assets and liabilities at the enacted tax rates in effect for the years in which the differences are expected to reverse. The Company evaluates the recoverability of deferred tax assets and establishes a valuation allowance when it is more likely than not that some portion or all the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Management makes judgments as to the interpretation of the tax laws that might be challenged upon an audit and cause changes to previous estimates of tax liability. In management’s opinion, adequate provisions for income taxes have been made. If actual taxable income by tax jurisdiction varies from estimates, additional allowances or reversals of reserves may be necessary. Tax benefits are recognized only for tax positions that are more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by tax authorities. The amount recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50 percent likely to be realized upon settlement. A liability for “unrecognized tax benefits” is recorded for any tax benefits claimed in the Company’s tax returns that do not meet these recognition and measurement standards. As of December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, no liability for unrecognized tax benefits was required to be reported. The Company’s policy for recording interest and penalties associated with tax audits is to record such items as a component of general and administrative expense. There were no amounts accrued for penalties and interest for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017. The Company does not expect its uncertain tax position to change during the next twelve months. Management is currently unaware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviations from its position. The Company has identified its federal tax return and its state tax returns in Colorado and Utah as its “major” tax jurisdictions, and such returns for the years 2014 through 2018 remain subject to examination. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) was enacted on December 22, 2017. The Tax Act reduced the U.S. federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%. As December 31, 2017, the Company had made a reasonable estimate of the effects of the Tax Act. This estimate incorporates assumptions made based upon the Company’s current interpretation of the Tax Act and may change as the Company may receive additional clarification and implementation guidance and as the interpretation of the Tax Act evolves. In accordance with SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118, the
Company has finalized the accounting for the effects of the Tax Act during the fourth quarter of 2018. Future
adjustments made to the provisional effects will be reported as a component of income tax expense in the reporting period in which any such adjustments are determined. Restoration and Remediation Costs (Asset Retirement Obligations) Various federal and state mining laws and regulations require the Company to reclaim the surface areas and restore underground water quality for its mine projects to the pre-existing mine area average quality after the completion of mining. Future reclamation and remediation costs, which include extraction equipment removal and environmental remediation, are accrued at the end of each period based on management’s best estimate of the costs expected to be incurred for each project. Such estimates are determined by the Company’s engineering studies which consider the costs of future surface and groundwater activities, current regulations, actual expenses incurred, and technology and industry standards. In accordance with ASC 410, Asset Retirement and Environmental Obligations, the Company capitalizes the measured fair value of asset retirement obligations to mineral properties. The asset retirement obligations are accreted to an undiscounted value until the time at which they are expected to be settled. The accretion expense is charged to earnings and the actual retirement costs are recorded against the asset retirement obligations when incurred. Any difference between the recorded asset retirement obligations and the actual retirement costs incurred will be recorded as a gain or loss in the period of settlement. At each reporting period, the Company reviews the assumptions used to estimate the expected cash flows required to settle the asset retirement obligations, including changes in estimated probabilities, amounts and timing of the settlement of the asset retirement obligations, as well as changes in the legal obligation requirements at each of its mineral properties. Changes in any one or more of these assumptions may cause revision of asset retirement obligations for the corresponding assets. Deferred Financing Costs Deferred financing costs represent costs incurred in connection with the issuance of debt. Once the associated debt instrument is issued, these costs would be recorded as a debt discount and amortized to interest expense using the effective interest method over the term of the related debt instrument. Upon the abandonment of a pending financing transaction, the related deferred financing costs would be charged to general and administrative expense. The Company may also issue warrants or other equity instruments in connection with the issuance of debt instruments. The equity instruments are recorded at their relative fair market value on the date of issuance which results in a debt discount which is amortized to interest expense using the effective interest method. Stock-Based Compensation The Company follows ASC 718, Compensation - Stock Compensation, which addresses the accounting for stock-based payment transactions, requiring such transactions to be accounted for using the fair value method. Awards of shares for property or services are recorded at the more readily measurable of the fair value of the stock and the fair value of the service. The Company uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to determine the grant date fair value of stock-based awards under ASC 718. The fair value is charged to earnings depending on the terms and conditions of the award, and the nature of the relationship of the recipient of the award to the Company. The Company records the grant date fair value in line with the period over which it was earned. For employees and management, this is typically considered to be the vesting period of the award. For consultants the fair value of the award is recorded over the term of the service period, and unvested amounts are revalued at each reporting period over the service period. The Company estimates the expected forfeitures and updates the valuation accordingly. Loss per Share Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares and, if dilutive, potential common shares outstanding during the period. Potential common shares consist of the incremental common shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options and warrants (using the treasury stock method). The computation of basic net loss per share for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 excludes potentially dilutive securities. The computations of net loss per share for each period presented is the same for both basic and fully diluted. Potentially dilutive securities outlined in the table below have been excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share because the effect of their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive. For the Years 2018 2017 Warrants to purchase shares of common stock 6,798,401 4,095,563 Options to purchase shares of common stock 2,416,664 1,846,996 Total potentially dilutive securities 9,215,065 5,942,559 Recent Accounting Pronouncements Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective accounting pronouncements, when adopted, will have a material effect on the accompanying consolidated financial statements, other than those disclosed below. In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, "Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments" (“ASU 2016-13”). ASU 2016-13 replaces the incurred loss model with an expected loss model, which is referred to as the current expected
credit loss (CECL) model. The CECL model is applicable to the measurement of credit losses on financial assets measured at amortized cost, including loan receivables, held-to-maturity
debt securities, and reinsurance receivables. It also applies to off-balance sheet credit exposures not accounted for as insurance (such as loan commitments, standby letters of credit, financial guarantees, and other similar instruments) and net investments in leases recognized by a lessor. For public business entities that meet the definition of an SEC filer, the standard will be effective for fiscal years beginning after Dec. 15, 2019, including interim periods in those fiscal years. For debt securities with other-than-temporary impairment, the guidance will be applied prospectively. Existing purchased credit impaired (PCI) assets will be grandfathered and classified as purchased credit deteriorated (PCD) assets at the date of adoption. The asset will be grossed up for the allowance for expected credit losses for all PCD assets at the date of adoption and will continue to recognize the noncredit discount in interest income based on the yield of such assets as of the adoption date. Subsequent changes in expected credit losses will be recorded through the allowance. For all other assets within the scope of CECL, a cumulative-effect adjustment will be recognized in retained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is effective. The Company does not believe ASU 2016-13 will have a material effect on its consolidated financial statements. In August 2016 the FASB issued Topic ASU No. 2016-15 “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230) – Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments” (“ASU 2016-15”). ASU 2016-15 clarifies diversity in practice in how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The Company adopted ASU 2016-15 on January 1, 2018 and it has not had a material impact on its consolidated statements of cash flows. In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash” (“ASU 2016-18”). ASU 2016-18 amends the classification and presentation of changes in restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents in the statement of cash flows. The Company adopted ASU 2016-18 on January 1, 2018 and it has not had a material impact on its consolidated statements of cash flows. In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update “ASU” No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) which was subsequently amended by ASU 2015-14, ASU 2016-08, ASU 2016-10, ASU 2016-12, ASU 2016-20, and ASU 2017-13. These ASUs outline a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most current revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. The guidance includes a five-step framework that requires an entity to: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer, (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract, (iii) determine the transaction price, (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract, and (v) recognize revenue when the entity satisfies a performance obligation. In July 2015, the FASB deferred the effective date of ASU 2014-09 to annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. A full retrospective or modified retrospective approach is required. The Company has adopted ASU No. 2014-09 effective January 1, 2018. The Company has elected to apply the modified retrospective method and there was no impact on the consolidated financial statements. Accordingly, the new revenue standard has been applied prospectively in the Company’s consolidated financial statements from January 1, 2018 forward and reported financial information for historical comparable periods will not be revised and will continue to be reported under the accounting standards in effect during those historical periods. The Company performed an analysis and determined that its revenues are not
within the scope of ASC 606, and as such, the Company determined that its methods of recognizing revenues have not been impacted by the new guidance. In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-03, Technical Corrections and Improvements to Financial Instruments-Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities (“ASU 2018-03”). ASU 2018-03 provided targeted improvements to address certain aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure of financial instruments. Specifically, the amendments include clarifications related to: measurement elections, transition requirements, and adjustments associated with equity securities without readily determinable fair values; fair value measurement requirements for forward contracts and purchased options on equity securities; presentation requirements for hybrid financial liabilities for which the fair value option has been elected; and measurement requirements for liabilities denominated in a foreign currency for which the fair value option has been elected. The adoption of these amendments did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-10 Leases (Topic 842), Codification Improvements and ASU 2018-11 Leases (Topic 842), Targeted Improvements, to provide additional guidance for the adoption of Topic 842. ASU 2018-10 clarifies certain provisions and correct unintended applications of the guidance such as the application of implicit rate, lessee reassessment of lease classification, and certain transition adjustments that should be recognized to earnings rather than to stockholders’ (deficit) equity. ASU 2018-11 provides an alternative transition method and practical expedient for separating contract components for the adoption of Topic 842. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02 Leases (Topic 842) which requires an entity to recognize assets and liabilities arising from a lease for both financing and operating leases with terms greater than 12 months. ASU 2018-11, ASU 2018-10, and ASU 2016-02 (collectively, “the new lease standards”) are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The Company has evaluated the effects of ASU 2018-10, and determined that there are no material impacts to the consolidated financial statements. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework-Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement (“ASU 2018-13”). The ASU was issued to improve the effectiveness of disclosures surrounding fair value measurements. The ASU removes numerous disclosures from Topic 820 including; transfers between level 1 and 2 of the fair value hierarchy, the policy for timing of transfers between levels, and the valuation process for level 3 fair value measurements. The ASU also modified and added disclosure requirements in regards to changes in unrealized gains and losses included in other comprehensive income, as well as the range and weighted average of unobservable inputs for level 3 fair value measurements. The ASU is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. The guidance is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. |
