Nicholasville Energy Corp. (the “Company”), an SEC registrant,
operates three manufacturing facilities in the United States. The
Company manufactures various household cleaning products at each
facility, which are sold to retail customers. The U.S. government
granted the Company emission allowances (EAs) of varying useable
years (i.e., the years in which the allowance may be used) to be
used between 2015 and 2030. Upon receipt of the EAs, the Company
recorded the EAs as intangible assets with a cost basis of zero, in
accordance with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
accounting guidance for EAs. The Company has a fiscal year end of
December 31. As background, in an effort to control or reduce the
emission of pollutants and greenhouse gases, governing bodies
typically issue rights or EAs to entities to emit a specified level
of pollutants. Each individual EA has a useable year designation.
EAs with the same useable year designation are fungible and can be
used by any party to satisfy pollution control obligations.
Entities can choose to buy EAs from, and sell EAs to, other
entities. Such transactions are typically initiated through a
broker. At the end of a compliance period, participating entities
are required to either (1) deliver to the governing bodies EAs
sufficient to offset the entity's actual emissions or (2) pay a
fine. The Company currently emits a significant amount of
greenhouse gases because of its antiquated manufacturing
facilities. The Company plans to upgrade its facilities in 2022,
which will decrease greenhouse gas emissions to a very low level.
On the basis of the timing of the upgrade, the Company currently
anticipates a need for additional EAs in fiscal years 2020–2022.
However, upon completion of the upgrade, the Company believes it
will have excess EAs in fiscal years subsequent to 2022 because of
reduced emissions as a result of the upgrade. The Company currently
has forecasted the updates to its facilities will cost
approximately $15 million. As the Company operates in a capital
intensive industry, analysts and investors focus on a number of
important ratios and measures, including working capital, capital
expenditures, cash flows from operations, and free cash flow. As a
result, the board of directors and management provide
forward-looking guidance on these ratios and measures and expend
great effort managing these results in light of the Company’s
operational needs. The Company entered into the following two
separate transactions in fiscal year 2019, which will impact the
Company’s results as presented in the statement of cash flows,
which the Company prepares under the indirect method. 1. To meet
its need for additional EAs in fiscal years 2020–2022, on April 2,
2019, the Company spent $6.5 million to purchase EAs with a useable
year of 2021 from Versailles Manufacturing Corp. 2. In an effort to
offset the costs of the April 2, 2019, purchase of 2019 EAs, the
Company sold EAs with a useable year of 2023 to Harrodsburg
Chemical Corp. for $5 million. Required: 1. What is the appropriate
classification in the statement of cash flows in the Company’s
December 31, 2019, financial statements for its purchase of 2021
EAs from Versailles Manufacturing Corp.? 2. What is the appropriate
classification in the statement of cash flows in the Company’s
December 31, 2019, financial statements for its sale of 2023 EAs to
Harrodsburg Chemical Corp.? Be sure to cite appropriate
authoritative support for your answer from the Accounting Standards
Codification.