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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2023
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
 
REFERENCES TO THE COMPANY

Unless context otherwise indicates, the terms we, us, our, Comstock, or the Company mean Comstock Inc., and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis.

BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND PRINCIPLES OF CONSOLIDATION

The condensed consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP") and include the accounts of Comstock Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Comstock Fuels Corporation ("Comstock Fuels"), Comstock Metals Corporation ("Comstock Metals") and its 88.22% owned subsidiary LINICO Corporation ("LINICO"), Comstock Innovation Corporation (“Comstock Innovations”), Comstock IP Holdings LLC ("Comstock IP Holdings"), Comstock Engineering Corporation ("Comstock Engineering"), Comstock Mining LLC, Comstock Processing LLC, Comstock Northern Exploration LLC, Comstock Exploration and Development LLC, Comstock Real Estate Inc., Comstock Industrial LLC, MANA Corporation ("MANA"), Downtown Silver Springs LLC ("DTSS") and MCU Philippines, since its acquisition in June 2022. Intercompany transactions have been eliminated. The condensed consolidated financial statements do not include all disclosures required of annual consolidated financial statements and, accordingly, should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.

Operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2023 may not be indicative of full year 2023 results.
 
In management's opinion, the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements contain all adjustments necessary for a fair statement of our financial position as of March 31, 2023, and our results of operations, changes in equity and cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022.

DESCRIPTION OF THE BUSINESS

Comstock innovates technologies that enable systemic decarbonization and circularity by efficiently converting under-utilized waste and renewable natural resources into fuels, metals and electrification products that contribute to balancing global uses and emissions of carbon and accelerate more efficient and effective mineral and material discoveries.

Our strategic plan is based on innovating and enabling material science solutions and using our technologies to reduce reliance on long cycle fossil fuels, to shift to and maximize throughput of short cycle fuels, and to lead and support the adoption and growth of a profitable, balanced short cycle ecosystem that continuously offsets, recycles, and/or neutralizes carbon emissions.

Comstock Fuels – Most renewable fuels draw from the same feedstock pool, but the total supply can only meet a small fraction of the demand. Our technologies unblock that constraint by converting abundant but underutilized lignocellulosic biomass into biointermediates for refining into renewable fuels. Our team recently demonstrated commercial readiness with unprecedented yields approaching 100 gallons of fuel per dry ton of feedstock on a gasoline gallon equivalent basis.

Comstock Metals – The world is focused on the production of energy generation and storage technologies to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, including lithium-ion batteries (“LIBs”), photovoltaics, and fuel cells. Each of these technologies relies on scarce critical metals, increasing global demand for primary metal mining and recycling. During 2022, we deployed a pilot system to validate technologies for use in efficiently crushing, conditioning, extracting, and recycling high purity metal concentrates from these types of electronic devices. We also expanded our leadership team, permitted a universal waste storage facility and, opportunistically entered into an agreement to sell an existing facility for net estimated cash proceeds of over $14 million.

Comstock Mining – We own or control twelve square miles of patented mining claims, unpatented mining claims, and surface parcels, covering six and a half miles of continuous mineral strike length. We recently facilitated two SK-1300 technical reports confirming Measured and Indicated resources of 605,000 ounces of gold and 5,880,000 ounces of silver, plus Inferred resources of 297,000 ounces of gold and 2,572,000 ounces of silver. We have amassed one of the largest historical and current data repository for the Comstock historic district and plan on enhancing that data with hyperspectral orbital imaging and generative artificial intelligence (“AI”) solutions that provide prospecting analytics and enable more effective mineral discovery.
Artificial Intelligence –Quantum Generative Materials LLC ("GenMat"), our 48% owned subsidiary, has developed and launched a new generative AI to simulate critical properties of known materials during calibration testing late last year. GenMat also used its AI to simulate new material characteristics and these generative AI models can be employed today for commercial use on their existing high-performance computing platform, well before quantum computers become mainstream.

The Company’s strategic investments in the further demonstrate our commitment to sustainable innovation. Sierra Springs Opportunity Fund ("SSOF") and its subsidiaries support responsible, sustainable economic growth in Silver Springs, NV and our northern Nevada communities.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared on the going concern basis of accounting that assumes the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the ordinary course of business. The Company has had recurring net losses from operations and had an accumulated deficit of $297.2 million at March 31, 2023. For the three months ended March 31, 2023, the Company recognized a net loss of $5.7 million and cash and cash equivalents increased by $5.6 million from $2.5 million at December 31, 2022 to $8.1 million at March 31, 2023. The Company intends to fund our operations over the next twelve months from existing cash and cash equivalents, planned sales of non-strategic assets and other investments, planned licensing, sales and cash inflows from our lignocellulosic and metal recycling technologies and related engineering services. Based on these expected funding sources, management believes the Company will have sufficient funds to sustain our operations and meet our commitments under our investment agreements during the 12 months following the date of issuance of the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included herein. While the Company has been successful in the past in obtaining the necessary capital to support our operations, including registered equity financings from our existing shelf registration statement, non-registered equity placements, borrowings and various other means, there is no assurance the Company will be able to obtain additional equity capital or other financing, if needed. Risks to our liquidity include future operating expenditures above management’s expectations, including but not limited to research and development, pre-development, exploration, selling, general and administrative, and investment related expenditures in excess of sale proceeds from our non-strategic assets and other investments, amounts to be raised from the issuance of equity under our existing shelf registration statement, and repayments of the advances to SSOF. Risks to our liquidity also include declines in the market value of properties planned for sale, or declines in the share price of our common stock that would adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. If we are unable to obtain any necessary additional funds, this could have an immediate material adverse effect on liquidity and raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. In such case, we could be required to limit or discontinue certain business plans, activities or operations, reduce or delay certain capital expenditures or investments, and/or sell certain assets or businesses. There can be no assurance that we would be able to take any such actions on favorable terms, in a timely manner, or at all.

RECLASSIFICATIONS

Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the 2023 financial statement presentation. Reclassifications had no effect on net income (loss) or cash flows as previously reported.

RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

In June 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-03 (Topic 820) Fair Value Measurement of Equity Securities Subject to Contractual Sale Restrictions. The new guidance clarifies a contractual restriction on the sale of an equity security is not considered part of the unit of account of the equity security and, therefore, is not considered in measuring fair value, and an entity cannot, as a separate unit of account, recognize and measure a contractual sale restriction. The amendments require certain disclosures for equity securities subject to contractual sale restrictions, including the fair value of equity securities subject to contractual sale restrictions reflected in the balance sheet, the nature and remaining duration of the restriction, and the circumstances that could cause a lapse in the restriction. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on our consolidated financial statements.

Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards if currently adopted would have a material effect on the accompanying financial statements.