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Equity
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022
Equity [Abstract]  
Equity

Note 11 – Equity

 

Pursuant to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (“Charter”), effective as of March 4, 2022, the total number of shares of all classes of stock that the Company has the authority to issue is 200,000,000, consisting of 190,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share.

Preferred Stock

Preferred stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series at the direction of the Board of Directors and the directors also have the ability to fix dividend rates and rights, liquidation preferences, voting rights, conversion rights, rights and terms of redemption and other rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions as determined by the Board of Directors, subject to certain limitations set forth in the Charter.

Series A Voting Preferred Stock

On March 8, 2022, the Company formalized the issuance of preferred stock as was required under the terms of the Company's May 2021 financing agreements with Energy Evolution (Master Fund), Ltd. (the “Fund”) and issued six shares of Series A Voting Preferred Stock. The Series A Voting Preferred Stock was issued in connection with the strategic investment in the Company by the Fund. For so long as the Series A Voting Preferred Stock is outstanding, the Company’s Board of Directors will consist of six directors. Three of the directors are designated as the Series A Directors and the three other directors (each, a “common director”) are elected by the holders of common stock and/or any preferred stock (other than the Series A Voting Preferred Stock) granted the right to vote on the common directors. Any Series A Director may be removed with or without cause but only by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the Series A Voting Preferred Stock voting separately and as a single class. The holders of the Series A Voting Preferred Stock have the exclusive right, voting separately and as a single class, to vote on the election, removal and/or replacement of the Series A Directors. Holders of common stock or other preferred stock do not have the right to vote on the Series A Directors. The approval of the holders of the Series A Voting Preferred Stock, voting separately and as a single class, is required to authorize any resolution or other action to issue or modify the number, voting rights or any other rights, privileges, benefits, or characteristics of the Series A Voting Preferred Stock, including without limitation, any action to modify the number, structure and/or composition of the Company’s current Board of Directors.

The Series A Voting Preferred Stock is held by Phil Mulacek, chairman of the Board of Directors and one of the principals of the Fund, as the Fund’s designee (the “Initial Holder”). The Series A Voting Preferred Stock may be transferred only to certain controlled affiliates of the Initial Holder (“Permitted Transferees”), and the voting rights of the Series A Voting Preferred Stock are contingent upon the Initial Holder and Permitted Transferees (collectively, the “Series A Holders”) holding together at least 3,000,000 shares of the Company’s outstanding common stock.

The Series A Voting Preferred Stock is not entitled to receive any dividends or distributions of cash or other property except in the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company’s affairs. In such event, before any amount is paid to the holders of the Company’s common stock but after any amount is paid to the holders of the Company’s senior securities, the holders of the Series A Voting Preferred Stock will be entitled to receive an amount per share equal to $1.00.

 

Except as discussed above or as otherwise set forth in the certificate of designation of the Series A Voting Preferred Stock, the holders of the Series A Voting Preferred Stock have no voting rights.

 

The Series A Voting Preferred Stock is not redeemable at the Company’s election or the election of any holder, except the Company may elect to redeem the Series A Voting Preferred Stock for $1.00 per share following satisfaction of its notice and cure requirements in the event that:

• any or all shares of Series A Voting Preferred Stock are held by anyone other than the Initial Holder or a Permitted Transferee; or
• the Series A Holders together hold less than 3,000,000 shares of the Company’s outstanding common stock.

 

The Series A Voting Preferred Stock is not convertible into common stock or any other security.

 

 

Common Stock

On August 27, 2021 the Company’s Board of Directors approved a one-for-four reverse stock split such that every holder of the Company’s common stock would receive one share of common stock for every four shares owned. The reverse stock split was effective as of 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time on March 7, 2022, immediately prior to the Company’s listing of its common stock on the NYSE American. All share amounts have retrospectively been stated at post-reverse split amounts and pricing.

 

The holders of shares of common stock are entitled to one vote per share for all matters on which common stockholders are authorized to vote on. Examples of matters that common stockholders are entitled to vote on include, but are not limited to, election of three of the six directors and other common voting situations afforded to common stockholders.

 

On August 7, 2020 concurrently with the Joint Development Agreement with Petroleum & Independent Exploration, LLC and related entities (“PIE”), the companies entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (“Securities Agreement”) whereby PIE purchased for $525,000 (a) 875,000 shares of Empire common stock, (b) warrants to purchase 656,250 shares of Empire common stock at an exercise price of $0.80 per share, (c) warrants to purchase 450,000 shares of Empire common stock at an exercise price of $1.00 per share, (d) warrants to purchase 2,034,129 shares of Empire common stock at an exercise price of $0.40 per share, and (c) warrants to purchase up to 2,766,666 shares of Empire common stock at an exercise price of $0.564 per share pursuant to various vesting provisions as detailed in the Securities Agreement. The value allocated to the warrants was the fair value determined using the Black-Scholes option valuation with the following assumptions:  no dividend yield, expected annual volatility of 147%, risk free interest rate of .19% and an expected useful life of 4 years. The fair value of the warrants of $450,848 was allocated to paid in capital. On March 11, 2021 the Company amended the Securities Agreement to remove the vesting provisions for the warrants and PIE exercised the warrants for an aggregate exercise price of $3,349,052 (See Note 5).

During February and March 2021, the Company issued to a group of accredited investors 2,248,464 shares of its common stock and warrants to purchase 2,248,464 shares of its common stock for $2.00 per share which expires on December 31, 2022 that would be accelerated should certain performance criteria be met. Proceeds from the sale were $3,147,850. The value allocated to the warrants was the fair value determined using the Black-Scholes option valuation with the following assumptions:  no dividend yield, expected annual volatility of 180%, risk free interest rate of .14% and an expected useful life of 21 months. The fair value of the warrants of $2,350,407 was allocated to Additional Paid in Capital. The performance criteria triggering early maturity occurred in April 2022, accelerating the warrant maturity date to July 2022. During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, 1,782,347 shares of common stock were issued as a result of warrant exercises. As of July 10, 2022, all warrants such were fully exercised.

In September and October 2022, a former director of the Company exercised warrants granted in November 2017 to purchase 475,000 shares of common stock for $1.00 per share.

 

In connection with the purchase of XTO assets the Company issued a Senior Secured Convertible Note due December 31, 2021, in the aggregate principal amount $16,250,000 (the “Secured Convertible Note”) to Energy Evolution, a related party. As partial consideration for the issuance of the Secured Convertible Note, Empire issued to Energy Evolution Ltd (i) 375,000 shares of common stock along with (ii) a warrant certificate to purchase up to 750,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $4.00 per Warrant Share until May 14, 2022. Under the warrant certificate, the exercise price is subject to customary downward adjustments. The value allocated to the common stock, conversion feature, and warrants was $10,125,177. In September 2021, the Company and the Energy Evolution Master Fund, Ltd. entered into a Loan Modification Agreement (the “Amended Secured Notes”). Under the Amended Secured Notes, among other terms the Company issued a warrant certificate to purchase up to 500,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $5.00 per Warrant Share until December 31, 2023. The exercise price is subject to customary downward adjustments. An additional 1,154,085 shares of common stock were issued to Energy Evolution on December 30, 2021, in conjunction with its conversion of all remaining principal and accrued interest on the note.

 

Additionally, in conjunction with the purchase of XTO assets, the Company entered into $3,243,000 of Unsecured Convertible Notes (the “Unsecured Notes”) with a group of accredited investors. The Unsecured Notes had a maturity date of May 9, 2022 with a single payment and interest at 5% (See Note 9). The Unsecured Note holders had the ability to convert their notes to common stock of the Company at the lesser of $5.00 per share or the price per share offered by the Company if the Company has a future capital raise. At December 31, 2021 $2,918,000 of the Unsecured Notes have been converted into 583,600 shares of common stock of the Company. The fair value of the warrants of $589,194 was allocated to Paid in Capital.