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3. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2016

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation. The consolidated financial statements herein have been prepared in accordance with GAAP and include the accounts of the Company and those of its wholly and partially-owned subsidiaries as follows: (i) Blast AFJ, Inc., a Delaware corporation; (ii) Pacific Energy Development Corp., a Nevada corporation; (iii) Pacific Energy Technology Services, LLC, a Nevada limited liability company (owned 70% by us) (which was dissolved in April 2016 with an effective date of December 31, 2015); (iv) Pacific Energy & Rare Earth Limited, a Hong Kong company; (v) Blackhawk Energy Limited, a British Virgin Islands company; (vi) White Hawk Petroleum, LLC, a Nevada limited liability company (dissolved on November 30, 2016); (vii) Red Hawk Petroleum, LLC, a Nevada limited liability company; (viii) Pacific Energy Development MSL, LLC (owned 50% by us) (which was dissolved in September 2016) and is included in our consolidated results for the periods prior to its dissolution (“PEDCO MSL”); (ix) PEDEVCO Acquisition Subsidiary, Inc., a Texas corporation which was formed on May 21, 2015 in connection with the planned reorganization transaction with Dome Energy, Inc. (“Dome Energy”), which was subsequently terminated (which was dissolved in April 2016); and (x) White Hawk Energy, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, formed on January 4, 2016 in connection with the contemplated reorganization transaction with GOM Holdings, LLC (“GOM”). All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Equity Method Accounting for Joint Ventures. A portion of the Company’s oil and gas interests were held in Condor Energy Technology, LLC (“Condor”), a joint venture collectively owned with an affiliate of MIE Holdings Corporation (“MIE Holdings”, Hong Kong Stock Exchange code: 1555.HK). Condor was a Nevada limited liability company owned 20% by the Company and 80% by an affiliate of MIE Holdings. The Company accounted for its 20% ownership in Condor using the equity method. In February 2015, the Company divested its interest in Condor.

Non-Controlling Interests. The Company is required to report its non-controlling interests as a separate component of shareholders’ equity. The Company is also required to present the consolidated net income and the portion of the consolidated net income allocable to the non-controlling interests and to the shareholders of the Company separately in its consolidated statements of operations. Losses applicable to the non-controlling interests are allocated to the non-controlling interests even when those losses are in excess of the non-controlling interests’ investment basis.

Use of Estimates in Financial Statement Preparation. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, as well as certain financial statement disclosures. While management believes that the estimates and assumptions used in the preparation of the financial statements are appropriate, actual results could differ from these estimates. Significant estimates generally include those with respect to the amount of recoverable oil and gas reserves, the fair value of financial instruments, oil and gas depletion, asset retirement obligations, and stock-based compensation.

Cash and Cash Equivalents. The Company considers all highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. As of December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, cash equivalents consisted of money market funds and cash on deposit.

Concentrations of Credit Risk. Financial instruments which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk include cash deposits placed with financial institutions. The Company maintains its cash in bank accounts which, at times, may exceed federally insured limits as guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). At December 31, 2016, approximately $404,000 of the Company’s cash balances were uninsured. The Company has not experienced any losses on such accounts.

Sales to two customers comprised 47% and 42% of the Company’s total oil and gas revenues for the year ended December 31, 2016. Sales to two customers comprised 64% and 21% of the Company’s total oil and gas revenues for the year ended December 31, 2015. The Company believes that, in the event that its primary customers are unable or unwilling to continue to purchase the Company’s production, there are a substantial number of alternative buyers for its production at comparable prices.

Accounts Receivable. Accounts receivable typically consist of oil and gas receivables. The Company has classified these as short-term assets in the balance sheet because the Company expects repayment or recovery within the next 12 months. The Company evaluates these accounts receivable for collectability considering the results of operations of these related entities and, when necessary, records allowances for expected unrecoverable amounts. To date, no significant allowances have been recorded. Included in accounts receivable - oil and gas is $16,000 related to receivables from joint interest owners.

Bad Debt Expense. The Company’s ability to collect outstanding receivables is critical to its operating performance and cash flows. Accounts receivable are stated at an amount management expects to collect from outstanding balances. The Company extends credit in the normal course of business. The Company regularly reviews outstanding receivables and when the Company determines that a party may not be able to make required payments a charge to bad debt expense in the period of determination is made. Though the Company’s bad debts have not historically been significant, the Company could experience increased bad debt expense should a financial downturn occur.

Equipment. Equipment is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred. Renewals and betterments which extend the life or improve existing equipment are capitalized. Upon disposition or retirement of equipment, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed and any resulting gain or loss is reflected in operations. Depreciation is provided using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which are 3 to 10 years.

Oil and Gas Properties, Successful Efforts Method. The successful efforts method of accounting is used for oil and gas exploration and production activities. Under this method, all costs for development wells, support equipment and facilities, and proved mineral interests in oil and gas properties are capitalized. Geological and geophysical costs are expensed when incurred. Costs of exploratory wells are capitalized as exploration and evaluation assets pending determination of whether the wells find proved oil and gas reserves. Proved oil and gas reserves are the estimated quantities of crude oil and natural gas which geological and engineering data demonstrate with reasonable certainty to be recoverable in future years from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating conditions, (i.e., prices and costs as of the date the estimate is made). Prices include consideration of changes in existing prices provided only by contractual arrangements, but not on escalations based upon future conditions.

Exploratory wells in areas not requiring major capital expenditures are evaluated for economic viability within one year of completion of drilling. The related well costs are expensed as dry holes if it is determined that such economic viability is not attained. Otherwise, the related well costs are reclassified to oil and gas properties and subject to impairment review. For exploratory wells that are found to have economically viable reserves in areas where major capital expenditure will be required before production can commence, the related well costs remain capitalized only if additional drilling is under way or firmly planned. Otherwise the related well costs are expensed as dry holes.

Exploration and evaluation expenditures incurred subsequent to the acquisition of an exploration asset in a business combination are accounted for in accordance with the policy outlined above.

Depreciation, depletion and amortization of capitalized oil and gas properties is calculated on a field by field basis using the unit of production method. Lease acquisition costs are amortized over the total estimated proved developed and undeveloped reserves and all other capitalized costs are amortized over proved developed reserves.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets. The Company reviews the carrying value of its long-lived assets annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the historical cost-carrying value of an asset may no longer be appropriate. The Company assesses recoverability of the carrying value of the asset by estimating the future net undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the asset, including eventual disposition. If the future net undiscounted cash flows are less than the carrying value of the asset, an impairment loss is recorded equal to the difference between the asset’s carrying value and estimated fair value. The Company recorded impairment of leases for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 of $-0- and $1,337,000, respectively, for lease acreage that expired during the year due to non-renewals or non-utilization of leases.

Asset Retirement Obligations. If a reasonable estimate of the fair value of an obligation to perform site reclamation, dismantle facilities or plug and abandon wells can be made, the Company will record a liability (an asset retirement obligation or “ARO”) on its consolidated balance sheet and capitalize the present value of the asset retirement cost in oil and gas properties in the period in which the retirement obligation is incurred. In general, the amount of an ARO and the costs capitalized will be equal to the estimated future cost to satisfy the abandonment obligation assuming the normal operation of the asset, using current prices that are escalated by an assumed inflation factor up to the estimated settlement date, which is then discounted back to the date that the abandonment obligation was incurred using an assumed cost of funds for the Company. After recording these amounts, the ARO will be accreted to its future estimated value using the same assumed cost of funds and the capitalized costs are depreciated on a unit-of-production basis over the estimated proved developed reserves. Both the accretion and the depreciation will be included in depreciation, depletion and amortization expense on our consolidated statements of operations.

The following table describes changes in our asset retirement obligations during the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 (in thousands):

		2016				2015
Asset retirement obligations at January 1,		$	189			$	89
Accretion expense			31				40
Obligations incurred for acquisition			19				87
Obligations settled - assets sold			-				(3	)
Changes in estimates			7				(24	)
Asset retirement obligations at December 31,		$	246			$	189

Revenue Recognition. All revenue is recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, the service or sale is complete, the price is fixed or determinable and collectability is reasonably assured. Revenue is derived from the sale of crude oil and natural gas. Revenue from crude oil and natural gas sales is recognized when the product is delivered to the purchaser and collectability is reasonably assured. The Company follows the “sales method” of accounting for oil and natural gas revenue, so it recognizes revenue on all natural gas or crude oil sold to purchasers, regardless of whether the sales are proportionate to its ownership in the property. A receivable or liability is recognized only to the extent that the Company has an imbalance on a specific property greater than its share of the expected remaining proved reserves. If collection is uncertain, revenue is recognized when cash is collected.

Income Taxes. The Company utilizes the asset and liability method in accounting for income taxes. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for operating loss and tax credit carry-forwards and for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the year in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in the results of operations in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance is recorded to reduce the carrying amounts of deferred tax assets unless it is more likely than not that the value of such assets will be realized.

Stock-Based Compensation. The Company utilizes the Black-Scholes option pricing model to estimate the fair value of employee stock option awards at the date of grant, which requires the input of highly subjective assumptions, including expected volatility and expected life. Changes in these inputs and assumptions can materially affect the measure of estimated fair value of our share-based compensation. These assumptions are subjective and generally require significant analysis and judgment to develop. When estimating fair value, some of the assumptions will be based on, or determined from, external data and other assumptions may be derived from our historical experience with stock-based payment arrangements. The appropriate weight to place on historical experience is a matter of judgment, based on relevant facts and circumstances.

The Company estimates volatility by considering the historical stock volatility. The Company has opted to use the simplified method for estimating expected term, which is generally equal to the midpoint between the vesting period and the contractual term.

Loss per Common Share. Basic loss per common share equals net loss divided by weighted average common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted income per share includes the impact on dilution from all contingently issuable shares, including options, warrants and convertible securities. The common stock equivalents from contingent shares are determined by the treasury stock method. The Company incurred net losses for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, and therefore, basic and diluted loss per share for those periods are the same as all potential common equivalent shares would be anti-dilutive. The Company excluded 3,672,473 and 2,177,540 potentially issuable shares of common stock related to options and 12,566,079 and 7,803,282 potentially issuable shares of common stock related to warrants and 1,391,686 and 2,027,302 potentially issuable shares of common stock related to the conversion of Bridge Notes, due to their anti-dilutive effect for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments. The Company follows FASB ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement (“ASC 820”), which clarifies fair value as an exit price, establishes a hierarchal disclosure framework for measuring fair value, and requires extended disclosures about fair value measurements. The provisions of ASC 820 apply to all financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value.

As defined in ASC 820, fair value, clarified as an exit price, represents the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. As a result, fair value is a market-based approach that should be determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or a liability.

As a basis for considering these assumptions, ASC 820 defines a three-tier value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used in the valuation methodologies in measuring fair value.

Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 – Inputs other than Level 1 that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

Level 3 – Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.

The fair value hierarchy also requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements.

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-03, Interest - Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30) - Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs. ASU 2015-03 amends previous guidance to require that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. The recognition and measurement guidance for debt issuance costs are not affected by the amendments in this ASU. The standard is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The affected amounts shown on the Company’s balance sheet were a result of reclassifications within the balance sheet upon adoption of this ASU to conform to this standard. The Company adopted this ASU during the first quarter of 2016 and the adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on its financial statements (balance sheet amounts as of December 31, 2015 were also reclassified for comparability purposes).

In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-15, Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern. The new standard requires management to assess the company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Disclosures are required if there is substantial doubt as to the company’s continuation as a going concern within one year after the issue date of financial statements. The standard provides guidance for making the assessment, including consideration of management’s plans which may alleviate doubt regarding the company’s ability to continue as a going concern. ASU 2014-15 is effective for years ending after December 15, 2016. The Company has adopted this standard for the year ending December 31, 2016, and management has concluded that there is substantial doubt as to the Company’s continuation as a going concern within one year after the issue date of the financial statements.

Subsequent Events. The Company has evaluated all transactions through the date the consolidated financial statements were issued for subsequent event disclosure consideration.