U.S. WELL SERVICES HOLDINGS, LLC - Annual Report: 2020 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020

OR

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from [ ] to [ ]

Commission file number 001-38025

U.S. WELL SERVICES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (832) 562-3730

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. ☐ Yes ☑ No

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. ☐ Yes ☑ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. ☑Yes ☐ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). ☑Yes ☐ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). ☐Yes ☑No

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant computed as of June 30, 2020 (the last business day of the registrant’s most recent completed second fiscal quarter) based on the closing price of the Class A common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market was $21,639,925.

As of March 2, 2021, the registrant had 83,600,445 shares of Class A Common Stock and 2,296,525 shares of Class B Common Stock outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Certain information required to be disclosed in Part III of this report is incorporated by reference from the registrant’s definitive proxy statement or an amendment to this report, which will be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this report.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Annual Report”) contains “forward-looking statements” as defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Forward-looking statements usually relate to future events, conditions and anticipated revenues, earnings, cash flows or other aspects of our operations or operating results. All statements, other than statements of historical information, should be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by the words such as “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “estimates,” “projects,” “anticipates,” “will,” “plans,” “may,” “should,” “would,” “foresee,” or the negative thereof. The absence of these words, however, does not mean that these statements are not forward-looking. These statements are based on our current expectations, beliefs and assumptions concerning future developments and business conditions and their potential effect on us. While management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made, there can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we anticipate.

All our forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties (some of which are significant or beyond our control) and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical experience and our present expectations or projections. Known material factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in the forward-looking statements include those set forth in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any of our forward-looking statements after the date they are made, whether because of new information, future events, or otherwise, except to the extent required by law.

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PART I

Item 1. Business.

Overview

We are one of the pioneer companies in developing the electric hydraulic fracturing industry. We are based in Houston, Texas and provide our services to oil and natural gas exploration and production (“E&P”) companies in the United States. We are one of the first companies to develop and commercially deploy electric-powered hydraulic fracturing technology (“Clean Fleet^®”), which we believe is an industry-changing technology. Our Clean Fleet® technology has a demonstrated track record for successful commercial operation, with over 18,750 electric frac stages completed since the first Clean Fleet^® was deployed in July 2014. Our Clean Fleet® technology is supported by a robust intellectual property portfolio, consisting of 38 granted patents and an additional 189 pending patents. We believe that the following characteristics of the Clean Fleet® technology provide the Company with a distinct competitive advantage:

Currently, we provide our services in the Appalachian Basin, the Eagle Ford, and the Permian Basin. We have demonstrated the capability to expeditiously deploy our fleets to new oil and gas basins when requested by customers. Our customers include Apache Corporation, Marathon Oil, Range Resources, Shell, BP, and other leading E&P companies.

Company Formation

On February 21, 2012, U.S. Well Services, LLC (“USWS LLC”) was formed as a Delaware limited liability company and subsequently grew organically from one diesel powered hydraulic fracturing fleet (“Conventional Fleets”) in April 2012 to 14 available fleets representing 684,545 hydraulic horsepower (“HHP”); five of which utilize our patented electric-powered hydraulic fracturing technology (the “Clean Fleet^®”).

As part of a corporate restructuring in February 2017, all of the outstanding equity interest of USWS LLC was acquired by a newly formed entity, USWS Holdings, LLC (“USWS Holdings”), a Delaware limited liability company that was formed for the purposes of effecting the corporate restructuring and that had no operations of its own. USWS Holdings was acquired by U.S. Well Services, Inc. (f/k/a Matlin & Partners Acquisition Corporation, or “MPAC”) on November 9, 2018, as discussed further under Business Combination herein.

Business Combination

On March 10, 2016, MPAC was incorporated in Delaware as a special purpose acquisition company for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or other similar business combination with one or more target businesses. On March 15, 2017, MPAC consummated its initial public offering (the “IPO”), following which its shares began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”).

On November 9, 2018, MPAC acquired USWS Holdings (the “Transaction”) pursuant to a Merger and Contribution Agreement, dated as of July 13, 2018 (as amended, the “Merger and Contribution Agreement”). The Transaction was accounted for as a reverse recapitalization. Under this method of accounting, USWS Holdings is treated as the acquirer and MPAC is treated as the acquired party.

In connection with the closing of the Transaction, MPAC changed its name to U.S. Well Services, Inc. (“USWS Inc.”) and its trading symbols on Nasdaq from “MPAC,” and “MPACW,” to “USWS” and “USWSW”.

Pursuant to the Merger and Contribution Agreement, on November 9, 2018, USWS Inc. issued Class A common stock to certain members of USWS Holdings in exchange for their interests in USWS Holdings and Class B common stock to certain

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members of USWS Holdings who retained their interests in USWS Holdings.  

Following the completion of the Transaction, the Company was organized as an “Up-C” structure, meaning that substantially all the Company’s assets and operations are held and conducted by USWS LLC. The Company’s only assets are equity interests representing 97% ownership of USWS Holdings as of December 31, 2020. The Transaction did not include a tax receivable agreement.

Organizational Structure

The following diagram illustrates the ownership structure of the Company as of December 31, 2020:

Each share of Class B common stock has no economic rights in USWS Inc. but entitles its holder to one vote on all matters to be voted on by shareholders generally. Holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock vote together as a single class on all matters presented to our shareholders for their vote or approval, except as otherwise required by applicable law. We do not intend to list the Class B common stock on any exchange.

Under the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of USWS Holdings, each share of Class B common stock of USWS Inc., together with one unit of USWS Holdings and subject to certain limitations, is exchangeable (the "Exchange Right") for one share of Class A common stock of USWS Inc. or, at the Company's election, the cash equivalent to the market value of one share of Class A common stock of USWS Inc. The exchange is subject to conversion rate adjustments for stock splits, stock dividends, reclassifications, and other similar transactions. In addition, upon a change in control of USWS Inc., USWS Inc. has the right to require each holder of USWS Holdings units (other than USWS Inc.) to exercise its Exchange Right with respect to some or all of such holder's USWS Holdings units. An exchange of Class B common stock of USWS Inc., together with the corresponding one unit of USWS Holdings, will result in both being cancelled.

Operations

Our operations are organized into a single business segment, which consists of hydraulic fracturing services, and we have one reportable geographical business segment, the United States.

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Services

We provide hydraulic fracturing services to E&P companies. Hydraulic fracturing services are performed to enhance the production of oil and natural gas from formations with low permeability and restricted flow of hydrocarbons. Our customers benefit from our expertise in fracturing of horizontal and vertical oil and natural gas-producing wells in shale and other unconventional geological formations.

The process of hydraulic fracturing involves pumping a pressurized stream of fracturing fluid — typically a mixture of water, chemicals, and proppant — into a well casing or tubing to cause the underground mineral formation to fracture or crack. Fractures release trapped hydrocarbon particles and provide a conductive channel for the oil or natural gas to flow freely to the wellbore for collection. The propping agent, or proppant, becomes lodged in the cracks created by the hydraulic fracturing process, “propping” them open to facilitate the flow of hydrocarbons from the reservoir to the well.

Our fleets consist of mobile hydraulic fracturing units and other auxiliary heavy equipment to perform fracturing services. We have two designs for our hydraulic fracturing units: (1) Our legacy conventional fleets, which are powered by diesel fuel and utilize traditional internal combustion engines, transmissions, and radiators and (2) our next-generation Clean Fleet^® technology, which replaces the traditional engines, transmissions, and radiators with electric motors powered by electricity created by turbine generators. Both designs utilize high-pressure hydraulic fracturing pumps mounted on trailers. We refer to the group of pump trailers and other equipment necessary to perform a typical fracturing job as a “fleet,” and the personnel assigned to each fleet as a “crew.”

Our Clean Fleet^® equipment also allows us to pursue business opportunities outside of the upstream oil and gas sector. We offer power generation services, leasing turbine generators and ancillary power generation equipment under short or long-term arrangements, along with skilled personnel, to provide peaking power and other power generation needs to customers in a variety of industries and markets. Although this has not been a material source of revenue for us historically, we believe that power generation services represent an attractive avenue for future growth.

Clean Fleet® Technology

Our Clean Fleet® combines natural gas turbine generators with electric motors and existing industry equipment to provide fracturing services with numerous advantages over conventional fleets. Our Clean Fleet® technology is a proven technology that has been in commercial operations since July 2014, making us a leading provider of electric-powered hydraulic fracturing services. Our Clean Fleet® technology is supported by a robust intellectual property portfolio. We have been granted, or have received notice of allowance, for 38 patents and have an additional 189 patents pending.

We believe Clean Fleet® technology provides the Company with a distinct competitive advantage over our competitors because of the following characteristics:

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Competitive Strengths

We believe that the following strengths will position us to provide high-quality service to our customers and create value for our stockholders:

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Customer Concentration

Our customers include a broad range of leading E&P companies. For the year ended December 31, 2020, Apache Corporation, Shell, Marathon, Range, and EQT each comprised greater than 10% of our consolidated revenues.

Suppliers

We purchase a wide variety of raw materials, parts and components that are manufactured and supplied for our operations. We currently rely on a limited number of suppliers from which we procure major equipment components used to maintain, build, or upgrade our custom Clean Fleet® hydraulic fracturing equipment. In addition, some of these components have few suppliers and long lead times to acquire. Historically, we have generally been able to obtain the equipment, parts and supplies necessary to support our operations on a timely basis. While we believe that we will be able to make satisfactory alternative arrangements in the event of any interruption in the supply of these materials and/or equipment by one of our suppliers, we may not always be able to do so. In addition, certain materials for which we do not currently have long-term supply agreements could experience shortages and significant price increases in the future. As a result, we may be unable to mitigate any future supply shortages and our results of operations, prospects and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Competition

The markets in which we operate are very competitive. We provide services in various geographic regions across the United States, and our competitors include many large and small oilfield service providers, including some of the largest integrated service companies. Our hydraulic fracturing services compete with large, integrated companies such as Halliburton Company and Schlumberger Limited as well as other companies including Evolution Well Services, Calfrac Well Services Ltd., FTS International Inc., Liberty Oilfield Services Inc., NexTier Oilfield Solutions Inc., Patterson-UTI Energy Inc., ProPetro Services Inc., and RPC Inc. In addition, our industry is highly fragmented, and we compete regionally with a significant number of smaller service providers. Although several of our larger competitors have announced their intention to develop or adopt new electric hydraulic fracturing technologies, we believe that only U.S. Well Services, Inc. and one privately owned competitor are currently offering all-electric hydraulic fracturing services.

We believe that the principal competitive factors in the markets we serve are technical expertise, equipment capacity, workforce competency, efficiency, safety record, reputation, experience, and price. Additionally, projects are often awarded on a bid basis, which tends to create a highly competitive environment.

Cyclical Nature of Industry

We operate in a cyclical industry. The key factor driving demand for our services is the level of well completions by E&P companies, which in turn depends largely on the current and anticipated economics of new well completions. Global supply and demand for oil and the domestic supply and demand for natural gas are critical in assessing industry outlook. Demand for oil and natural gas is cyclical and subject to large, rapid fluctuations. E&P companies tend to increase capital expenditures in response to increases in oil and natural gas prices, which generally results in greater revenues and profits for oilfield service companies like us. Increased E&P capital expenditures ultimately lead to greater production, which historically has resulted in increased supplies and reduced prices which in turn tend to reduce demand for oilfield services. For these reasons, the results of our operations may fluctuate from quarter to quarter and from year to year, and these fluctuations may distort comparisons

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of results across periods.

Insurance

Although we maintain insurance coverage of types and amounts that we believe to be customary in the industry, we are not fully insured against all risks, either because insurance is not available or because of the high premium costs relative to perceived risk. Further, insurance rates have in the past been subject to wide fluctuation and changes in coverage could result in less coverage, increases in cost or higher deductibles and retentions. Liabilities for which we are not insured, or which exceed the policy limits of their applicable insurance, could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations

Our operations are subject to stringent laws and regulations governing the discharge of materials into the environment or otherwise relating to environmental protection, and occupational health and safety. Numerous federal, state, and local governmental agencies issue regulations that often require difficult and costly compliance measures that could carry substantial administrative, civil and criminal penalties and may result in permit revocations or modifications, operational disruptions, or injunctive obligations for noncompliance. These laws and regulations may, for example, restrict the types, quantities and concentrations of various substances that can be released into the environment, limit or prohibit construction or drilling activities on certain lands lying within wilderness, wetlands, ecologically or seismically-sensitive areas and other protected areas, or require action to prevent or remediate pollution from current or former operations. Moreover, it is not uncommon for neighboring landowners and other third parties to file claims for personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by the release of hazardous substances, hydrocarbons, or other waste products into the environment. Changes in environmental, health and safety laws and regulations occur frequently, and any changes in the laws or regulations or the interpretation thereof that result in more stringent and costly requirements could materially adversely affect our operations and financial position. We have not experienced any material adverse effect from compliance with these requirements. This trend, however, may not continue in the future.

Below is an overview of some of the more significant environmental, health and safety requirements with which we must comply. Our customers’ operations are subject to similar laws and regulations. Any material adverse effect of these laws and regulations on our customers’ operations and financial position may also have an indirect material adverse effect on our operations and financial position.

Waste Handling. We handle, transport, store and dispose of wastes that are subject to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”) and comparable state laws and regulations, which impose requirements regarding the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, disposal and cleanup of hazardous and nonhazardous wastes. With federal approval, the individual states administer some or all the provisions of RCRA, sometimes in conjunction with our own, more stringent requirements. Although certain petroleum production wastes are exempt from regulation as hazardous wastes under RCRA, such wastes may constitute “solid wastes” that are subject to the less stringent requirements of nonhazardous waste provisions.

Administrative, civil, and criminal penalties can be imposed for failure to comply with waste handling requirements. Moreover, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) or state or local governments may adopt more stringent requirements for the handling of nonhazardous wastes or re-categorize some nonhazardous wastes as hazardous for future regulation. Indeed, legislation has been proposed from time to time in Congress to re-categorize certain oil and natural gas exploration, development, and production wastes as hazardous wastes. Several environmental organizations have also petitioned the EPA to modify existing regulations to re-categorize certain oil and natural gas exploration, development, and production wastes as hazardous. Any such changes in these laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on our capital expenditures and operating expenses. Although we do not believe the current costs of managing our wastes, as presently classified, to be significant, any legislative or regulatory reclassification of oil and natural gas exploration and production wastes could increase our costs to manage and dispose of such wastes.

Remediation of Hazardous Substances. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA” or “Superfund”) and analogous state laws generally impose liability without regard to fault or legality of the original conduct, on classes of persons who are considered to be responsible for the release of a hazardous substance into the environment or, under some state CERCLA-analogous laws, the release of solid waste. These persons include the current owner or operator of a contaminated facility, a former owner or operator of the facility at the time of contamination, those persons that disposed or arranged for the disposal of the substance at the facility, and transporters who selected the disposal site.

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Liability for the costs of removing or remediating previously disposed wastes or contamination, damages to natural resources, and the costs of conducting certain health studies, amongst other things, is strict and joint and several. In addition, it is not uncommon for neighboring landowners and other third parties to file claims for personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by the hazardous substances released into the environment. During our operations, we use materials that, if released, would be subject to CERCLA and comparable state laws. Therefore, governmental agencies or third parties may seek to hold us responsible under CERCLA and comparable state statutes for all or part of the costs to clean up sites at which such substances have been released.

NORM. During our operations, some of our equipment may be exposed to naturally occurring radioactive materials (“NORM”) associated with oil and gas deposits and accordingly may result in the generation of wastes and other materials containing NORM. NORM exhibiting levels of naturally occurring radiation in excess of established state standards are subject to special handling and disposal requirements, and any storage vessels, piping and work area affected by NORM may be subject to remediation or restoration requirements.

Water Discharges. The Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Oil Pollution Act and analogous state laws and regulations impose restrictions and strict controls regarding the unauthorized discharge of pollutants, including produced waters and other gas and oil wastes, into regulated waters. The discharge of pollutants into regulated waters is prohibited, except in accordance with the terms of a permit issued by the EPA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the “Corps”), or the applicable state. The Clean Water Act has been interpreted by these agencies to apply broadly. The EPA and the Corps released a rule to revise the definition of “waters of the United States,” or WOTUS, for all Clean Water Act programs, which went into effect in August 2015. Litigation and political maneuverings surrounding the revised WOTUS definition have been ongoing since that time. On October 22, 2019, the EPA and the Corps issued a final rule to repeal the 2015 Clean Water Rule and re-codify the regulatory text that existed prior to 2015 (the “Step One Rule”). The Step One Rule became effective on December 23, 2019. On January 23, 2020, the EPA and the Corps announced the final Navigable Waters Protection Rule (the “NWPR”), which revised and narrowed the WOTUS definition. The NWPR replaced the Step One Rule and became effective on June 22, 2020. The Biden administration will conduct a review of the NWPR, and we expect political maneuverings and litigation regarding the WOTUS definition to continue, creating uncertainty as to what constitutes a protected “water of the United States.” In addition, spill prevention, control and countermeasure plan requirements require appropriate containment berms and similar structures to help prevent the contamination of regulated waters.

Air Emissions. The Clean Air Act (“CAA”) and comparable state laws and regulations regulate emissions of various air pollutants through the issuance of permits and the imposition of other emissions control requirements. The EPA has developed, and continues to develop, stringent regulations governing emissions of air pollutants from specified sources. New facilities may be required to obtain permits before work can begin, and existing facilities may be required to obtain additional permits and incur capital costs to remain in compliance. These and other laws and regulations may increase the costs of compliance for some facilities where we operate, and significant administrative, civil, and criminal penalties can be imposed for failure to comply with air regulations. Obtaining or renewing permits also has the potential to delay the development of oil and natural gas projects.

Climate Change. The EPA has determined that greenhouse gases (“GHGs”) present an endangerment to public health and the environment because such gases contribute to warming of the Earth’s atmosphere and other climatic changes. Based on these findings, the EPA has adopted and implemented, and continues to adopt and implement, regulations that restrict emissions of GHGs under existing provisions of the CAA. The EPA also requires the annual reporting of GHG emissions from certain large sources of GHG emissions in the United States, including certain oil and gas production facilities. The U.S. Congress has from time to time considered adopting legislation to reduce emissions of GHGs and almost one-half of the states have already taken legal measures to reduce emissions of GHGs primarily through the development of GHG emission inventories and/or regional GHG cap and trade programs and through the establishment of emissions reduction targets. In December 2015, the United States joined the international community at the 21st Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris, France. The resulting Paris Agreement calls for the parties to undertake “ambitious efforts” to limit the average global temperature, and to conserve and enhance sinks and reservoirs of GHGs. The Paris Agreement entered into force in November 2016. The United States exited the Paris Agreement in November 2020, but rejoined it effective on February 19, 2021. Additional federal and/or state regulations targeting climate change could significantly affect our operations or compliance costs.

Moreover, climate change may cause more extreme weather conditions and increased volatility in seasonal temperatures. Extreme weather conditions can interfere with our operations and increase our costs, and damage resulting from extreme

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weather may not be fully insured.

Endangered and Threatened Species. Environmental laws such as the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) and analogous state laws may impact exploration, development, and production activities in areas where we operate. The ESA provides broad protection for species of fish, wildlife and plants that are listed as threatened or endangered. Similar protections are offered to migratory birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and various state analogs. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may identify previously unidentified endangered or threatened species or may designate critical habitat and suitable habitat areas that it believes are necessary for survival of a threatened or endangered species, or a state may impose new rules limiting oil and gas operations to protect wildlife or habitat, which could cause us or our customers to incur additional costs or become subject to operating restrictions or operating bans in the affected areas.

Regulation of Hydraulic Fracturing and Related Activities. Hydraulic fracturing is an important and common practice that is used to stimulate production of hydrocarbons, particularly natural gas, from tight formations, including shales. The process, which involves the injection of water, sand, and chemicals under pressure into formations to fracture the surrounding rock and stimulate production, is typically regulated by state oil and natural gas commissions. However, federal agencies have asserted regulatory authority over certain aspects of the process. For example, on January 20, 2021, the Biden administration issued an order implementing a 60-day suspension on new oil and gas leases and drilling permits for federal lands and water. On January 27, 2021, the Biden administration issued an executive order that indefinitely pauses new oil and gas leases on federal lands while the administration undertakes a comprehensive review on climate change impacts. Additionally, beginning in August 2012, the EPA issued a series of rules under the CAA that establish new emission control requirements for certain oil and natural gas production and natural gas processing operations and associated equipment. Various political maneuverings resulted in September 2020 amendments to New Source Performance Standards issued in 2016. These amendments rescinded certain methane control requirements and removed the transmission and storage segment from the oil and natural gas source category and were promptly challenged in court, resulting in a temporary stay issued by the D.C. Circuit. The amendments are currently under review by the Biden Administration, which could further revise or rescind them. The U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) finalized similar rules in November 2016 that limit methane emissions from new and existing oil and natural gas operations on federal lands through limitations on the venting and flaring of gas, as well as enhanced leak detection and repair requirements. The BLM adopted final rules in January 2017. Operators generally had one year from the January 2017 effective date to come into compliance with the rule’s requirements. In December 2017, the BLM temporarily suspended or delayed certain of these requirements set forth in its Venting and Flaring Rule until January 2019, and in September 2018, the BLM published a final rule which scaled back the waste-prevention requirements of the 2016 rule. Both the 2016 rule and the September 2018 revision of that rule were vacated in 2020 court decisions.  Litigation and administrative review of these rules remain ongoing. Moreover, in March 2015, the BLM issued a final rule that imposes requirements on hydraulic fracturing activities on federal and Indian lands, including new requirements relating to public disclosure, wellbore integrity and handling of flowback water. However, the BLM rescinded this rule in December 2017. In January 2018, California and a coalition of environmental groups filed suit in the Northern District of California to challenge the BLM’s rescission of the 2015 rule. In March 2020, the California district court upheld the BLM’s rescission of the hydraulic fracturing rule, and the plaintiff groups appealed. This litigation and administrative review of federal hydraulic fracturing regulations is ongoing.  Many states also have hydraulic fracturing regulations in place that may be duplicative of the rescinded federal regulations, and the BLM requires operators to comply with the law of the state where the federal or Indian land is located.

Further, legislation to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to repeal the exemption for hydraulic fracturing (except when diesel fuels are used) from the definition of “underground injection” and require federal permitting and regulatory control of hydraulic fracturing have been proposed in recent sessions of Congress. Several states and local jurisdictions in which we or our customers operate also have adopted or are considering adopting regulations that could require disclosure of the chemical constituents of the fluids used in the fracturing process, restrict, or prohibit hydraulic fracturing in certain circumstances, impose more stringent operating standards and/or require the disclosure of the composition of hydraulic fracturing fluids.

Federal and state governments have also begun investigating whether the disposal of produced water into underground injection wells has caused increased seismic activity in certain areas. For example, in December 2016, the EPA released its final report regarding the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources, concluding that “water cycle” activities associated with hydraulic fracturing may impact drinking water resources under certain circumstances such as water withdrawals for fracturing in times or areas of low water availability, surface spills during the management of fracturing fluids, chemicals or produced water, injection of fracturing fluids into wells with inadequate mechanical integrity, injection of fracturing fluids directly into groundwater resources, discharge of inadequately treated fracturing wastewater to surface waters, and disposal or storage of fracturing wastewater in unlined pits. The results of these studies could lead the federal government

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and has led some state governments to develop and implement additional regulations, including stricter regulatory requirements relating to the location and operation of underground injection wells or requirements regarding the permitting of produced water disposal wells or otherwise.

Increased regulation of hydraulic fracturing and related activities (whether as a result of the EPA study results or resulting from other factors) could restrict our ability to operate in certain areas or subject us and our customers to additional permitting and financial assurance requirements, more stringent construction specifications, increased monitoring, reporting and recordkeeping obligations, and plugging and abandonment requirements. New requirements could result in increased operational costs for us and our customers and reduce the demand for our services.

OSHA Matters. The Occupational Safety and Health Act (“OSHA”) and comparable state statutes regulate the protection of the health and safety of workers. In addition, the OSHA hazard communication standard requires that information be maintained about hazardous materials used or produced in operations and that this information be provided to employees, state and local government authorities, and the public.

Employees

As of December 31, 2020, we had 638 full-time employees and no part-time employees. We are not a party to any collective bargaining agreements and have not experienced any strikes or work stoppages. We believe our relationships with our employees are excellent. From time to time, we will utilize the services of independent contractors to perform various field and/or other services.

Intellectual Property

We have been granted or have received notice of allowance for 38 patents, which begin to expire in late 2033, and have an additional 189 patents pending. Our patents protect our Clean Fleet^® technology from being duplicated by competitors. These patents help provide unique competitive advantages in operating areas where noise and emissions are key concerns. We also use proprietary FRAC MD^® technology to support our preventative maintenance program and prolong equipment useful life. This technology utilizes specialized equipment to capture and analyze vibrations to identify component stress so maintenance can be performed prior to catastrophic failures. Our fleets continuously transmit data captured in the field to our IoT platform. This data is analyzed by our team of data scientists in order improve our operations by garnering insights that inform real-time decision making in the field and drive our machine learning capabilities to increase efficiency and extend equipment useful life.

Availability of Information

Our website address is www.uswellservices.com. Information contained on our website is not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and any other materials filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) by us are available on our website (under “Investor Relations”) free of charge, as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Alternatively, you may access these reports at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

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Item 1A. Risk Factors.

The following risk factors apply to our business and operations and the industry in which we operate. These risk factors are not exhaustive, and investors are encouraged to perform their own investigation with respect to our business, financial condition, and prospects. You should carefully consider the following risk factors in addition to the other information included in this Annual Report, including matters addressed in the section entitled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” We may face additional risks and uncertainties that are not presently known to us, or that we currently deem immaterial, which may also impair our business, financial condition, or prospects. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes to the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report.

Risk Factors Summary

The following is a summary of the risk factors that apply to our business and operations. The list below is not exhaustive, and investors should read this “Risk Factors” section in full. Some of the risks we face include:

Risks related to our business and industry

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Risks related to our securities

Risks related to general and other factors

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Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

Our business depends on the level of capital spending and exploration and production activity by the onshore oil and natural gas industry in the United States, and the level of such activity is affected by industry conditions that are beyond our control.

Our business is directly affected by the willingness of our customers to make expenditures to explore for, develop and produce oil and natural gas from onshore resources in the United States. The willingness of our customers to undertake these activities depends largely upon prevailing industry conditions that are influenced by numerous factors over which we have no control, including:

The oil and natural gas industry is volatile. For example, the price of oil has fallen significantly since the beginning of 2020, due in part to concerns about the COVID–19 coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the worldwide economy and global demand for oil. We expect continued volatility in oil and natural gas prices, as well as in the level of exploration and development activities by our customers. A prolonged economic slowdown or recession in the United States, adverse events relating to the energy industry or regional, national, and global economic conditions and factors, could negatively impact exploration and production activity and the level of drilling and completion activity by some of our customers. This volatility may result in a decline in the demand for, or adversely affect the price of, our services. In addition, material declines in oil and natural gas prices, the development of oil and natural gas reserves in our market areas or drilling or completion activity in the U.S. oil and natural gas shale regions, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, prospects, results of operations and cash flows.

The volatility of oil and natural gas prices may adversely affect the demand for our services and negatively impact our results of operations.

The demand for our services is substantially influenced by current and anticipated crude oil and natural gas commodity prices and the related levels of capital spending and drilling activity in the areas in which we have operations. Volatility or weakness in crude oil and natural gas commodity prices (or the perception that crude oil and natural gas commodity prices will decrease) affects the spending patterns of our customers, and the products and services we provide are, to a substantial extent, deferrable in the event oil and natural gas companies reduce capital expenditures. As a result, we may experience lower utilization of, and may be forced to lower our rates for, our equipment and services.

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Historical prices for crude oil and natural gas have been extremely volatile and are expected to continue to be volatile. The market prices for crude oil and natural gas depend on factors beyond our control, including worldwide and domestic supplies of crude oil and natural gas and actions taken by foreign oil and gas producing nations. For example, the price of oil has fallen significantly since the beginning of 2020, due to the COVID–19 coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the worldwide economy and global demand for oil. Weaker economic activity and lower demand for crude oil, driven by the onset of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, has adversely impacted our business resulting in a sharp decrease in both our active fleet count and the utilization of our active fleets. As such, we are experiencing considerable uncertainty in our near-term business prospects and ability to forecast future performance. We expect that our financial performance will be highly uncertain until global economic activity recovers. Beyond the current significant reduction in crude oil prices resulting from the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, we expect continued volatility in oil and natural gas prices, as well as in the level of exploration and development activities by our customers.

As a result of declines and volatility in commodity prices, E&P companies moved to significantly cut costs, both by decreasing drilling and completion activity and by demanding price concessions from their service providers, including providers of hydraulic fracturing services. In turn, service providers, including hydraulic fracturing service providers, were forced to lower their operating costs and capital expenditures, while continuing to operate their businesses in an extremely competitive environment. Prolonged periods of price instability in the oil and natural gas industry will adversely affect the demand for our products and services, our financial condition, prospects and results of operations and our ability to service our debt or fund capital expenditures.

Additionally, fuel conservation measures, alternative fuel requirements and increasing consumer demand for alternatives to oil and natural gas could reduce the demand for oil and natural gas products, creating downward pressure on commodity prices and the prices we are able to charge for our services.

Our level of current and future indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition.

As of December 31, 2020, we had $23.7 million of borrowings outstanding, with available capacity of $8.7 million, under our ABL credit facility, $246.3 million of borrowings outstanding under our senior secured term loan, $10.0 million outstanding under our Paycheck Protection Program Loan (“PPP Loan”), and $22.0 million outstanding under our Business Loan Agreement (“USDA Loan”) pursuant to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Business & Industry Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act Guaranteed Loan Program. Our PPP Loan is scheduled to mature in five years from July 2020. Our USDA Loan is scheduled to mature on November 12, 2030, subject to equal monthly payments beginning on December 12, 2023. We are required to make quarterly principal payments of 2.0% per annum of the initial principal balance of our senior secured term loan, which commenced on January 15, 2020, in addition to certain principal payments as required by the Fourth Amendment to the senior secured term loan which we entered into on November 12, 2020, with final payment due at maturity on December 25, 2025. Our ABL credit facility is scheduled to mature on February 6, 2024. Upon maturity of our indebtedness, we will be required to repay, extend or refinance our indebtedness. We may not be able to extend, replace or refinance any one or all of our existing debt financing agreements on terms reasonably acceptable to us, or at all. Our obligations under both our ABL credit facility and senior secured term loan are secured by substantially all our assets. Our PPP Loan is unsecured, and our USDA Loan is secured by certain of our fracturing equipment. In addition, we have entered into several security agreements with financial institutions for the purchase of certain fracturing equipment. As of December 31, 2020, the aggregate outstanding balance under our equipment financing arrangements was $12.9 million, of which $3.5 million is due within one year. Our equipment financing arrangements are secured by certain of our fracturing equipment. If we are unable to meet our debt service obligations, our lenders under our ABL credit facility, senior secured term loan, USDA Loan, or equipment financing arrangements can seek to foreclose on our assets. For more information about our debt financing agreements and equipment financing arrangements, please see “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data – Note 9 - Debt.”

Our ability to meet our debt service obligations will be dependent upon future performance, which in turn will be subject to general economic conditions, industry cycles and financial, business, and other factors affecting our operations, many of which are beyond our control. Our business may not continue to generate sufficient cash flow from operations to pay our debt service obligations when due. Moreover, we may incur additional indebtedness, which would increase the amount of cash flow we need to service debt obligations. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow from operations, we may be required to sell assets, to restructure or refinance all or a portion of such indebtedness or to obtain additional financing. We cannot assure you, however, that we would be able to sell assets, restructure, or refinance all or a portion of our indebtedness or obtain additional financing on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Moreover, any failure to make scheduled payments of interest and principal on our outstanding indebtedness would likely result in a reduction of our credit rating, which could harm our ability

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to incur additional indebtedness on acceptable terms. To the extent inadequate liquidity or other considerations require us to seek to restructure or refinance our indebtedness, our ability to do so will depend on numerous factors, including many beyond our control, such as the condition of the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. Any refinancing or restructuring of our indebtedness could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants, which could further restrict our business operations.

Our debt financing agreements subject us to financial and other restrictive covenants. These restrictions may limit our operational or financial flexibility and could subject us to potential defaults under our credit facilities.

Our debt financing agreements subject us to restrictive covenants, including, among other things, limitations (each of which is subject to certain exceptions) on our ability to incur debt, grant liens, enter into transactions resulting in fundamental changes (such as mergers or sales of all or substantially all of our assets) and asset sales or other types of dispositions, restrict subsidiary dividends or other subsidiary distributions, enter into transactions with affiliates and swap counterparties, make investments and restricted payments, permit subsidiaries to provide guarantees to other material debt, and enter into leases and sale and lease back arrangements.

Additionally, our ABL credit facility is subject to a springing fixed charge coverage covenant. For a description of the covenants under our ABL credit facility, please see “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data – Note 9 - Debt.” If we are unable to remain in compliance with the covenants of our ABL credit facility, then amounts outstanding thereunder may be accelerated and become due immediately. We might not have, or be able to obtain, sufficient funds to make these accelerated payments, and any such acceleration could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Moreover, subject to the limits contained in our debt financing agreements, we may incur substantial additional debt from time to time. Any borrowings we may incur in the future would have several important consequences for our future operations, including that:

Changes in the method of determining LIBOR, or the replacement of LIBOR with an alternative reference rate, may adversely affect our ability to refinance our indebtedness.

Financial regulators are working to transition away from the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) as a reference rate for financial contracts. On July 27, 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority announced that it would phase out LIBOR as a benchmark by the end of 2021. It is unclear whether new methods of calculating LIBOR will be established such that it continues to exist after 2021. While our ABL credit facility and senior secured term loan are scheduled to mature in February 2024 and May 2024, respectively, potential changes, or uncertainty related to such potential changes in interest rate benchmarks may adversely affect our ability to refinance our indebtedness. There is no guarantee that a transition from LIBOR to an alternative will not result in financial market disruptions, significant increases in benchmark rates, or borrowing costs to borrowers, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We may not be entitled to forgiveness of our recently received PPP Loan, and our application for the PPP Loan could in the future be determined to have been impermissible or could result in damage to our reputation.

On July 28, 2020, we received proceeds of $10.0 million from a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP”), of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (as amended, the “CARES Act”), which we used to retain current employees, maintain payroll, and make lease and utility payments. A portion of the PPP Loan may be forgiven by the Small Business Administration (the “SBA”) upon our application in accordance with the SBA requirements and in compliance with the CARES Act. Under the CARES Act, loan forgiveness is available for the sum of documented payroll costs, covered lease payments, covered mortgage interest and covered utilities during the twenty-four-week period beginning on the date the loan

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is advanced, but not to exceed December 31, 2020. Not more than 40% of the forgiven amount may be for non-payroll costs. In addition, the amount of the PPP Loan eligible for forgiveness related to payroll costs is subject to additional limitations as outlined in the CARES Act. Although we intend to use the entire PPP Loan for designated qualifying expenses and to apply for forgiveness in accordance with the terms of the PPP, no assurance can be given that we will obtain forgiveness of the PPP Loan in whole or in part.  Furthermore, on April 28, 2020, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury stated that the SBA will perform a full review of any PPP loan over $2.0 million before forgiving the loan.

We will be required to repay any portion of the outstanding principal that is not forgiven, along with accrued interest, through monthly principal and interest payments. These payments will commence following the end of the deferment period as defined in the PPP Loan. The PPP Loan matures on July 24, 2025 and bears interest at a rate of 1% per annum. We may prepay the principal at any time without penalty.

As part of our application for the PPP Loan, we were required to certify, among other things, that the current economic uncertainty made the PPP Loan request necessary to support our ongoing operations. We made this certification in good faith after analyzing, among other things, our financial situation and access to alternative forms of capital and believe that we satisfied all eligibility criteria for the PPP Loan and that our receipt of the PPP Loan is consistent with the broad objectives of the PPP of the CARES Act. The certification described above does not contain any objective criteria and is subject to interpretation. On April 23, 2020, the SBA issued guidance stating that it is unlikely that a public company with substantial market value and access to capital markets will be able to make the required certification in good faith. The lack of clarity regarding loan eligibility under the PPP has resulted in significant media coverage and controversy with respect to public companies applying for and receiving loans. If, despite our good faith belief that given our Company’s circumstances we satisfied all eligible requirements for the PPP Loan, we are later determined to have violated any of the laws or governmental regulations that apply to us in connection with the PPP Loan, such as the False Claims Act, or it is otherwise determined that we were ineligible to receive the PPP Loan, we may be subject to penalties, including significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties and could be required to repay the PPP Loan in its entirety. In addition, receipt of a PPP Loan may result in adverse publicity and damage to reputation, and a review or audit by the SBA or other government entity or claims under the False Claims Act could consume significant financial and management resources. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our operations are subject to unforeseen interruptions and hazards inherent in the oil and natural gas industry, for which we may not be adequately insured.

Our operations are exposed to the risks inherent to our industry, such as equipment defects, vehicle accidents, fires, explosions, blowouts, surface cratering, uncontrollable flows of gas or well fluids, pipe or pipeline failures, abnormally pressured formations and various environmental hazards, such as oil spills and releases of, and exposure to, hazardous substances. For example, our operations are subject to risks associated with hydraulic fracturing, including any mishandling, surface spillage or potential underground migration of fracturing fluids, including chemical additives. In addition, our operations are exposed to potential natural disasters, including blizzards, tornadoes, storms, floods, other adverse weather conditions and earthquakes. The occurrence of any of these events could result in substantial losses to our business due to personal injury or loss of life, severe damage to or destruction of property, natural resources and equipment, pollution or other environmental damage or other damage resulting in curtailment or suspension of our operations. Litigation arising from operations where our services are provided, may cause us to be named as a defendant in lawsuits asserting potentially large claims including claims for exemplary damages. The cost of managing such risks may be significant, and the frequency and severity of such incidents may affect operating costs, insurability and relationships with customers, employees, and regulators. Our customers may elect not to purchase our services if they view our environmental or safety record as unacceptable, which could cause us to lose customers and substantial revenues.

Our insurance may not be adequate to cover all losses or liabilities we may suffer, and the insurance coverage may not be adequate to cover claims that may arise. We are not fully insured against all risks, either because insurance is not available or coverage is excluded from our policy, or because of the high premium costs relative to perceived risk. Furthermore, we may be unable to maintain or obtain insurance of the type and amount we desire at reasonable rates. Insurance rates in the past have been subject to wide fluctuation and changes in coverage could result in less coverage, increases in cost or higher deductibles and retentions or the imposition of sub-limits for certain risks. In addition, we may not be able to secure additional insurance or bonding that might be required by new governmental regulations. If we were to incur a significant liability for which we are not fully insured, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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Our long-term contracts are subject to certain risks, including counterparty payment risks, inability to renew or replace at favorable economic terms, and changing market conditions that result in higher costs without offsetting revenue escalations.

We generally have long-term written contractual arrangements with our customers on most of our equipment. The counterparties to our contractual arrangements are subject to various market risks that impact their businesses and, as a result, they may be unable to make payments to us pursuant to the payment terms set forth in such contractual arrangements. Additionally, as contracts with our customers come up for replacement or renewal, changing market conditions may prevent us from replacing or renewing the contracts on comparable terms. Our ability to achieve favorable terms under these expiring contracts could be affected by many factors, including prolonged reduced commodity prices, decrease in demand for our services or increased competition in the markets we serve. If we are unable to replace or renew the expiring agreements on comparable terms, it could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, including our ability to make cash distributions to our shareholders.

With no long-term contract in place, such customers could cease buying our services at any time, for any reason, with little or no recourse. If multiple customers or a material customer with whom we did not have a long-term contract in place elected not to purchase our services, our business prospects, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.

We are dependent on a few customers in a single industry. The loss of one or more significant customers could adversely affect our financial condition, prospects, and results of operations.

Our customers are engaged in the oil and natural gas E&P business in the United States. Historically, we have been dependent upon a few customers for a significant portion of our revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2020, Apache Corporation, Marathon Oil, Range Resources, Shell, and EQT Corporation, each accounted for greater than 10% of total consolidated revenues. It is likely that we will continue to derive a significant portion of our revenue from a relatively small number of customers in the future. Additionally, the oil and natural gas industry is characterized by frequent consolidation activity and, recently, by frequent financial distress and bankruptcy filings. Changes in ownership of our customers or bankruptcy filings by our customers may result in the loss of, or reduction in, business from those customers. If we were to lose any material customer, or if a major customer fails to pay or delays in paying for our services, we may not be able to redeploy our equipment at similar utilization or pricing levels or within a short period of time and such loss could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, prospects and results of operations.

We currently rely on a limited number of suppliers for major equipment to build new and upgrade existing electric fleets to our current custom Clean Fleet^® design, and our reliance on these vendors exposes us to risks including price and timing of delivery.

We currently rely on a limited number of suppliers for major equipment to build our new fleets and upgrade any existing electric fleets as needed to our current custom Clean Fleet^® design. During periods in which fracturing services are in high demand, we have experienced delays in obtaining certain parts that are used in fabricating and assembling our fleets. If demand for hydraulic fracturing fleets or the components necessary to build such fleets increases or these vendors face financial distress or bankruptcy, these vendors may not be able to provide the new or upgraded fleets on schedule or at the current price. If this were to occur, we could be required to seek other suppliers for major equipment to build or upgrade our fleets, which may adversely affect our revenues or increase our costs.

Our assets require significant amounts of capital for maintenance, upgrades and refurbishment and may require significant capital expenditures for new equipment.

Our fleets and other completion service-related equipment require significant capital investment in maintenance, upgrades and refurbishment to maintain their competitiveness. The costs of components and labor may increase in the future which will require us to incur additional costs to maintain, upgrade and/or refurbish our fleets. Our fleets and other equipment typically do not generate revenue while they are undergoing maintenance, upgrades, or refurbishment. Any maintenance, upgrade or refurbishment project for our assets could increase our indebtedness or reduce cash available for other opportunities. Furthermore, such projects may require proportionally greater capital investments as a percentage of total asset value, which may make such projects difficult to finance on acceptable terms. To the extent we are unable to fund such projects, we may have less equipment available for service or our equipment may not be attractive to potential or current customers. Additionally, competition or advances in technology within our industry may require us to update or replace existing fleets or build or acquire new fleets. Such demands on our capital or reductions in demand for our fleets and the increase in cost of labor necessary for

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such maintenance and improvement, in each case, could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity position, financial condition, prospects and results of operations and may increase our costs.

We are subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations regarding issues of health, safety, and protection of the environment, including with respect to our hydraulic fracturing operations. Under these laws and regulations, we may become liable for penalties, damages or costs of remediation or other corrective measures. Any changes in laws or government regulations could increase our costs of doing business.

Our operations are subject to stringent federal, state, and local laws and regulations relating to, among other things, protection of natural resources, clean air and drinking water, endangered species, GHGs, nonattainment areas, the environment, health and safety, chemical use and storage, waste management, waste disposal and transportation of waste and other hazardous and nonhazardous materials. Our operations involve risks of environmental liability, including leakage from an operator’s casing during our operations or accidental spills onto or into surface or subsurface soils, surface water or groundwater. Some environmental laws and regulations may impose strict liability, joint and several liability, or both. In some situations, we could be exposed to liability as a result of our conduct that was lawful at the time it occurred or the conduct of, or conditions caused by, third parties without regard to whether we caused or contributed to the conditions. Additionally, environmental concerns, including clean air, drinking water contamination and seismic activity, have prompted investigations that could lead to the enactment of regulations, limitations, restrictions or moratoria that could potentially result in the shutdown of our operations, fines and penalties (administrative, civil or criminal), revocations of permits to conduct business, expenditures for remediation or other corrective measures and/or claims for liability for property damage, exposure to hazardous materials, exposure to hazardous waste, nuisance or personal injuries. Sanctions for noncompliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations may also include the assessment of administrative, civil, or criminal penalties, revocation of permits and temporary or permanent cessation of operations in a particular location and issuance of corrective action orders. Such claims or sanctions and related costs could cause us to incur substantial costs or losses and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, prospects, and results of operations. Additionally, an increase in regulatory requirements, limitations, restrictions or moratoria on oil and natural gas exploration and completion activities at a federal, state or local level or changes in the way these requirements are interpreted or enforced could significantly delay or interrupt our operations, limit the amount of work we can perform, increase our costs of compliance, or increase the cost of our services, thereby possibly having a material adverse impact on our financial condition. For more information about regulations and laws regarding issues of health, safety, and protection of the environment in our industry, please see “Item 1. Business - Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations.”

In December 2016, the EPA issued a study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water and groundwater. The EPA report states that there is scientific evidence that hydraulic fracturing activities can impact drinking resources under some circumstances and identifies certain conditions in which the EPA believes the impact of such activities on drinking water and groundwater can be more frequent or severe. The EPA study could spur further initiatives to regulate hydraulic fracturing. Additionally, state legislatures, state regulatory agencies and local municipalities may consider legislation, regulations, or ordinances, respectively that could affect all aspects of the oil and natural gas industry and occasionally take action to restrict or further regulate hydraulic fracturing operations. Some states, counties and municipalities have enacted or are considering moratoria on hydraulic fracturing or zoning ordinances, which could impose a de facto ban on drilling and hydraulic fracturing operations. Currently, it is not possible to estimate the potential impact on our business of these state and municipal actions or the enactment of additional federal or state legislation or regulations affecting hydraulic fracturing. Compliance, stricter regulations, or the consequences of any failure to comply by us could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, prospects and results of operations. For more information about regulations relating to hydraulic fracturing, please see “Item 1. Business - Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations.”

Furthermore, many states in which we operate require the disclosure of some or all the chemicals used in our hydraulic fracturing operations. Certain aspects of one or more of these chemicals may be considered proprietary by us or our chemical suppliers. Disclosure of our proprietary chemical information to third parties or to the public, even if inadvertent, could diminish the value of our trade secrets or those of our chemical suppliers and could result in competitive harm to us, which could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, prospects and results of operations. Additionally, our business could be affected by a moratorium or increased regulation of companies in our supply chain, such as sand mining by our proppant suppliers, which could limit our access to supplies and increase the costs of our raw materials. At this time, it is not possible to estimate how these various restrictions could affect our ongoing operations.

Many regulatory and legislative bodies routinely evaluate the adequacy and effectiveness of laws and regulations affecting the

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oil and gas industry. Reducing emissions of volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants is one of the sectors designated for increased enforcement by the EPA, which, in addition to state and local governing bodies, will continue to regulate our industry in the years to come. Laws and regulations protecting the environment, especially those related to GHGs and climate change, generally have become more stringent over time, and we expect them to continue to do so. This could lead to material increases in our costs and liability exposure for future environmental compliance and remediation and may negatively impact demand for our services. For example, oil and natural gas exploration and production may decline because of environmental requirements, including land use policies responsive to environmental concerns. Additionally, if we expand the size or scope of our operations, we could be subject to regulations that are more stringent than the requirements under which we are currently allowed to operate or require additional authorizations to continue operations. Compliance with this additional regulatory burden could increase our operating or other costs.

Additionally, failure to comply with government, industry or our own environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, or failure to comply with our compliance or reporting requirements, could tarnish our reputation for safety and quality and have a material adverse effect on our competitive position. In addition, customers maintain their own compliance and reporting requirements, and if we do not perform in accordance with their requirements, we could lose business from our customers, many of whom have an increased focus on environmental and safety issues.

Climate change legislation, regulations restricting emissions of greenhouse gases or other action taken by public or private entities related to climate change could result in increased operating costs and reduced demand for the crude oil and natural gas produced by our customers.

In response to findings that emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other GHGs present an endangerment to public health and the environment, the EPA has issued regulations to restrict emissions of GHGs under existing provisions of the Clean Air Act. From time to time, Congress has considered legislation to reduce emissions of GHGs but no such legislation has yet been adopted by Congress. Some states have individually or in regional cooperation, imposed restrictions on GHG emissions under various policies and approaches, including establishing a cap on emissions, requiring efficiency measures, or providing incentives for pollution reduction, use of renewable energy sources, or use of replacement fuels with lower carbon content. In the future, the United States has also chosen to adhere to international agreements targeting GHGs reductions (e.g., the Paris Agreement). The adoption of legislation or regulatory programs to reduce emissions of GHGs could require us to incur additional operating costs, such as costs to purchase and operate emissions control systems, to acquire emissions allowances or to comply with new regulatory or reporting requirements. Any such legislation or regulatory programs could also increase the cost of consuming, and thereby reduce demand for, the oil and natural gas our customers produce. Consequently, legislation and regulatory programs to reduce emissions of GHGs could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. For more information about climate change legislation, please see “Item 1. Business - Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations.”

Furthermore, increasing attention to the risks of climate change has resulted in an increased possibility of lawsuits or investigations brought by public and private entities against oil and natural gas companies in connection with their GHGs emissions. Should we be targeted by any such litigation or investigations, we may incur liability, which, to the extent that societal pressures or political or other factors are involved, could be imposed without regard to the causation of, or contribution to, the asserted damage, or to other mitigating factors. The ultimate impact of GHGs emissions-related agreements, legislation and measures on our Company’s financial performance is highly uncertain because we are unable to predict with certainty, for a multitude of individual jurisdictions, the outcome of political decision-making processes and the variables and tradeoffs that inevitably occur in connection with such processes.

If we are unable to fully protect our intellectual property rights, we may suffer a loss in our competitive advantage or market share.

We have been granted or have received notice of allowance for 38 patents and have an additional 189 patents pending. If we are not able to maintain the confidentiality of our trade secrets or fail to adequately protect our intellectual property rights we have now or acquire in the future, our competitive advantage would be diminished. Additionally, competitors may be able to replicate our technology or services protected by our intellectual property rights. We cannot assure you that any patents we may obtain in the future would provide us with any significant commercial benefit or would allow us to prevent our competitors from employing comparable technologies or processes.

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We may be adversely affected by disputes regarding intellectual property rights of third parties.

Third parties from time to time may initiate litigation against us by asserting that the conduct of our business infringes, misappropriates, or otherwise violates intellectual property rights. If any third parties bring a claim of intellectual property infringement against us, we may be subject to costly and time-consuming litigation, diverting the attention of management and our employees. We may not prevail in any such legal proceedings related to such claims, and our products and services may be found to infringe, impair, misappropriate, dilute, or otherwise violate the intellectual property rights of others. If we are unsuccessful in defending such claims, we could be required to pay substantial damages and/or be enjoined from using or selling the infringing products or technology. Any legal proceeding concerning intellectual property could be protracted and costly regardless of the merits of any claim and is inherently unpredictable and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, regardless of its outcome.

If we were to discover that our technologies or products infringe valid intellectual property rights of third parties, we may need to obtain licenses from these parties or substantially re-engineer our products in order to avoid infringement. We may not be able to obtain the necessary licenses on acceptable terms, or at all, or be able to re-engineer our products successfully. If our inability to obtain required licenses for our technologies or products prevents us from selling our products, it could adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.

Changes in transportation regulations may increase our costs and negatively impact our results of operations.

We are subject to various transportation regulations, including as a motor carrier by the U.S. Department of Transportation and by various federal and state agencies, whose regulations include certain permit requirements of highway and safety authorities. These regulatory authorities exercise broad powers over our trucking operations, generally governing such matters as the authorization to engage in motor carrier operations, safety, equipment testing, driver requirements and specifications and insurance requirements. The trucking industry is subject to possible regulatory and legislative changes that may impact our operations, such as changes in fuel emissions limits, hours of service regulations that govern the amount of time a driver may drive or work in any specific period and limits on vehicle weight and size. As the federal government continues to develop and propose regulations relating to fuel quality, engine efficiency and GHG emissions, we may experience an increase in costs related to truck purchases and maintenance, impairment of equipment productivity, a decrease in the residual value of vehicles, unpredictable fluctuations in fuel prices and an increase in operating expenses. Increased truck traffic may contribute to deteriorating road conditions in some areas where our operations are performed. Our operations, including routing and weight restrictions, could be affected by road construction, road repairs, detours and state and local regulations and ordinances restricting access to certain routes or times on specific roadways. Proposals to increase federal, state, or local taxes, including taxes on motor fuels, are also made from time to time, and any such increase would increase our operating costs. We cannot predict whether, or in what form, any legislative or regulatory changes or municipal ordinances applicable to our logistics operations will be enacted and to what extent any such legislation or regulations could increase our costs or otherwise adversely affect our business or operations.

We rely on a limited number of third parties for sand, proppant and chemicals, and delays in deliveries of such materials, increases in the cost of such materials or our contractual obligations to pay for materials that we ultimately do not require could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We have established relationships with a limited number of suppliers of our raw materials (such as sand, proppant, and chemicals). Should any of our current suppliers be unable to provide the necessary materials or otherwise fail to deliver the materials in a timely manner and in the quantities required, any resulting delays in the provision of services could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Additionally, increasing and volatile costs of such materials may negatively impact demand for our services or the profitability of our business operations. In the past, our industry faced sporadic proppant shortages associated with hydraulic fracturing operations requiring work stoppages, which adversely impacted the operating results of several competitors. We may not be able to mitigate any future shortages of materials, including proppant. Additionally, we have purchase commitments with certain vendors to supply most of the proppant used in our operations. Some of these agreements are “take or pay” agreements with minimum purchase obligations. If demand for our services decreases, demand for the raw materials we supply as part of these services will also decrease. Additionally, some of our customers have bought, and in the future may buy, proppant directly from vendors, reducing our need for proppant. If demand decreases enough, or our customers buy proppant directly from vendors, we could have contractual minimum commitments that exceed the required amount of goods we need to supply to our customers. To the extent our contracts require us to purchase more materials, including proppant, than we ultimately require, we may be forced to pay

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for the excess amount under “take or pay” contract provisions.

Oil and natural gas companies’ operations using hydraulic fracturing are substantially dependent on the availability of water. Restrictions on the ability to obtain water for exploration and production activities and the disposal of flowback and produced water may impact their operations and have a corresponding adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Water is an essential component of shale oil and natural gas production during both the drilling and hydraulic fracturing processes. Our oil and natural gas producing customers’ access to water to be used in these processes may be adversely affected due to reasons such as periods of extended drought, private, third-party competition for water in localized areas or the implementation of local or state governmental programs to monitor or restrict the beneficial use of water subject to their jurisdiction for hydraulic fracturing to assure adequate local water supplies. The occurrence of these or similar developments may result in limitations being placed on allocations of water due to needs by third-party businesses with more senior contractual or permitting rights to the water. Our customers’ inability to locate or contractually acquire and sustain the receipt of sufficient amounts of water could adversely impact their E&P operations and have a corresponding adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Moreover, the imposition of new environmental regulations and other regulatory initiatives could include increased restrictions on our producing customers’ ability to dispose of flowback and produced water generated in hydraulic fracturing or other fluids resulting from E&P activities. For more information about water-related regulations, please see “Item 1. Business - Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations.” Compliance with current and future environmental regulations and permit requirements governing the withdrawal, storage and use of surface water or groundwater necessary for hydraulic fracturing of wells and any inability to secure transportation and access to disposal wells with sufficient capacity to accept all of our flowback and produced water on economic terms may increase our customers’ operating costs and cause delays, interruptions or termination of our customers’ operations, the extent of which cannot be predicted. In addition, the legal requirements related to the disposal of produced water into a non-producing geologic formation by means of underground injection wells are subject to change based on concerns of the public or governmental authorities regarding such disposal activities. One such concern arises from seismic events near underground disposal wells that are used for the disposal by injection of produced water resulting from oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids activities. In response to concerns regarding induced seismicity, regulators in some states have imposed, or are considering imposing, additional requirements in the permitting of produced water disposal wells to assess any relationship between seismicity and the use of such wells. Among other things, these rules require companies seeking permits for disposal wells to provide seismic activity data in permit applications, provide for more frequent monitoring and reporting for certain wells and allow the state to modify, suspend or terminate permits on grounds that a disposal well is likely to be, or determined to be, causing seismic activity. States may issue orders to temporarily shut down or to curtail the injection depth of existing wells in the vicinity of seismic events.

Another consequence of seismic events may be lawsuits alleging that disposal well operations have caused damage to neighboring properties or otherwise violated state and federal rules regulating waste disposal. These developments could result in additional regulation and restrictions on the use of injection wells by us. Increased regulation and attention given to induced seismicity could also lead to greater opposition, including litigation to limit or prohibit oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids activities utilizing injection wells for produced water disposal.

Any one or more of these developments may result in us or our vendors having to limit disposal well volumes, disposal rates and pressures or locations, or require us or our vendors to shut down or curtail the injection into disposal wells, which events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our ability to expand our operations relies in part on our ability to market our Clean Fleet^® technology, and advancements in well service technologies, including those involving hydraulic fracturing, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The hydraulic fracturing industry is characterized by rapid and significant technological advancements and introductions of new products and services using new technologies, some of which may be subject to patent or other intellectual property protections. For example, we use our patented Clean Fleet^® technology as a competitive advantage in the markets we serve. As competitors and others use or develop new or comparable technologies in the future, we may lose market share or be placed at a competitive disadvantage. Further, we may face competitive pressure to develop, implement or acquire certain new technologies at a substantial cost. Some of our competitors may have greater financial, technical and personnel resources than

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we do, which may allow them to gain technological advantages or implement new technologies before we can. Additionally, we may be unable to implement new technologies or services at all, on a timely basis or at an acceptable cost. New technology could also make it easier for our customers to vertically integrate their operations, thereby reducing or eliminating the need for our services. Limits on our ability to effectively use or implement new technologies may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We may record losses or impairment charges related to idle assets or assets that we sell.

Prolonged periods of low utilization, changes in technology or the sale of assets below their carrying value may cause us to experience losses. These events could result in the recognition of impairment charges that negatively impact our financial results. Significant impairment charges because of a decline in market conditions or otherwise could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations in future periods.

Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards (NOLs) to offset future income may be limited.

The ability to utilize our NOL carryforwards to reduce taxable income in future years could become subject to significant limitations under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code if we undergo an ownership change. In general, an “ownership change” under Section 382 occurs if the percentage of stock owned by an entity’s 5% shareholder (as defined for tax purposes) increases by more than 50 percentage points over a rolling three-year period.  In the event of an ownership change, Section 382 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code imposes an annual limitation on the amount of taxable income a corporation may offset with NOL carryforwards. The annual limitation is generally equal to the value of the stock of the corporation immediately before the ownership change, multiplied by the long-term tax-exempt rate, a rate published monthly by the Internal Revenue Service. Any unused annual limitation may generally be carried over to later years until the NOL carryforwards expire.

Due to historical performance of cumulative losses, the NOL carryforwards are fully reserved with a valuation allowance. We intend to maintain a full valuation allowance on these deferred tax assets until there is sufficient evidence to support a full or partial reversal.

Risks Related to Our Securities

Our only significant assets are the ownership of a majority interest in USWS Holdings, and such ownership may not be sufficient to generate the funds necessary to meet our financial obligations.

We have no direct operations or significant assets other than the ownership of a majority (97%) interest in USWS Holdings. We depend on USWS Holdings and its subsidiaries, including USWS LLC, for distributions, loans, and other payments to generate the funds necessary to meet our financial obligations. Subject to certain restrictions, USWS Holdings generally will be required to (i) make pro rata distributions to its members, including us, in an amount at least sufficient to enable us to pay our taxes and (ii) reimburse us for certain corporate and other overhead expenses. However, legal and contractual restrictions in agreements governing indebtedness of USWS Holdings and its subsidiaries, as well as the financial condition and operating requirements of USWS Holdings and its subsidiaries, may limit our ability to obtain cash from USWS Holdings. The earnings from, or other available assets of, USWS Holdings and its subsidiaries, may not be sufficient to enable us to satisfy our financial obligations. USWS Holdings is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, will not be subject to any entity-level U.S. federal income tax. Instead, taxable income will be allocated to holders of USWS Units, including us. As a result, we generally will incur taxes on our allocable share of any net taxable income generated by USWS Holdings. Under the terms of the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of USWS Holdings, dated November 9, 2018 (the “A&R USWS Holdings LLC Agreement”), among MPAC and certain owners of common units in USWS Holdings, USWS Holdings is obligated to make tax distributions to holders of the USWS Units, including us, except to the extent such distributions would render USWS Holdings insolvent or are otherwise prohibited by law or the terms of any future financing agreement of USWS Holdings or its subsidiaries. In addition to our tax obligations, we also incur expenses related to our operations and our interests in USWS Holdings, including costs and expenses of being a publicly-traded company, all of which could be significant. To the extent that we require funds and USWS Holdings or its subsidiaries are restricted from making distributions under applicable law or regulation or under the terms of their financing arrangements, or are otherwise unable to provide such funds, it could materially adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition, including our ability to pay our income taxes when due.

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The trading price of our stock price may continue to be volatile. This volatility may affect the price at which you could sell shares of our Class A common stock.

The trading price of our common stock has been highly volatile and could continue to be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. During the past twelve months, the sales price of our stock ranged from a low of $0.23 per share in September 2020, to a high of $3.37 per share in February 2021.

We do not believe that this volatility corresponds to any recent change in our financial condition.

The stock market in general, and the market for energy related companies in particular, has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies.

As a result of this volatility, our securities could experience rapid and substantial decreases in price, and you may be able to sell shares of our Class A common stock only at a substantial loss to the price at which you purchased the securities.

Some, but not all, of the factors that may cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate include:

In addition, if the market for energy related stocks, or the stock market in general, experiences a loss of investor confidence, the trading price of our common stock could decline for reasons unrelated to our business, financial condition, or results of operations. Further, in the past, following periods of volatility in the overall market and the market price of a particular company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against these companies. If any of the foregoing occurs, it could cause our stock price to fall and may expose us to lawsuits that, even if unsuccessful, could be costly to defend and a distraction to management.

Further, on some occasions, our stock price may be, or may be purported to be, subject to “short squeeze” activity. A “short squeeze” is a technical market condition that occurs when the price of a stock increases substantially, forcing market participants who had taken a position that its price would fall (i.e., who had sold the stock “short”), to buy it, which in turn may create significant, short-term demand for the stock not for fundamental reasons, but rather due to the need for such market participants to acquire the stock in order to forestall the risk of even greater losses. A “short squeeze” condition in the market for a stock can lead to short-term conditions involving very high volatility and trading that may or may not track fundamental valuation models.

If our common stock is delisted, the market price and liquidity of our common stock and our ability to raise additional capital would be adversely impacted.

Our Class A common stock and warrants are currently listed on the Nasdaq. Continued listing of a security on Nasdaq is conditioned upon compliance with various continued listing standards. On April 21, 2020, we received a notice (the “Notice”) from Nasdaq stating we were not in compliance with the $1.00 minimum bid price requirement for continued listing on Nasdaq, as set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) (the “Minimum Bid Price Rule”), because the bid price for our Class A common stock had closed below the minimum $1.00 price per share requirement for the last thirty (30) consecutive business days. On

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August 14, 2020, we received another notice (the “Second Notice”) from Nasdaq stating that, based upon its review of our market value of listed securities for the last thirty consecutive business days, we do not meet the market value of listed securities requirement set forth under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(2) (the “MVLS Requirement”). In addition, the Second Notice informed us that as of August 14, 2020, we did not meet the alternative compliance standards relating to stockholders’ equity or net income from continuing operations (the “Alternative Compliance Standards”).

The Notice and the Second Notice had no immediate effect on our listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

On January 22, 2021, we received a written notice from Nasdaq stating that for at least ten consecutive business days, from January 8, 2021 to January 21, 2021, the market value of our listed securities has been $35.0 million or greater. Accordingly, we have regained compliance with the alternative requirement set forth under the MVLS Requirement.

On February 22, 2021, we received a written notice from Nasdaq stating that we have regained compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Rule and that we are in compliance with other applicable requirements as required for listing in Nasdaq. Accordingly, Nasdaq has determined to continue the listing of the Company’s securities on Nasdaq. The Nasdaq Hearings Panel (the “Panel”) determined to impose a monitoring period, pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5815(d)(4)(A), until August 23, 2021 (the “Panel Monitor”). During the Panel Monitor, we will be under an obligation to notify the Panel in writing, in the event of a closing bid price below $1.00 on any trading day, and in the event we fall out of compliance with any other applicable listing requirement. Should we evidence a closing bid price of less than $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive trading days at any point during the Panel Monitor, the Panel (or a newly convened panel if the initial panel is unavailable) will provide written notice to us that it will promptly conduct a hearing with regards to this deficiency. We would then have the opportunity to respond/present to the Panel as provided by Listing Rule 5815(d)(4)(A).

There can be no assurance that we will be able to comply with the continued listing standards of Nasdaq. If our Class A common stock was to be delisted from Nasdaq, trading of our common stock most likely would be conducted in the over–the–counter market on an electronic bulletin board established for unlisted securities such as the OTCQX Market, OTCQB Market or OTC Bulletin Board.  Such trading would likely reduce the market liquidity of our Class A common stock. As a result, an investor would find it more difficult to dispose of, or obtain accurate quotations for the price of, our Class A common stock. If our Class A common stock is delisted from Nasdaq and the trading price remains below $5.00 per share, trading in our Class A common stock might also become subject to the requirements of certain rules promulgated under the Exchange Act, which require additional disclosure by broker–dealers in connection with any trade involving a stock defined as a “penny stock” (generally, any equity security not listed on a national securities exchange or quoted on Nasdaq that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions). Many brokerage firms are reluctant to recommend low–priced stocks to their clients. Moreover, various regulations and policies restrict the ability of stockholders to borrow against or “margin” low–priced stocks and declines in the stock price below certain levels may trigger unexpected margin calls. Additionally, because brokers’ commissions on low–priced stocks generally represent a higher percentage of the stock price than commissions on higher priced stocks, the current price of the Class A common stock can result in an individual stockholder paying transaction costs that represent a higher percentage of total share value than would be the case if our share price were higher. This factor may also limit the willingness of institutions to purchase our Class A common stock. Finally, the additional burdens imposed upon broker–dealers by these requirements could discourage broker–dealers from facilitating trades in our Class A common stock, which could severely limit the market liquidity of the stock and the ability of investors to trade our Class A common stock. As a result, the ability of our stockholders to resell their shares of Class A common stock, and the price at which they could sell their shares, could be adversely affected. The delisting of our Class A common stock from Nasdaq would also make it more difficult for us to raise additional capital.

The requirements of being a public company, including compliance with the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, and the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, increases costs and distracts management, and we may be unable to comply with these requirements in a timely or cost-effective manner.

As a public company, we are subject to laws, regulations and requirements, certain corporate governance provisions, related regulations of the SEC and the requirements of Nasdaq, including the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Act and other applicable securities rules and regulations. Compliance with these rules and regulations require us to incur significant additional legal, accounting, and other expenses that we would not otherwise incur as a private company.

The Exchange Act requires, among other things, that we file annual, quarterly, and current reports with respect to our business and operating results. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and the national securities

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exchanges, establish certain requirements for the corporate governance practices of public companies. For example, as a result of becoming a public company, we have additional board committees and are required to maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. To maintain and, if required, improve our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting to meet this standard, significant resources and management oversight are required.

We rely on a small number of key personnel to manage compliance with these regulations, and compliance with such regulations causes additional costs to our operations and diverts management’s attention from implementing our growth strategy, which could prevent us from improving our business, results of operations and financial condition. We have made, and will continue to make, changes to our internal control over financial reporting, accounting systems disclosure controls and procedures, auditing functions and other procedures related to public company reporting to meet our reporting obligations as a public company.

We are an “emerging growth company” and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will result in significant savings.

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (“JOBS Act”). For as long as we remain an “emerging growth company,” we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies.” We will remain an “emerging growth company” for up to five years or until such earlier time that we have more than $1.07 billion in annual revenues, have more than $700 million in market value of our Class A common stock held by non-affiliates, or issue more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt over a three-year period. Further, there is no guarantee that the exemptions available to us under the JOBS Act will result in significant savings. To the extent we choose not to use exemptions from various reporting requirements under the JOBS Act, we may incur additional compliance costs, which may impact earnings and result in further diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating activities.

An active, liquid, and orderly trading market for our securities may not be maintained, which could adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.

An active, liquid, and orderly trading market for our securities may not be maintained. Active, liquid, and orderly trading markets usually result in less price volatility and more efficiency in carrying out investors’ purchase and sale orders. The market price of our securities could vary significantly because of several factors, some of which are beyond our control. In the event of a drop in the market price of our securities, you could lose a substantial portion or all your investment in our securities.

The following factors could affect the price of our securities:

The stock markets in general have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of companies. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price of our securities. Securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies following periods of volatility in the overall market and in the market

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price of a company’s securities. Such litigation, if instituted against us, could result in very substantial costs, divert our management’s attention and resources, and harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Future sales or the availability for sale of substantial amounts of our Class A common stock, or the perception that these sales may occur, could adversely affect the trading price of our Class A common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through future sales of equity securities.

Our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (as amended, the “Second Amended and Restated Charter”) authorizes us to issue 400,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, of which 72,515,342 shares were outstanding as of December 31, 2020, and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, of which 50,000 shares of Series A preferred stock and 22,050 shares of Series B preferred stock were outstanding as of December 31, 2020. The holders of the Series A preferred stock and the Series B preferred stock have the right to convert all or any portion of their shares of Series A preferred stock or Series B preferred stock, as applicable, into shares of Class A common stock. In addition, as of December 31, 2020, warrants to purchase up to 14,428,150 shares of our Class A common stock were outstanding and immediately exercisable.

A large percentage of our shares of common stock are held by a relatively small number of investors. We entered into registration rights agreements with certain of those investors in connection with the Transaction and in connection with their subsequent purchase of Series A preferred stock and the issuance of the Series B preferred stock pursuant to which we have filed registration statements with the SEC to facilitate potential future sales of such shares by them.

We may issue shares of our Class A common stock or other securities from time to time pursuant to our at the market offering or as consideration for future acquisitions and investments. We may issue a significant number of shares of our Class A common stock in the at the market offering and, additionally, if any future acquisition or investment is significant, the number of shares of our Class A common stock, or amount, as the case may be, of other securities that we may issue in connection with such acquisition or investment may in turn be substantial. We may also grant registration rights covering those shares of our Class A common stock or other securities in connection with any such acquisitions and investments.

We cannot predict the effect that future sales of our Class A common stock will have on the price at which our Class A common stock trades or the size of future issuances of our Class A common stock or the effect, if any, that future issuances will have on the market price of our Class A common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of our Class A common stock, or the perception that such sales could occur, may adversely affect the trading price of our Class A common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through a future sale of, or pay for acquisitions using, our equity securities.

Certain of our principal stockholders have significant influence over us.

A large percentage of our shares of Class A common stock are held by a relatively small number of investors whose interests may conflict with that of our other common stockholders. Consequently, these holders (each of whom we refer to as a “principal stockholder”) may have significant influence over all matters that require approval by our stockholders, including the election and removal of directors and the size of our Board, any amendment to our certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or the approval of any merger or other significant corporate transaction, including a sale of substantially all of our assets. This concentration of ownership and the rights of our principal stockholders will limit the ability of our other common stockholders to influence corporate matters and, as a result, actions may be taken that they may not view as beneficial.

Furthermore, conflicts of interest could arise in the future between us, on the one hand, and our principal stockholders and their respective affiliates, including portfolio companies, on the other hand, concerning among other things, potential competitive business activities or business opportunities. Several of our principal stockholders are private equity firms or investment funds in the business of making investments in entities in a variety of industries. As a result, our principal stockholders’ existing and future portfolio companies may compete with us for investment or business opportunities. Our Second and Amended and Restated Charter provides that our directors and officers, including any of the foregoing who were designated by our principal stockholders, do not have any obligation to offer to us any corporate opportunity of which he or she may become aware prior to offering such opportunities to other entities with which they may be affiliated, subject to certain limited exceptions.

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We may amend the terms of our Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding Public Warrants. As a result, the exercise price of these warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, without approval by all of the warrant holders.

As of March 2, 2021 we had 3,667,417 Public Warrants and 15,500,000 Private Placement Warrants outstanding. Our Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants were issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision but requires the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding Public Warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the Public Warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding Public Warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the Public Warrants with the consent of at least 65% of the then outstanding Public Warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.

We may redeem unexpired Public Warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to warrant holders, thereby making their Public Warrants worthless.

We can redeem outstanding Public Warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, provided that the last reported sales price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $24.00 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. If, and when, the Public Warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. Redemption of the outstanding Public Warrants could force the warrant holders (i) to exercise their Public Warrants and pay the exercise price therefore at a time when it may be disadvantageous for them to do so, (ii) to sell their warrants at the then-current market price when they might otherwise wish to hold their Public Warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of their Public Warrants. None of the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by Matlin & Partners Acquisition Sponsor, LLC (“M&P LLC”) or its permitted transferees.

The exercise of our outstanding warrants or conversions of our outstanding Series A preferred stock and Series B preferred stock could increase the number of shares eligible for future resale in the public market and result in dilution to our stockholders.

As of March 2, 2021, we had 3,667,417 Public Warrants, 15,500,000 Private Placement Warrants, and 4,844,441 Series A Preferred Warrants issued and outstanding. The Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants, which were issued concurrently with our IPO, became exercisable, effective as of December 9, 2018, to purchase one-half of one share of Class A common stock for $5.75 per half share, or $11.50 per whole share. The Series A Preferred Warrants, which were issued to certain institutional investors in connection with the Series A Preferred Stock offering in May 2019, are exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock for $7.66 per share. So long as shares of Series A Preferred Stock remain outstanding, we will issue an aggregate of 444,444 additional warrants quarterly through March 31, 2022. As of March 2, 2021, we had issued an aggregate of 1,911,108 additional warrants to holders of Series A preferred stock.

As of March 2, 2021, 50,000 shares of Series A preferred stock and 21,288 shares of Series B preferred stock were outstanding. The holders of the Series A preferred stock and the Series B preferred stock have the right to convert all or any portion of their shares of Series A preferred stock or Series B preferred stock, as applicable, into shares of Class A common stock.  

To the extent such warrants are exercised or such preferred stock is converted, additional shares of our Class A common stock will be issued, which will result in dilution to the then existing holders of our Class A common stock and increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market.

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Our charter and bylaws contain provisions that could discourage acquisition bids or merger proposals, which may adversely affect the market price of the Class A common stock.

Our Second Amended and Restated Charter authorizes our board of directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval. If our Board of Directors elects to issue preferred stock, it could be more difficult for a third party to acquire us. In addition, some provisions of the Second Amended and Restated Charter and our bylaws could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us, even if the change of control would be beneficial to and desirable by our stockholders, including:

​The Second Amended and Restated Charter designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.

The Second Amended and Restated Charter provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (“Court of Chancery”) will, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers or other employees to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers or employees of ours arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, the Second Amended and Restated Charter or our bylaws or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers or other employees that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each case except for such claims as to which (a) the Court of Chancery determines that it does not have personal jurisdiction over an indispensable party, (b) exclusive jurisdiction is vested in a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery or (c) the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction. Although the Certificate of Incorporation contains the choice of forum provision described above, we do not expect this choice of forum provision will apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or any other claim for which federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.

Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock will be deemed to have notice of, and consented to, the provisions of our Second Amended and Restated Charter described in the preceding paragraph. This exclusive forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and such persons. Additionally, a court could determine that the exclusive forum provision is unenforceable. If a court were to find these provisions of our Second Amended and Restated Charter inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

General Risk Factors

A pandemic or epidemic, including the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic, and the regulatory steps to reduce its transmission could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

The outbreak of the COVID–19 coronavirus, which has been declared by the World Health Organization to be a pandemic, has

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spread across the globe, and is impacting worldwide economic activity, including the global demand for oil and natural gas. A pandemic, including the COVID–19 coronavirus or other public health epidemic, poses the risk that we or our employees, contractors, suppliers, customers and other partners may be prevented from conducting business activities for an indefinite period of time, including due to spread of the disease within these groups or due to restrictions that may be requested or mandated by governmental authorities, including quarantines of certain geographic areas, restrictions on travel and other restrictions that prohibit employees from going to work. The duration of the COVID–19 coronavirus pandemic and the related mitigation measures has resulted and may continue to result in a significant decrease in business from our customers and/or cause our customers to be unable to meet existing payment or other obligations to us. If the responses to contain the COVID–19 are unsuccessful in bringing the pandemic to end, we could continue to experience a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Competition within the oilfield services industry may adversely affect our ability to market our services.

The oilfield services industry is highly competitive and includes several large companies that compete in many of the markets we serve, as well as numerous small companies that compete with us on a local basis. Our larger competitors’ greater resources allow them to better withstand industry downturns and compete more effectively because of technology, geographic scope and retained skilled personnel. Several of our competitors provide a broader array of services and have a stronger presence in more geographic markets.

We believe the principal competitive factors in the market areas we serve are price, equipment quality, supply chains, balance sheet strength and financial condition, product and service quality, safety record, availability of crews and equipment and technical proficiency. Our operations may be adversely affected if our current competitors or new market entrants introduce new products or services with better features, performance, prices, or other characteristics than our products and services or expand into service areas where we operate. Competitive pressures or other factors may also result in significant price competition, particularly during industry downturns. During such downturns, we experience reductions in the prices we can charge for our services based on reduced demand and resulting overcapacity, including an intensified competitive environment because of an industry downturn and oversupply of oilfield services. Any inability to compete effectively with our competitors or overcapacity in the markets which we serve could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We may be subject to interruptions or failures in our information technology systems.

We rely on sophisticated information technology systems and infrastructure to support our business, including process control technology. Any of these systems may be susceptible to outages due to fire, floods, power loss, telecommunications failures, usage errors by employees, computer viruses, cyberattacks or other security breaches, or similar events. The failure of any of our information technology systems may cause disruptions in our operations, which could adversely affect our sales and profitability.

We are subject to cyber security risks. A cyber incident could occur and result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.

The oil and natural gas industry has become increasingly dependent on digital technologies to conduct certain processing activities. For example, we depend on digital technologies to perform many of our services and to process and record financial and operating data. At the same time, cyber incidents, including deliberate attacks, have increased. The U.S. government has issued public warnings that indicate that energy assets might be specific targets of cyber security threats. Our technologies, systems and networks, and those of our vendors, suppliers and other business partners, may become the target of cyberattacks or information security breaches that could result in the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss or destruction of proprietary and other information, or other disruption of business operations. In addition, certain cyber incidents, such as surveillance, may remain undetected for an extended period. In the past, we have experienced data security breaches resulting from unauthorized access to our systems, which to date have not had a material impact on our operations; however, there is no assurance that such impacts will not be material in the future. Our systems and insurance coverage for protecting against cyber security risks may not be sufficient. As cyber incidents continue to evolve, we will likely be required to expend additional resources to continue to modify or enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to cyber incidents. Our insurance coverage for cyberattacks may not be sufficient to cover all the losses we may experience because of such cyberattacks.

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We may be unable to employ enough key employees, technical personnel and other skilled or qualified workers. In addition, the absence or loss of certain key employees could adversely affect our business.

The delivery of our services requires personnel with specialized skills and experience who can perform physically demanding work. Additionally, our ability to successfully operate our business is dependent upon the efforts of certain key personnel, including our senior management. The demand for skilled workers in our areas of operations can be high, the supply may be limited, and we may be unable to relocate our employees from areas of lower utilization to areas of higher demand. If we are unable to retain or meet growing demand for skilled technical personnel, our operating results, and our ability to execute our growth strategies may be adversely affected. A significant increase in the wages paid by competing employers could result in a reduction of our skilled labor force, increases in the wage rates that we must pay, or both. Further, a significant decrease in the wages paid by us or our competitors as a result of reduced industry demand could result in a reduction of the available skilled labor force, and there is no assurance that the availability of skilled labor will improve following a subsequent increase in demand for our services or an increase in wage rates.

We are subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act, which governs such matters as minimum wage, overtime and other working conditions, and require full compliance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and other laws concerning immigration and the hiring of legally documented workers. In some cases, it may be necessary to obtain a required work authorization from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or similar government agency prior to a foreign national working as an employee for us. There may be costs that arise during our efforts to comply with various current or future labor and employment related regulations.

In addition, many key responsibilities within our business have been assigned to a small number of employees. The unexpected loss or unavailability of key members of management or technical personnel, one or more members of our executive team, including our chief executive officer, chief financial officer, and chief administrative officer, may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, prospects or results of operations. We do not maintain “key person” life insurance policies on any of our employees. As a result, we are not insured against any losses resulting from the death of our key employees.

Anti-indemnity provisions enacted by many states may restrict or prohibit a party’s indemnification of us.

We typically enter into agreements with our customers governing the provision of our services, which usually include certain indemnification provisions for losses resulting from operations. Such agreements may require each party to indemnify the other against certain claims regardless of the negligence or other fault of the indemnified party; however, many states place limitations on contractual indemnity agreements, particularly agreements that indemnify a party against the consequences of its own negligence. Furthermore, certain states, including Texas, have enacted statutes generally referred to as “oilfield anti-indemnity acts” expressly prohibiting certain indemnity agreements contained in or related to oilfield services agreements. Such anti-indemnity acts may restrict or void a party’s indemnification of us, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, prospects, and results of operations.

A terrorist attack or armed conflict could harm our business.

Terrorist activities, anti-terrorist efforts and other armed conflicts involving the United States could adversely affect the U.S. and global economies and could prevent us from meeting financial and other obligations. We could experience loss of business, delays, or defaults in payments from payors or disruptions of fuel supplies and markets if wells, operations sites or other related facilities are direct targets or indirect casualties of an act of terror or war. Such activities could reduce the overall demand for oil and gas, which, in turn, could also reduce the demand for our products and services. Terrorist activities and the threat of potential terrorist activities and any resulting economic downturn could adversely affect our results of operations, impair our ability to raise capital or otherwise adversely impact our ability to realize certain business strategies.

We are exposed to the credit risk of our customers, and any material nonpayment or nonperformance by our customers could adversely affect our financial results.

We are subject to the risk of loss resulting from nonpayment or nonperformance by our customers, many of whose operations are concentrated solely in the domestic E&P industry which, as described above, is subject to volatility and, therefore, credit risk. Our credit procedures and policies may not be adequate to fully reduce customer credit risk. If we are unable to adequately assess the creditworthiness of existing or future customers or unanticipated deterioration in their creditworthiness, any resulting increase in nonpayment or nonperformance by them and our inability to re-market or otherwise use our equipment could have

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a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, prospects or results of operations.

Delays or restrictions in obtaining permits by us for our operations or by our customers for their operations could impair our business.

Our operations and the operations of our oil and natural gas producing customers require permits from one or more governmental agencies to perform drilling and completion activities, secure water rights, or engage in other regulated activities. Such permits are typically issued by state agencies, but federal and local governmental permits may also be required. The requirements for such permits vary depending on the location where such regulated activities will be conducted. As with all governmental permitting processes, there is a degree of uncertainty as to whether a permit will be granted, the time it will take for a permit to be issued, and the conditions that may be imposed in connection with the granting of the permit. Therefore, our customers’ operations in certain areas of the United States may be interrupted or suspended for varying lengths of time, causing a loss of revenue to us, and adversely affecting our results of operations in support of those customers.

Unanticipated changes in effective tax rates or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of our income or other tax returns could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We will be subject to income taxes in the United States, and our domestic tax liabilities will be subject to the allocation of expenses in differing jurisdictions. Our future effective tax rates could be subject to volatility or adversely affected by several factors, including:

In addition, we may be subject to audits of our income, sales, and other transaction taxes by U.S. federal and state authorities. Outcomes from these audits could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of our operations.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

None.

Item 2. Properties.

Our corporate headquarters is a leased property located in Houston, Texas. We lease various other facilities, which are located across multiple basins strategically to maximize efficiency of operations and exposure to customers.

We believe that our existing facilities are adequate for our operations and our locations allow us to efficiently serve our customers. We do not believe that any single facility is material to our operations and, if necessary, we could readily obtain a replacement facility.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

See “Note 16 – Commitments & Contingencies” in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

Not applicable.

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PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

Market Information

Our Class A common stock and warrants are currently quoted on Nasdaq under the symbols “USWS” and “USWSW,” respectively.

Additionally, the Company is authorized to issue 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. As of December 31, 2020, there were 2,302,936 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding. The shares of Class B common stock are non-economic; however, holders are entitled to one vote per share. Each share of Class B common stock, together with one unit of USWS Holdings, is exchangeable for one share of Class A common stock or, at the Company’s election, the cash equivalent to the market value of one share of Class A common stock. There is no market for our Class B common stock.

Holders of our Common Stock

As of December 31, 2020, there were 88 stockholders of record of our Class A common stock and 4 stockholders of record of our Class B common stock. The number of record holders is based upon the actual number of holders registered on the books of the Company at such date and does not include holders of shares in “street name” or persons, partnerships, associations, corporations or other entities identified in security position listings maintained by depositories.

Dividend Policy

We have not paid any dividends since our inception and we do not intend to pay regular cash dividends in the foreseeable future. We are not required to pay dividends, and our stockholders will not be guaranteed, or have contractual or other rights to receive, dividends. The declaration and payment of any future dividends will be at the sole discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend upon, among other things, our earnings, financial condition, capital requirements, level of indebtedness, contractual restrictions to the extent there are any with respect to the payment of dividends, and other considerations that our Board of Directors deems relevant.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Equity Securities

We had no sales of unregistered equity securities during the period covered by this Annual Report that were not previously reported in a Current Report on Form 8-K.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

During the quarter ended December 31, 2020, we did not repurchase any of our equity securities.

Item 6. Selected Financial Data.

Not applicable.

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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included within “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.” In addition to historical consolidated financial information, the following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect the Company’s plans, estimates, or beliefs. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include those discussed below and elsewhere in this Annual Report, including, without limitation, those described in the sections titled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements” and Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” of this Annual Report.

Overview

We provide high-pressure, hydraulic fracturing services in oil and natural gas basins. Both our conventional and Clean Fleet® hydraulic fracturing fleets are among the most reliable and highest performing fleets in the industry, with the capability to meet the most demanding pressure and pump rate requirements in the industry. We operate in many of the active shale and unconventional oil and natural gas basins of the United States and our clients benefit from the performance and reliability of our equipment and personnel. Specifically, all our fleets operate on a 24-hour basis and can withstand the high utilization rates that result in more efficient operations. Our senior management team has extensive industry experience providing pressure pumping services to exploration and production companies across North America.

How the Company Generates Revenue

We generate revenue by providing hydraulic fracturing services to our customers. We own and operate a fleet of hydraulic fracturing units to perform these services. We seek to enter into contractual arrangements with our customers or fleet dedications, which establish pricing terms for a fixed duration. Under the terms of these agreements, we charge our customers base monthly rates, adjusted for activity and provision of materials such as proppant and chemicals, or we charge a variable rate based on the nature of the job including pumping time, well pressure, sand and chemical volumes and transportation.

Our Costs of Conducting Business

The principal costs involved in conducting our hydraulic fracturing services are labor, maintenance, materials, and transportation costs. A large portion of our costs are variable, based on the number and requirements of hydraulic fracturing jobs. We manage our fixed costs, other than depreciation and amortization, based on factors including industry conditions and the expected demand for our services.

Materials include the cost of sand delivered to the basin of operations, chemicals, and other consumables used in our operations. These costs vary based on the quantity and quality of sand and chemicals utilized when providing hydraulic fracturing services. Transportation represents the costs to transport materials and equipment from receipt points to customer locations. Labor costs include payroll and benefits related to our field crews and other employees, as well as severance costs. Most of our employees are paid on an hourly basis. During the year ended December 31, 2020, our labor cost included approximately $2.3 million of severance expense. Maintenance costs include preventative and other repair costs that do not require the replacement of major components of our hydraulic fracturing fleets. Maintenance and repair costs are expensed as incurred.

The following table presents our cost of services for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 (in thousands):

     ⁽¹⁾ Other consists of fuel, lubes, equipment rentals, travel and lodging costs for our crews, site safety costs and

     other costs incurred in performing our operating activities.

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Significant Trends

The global health and economic crisis sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated decrease in commodity prices significantly impacted industry activity since the beginning of 2020. Weaker economic activity and lower demand for crude oil, driven by the persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic, has adversely impacted our business, resulting in a reduction in our active fleet count and fleet utilization levels. As such, we are experiencing considerable uncertainty in our near-term business prospects and ability to forecast future financial performance.

In response to the challenging business and operating environment created by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken proactive measures to safeguard the physical health of our employees and the financial health of our business. Employees capable of working from home were mandated to do so until conditions improve making it safe for their return on a voluntary basis. Additionally, all individuals entering into a Company facility or work location undergo a screening process. Beginning in February 2020, we took swift action to reduce costs, rationalizing the size of the organization to match activity through reductions-in-force, furloughing employees, reducing compensation levels across the board, and closing facilities. We also worked with customers to accelerate the collections of accounts receivables in certain cases and worked with suppliers to reduce our cost of goods and ensure the availability of supply. During the second quarter of 2020, we completed an offering of redeemable convertible preferred equity concurrent with the amendment of certain terms of our debt instruments in order to provide us with greater liquidity and financial flexibility (See “Note 9 - Debt” and “Note 10 – Mezzanine Equity” in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements). In addition, we have also taken advantage of relief offered by the CARES Act with the deferral of the employer portion of social security taxes, the carryback of our 2018 NOLs to prior year taxable income and during the second half of 2020, the receipt of a $10.0 million PPP Loan and $22.0 million USDA Loan. In January 2021, we received the remaining $3.0 million proceeds from the USDA Loan.We have also sold shares of Class A common stock pursuant to our ATM Agreement (as defined below) in order to provide us with additional liquidity.

Results of Operations

Year 2020 Compared to Year 2019

(in thousands, except percentages)

     ⁽¹⁾ As a percentage of revenues. Percentage totals or differences in the above table may not equal the sum or

                       difference of the components due to rounding.

     ⁽²⁾ Not meaningful.

       ⁽³⁾ Selling, general and administrative expenses consist of the following:

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Revenues. The decrease in revenue was primarily attributable to the decline in business activity, as our average active fleet count during the period decreased to 6 fleets compared to 10 fleets in the prior comparable period. The decrease in revenue was also attributable to an increased amount of self-sourcing by customers of lower-margin consumables such as sand, chemicals, and sand transportation. We expect the industry trend of E&P companies self-sourcing to continue, resulting in decreased revenues from consumables as compared to prior years in which we provided these consumables to our customers. In addition, we anticipate revenue to continue to be depressed in the foreseeable future if industry conditions discussed in “Significant Trends” above continue.

Cost of services, excluding depreciation and amortization. The decrease in cost of services, excluding depreciation and amortization, was primarily attributable to the decline in business activity and significant cost cutting measures implemented in response to current industry conditions as described in “Significant Trends” above. The decrease in cost of services, excluding depreciation and amortization, was also due in part to the change in revenue mix discussed above, offset in part by $2.3 million of severance recorded in the current period. Like revenues, we anticipate cost of services, excluding depreciation and amortization to remain at reduced levels as long as the industry conditions and cost cutting measures described in “Significant Trends” above continue.

Depreciation and amortization. The decrease in depreciation and amortization was primarily due to the lower cost basis of depreciating long-lived assets because of impairment losses recorded in the first quarter of 2020, and fully depreciated long-lived assets since the end of the prior comparable period.

Selling, general and administrative expenses. The increase in selling, general, and administrative expenses was primarily attributable to our recording of a bad debt reserve of $12.0 million in the during the year 2020 due to growing uncertainty as to collectability of billed amounts from customers weakened by the recent collapse in crude oil prices. We are continuing to work with our customers on collecting these receivables. Additionally, share-based compensation expense increased by $2.9 million primarily due to the new share-based compensation awards granted in the fourth quarter of 2020. The increase in selling, general, and administrative expenses was offset in part by a decrease of $2.7 million in payroll costs and other selling, general, and administrative expenses, which was mainly due to reduction of expenses due to reductions-in-force, furloughing employees, and reduction of employee compensation levels in response to current industry conditions as described in “Significant Trends” above.

Impairment of long-lived assets. As a result of impairment tests that we performed in the first quarter of 2020, we determined that the carrying value of long-lived assets exceeded their fair value. Therefore, we recorded an impairment charge in the first quarter of 2020 to reduce the carrying value of property and equipment and finite-lived intangible assets to fair value (See “Note 5 – Goodwill and Intangible Assets” and “Note 6 – Property and Equipment, Net” in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements).

Loss on disposal of assets. The amount of loss on disposal of assets fluctuates period over period due to differences in the operating conditions of our hydraulic fracturing equipment, such as wellbore pressure and rate of barrels pumped per minute, that impact the timing of disposals of our hydraulic fracturing pump components and the amount of gain or loss recognized. The decrease in the loss on disposal of assets was primarily attributable to the significant decrease in loss on disposal related to fluid ends, due to a change in accounting estimate related to their useful life (See Property and Equipment in “Note 2 – Significant Accounting Policies” in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements). Beginning in the second quarter of 2020, fluid ends are expensed as they are used in operations, due to their shortened useful life estimate.

Interest expense, net. The decrease was primarily attributable to lower average debt balance and lower effective interest rates compared to the prior period.

Information related to the comparison of our operating results between the years 2019 and 2018 is included in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our 2019 Form 10-K filed with the SEC.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures and should not be considered as a substitute for net income (loss), operating income (loss) or any other performance measure derived in accordance with GAAP or as an alternative to net cash provided by operating activities as a measure of our profitability or liquidity. Our management believes EBITDA and

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Adjusted EBITDA are useful because they allow external users of our consolidated financial statements, such as industry analysts, investors, lenders and rating agencies, to more effectively evaluate our operating performance, compare the results of our operations from period to period and against our peers without regard to our financing methods or capital structure and because it highlights trends in our business that may not otherwise be apparent when relying solely on GAAP measures. We present EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA because we believe EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are important supplemental measures of our performance that are frequently used by others in evaluating companies in our industry. Because EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA exclude some, but not all, items that affect net income (loss) and may vary among companies, the EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA we present may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies. We define EBITDA as earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation, and amortization. We define Adjusted EBITDA as EBITDA excluding the following: loss on disposal of assets; share-based compensation; impairments, and other items that management believes to be nonrecurring in nature.

The following table presents a reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA from net loss, our most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP (in thousands):

(a) Represents net losses on the disposal of property and equipment.

(b) Represents non-cash share-based compensation.

(c) Represents a non-cash impairment charge on long-lived assets.

(d) Represents costs related to the start-up, relocation and / or reactivation of hydraulic fracturing fleets.

(e) Represents third-party professional fees and other costs including costs related to strategic and capital

markets transactions.

(f) Represents severance, restructuring cost related to reductions in force and facility closures, and market

driven-costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

(g) Represents insurance reimbursement of costs related to a fleet fire previously reported as an add-back.

(h) Represents non-recurring costs related to debt extinguishment.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our primary sources of liquidity and capital resources are cash on the balance sheet, cash flow generated from operating activities, proceeds from the issuance of equity, senior secured term loan, PPP Loan, USDA Loan, and borrowings under our revolving credit facility.

On April 1, 2020, we sold in a private placement 21,000 shares of Series B Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Series B preferred stock”) to certain institutional investors for an aggregate purchase price of $21.0 million. We used substantially all the proceeds from the Series B preferred stock to obtain the amendment on our senior secured term loan described below.

On April 1, 2020, we entered into agreements to amend our existing senior secured term loan and revolving credit facility. Pursuant to the amendment to our senior secured term loan, the interest rate on the outstanding loan was reduced to 0.0% and

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the scheduled principal amortization payments were suspended for the period beginning April 1, 2020 and ending March 31, 2022. In addition, the maturity date of the senior secured term loan was extended to December 5, 2025. Pursuant to the amendment to our revolving credit facility, the aggregate revolving commitment was reduced from $75.0 million to $60.0 million, the maturity date was extended from May 7, 2024 to April 1, 2025, and the interest rate margin applicable to borrowings under our revolving credit facility was increased by 0.50% per annum. In addition, the borrowing base under the ABL Facility was amended to include a FILO Amount, which increases borrowing base availability by up to the lesser of (i) $4.0 million and (ii) 5.0% of the value of eligible accounts receivables, subject to scheduled monthly reductions. Advances under the FILO amount accrue interest at a rate that is 1.50% higher than the rate applicable to other loans under the revolving credit facility and may be repaid only after all other revolving credit facility loans have been repaid.

On June 26, 2020, the Company entered into an Equity Distribution Agreement (the “ATM Agreement”) with Piper Sandler & Co. relating to the Company’s shares of Class A common stock. In accordance with the terms of the ATM Agreement, which relates to an “at-the-market” offering program, the Company may offer and sell, from time to time through the Piper Sandler & Co., up to $10.3 million of our Class A common stock. Under the ATM Agreement, the Company will pay Piper Sandler an aggregate commission of up to 3% of the gross sales price per share of Class A common stock sold under the ATM Agreement. Under the ATM Agreement, we sold 792,258 shares of Class A common stock for a total net proceeds of $0.4 million as of December 31, 2020. The Company paid twelve thousand and three hundred sixty-four dollars and fifty-eight cents in commissions with respect to these sales. In January 2021, we sold an additional 8,340,608 shares of Class A common stock for a total net proceeds of $5.7 million, after payment of $0.2 million in commissions.

In July 2020, the Company received an unsecured $10.0 million loan (the “PPP Loan”) that bears interest at a rate of 1.0% per annum and matures in five years under the Paycheck Protection Program from a commercial bank. The Paycheck Protection Program was established under the CARES Act and is administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Under the terms of the CARES Act, loan recipients can apply for and be granted forgiveness for all or a portion of the loan. Forgiveness is determined, subject to certain limitations, based on the use of the loan proceeds for payroll costs, interest on mortgages or other debt obligations, rents, and utilities. At least 60% of the proceeds must be used for payroll costs. No assurance can be given that the Company will obtain forgiveness of the PPP Loan either in whole or in part. Monthly principal and interest payments will commence after an initial deferral period as specified under the Paycheck Protection Program on any unforgiven loan proceeds.

In August 2020, we entered into an amendment to our revolving credit facility pursuant to which the aggregate revolving commitment under the facility was reduced from $60.0 million to $50.0 million and certain modifications were made to eligible accounts in the borrowing base and to the applicable thresholds in the cash dominion trigger period and financial covenant trigger period, among other things. Our option to request an increase in commitments under the accordion feature was also removed under the terms of the amendment.

In November 2020, we entered into a Business Loan Agreement (the “USDA Loan”) with a commercial bank pursuant to the United States Department of Agriculture, Business & Industry Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act Guaranteed Loan Program, in the aggregate principal amount of up to $25.0 million for the purpose of providing long-term financing for eligible working capital. Interest payments are due monthly at the interest rate of 5.75% per annum beginning on December 12, 2020 but principal payments are not required until December 12, 2023. As of December 31, 2020, we received proceeds amounting to $22.0 million under the USDA Loan. In January 2021, we received the remaining principal amount of $3.0 million.

In connection with our entry into the USDA Loan, the senior secured term loan was amended to, among other things, require us to pay quarterly principal payments of $1.25 million commencing on December 31, 2020.

The USDA Loan is subject to certain financial covenants. The Company is required to maintain a Debt Service Coverage Ratio (as defined in the USDA Loan) of not less than 1.25:1, to be monitored annually, beginning in calendar year 2021. Additionally, the Company is required to maintain a ratio of debt to net worth of not more than 9:1, to be monitored annually based upon year-end financial statements beginning in calendar year 2022.

For more information regarding the issuance of the Series B preferred stock, entry into PPP Loan and USDA Loan, and amendments to our senior secured term loan and revolving credit facility, refer to “Note 9 – Debt” and “Note 10 – Mezzanine Equity” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

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As of December 31, 2020, our senior secured term loan is not subject to financial covenants but is subject to certain non-financial covenants, including but not limited to, reporting, insurance, notice and collateral maintenance covenants as well as limitations on the incurrence of indebtedness, permitted investments, liens on assets, dispositions of assets, paying dividends, transactions with affiliates, mergers and consolidations. In addition, all borrowings under our revolving credit facility are subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions, including the absence of a default and the accuracy of representations and warranties and certifications regarding sales of certain inventory, and to a borrowing base. As of December 31, 2020, the borrowing base was $32.4 million, and the outstanding revolver loan balance was $23.7 million. As of December 31, 2020, we were in compliance with all of the covenants under our senior secured term loan and our revolving credit facility.

We believe that our current cash position, working capital balance, cash generated from operations, favorable payment terms under our amended senior secured term loan, borrowing capacity under our revolving credit facility, deferral of the employer portion of social security tax under the CARES Act, proceeds from our PPP Loan and USDA Loan, and amounts raised through our ATM program, will be sufficient to satisfy the anticipated cash requirements associated with our existing operations for at least the next twelve months. While we are focused on maintaining adequate liquidity to fund our operations, service our debt and fund capital expenditures, sustained weakness or further deterioration in industry activity may make it difficult for us to do so.

Cash Flows

(in thousands)

Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities. Net cash provided by operating activities primarily represents the results of operations exclusive of non-cash expenses, including depreciation, amortization, provision for losses on accounts receivable and inventory, interest, impairment losses, losses on disposal of assets, and share-based compensation, and the impact of changes in operating assets and liabilities. Net cash provided by operating activities was $8.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, a decrease of $66.2 million from the prior corresponding period. This decrease was primarily attributed to significant decline in business activity. We also experienced slower collection of customer receivables in the fourth quarter of 2020. Additionally, we made interest payments amounting to $24.3 million related to our senior secured term loan, which represented interest from May 7, 2019 through March 31, 2020. With the entry into the amendment to our senior secured term loan on April 1, 2020, we have no interest coming due on the senior secured term loan over the next twelve months.

Net Cash Used in Investing Activities. Net cash used in investing activities decreased by $173.3 million from the prior corresponding period, primarily due to reduced growth and maintenance capital expenditures because of the decline in business activity. Net cash used in investing activities was $35.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, primarily due to purchases of property and equipment amounting to $55.9 million of which, $30.8 million related to maintaining and supporting our existing hydraulic fracturing equipment, $0.3 million of which related to fleet enhancements, and $24.8 million related to growth. This was offset in part by $20.9 million total proceeds from the sale of certain property and equipment and insurance proceeds from damaged property and equipment.

Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities. During the year ended December 31, 2020, cash used in financing activities reflects payments of amounts outstanding under our revolving credit facility, long term debt, note payable, equipment financing arrangements, finance leases, and payment of debt financing costs amounting to $85.5 million, $3.8 million, $7.5 million, $3.2 million, $10.5 million, and $21.4 million, respectively, offset in part by amounts drawn under our revolving credit facility, and proceeds from the USDA Loan, PPP Loan, note payable, net proceeds from the issuance of Series B preferred stock, and proceeds from issuances of Class A common stock under our ATM Agreement, amounting to $69.0 million, $22.0 million, $10.0 million, $1.1 million, $19.6 million, and $0.4 million, respectively.

Capital Expenditures. Our business requires continual investments to upgrade or enhance existing property and equipment and to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations. Capital expenditures primarily relate to maintenance capital

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expenditures, growth capital expenditures and fleet enhancement capital expenditures. Maintenance capital expenditures include expenditures needed to maintain and to support our current operations. Growth capital expenditures include expenditures to generate incremental distributable cash flow. Fleet enhancement capital expenditures include expenditures on new equipment related to existing fleets that increase the productivity of the fleet. Capital expenditures for growth and fleet enhancement initiatives are discretionary.

We classify maintenance capital expenditures as expenditures required to maintain or supplement existing hydraulic fracturing fleets. We budget maintenance capital expenditures based on historical run rates and current maintenance schedules. Growth capital expenditures relate to adding hydraulic fracturing fleets and are based on quotes obtained from equipment manufacturers and our estimate for the timing of placing orders, disbursing funds, and receiving the equipment. Fleet enhancement capital expenditures relate to technology enhancements to existing fleets that increase their productivity and are based on quotes obtained from equipment manufacturers and our estimate for the timing of placing orders, disbursing funds, and receiving the equipment.  

We continuously evaluate our capital expenditures and the amount we ultimately spend will depend on several factors, including expected industry activity levels and company initiatives. We intend to fund most of our capital expenditures, contractual obligations and working capital needs with cash on hand, cash generated from operations, borrowing capacity under our revolving credit facility and other financing sources.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We are a party to transactions, agreements or other contractual arrangements defined as “off-balance sheet arrangements” that could have a material future effect on our financial position, results of operations, liquidity, and capital resources. The most significant of these off-balance sheet arrangements include sand purchase commitments disclosed in “Note 16 – Commitments and Contingencies” in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

We do not have a retained or contingent interest in assets transferred to an unconsolidated entity, we do not have any obligation under a contract that would be accounted for as a derivative instrument, and we do not have any interest in entities referred to as variable interest entities.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. We regularly evaluate estimates and judgments based on historical experience and other relevant facts and circumstances.

We discuss our significant estimates used in the preparation of the financial statements in the notes accompanying the financial statements. Listed below are the accounting policies we believe are critical to our financial statements due to the degree of uncertainty regarding the estimates or assumptions involved.

Revenue Recognition 

We recognize revenue based on our customer’s ability to benefit from the services we render in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to receive in exchange for those services. Revenues are earned as services are rendered, which is generally on a per stage or daily rate basis. Customers are invoiced according to contract terms upon the completion of a well or monthly with payment due typically 30 days from invoice date. Our performance obligations are satisfied over time, typically measured in number of stages completed or the number of pumping days a fleet is available to pump for a customer in a month. Revenue is recognized when a contract with a customer exists, collectability of amounts subject to invoice is probable, the performance obligations under the contract have been satisfied over time, and the amount to which we have the right to invoice has been determined. A portion of our contracts contain variable consideration; however, this variable consideration is typically unknown at the time of contract inception, and is not known until the job is complete, at which time the variability is resolved. We have elected to use the “as invoiced” practical expedient to recognize revenue based upon the amount we have the right to invoice the customer if that amount corresponds directly with the value to the customer of our performance completed to date. We believe that this is an accurate reflection of the value transferred to the customer as each incremental obligation is performed.

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Accounts Receivable 

We analyze the need for an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses related to potentially uncollectible accounts receivable on a case-by-case basis throughout the year. We reserve amounts based on specific identification after considering each customer’s situation, including payment patterns, current financial condition as well as general economic conditions. It is reasonably possible that our estimates of the allowance for doubtful accounts will change and that losses ultimately incurred could differ materially from the amounts estimated in determining the allowance.

Property and Equipment

We calculate depreciation based on the estimated useful lives of our assets. When assets are placed into service, we make estimates with respect to their useful lives that we believe are reasonable. However, the cyclical nature of our business, which results in fluctuations in the use of our equipment and the environments in which we operate, could cause us to change our estimates, thus affecting the future calculation of depreciation.

We continuously perform repair and maintenance expenditures on our service equipment. Expenditures for renewals and betterments that extend the lives of our service equipment, which may include the replacement of significant components of service equipment, are capitalized and depreciated. Other repairs and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred. The determination of whether an expenditure should be capitalized or expensed requires management judgment regarding the effect of the expenditure on the useful life of the equipment.

We separately identify and account for certain significant components of our hydraulic fracturing units including the engine, transmission, and pump, which requires us to separately estimate the useful lives of these components.

Definite-lived Intangible Assets

Our intangible assets are primarily related to patents and trademarks acquired in a business acquisition. We calculate amortization for these assets based on their estimated useful lives. When these assets are recorded, we make estimates with respect to their useful lives that we believe are reasonable. However, these estimates contain judgments regarding the future utility of these assets and a change in our assessment of the useful lives of these assets could materially change the future calculation of amortization.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets, such as property and equipment and amortizable identifiable intangible assets, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. When impairment is indicated, we determine the amount by which the assets carrying value exceeds its fair value. We consider several factors such as estimated future cash flows, appraisals, and current market value analysis in determining fair value. Assets are written down to fair value if the concluded current fair value is below the net carrying value. If actual results or performance are not consistent with our estimates and assumptions, we may be subject to additional impairment charges, which could be material to our results of operations. For example, if our results of operations significantly decline because of an extended decline in the price of oil, there could be a material increase in the impairment of long-lived assets in future periods.

Share-based Compensation

Share based compensation is measured on the grant date and fair value is recognized as expense over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period of the award. We recognize forfeitures as they occur rather than estimating expected forfeitures.

The fair value of time-based restricted stock, DSUs, or other performance incentive awards is determined based on the number of shares or units granted and the closing price of our Class A common stock on the date of grant. The fair value of stock options is determined by applying the Black-Sholes model on the grant-date market value of the underlying Class A common stock. Restricted stock with market conditions is valued using a Monte Carlo simulation analysis.

Deferred compensation expense associated with liability-based awards, such as certain performance incentive awards that could be settled either in cash or the issuance of a variable number of shares based on a fixed monetary amount at inception, is

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recognized at the fixed monetary amount at inception and is amortized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period. However, we consider any delayed settlement as a post-vesting restriction which impacts the determination of the grant-date fair value of the award. We estimate fair value by using a risk-adjusted discount rate, which reflects the weighted average cost of capital of similarly traded public companies.  

Each of these valuation approaches involves significant judgments and estimates, including estimates regarding our future operations or the determination of a comparable public company peer group.

Income Taxes

We use the asset and liability method under ASC 740 of accounting for income taxes, under which deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences of (i) temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the tax bases of existing assets and liabilities and (ii) operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are based on enacted tax rates applicable to the future period when those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period the rate change is enacted. A valuation allowance is provided for deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not the deferred tax assets will not be realized.

ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. We recognize accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. No amounts were accrued for the payment of interest and penalties at December 31, 2020. We are currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals, or material deviation from our position. We are subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 3 – Accounting Standards to our audited consolidated financial statements included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for further discussion regarding recently issued accounting standards.

Related Party Transactions

See Note 17 – Related Party Transactions to our audited consolidated financial statements included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for further discussion regarding related party transactions.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide the information required by this item.

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Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors

U.S. Well Services, Inc.:

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of U.S. Well Services, Inc. and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity (deficit), and cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, and the related notes (collectively, the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ KPMG LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2012.

Houston, Texas

March 11, 2021

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