Uncertainties

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2022

Unusual or Infrequent Items, or Both [Abstract]

UNCERTAINTIES

2.    UNCERTAINTIES

Developments with respect to the uncertainties described below are occurring at a rapid pace and cannot be predicted. Their overall economic impact and resulting impact on us also cannot be predicted with certainty at this time. However, we are proactively responding to and actively monitoring the known impacts of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, to the extent practicable, and we will strive to continue to do so, but there can be no assurance that our response or other measures we may take will be fully effective.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

In late February 2022, Russia began an invasion and military attack on Ukraine. This has resulted in many countries, including the U.S., imposing economic and financial sanctions on Russia and providing humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine. In addition, on March 8, 2022, the U.S. presidential administration issued an Executive Order that, among other matters, banned the import of Russian crude oil and other petroleum and energy products to the U.S. The ban on Russian energy imports took effect immediately, but companies were granted (through issuance of a General License published by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)) 45 days to import petroleum products secured under pre-existing contracts.

As allowed by OFAC’s General License, we took delivery of certain feedstocks (procured under contracts entered into prior to the invasion) before the General License’s expiration on April 22, 2022. We currently do not anticipate any significant future feedstock sourcing disruptions resulting from the U.S. ban on Russian crude oil and other petroleum and energy product imports, as we obtain crude oil and other feedstocks from many other sources.

The conflict and responsive actions taken by the U.S. and other countries have created uncertainty for both domestic and international financial and commodity markets. Crude oil and consumer fuel prices significantly increased in March 2022 and remain volatile, as change in trade flows in Russian crude oil, other feedstocks, and energy products have impacted the global supply markets. Also, the continued increases in fuel prices have the potential to negatively impact the demand for our products. Thus, the implications of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on our financial position and results of operations remain uncertain.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, governmental authorities around the world imposed restrictions, such as stay-at-home orders and other social distancing measures, to slow the spread of COVID-19. These measures resulted in significant economic disruption globally as reduced economic activity negatively impacted many businesses, including our business. Although we have continued to experience improvements in our business, compared to the significant negative effects from the pandemic in 2020, the implications of the pandemic on our financial position and results of operations remain uncertain.