Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Principles of consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements are presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and Aurora Energy Partners, A Texas General Partnership. The Company holds a 15% equity interest in Aurora Energy Partners. Since the Company serves as managing partner and is responsible for managing all business operations of the partnership, the financial statements of Aurora have been consolidated with the Company. All significant intercompany transactions have been eliminated. The consolidated financial statements reflect necessary adjustments, all of which were of a recurring nature and are in the opinion of management necessary for a fair presentation.

Property and equipment

Property and equipment are recorded at cost. Cost of repairs and maintenance are expensed as they are incurred. Major repairs that extend the useful life of equipment are capitalized and depreciated over the remaining estimated useful life. When property and equipment are sold or otherwise disposed, the related costs and accumulated depreciation are removed from the respective accounts and the gains or losses realized on the disposition are reflected in operations. The Company uses the straight-line method in computing depreciation for financial reporting purposes.

Revenue Recognition

We use the sales method of accounting for oil and natural gas revenues. Under this method, revenues are recognized based on actual volumes of gas and oil sold to purchasers. The volumes sold may differ from the volumes to which we are entitled based on our interests in the properties. Differences between volumes sold and entitled volumes create oil and gas imbalances which are generally reflected as adjustments to reported proved oil and gas reserves and future cash flows in our supplemental oil and gas disclosures. If our excess takes of natural gas or oil exceed our estimated remaining proved reserves for a property, a natural gas or oil imbalance liability is recorded in the consolidated balance sheet. There were no such imbalance liabilities recorded at September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010.

The sales of oil and gas each month are recorded based on receipts from sales as reported by the respective well operators. The production of each oil and gas well is generally sold to a single customer at the spot market rate.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

We recognize an allowance for doubtful accounts to ensure trade receivables are not overstated due to uncollectability. Accounts receivable for the sale of oil are typically collected in the month following the month of production. Accounts receivable for the sale of gas are typically collected in the second month following the month of production. There were no allowances for doubtful account balances at September 30, 2011 or December 31, 2010.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company’s financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, other assets, fixed assets, derivative liability, deferred revenue, accounts payable, accrued liabilities and short-term debt. The estimated fair value of cash, accounts receivable, other assets, accounts payable, deferred revenue and accrued liabilities approximated their carrying amounts due to the short-term nature of these instruments. The carrying value of short-term debt also approximates fair value since their terms are similar to those in the lending market for comparable loans with comparable risks. None of these instruments are held for trading purposes.

The Company utilizes various types of financing to fund its business needs, including debt with warrants attached and other instruments indexed to its stock. The Company reviews its warrants and conversion features of securities issued as to whether they are freestanding or contain an embedded derivative and if so, whether they are classified as a liability at each reporting period until the amount is settled and reclassified into equity with changes in fair value recognized in current earnings.

Inputs used in the valuation to derive fair value are classified based on a fair value hierarchy which distinguishes between assumptions based on market data (observable inputs) and an entity’s own assumptions (unobservable inputs). The hierarchy consists of three levels:

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Level one – Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;

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Level two – Inputs other than level one inputs that are either directly or indirectly observable; and

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Level three – Unobservable inputs developed using estimates and assumptions, which are developed by the reporting entity and reflect those assumptions that a market participant would use.

Determining which category an asset or liability falls within the hierarchy requires significant judgment. The Company evaluates its hierarchy disclosures each quarter. The following table presents all assets that were measured and recognized at fair value as of September 30, 2011 and for the three months then ended on a non-recurring basis. The assets shown below were presented at fair value due to the impairment analysis indicating an estimated fair value below the carrying value for the proved oil and gas properties.

Fair value of assets measured and recognized at fair value on a non-recurring basis as of September 30, 2011 were as follows:

Description	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total Realized (Loss) due to Valuation		Total Unrealized (Loss)
Proved Properties (net)	$	—	$	—	$	473,550	$	—	$	—
Totals	$	—	$	—	$	473,550	$	—	$	—

The Company valued the Proved Properties at their fair value in accordance with the applicable Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) standard due to the impairment indicators prevalent as of September 30, 2011. The inputs that were used in determining the fair value of these assets were Level 3 inputs. These inputs consist of but are not limited to the following: estimates of reserve quantities, estimates of future production costs and taxes, estimates of consistent pricing of commodities, 10% discount rate, etc. No impairment expense was recorded as of September 30, 2011.

Concentrations

There is a ready market for the sale of crude oil and natural gas. During the nine months ended September 30, 2011, each of our fields sold all of its oil and natural gas production to one purchaser for each field and all of its natural gas production to one purchaser for each field. However, because alternate purchasers of oil and natural gas are readily available at similar prices, we believe that the loss of any of our purchasers would not have a material adverse effect on our financial results

Accounting estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the periods reported. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

Significant estimates include volumes of oil and natural gas reserves used in calculating depletion of proved oil and natural gas properties, future net revenues and abandonment obligations, impairment of proved and unproved properties, future income taxes and related assets and liabilities, the fair value of various common stock, warrants and option transactions, and contingencies. Oil and natural gas reserve estimates, which are the basis for unit-of-production depletion and the calculation of impairment, have numerous inherent uncertainties. The accuracy of any reserve estimate is a function of the quality of available data, the engineering and geological interpretation and judgment. Results of drilling, testing and production subsequent to the date of the estimate may justify revision of such estimate. Accordingly, reserve estimates are often different from the quantities of oil and natural gas that are ultimately recovered. In addition, reserve estimates are vulnerable to changes in wellhead prices of crude oil and natural gas. Such prices have been volatile in the past and can be expected to be volatile in the future.

These significant estimates are based on current assumptions that may be materially affected by changes to future economic conditions such as the market prices received for sales of volumes of oil and natural gas, interest rates, the fair value of the Company’s common stock and corresponding volatility, and the Company’s ability to generate future taxable income. Future changes to these assumptions may affect these significant estimates materially in the near term.

Oil and natural gas properties

The Company accounts for its oil and natural gas properties using the successful efforts method of accounting. Under this method, all costs associated with property acquisitions, successful exploratory wells, all development wells, including dry hole development wells, and asset retirement obligation assets are capitalized. Additionally, interest is capitalized while wells are being drilled and the underlying property is in development. Costs of exploratory wells are capitalized pending determination of whether each well has resulted in the discovery of proved reserves. Oil and natural gas mineral leasehold costs are capitalized as incurred. Items charged to expense generally include geological and geophysical costs, costs of unsuccessful exploratory wells, and oil and natural gas production costs. Capitalized costs of proved properties including associated salvage are depleted on a well-by-well or field-by-field (common reservoir) basis using the units-of-production method based upon proved producing oil and natural gas reserves. The depletion rate is the current period production as a percentage of the total proved producing reserves. The depletion rate is applied to the net book value of property costs to calculate the depletion expense. Proved reserves materially impact depletion expense. If the proved reserves decline, then the depletion rate (the rate at which we record depletion expense) increases, reducing net income. Dispositions of oil and natural gas properties are accounted for as adjustments to capitalized costs with gain or loss recognized upon sale. A gain (loss) is recognized to the extent the sales price exceeds or is less than original cost or the carrying value, net of impairment. Oil and natural gas properties are also subject to impairment at the end of each reporting period. Unproved property costs are excluded from depletable costs until the related properties are developed. See impairment discussed in “Long-lived assets and intangible assets” below.

The Company depreciates other property and equipment using the straight-line method based on estimated useful lives ranging from five to 10 years.

Long-lived assets and intangible assets

The Company accounts for intangible assets in accordance with the applicable ASC. Intangible assets that have defined lives are subject to amortization over the useful life of the assets. Intangible assets held having no contractual factors or other factors limiting the useful life of the asset are not subject to amortization but are reviewed at least annually for impairment or when indicators suggest that impairment may be needed. Intangible assets are subject to impairment review at least annually or when there is an indication that an asset has been impaired. While there are prospects for possible capital funding (either debt or equity), much is left to the market and outside instability. As such, at this time, management cannot anticipate with a comfortable degree of certainty if the appropriate amount of funding will be achieved and any funding will be diverted fully to its exploration and production activities. For unproved property costs, management reviews these investments for impairment on a property-by-property basis if a triggering event should occur that may suggest that impairment may be required.

The Company reviews its long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. If the carrying amount of the asset, including any intangible assets associated with that asset, exceeds its estimated future undiscounted net cash flows, the Company will recognize an impairment loss equal to the difference between its carrying amount and its estimated fair value. The fair value used to calculate the impairment for producing oil and natural gas field that produces from a common reservoir is first determined by comparing the undiscounted future net cash flows associated with total proved properties to the carrying value of the underlying evaluated property. If the cost of the underlying evaluated property is in excess of the undiscounted future net cash flows, the future net cash flows are discounted at 10%, which the Company believes approximates fair value, to determine the amount of impairment.

The Company recorded no impairment loss for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011.

Asset retirement obligation

In accordance with the applicable ASC, the Company recognizes the fair value of the liability for asset retirement costs in an entity’s balance sheet, as both a liability and an increase in the carrying values of such assets, in the periods in which such liabilities can be reasonably estimated. The present value of the estimated future asset retirement obligation (“ARO”), as of the date of acquisition or the date at which a successful well is drilled, is capitalized as part of the costs of proved oil and natural gas properties and recorded as a liability. The asset retirement costs are depleted over the production life of the oil and natural gas property on a unit-of-production basis.

The ARO is recorded at fair value and accretion expense is recognized as the discounted liability is accreted to its expected settlement value at least once per year. The fair value of the ARO liability is measured by using expected future cash outflows discounted at the Company’s credit adjusted risk free interest rate.

Amounts incurred to settle plugging and abandonment obligations that are either less than or greater than amounts accrued are recorded as a gain or loss in current operations. Revisions to previous estimates, such as the estimated cost to plug a well or the estimated future economic life of a well, are generally done at the end of the fiscal year and may require adjustments to the ARO and are capitalized as part of the costs of proved oil and natural gas property.

Income taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740 “Income Taxes” which requires an asset and liability approach for financial accounting and reporting of income taxes. Deferred income taxes reflect the impact of temporary differences between the amount of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and such amounts as measured by tax laws and regulations. Deferred tax assets include tax loss and credit carry forwards and are reduced by a valuation allowance if, based on available evidence, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.

On January 1, 2007, the Company adopted the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Interpretation on accounting for uncertainty in income taxes. The interpretation prescribes a measurement process for recording in the financial statements uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. Additionally, the interpretation provides guidance regarding uncertain tax positions relating to derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure and transition. The Company will classify any interest and penalties associated with income taxes as interest expense.

Stock based compensation

Beginning January 1, 2006, the Company adopted the FASB standard for accounting for stock based compensation to account for its issuance of warrants to key partners, directors and officers. The standard requires all share-based payments, including employee stock options, warrants and restricted stock, be measured at the fair value of the award and expensed over the requisite service period (generally the vesting period). The fair value of stock options and common warrants granted to key partners, directors and officers is estimated at the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model by using the historical volatility of the Company’s stock. The calculation also takes into account the common stock fair market value at the grant date, the exercise price, the expected life of the common stock option or warrant, the dividend yield and the risk-free interest rate.

The Company from time to time may issue stock options, warrants and restricted stock to acquire goods or services from third parties. Restricted stock, options or warrants issued are recorded on the basis of their fair value, which is measured as of the date issued. The options or warrants are valued using the Black-Scholes option pricing model on the basis of the market price of the underlying equity instrument on the “valuation date,” which for options and warrants related to contracts that have substantial disincentives to non-performance, is the date of the contract, and for all other contracts is the vesting date. Expense related to the options and warrants is recognized on a straight-line basis over the shorter of the period over which services are to be received or the vesting period.

The Company recognized stock-based compensation expense from warrants granted to directors and from stock options issued to officers was $182,750 and $217,950 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011, respectively.

Earnings per share

Basic earnings per share are computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted earnings per share reflect the potential dilutive effects of common stock equivalents such as options, warrants and convertible securities. The Company showed positive net income of $18,258 for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 which resulted from a one-time gain on a settlement with a former officer of $404,623. Had the gain not occurred, the Company would have shown a net loss of $386,365 for the nine months ended September 30, 2010. To avoid possible confusion surrounding the effect of this one-time gain, basic and diluted net income and net loss per share are stated as being the same when the net income is the result of a one-time gain. Given the historical and projected future losses of the Company, all potentially dilutive common stock equivalents are anti-dilutive.