Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Long-Term Debt

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Long-Term Debt
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2015
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]  
Long-term Debt
LONG-TERM DEBT
Variable-Rate Construction and Term Loans
In October 2012, the Company entered into a credit and guaranty agreement with two banks for use in providing limited recourse financing for certain of its landfill gas to energy and solar PV projects. The credit and guaranty agreement provides for a $47,234 construction-to-term loan credit facility and bears interest at a variable rate. The loans were fully converted to a term loan during the year ended December 31, 2014. At September 30, 2015, $39,159 was outstanding under the term loan. The variable rate for this loan at September 30, 2015 was 3.33%.
In September 2015, the Company entered into a credit and guaranty agreement for use in providing non-recourse financing for certain of its solar-PV projects currently under construction. The credit and guaranty agreement provides for a $20,746 construction-to-term loan credit facility and bears interest at a variable rate. The term loan matures on the 7th anniversary of the construction-to-term conversion date. At September 30, 2015, $5,199 was outstanding under the construction loan. The variable rate for this loan at September 30, 2015 was 2.823%.
Senior Secured Credit Facility - Revolver and Term Loan
On March 12, 2014, the Company amended the senior secured credit facility as follows: (i) to increase the margins added to Bank of America’s prime rate or the one-, two- three- or six-month London interbank deposit rate, as applicable, in determining the interest rate by 25 basis points to 0.50% and 2.00%, respectively; (ii) to waive compliance with the minimum EBITDA covenant for the four consecutive fiscal quarters ended December 31, 2013; (iii) to reduce the required minimum EBITDA amount to $16,500 for the four consecutive fiscal quarters ended March 31, 2014, $22,000 for the four consecutive fiscal quarters ended June 30, 2014, $24,000 for the four consecutive fiscal quarters ended September 30, 2014, and $27,000 for the four consecutive fiscal quarters ended December 31, 2014 and thereafter; (iv) to increase the maximum ratio of total funded debt to EBITDA as of the end of each fiscal quarter to 2.5 to 1.0 for March 31, 2014 and 2.25 to 1.0 for June 30, 2014, returning to 2.0 to 1.0 for September 30, 2014 and thereafter; and (v) to reduce the minimum ratio of cash flow to debt service to 1.25 to 1.0 for the four fiscal quarters ended March 31, 2014, returning to 1.5 to 1.0 for the four fiscal quarters ended June 30, 2014 and thereafter.
On June 30, 2015, the Company entered into a third amended and restated bank credit facility with two banks. The new credit facility replaces and extended the Company’s existing credit facility, which was scheduled to expire in accordance with its terms on June 30, 2016. The revolving credit facility matures on June 30, 2020 and the term loan facility matures on June 30, 2018, when all amounts will be due and payable in full. The Company expects to use the new credit facility for general corporate purposes of the Company and its subsidiaries, including permitted acquisitions, refinancing of existing indebtedness and working capital.
The credit facility consists of a $60,000 revolving credit facility and a $17,143 term loan. The amount of the term loan represents the amount outstanding under the Company’s existing term loan at closing. The revolving credit facility may be increased by up to an additional $25,000 at the Company’s option if lenders are willing to provide such increased commitments, subject to certain conditions. Up to $20,000 of the revolving credit facility may be borrowed in Canadian dollars, Euros and Pounds Sterling. The Company is the sole borrower under the credit facility. The obligations under the credit facility are guaranteed by certain of the Company’s direct and indirect wholly owned domestic subsidiaries and are secured by a pledge of all of the Company’s and such subsidiary guarantors’ assets, other than the equity interests of certain subsidiaries and assets held in non-core subsidiaries (as defined in the agreement). Immediately following the closing, and at September 30, 2015, there were no amounts outstanding under the revolving credit facility and $15,714 outstanding under the term loan.
The interest rate for borrowings under the credit facility is based on, at the Company’s option, either (1) a base rate equal to a margin of 0.50% or 0.25%, depending on the Company’s ratio of Total Funded Debt to EBITDA (each as defined in the agreement), over the highest of (a) the federal funds effective rate, plus 0.50%, (b) Bank of America’s prime rate and (c) a rate based on the London interbank deposit rate (“LIBOR”) plus 1.50%, or (2) the one-, two- three- or six-month LIBOR plus a margin of 2.00% or 1.75%, depending on the Company’s ratio of Total Funded Debt to EBITDA. A commitment fee of 0.375% is payable quarterly on the undrawn portion of the revolving credit facility. At September 30, 2015, the interest rate for borrowings under the revolving credit facility was 3.50% and interest rate for borrowings under the term loan was 2.08%. Interest on the term loan has been swapped into a fixed rate of 3.72%.
The revolving credit facility does not require amortization of principal. The term loan requires quarterly principal payments of $1,429, with the balance due at maturity. All borrowings may be paid before maturity in whole or in part at the Company’s option without penalty or premium, other than reimbursement of any breakage and deployment costs in the case of LIBOR borrowings.
The credit facility limits the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ ability to, among other things: incur additional indebtedness; incur liens or guarantee obligations; merge, liquidate or dispose of assets; make acquisitions or other investments; enter into hedging agreements; pay dividends and make other distributions and engage in transactions with affiliates, except in the ordinary course of business on an arms’ length basis.
Under the credit facility, the Company and its subsidiaries may not invest cash or property in, or loan to, the Company’s non-core subsidiaries in aggregate amounts exceeding 49% of the Company’s consolidated stockholders’ equity. In addition, under the credit facility, the Company and its core subsidiaries must maintain the following financial covenants:
 
a ratio of total funded debt to EBITDA of less than 2.0 to 1.0; and
 
a debt service coverage ratio (as defined in the agreement) of at least 1.5 to 1.0.
Any failure to comply with the financial or other covenants of the credit facility would not only prevent the Company from being able to borrow additional funds, but would constitute a default, permitting the lenders to, among other things, accelerate the amounts outstanding, including all accrued interest and unpaid fees, under the credit facility, to terminate the credit facility, and enforce liens against the collateral.
The credit facility also includes several other customary events of default, including a change in control of the Company, permitting the lenders to accelerate the indebtedness, terminate the credit facility, and enforce liens against the collateral.
For purposes of the Company’s senior secured facility: EBITDA excludes the results of certain renewable energy projects that the Company owns and for which financing from others remains outstanding; total funded debt includes amounts outstanding under both the term loan and revolver portions of the senior secured credit facility plus other indebtedness, but excludes non-recourse indebtedness of project company subsidiaries; and debt service includes principal and interest payments on the indebtedness included in total funded debt other than principal payments on the revolver portion of the facility.
At September 30, 2015, the Company was in compliance with all financial and operational covenants.