Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Income Taxes

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Income Taxes
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes Income Taxes
The Company and its subsidiaries are subject to U.S. federal income tax as well as income tax of multiple state jurisdictions. The Company is no longer subject to U.S. federal examinations for years before 2015 or state examinations for years before 2014. During the first nine months of 2020 and 2019, the Company did not identify nor reserve for any unrecognized tax benefits.

Our income tax provision and overall effective tax rates for the periods presented are as follows:
Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended September 30,
(in thousands) 2020 2019 2020 2019
Income tax benefit $ (2,530) $ (112) $ (6,026) $ (660)
Effective income tax rate 19.4  % 10.6  % 24.4  % 23.6  %

The effective tax rate was 19.4% and 10.6% for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The September 30, 2020 effective tax rate was approximately equal to the U.S. statutory rate of 21.0%. The September 30, 2019 effective tax rate was lower than the statutory rate of 21.0% due to state taxes, net of the federal benefit, and discrete tax benefits on our stock compensation plan.

The effective tax rate was 24.4% and 23.6% for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The September 30, 2020 effective tax rate was higher than the statutory rate of 21.0% due to discrete tax benefits over the costs associated with our public proxy contest, asset impairments at our Palmer facility, goodwill impairment over our Metals Segment and benefits from our stock compensation plan. Additionally, we recognized estimated tax benefits associated with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act ("CARES Act") which was signed into law on March 27, 2020. The CARES Act includes various income and payroll tax provisions, notably enabling the Company to carry back net operating losses and recover taxes paid in prior years. The September 30, 2019 effective tax rate was approximately equal to the U.S. statutory tax rate of 21%.