ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Our business and operations are subject to many risks. The risks described below, in addition to the risks described in “Item 1. Business” of this annual report, may not be the only risks we face, as our business and operations may also be subject to risks that we do not yet know of, or that we currently believe are immaterial. You should carefully consider the following risk factors together with all of the other information included in this Annual Report, including the financial statements and related notes, when deciding to invest in us. You should be aware that the occurrence of any of the events described in this Risk Factors section and elsewhere in this annual report could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows and the trading price of our securities could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to Our Business
Oil, natural gas and NGL prices are volatile, due to factors beyond our control, and greatly affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. Any decline in, or sustained low levels of, oil, natural gas and NGL prices will cause a decline in our cash flow from operations, which could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our revenues, operating results, profitability, liquidity, future growth and the value of our assets depend primarily on prevailing commodity prices. Historically, oil and natural gas prices have been volatile and fluctuate in response to changes in supply and demand, market uncertainty, and other factors that are beyond our control, including:
• the regional, domestic and foreign supply of oil, natural gas and NGLs;
• the level of commodity prices and expectations about future commodity prices;
• the level of global oil and natural gas exploration and production;
• the cost of exploring for developing, producing and transporting reserves;
• the price and quantity of foreign imports;
• political and economic conditions in oil producing countries;
• speculative trading in crude oil and natural gas derivative contracts;
• the level of consumer product demand;
• weather conditions and other natural disasters;
• risks associated with operating drilling rigs;
• domestic and foreign governmental regulations and taxes;
• the impact of energy conservation efforts;
• the continued threat of terrorism and the impact of military and other action;
• overall domestic and global economic conditions.
These factors and the volatility of the energy markets make it extremely difficult to predict future oil, natural gas and NGL price movements with any certainty. For example, for the five years ended December 31, 2020, the NYMEX-WTI oil future price ranged from a high of $76.41 per Bbl to a low of $(37.63) per Bbl, while the NYMEX-Henry Hub natural gas future price ranged from a high of $4.84 per MMBtu to a low of $1.48 per MMBtu. For the year ended December 31, 2020, the WTI posted prices ranged from a high of $63.27 per Bbl on January 6, 2020 to a low of $(37.63) per Bbl on April 20, 2020 and NYMEX-Henry Hub natural gas market price ranged from a high of $3.35 per MMBtu on October 30, 2020 to a low of $1.48 per MMBtu on June 25, 2020. Likewise, NGLs, which are made up of ethane, propane, isobutane, normal butane and natural gasoline, each of which has different uses and different pricing characteristics, have sustained depressed realized prices during this period and are generally correlated with the price of oil. A further or extended decline in commodity prices could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
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If commodity prices decline further or remain depressed for a prolonged period, a significant portion of our development projects may become uneconomic and cause further write downs of the value of our oil and natural gas properties, which may adversely affect our financial condition and our ability to fund our operations.
As discussed above, oil, natural gas and NGL prices have experienced significant volatility over the past few years. A further or extended decline in commodity prices could render many of our development and production projects uneconomical and result in a downward adjustment of our reserve estimates, which would reduce our borrowing base and our ability to fund our operations.
We recognized $477.0 million and $2.2 million in impairment expense for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. A further or extended decline in commodity prices may cause us to recognize additional impairments in the value of our oil and natural gas properties. In addition, if our estimates of development costs increase, production data factors change or drilling results deteriorate, accounting rules may require us to write down, as a non-cash charge to earnings, the carrying value of our oil and natural gas properties for impairments. We may in the future incur impairment charges that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations in the period taken and our ability to borrow funds under our Revolving Credit Facility.
The oversupply of oil and natural gas and lower demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the failure of oil producing countries to sufficiently curtail production and general global economic instability may result in transportation and storage constraints, reduced production or the shut-in of our producing wells, any of which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19 as a pandemic, which continues to spread throughout the United States. The spread of COVID-19 has caused significant volatility in U.S. and international markets. There is significant uncertainty regarding the breadth and duration of business disruptions related to COVID-19, as well as its impact on the U.S. and international economies. The outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States and the uncertainty of its impact, has contributed to an unprecedented oversupply of and decline in demand for oil and natural gas. At this time, the full extent to which COVID-19 will negatively impact the global economy and our business is uncertain.
In addition, in March 2020, oil prices severely declined following unsuccessful negotiations between members of OPEC and certain nonmembers, including Russia, to implement production cuts in an effort to decrease the global oversupply and to rebalance supply and demand due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2020, members of OPEC and Russia agreed to temporary production reductions, but uncertainty about whether such production cuts and/or the duration of such reductions will be sufficient to rebalance supply and demand remains and may continue for the foreseeable future.
To the extent that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to negatively impact demand and OPEC members and other oil exporting nations fail to take actions aimed at supporting and stabilizing commodity prices, we expect there to be excess supply of oil and natural gas for a sustained period. This excess supply could, in turn, result in transportation and storage capacity constraints, as well as shut-ins and production curtailment in the United States. If, in the future, our transportation and/or storage capacity becomes constrained, we may be required to shut-in wells or curtail production, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, uncertainties regarding the global economic and financial environment could lead to an extended national or global economic recession. A slowdown in economic activity caused by a recession would likely reduce national and worldwide demand for oil and natural gas and result in lower commodity prices. Costs of exploration, development and production have not yet adjusted to current economic conditions, or in proportion to the significant reduction in product prices.
Over the past several years, capital and credit markets for the oil and natural gas industry have experienced volatility and disruption. Further market volatility and disruption and concerns regarding borrower solvency may substantially diminish the availability of funds from those markets, increase the cost of accessing the credit markets, subject borrowers to stricter lending standards, or may cause lenders to cease providing funding to borrowers, any of which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business operations, financial position, results of operations, and cash flows have been and may be adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted, and may continue to negatively impact, the global economy which has led to, among other things, reduced global demand for oil and natural gas and significant volatility and disruption of financial and commodity markets.
We experienced substantial decreases in our revenues in the first quarter of 2020, which negatively impacted our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and outlook during 2020. The adverse effects of COVID-19 included or may in the future include the following:
• Historically low crude oil prices;
• Curtailment or shutting in of production;
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• Delay or cessation of workover projects;
• Insufficient production to satisfy transportation and processing commitments;
• Impairment of assets;
• Reductions in the borrowing base of our Revolving Credit Facility;
• Limitations on the ability to market our production;
The extent to which COVID-19 and depressed commodity price impact our results of operations, financial position and liquidity will depend on future developments, which are uncertain and cannot be predicted, including but not limited to, the availability of effective treatments and vaccines, the ultimate duration of the pandemic, and how quickly and to what extent normal economic and operating conditions can resume. Therefore, the degree and duration of the adverse financial impact of the pandemic cannot be reasonably estimated at this time.
We may be unable to maintain compliance with the covenants in the Revolving Credit Facility, which could result in an event of default thereunder that, if not cured or waived, would have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
Under our Revolving Credit Facility, we are required to maintain (i) as of the date of determination, a maximum total debt to EBITDAX ratio of 4.00 to 1.00, (ii) a current ratio of not less than 1.00 to 1.00, and (iii) maintain a minimum hedging requirement to at least 30%-60% of our estimated production from total proved developed producing reserves. If we were to violate any of the covenants under the Revolving Credit Facility and were unable to obtain a waiver or amendment, it would be considered a default after the expiration of any applicable grace period. If we were in default under the Revolving Credit Facility, then the lenders may exercise certain remedies including, among others, declaring all borrowings outstanding thereunder, if any, immediately due and payable. This could adversely affect our operations and our ability to satisfy our obligations as they come due, because we might not have, or be able to obtain, sufficient funds to make these accelerated payments. In addition, our obligations under our Revolving Credit Facility are secured by mortgages on not less than 90% of the PV-9 value of our oil and gas properties (and at least 90% of the PV-9 value of the proved, developed and producing oil and gas properties), and if we are unable to repay our indebtedness under our Revolving Credit Facility, the lenders could seek to foreclose on our assets.
Restrictive covenants in our Revolving Credit Facility could limit our growth and our ability to finance our operations, fund our capital needs, respond to changing conditions and engage in other business activities that may be in our best interests.
Restrictive covenants in our Revolving Credit Facility impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us and our subsidiaries. These restrictions limit our ability to, among other things:
• incur additional liens;
• incur additional indebtedness;
• merge, consolidate or sell our assets;
• pay dividends or make other distributions or repurchase or redeem our stock;
• make certain investments; and
• enter into transactions with our affiliates.
The Revolving Credit Facility also requires us to comply with certain financial maintenance covenants as discussed above. A breach of any of these covenants could result in a default under the Revolving Credit Facility. If a default occurs and remains uncured or unwaived, the administrative agent or majority lenders under the Revolving Credit Facility may elect to declare all borrowings outstanding thereunder, if any, together with accrued interest and other fees, to be immediately due and payable. The administrative agent or majority lenders under the Revolving Credit Facility would also have the right in these circumstances to terminate any commitments they have to provide further borrowings. If we are unable to repay our indebtedness when due or declared due, the administrative agent will also have the right to proceed against the collateral pledged to it to secure the indebtedness under the Revolving Credit Facility. If such indebtedness were to be accelerated, our assets may not be sufficient to repay in full our secured indebtedness.
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We may also be prevented from taking advantage of business opportunities that arise because of the limitations imposed on us by the restrictive covenants in the Revolving Credit Facility. The terms and conditions of the Revolving Credit Facility affect us in several ways, including:
• limiting management’s discretion in operating our business.
Our lenders periodically redetermine the amount we may borrow under our Revolving Credit Facility, which may materially impact our operations.
Our Revolving Credit Facility allows us to borrow in an amount up to the borrowing base, which is primarily based on the estimated value of our oil and natural gas properties and our commodity derivative contracts as determined semi-annually by our lenders in their sole discretion. The borrowing base is subject to redetermination on at least a semi-annual basis primarily based on an engineering report with respect to our estimated natural gas, oil and NGL reserves, which takes into account the prevailing natural gas, oil and NGL prices at such time, as adjusted for the impact of our commodity derivative contracts. Accordingly, declining commodity prices may have an impact on the amount we can borrow, which could affect our cash flows and ability to execute on our business plans. Any reduction in the borrowing base would materially and adversely affect our business and financing activities, limit our flexibility and management’s discretion in operating our business, and increase the risk that we may default on our debt obligations. In addition, as hedges roll off, the borrowing base is subject to further reduction. Our Revolving Credit Facility requires us to repay any deficiency over a certain period or pledge additional oil and gas properties to eliminate such deficiency, which we are required to do within 30 days of notice to do so. If our outstanding borrowings exceed the borrowing base and we are unable to repay the deficiency or pledge additional oil and gas properties to eliminate such deficiency, our failure to repay any of the installments due related to the borrowing base deficiency would constitute an event of default under the Revolving Credit Facility and as such, the lenders could declare all outstanding principal and interest to be due and payable, could freeze our accounts, or foreclose against the assets securing the obligations owed under the Revolving Credit Facility.
Our variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk, which could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly.
Borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility bear interest at variable rates and expose us to interest rate risk. If interest rates increase, our debt service obligations on the variable rate indebtedness would increase even if the amount borrowed remained the same, and our net income and cash available for servicing our indebtedness would decrease.
Our hedging strategy may not effectively mitigate the impact of commodity price volatility from our cash flows, and our hedging activities could result in cash losses and may limit potential gains.
We intend to maintain a portfolio of commodity derivative contracts covering at least 30% - 60% of our estimated production from proved developed producing reserves over a one-to-three-year period at any given point in time. Additionally, to satisfy the hedging covenants in our Revolving Credit Facility, we are expected to hedge 65% and 45% of our estimated production from total proved developed reserves for calendar years 2021 and 2022, respectively. These commodity derivative contracts include natural gas, oil and NGL financial swaps. The prices and quantities at which we enter into commodity derivative contracts covering our production in the future will be dependent upon oil and natural gas prices and price expectations, at the time we enter into these transactions, which may be substantially higher or lower than current or future oil and natural gas prices. Accordingly, our price hedging strategy may not protect us from significant declines in oil, natural gas and NGL prices received for our future production. Many of the derivative contracts to which we will be a party will require us to make cash payments to the extent the applicable index exceeds a predetermined price, thereby limiting our ability to realize the benefit of increases in oil, natural gas and NGL prices. If our actual production and sales for any period are less than our hedged production and sales for that period (including reductions in production due to operational delays) or if we are unable to perform our drilling activities as planned, we might be forced to satisfy all or a portion of our hedging obligations without the benefit of the cash flow from our sale of the underlying physical commodity, which may materially impact our liquidity.
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An increase in the differential between the NYMEX or other benchmark prices of oil and natural gas and the wellhead price we receive for our production could significantly reduce our cash flow and adversely affect our financial condition.
The prices that we receive for our oil and natural gas production often reflect a regional discount, based on the location of production, to the relevant benchmark prices, such as NYMEX or ICE, that are used for calculating hedge positions. The prices we receive for our production are also affected by the specific characteristics of the production relative to production sold at benchmark prices. For example, our California oil typically has a lower gravity, and a portion has higher sulfur content, than oil sold at certain benchmark prices. Therefore, because our oil requires more complex refining equipment to convert it into high value products, it may sell at a discount to those prices. These discounts, if significant, could reduce our cash flows and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Our estimated reserves and future production rates are based on many assumptions that may turn out to be inaccurate. Any material inaccuracies in our reserve estimates or underlying assumptions will materially affect the quantities and present value of our estimated reserves.
It is not possible to measure underground accumulations of oil or natural gas in an exact way. The process of estimating natural gas and oil reserves is complex. It requires interpretations of available technical data and many assumptions, including assumptions relating to current and future economic conditions and commodity prices. Any significant inaccuracies in these interpretations or assumptions could materially affect our estimated quantities and present value of our reserves.
In order to prepare our estimates, we must project production rates and timing of operating and development expenditures. We must also analyze available geological, geophysical, production and engineering data. The extent, quality and reliability of this data can vary.
The process also requires economic assumptions about matters such as natural gas and oil prices, drilling and operating expenses, capital expenditures and availability of funds.
Actual future production, oil prices, natural gas prices, revenues, development expenditures, operating expenses and quantities of recoverable reserves will vary from our estimates. Any significant variance could materially affect the estimated quantities and present value of our reserves. In addition, we may adjust our reserve estimates to reflect production history, results of development, existing commodity prices and other factors, many of which are beyond our control.
You should not assume that the present value of future net revenues from our reserves is the current market value of our estimated reserves. We generally base the estimated discounted future net cash flows from our reserves on prices and costs on the date of the estimate. Actual future prices and costs may differ materially from those used in the present value estimate.
Any material inaccuracies in these reserve estimates or underlying assumptions will materially affect the quantities and present value of our reserves, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
The standardized measure of our estimated proved reserves is not necessarily the same as the current market value of our estimated proved oil and natural gas reserves.
The present value of future net cash flows from our proved reserves shown in this report, or standardized measure, may not be the current market value of our estimated natural gas and oil reserves. In accordance with rules established by the SEC and the FASB, we base the estimated discounted future net cash flows from our proved reserves on the trailing 12-month average oil and gas index prices, calculated as the unweighted arithmetic average for the first-day-of-the-month price for each month and costs in effect on the date of the estimate, holding the prices and costs constant throughout the life of the properties. Actual future prices and costs may differ materially from those used in the net present value estimate, and future net present value estimates using then current prices and costs may be significantly less than the current estimate. In addition, the 10% discount factor we use when calculating discounted future net cash flows for reporting requirements, which is required by the SEC and FASB, is not necessarily the most appropriate discount factor based on interest rates in effect from time to time and risks associated with us or the natural gas and oil industry in general.
The failure to replace our proved oil and natural gas reserves could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, production and cash flows.
Producing oil and natural gas reservoirs are characterized by declining production rates that vary depending upon reservoir characteristics and other factors. Our future oil and natural gas reserves and production and therefore our cash flow are highly dependent on our success in efficiently developing and exploiting our current reserves. Our production decline rates may be significantly higher than currently estimated if our wells do not produce as expected. Further, our decline rate may change when we drill additional wells or make acquisitions. We may not be able to develop, find or acquire additional reserves to replace our current and future production at economically acceptable terms, which would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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If we reduce our capital spending in an effort to conserve cash, this would likely result in production being lower than anticipated, and could result in reduced revenues, cash flow from operations and income. Further, if the borrowing base under our Revolving Credit Facility decreases, or our revenues decrease, as a result of lower oil or natural gas prices or for any other reason, we may not be able to obtain the capital necessary to sustain our operations.
Developing and producing oil and natural gas are costly and high-risk activities with many uncertainties that may result in a total loss of investment or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Our drilling activities are subject to many risks, including the risk that we will not discover commercially productive reservoirs. Drilling for oil and natural gas often involves unprofitable efforts, not only from dry holes, but also from wells that are productive but do not produce sufficient oil or natural gas to return a profit at then-realized prices after deducting drilling, operating and other costs. The seismic data and other technologies we use do not allow us to know conclusively prior to drilling a well that oil or natural gas is present or that it can be produced economically. The costs of our development and production activities are subject to numerous uncertainties beyond our control and increases in those costs can adversely affect the economics of a project. Further, our development and production operations may be curtailed, delayed, canceled or otherwise negatively impacted as a result of other factors, including:
• unusual or unexpected geological formations;
• unexpected operational events and conditions;
• failure of down hole equipment and tubulars;
• loss of wellbore mechanical integrity;
• title problems;
• loss of drilling fluid circulation;
• hydrocarbon or oilfield chemical spills;
• fires, blowouts, surface craterings and explosions;
• adverse weather conditions and natural disasters.
Any of these risks can cause substantial losses, including personal injury or loss of life, damage to or destruction of property, natural resources and equipment, pollution, environmental contamination or loss of wells and other regulatory penalties. In the event that planned operations are delayed or cancelled, or existing wells or development wells have lower than anticipated production due to one or more of the factors above or for any other reason, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected. If any of these factors were to occur with respect to a particular field, we could lose all or a part of our investment in the field or we could fail to realize the expected benefits from the field, either of which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Expenses not covered by our insurance could have a material adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations.
Our operations are subject to all of the hazards and operating risks associated with drilling for and production of oil and natural gas, including natural disasters, the risk of fire, explosions, blowouts, surface cratering, uncontrollable flows of natural gas, oil and formation water, pipe or pipeline failures, abnormally pressured formations, casing collapses and environmental hazards such as oil spills, natural gas leaks, ruptures or discharges of toxic gases, all of which could cause substantial financial losses. In addition, 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. The location of any properties and other assets near populated areas, including residential areas, commercial business centers and industrial sites, could significantly increase the level of potential damages resulting from these risks. The occurrence of any of these or other similar events could result in substantial losses to us due to injury or loss of life, severe damage to or destruction of property, natural resources and equipment, pollution or other environmental damage, clean-up responsibilities, regulatory investigation and penalties, suspension or disruption of operations, substantial revenue losses and repairs to resume operations.
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We maintain insurance coverage against potential losses that we believe is customary in the industry. However, insurance against all operational risk is not available to us. These insurance policies may not cover all liabilities, claims, fines, penalties or costs and expenses that we may incur in connection with our business and operations, including those related to environmental claims. Pollution and environmental risks generally are not fully insurable. In addition, we cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain adequate insurance at rates we consider reasonable. We may elect not to obtain insurance if we believe that the cost of available insurance is excessive relative to the perceived risks presented. A liability, claim or other loss not fully covered by insurance could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
The production from our Wyoming Bairoil properties could be adversely affected by the cessation or interruption of the supply of CO2 to those properties.
We inject water and CO2 into formations on substantially all of the Wyoming Bairoil properties to increase production of oil and natural gas. The additional production and reserves attributable to the use of enhanced recovery methods are inherently difficult to predict. If we are unable to produce oil and gas by injecting CO2 in the manner or to the extent that we anticipate, our future results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected. Additionally, our ability to utilize CO2 to enhance production is subject to our ability to obtain sufficient quantities of CO2. If, under our CO2 supply contracts, the supplier is unable to deliver its contractually required quantities of CO2 to us, or if our ability to access adequate supplies is impeded, then we may not have sufficient CO2 to produce oil and natural gas in the manner or to the extent that we anticipate, and our future oil and gas production volumes will be negatively impacted.
Many of our properties are in areas that may have been partially depleted or drained by offset wells.
Many of our properties are in areas that may have already been partially depleted or drained by earlier offset drilling. The owners of leasehold interests lying contiguous or adjacent to or adjoining any of our properties could take actions, such as drilling additional wells that could adversely affect our operations. When a new well is completed and produced, the pressure differential in the vicinity of the well causes the migration of reservoir fluids towards the new wellbore (and potentially away from existing wellbores). As a result, the drilling and production of these potential locations could cause a depletion of our proved reserves and may inhibit our ability to further exploit and develop our reserves.
Our expectations for future development activities are planned to be realized over several years, making them susceptible to uncertainties that could materially alter the occurrence or timing of such activities.
We have identified drilling, recompletion and development locations and prospects for future drilling, recompletion and development. These drilling, recompletion and development locations represent a significant part of our future drilling and enhanced recovery opportunity plans. We cannot predict in advance of drilling, testing and analysis of data whether any particular drilling location will yield production in sufficient quantities to recover drilling or completion costs or to be economically viable. Even if sufficient amounts of oil or natural gas reserves exist, we may damage the potentially productive hydrocarbon bearing formation or experience mechanical difficulties while drilling or completing the well, possibly resulting in a reduction in production from the well or abandonment of the well. If we drill dry holes in our current and future drilling locations, our drilling success rate may decline and materially harm our business. Our ability to drill, recomplete and develop locations depends on a number of factors, including the availability of capital, seasonal conditions, regulatory approvals, negotiation of agreements with third parties, commodity prices, costs, the generation of additional seismic or geological information, the availability of drilling rigs, drilling results, construction of infrastructure and lease expirations. Because of these uncertainties, we cannot be certain of the timing of these activities or that they will ultimately result in the realization of estimated proved reserves or meet our expectations for success. As such, our actual drilling and enhanced recovery activities may materially differ from our current expectations, which could have a significant adverse effect on our estimated reserves, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Part of our strategy involves using horizontal drilling and completion techniques, which involve risks and uncertainties in their application.
Our operations involve utilizing some of the latest drilling and completion techniques as developed by us and our service providers. Risks that we face while drilling horizontal wells include, but are not limited to, the following:
• landing our wellbore in the desired drilling zone;
• running our casing the entire length of the wellbore; and
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Risks that we face while completing our wells include, but are not limited to, the following:
If our drilling results are less than anticipated, the return on our investment for a particular project may not be as attractive as we anticipated and we could incur material write-downs of unevaluated properties, and the value of our undeveloped acreage could decline in the future.
Our use of 2-D and 3-D seismic data is subject to interpretation and may not accurately identify the presence of oil and natural gas, which could adversely affect the results of our drilling operations.
Even when properly used and interpreted, 2-D and 3-D seismic data and visualization techniques are only tools used to assist geoscientists in identifying subsurface structures and hydrocarbon indicators and do not enable the interpreter to know whether hydrocarbons are, in fact, present in those structures. In addition, the use of 3-D seismic and other advanced technologies requires greater predrilling expenditures than traditional drilling strategies and we could incur losses as a result of such expenditures. As a result, our drilling activities may not be successful or economical, which could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
SEC rules could limit our ability to book additional PUDs in the future.
SEC rules require that, subject to limited exceptions, PUDs may only be booked if they relate to wells scheduled to be drilled within five years after the date of booking. This requirement has limited and will likely continue to limit our ability to book additional PUDs as we pursue our drilling program, especially in a time of depressed commodity prices. Moreover, we may be required to write down our PUDs if we do not drill those wells within the required five-year timeframe.
The unavailability or high cost of rigs, equipment, supplies and crews could delay our operations, increase our costs and delay forecasted revenue.
Our industry is cyclical, and historically there have been periodic shortages of rigs, equipment, supplies and crew. Sustained declines in oil and natural gas prices may reduce the number of service providers for such rigs, equipment, supplies and crews, contributing to or resulting in shortages. Alternatively, during periods of higher oil and natural gas prices, the demand for rigs, equipment, supplies and crews is increased and can lead to shortages of, and increasing costs for, development equipment, supplies, services and personnel. Shortages of, or increasing costs for, experienced development crews and oil field equipment and services could restrict the Company’s ability to drill the wells and conduct the operations that it currently has planned relating to the fields where our properties are located. In addition, some of our operations require supply materials for production, such as CO2, which could become subject to shortages and increased costs. Any delay in the development of new wells or a significant increase in development costs could reduce our revenues and impact our development plan, which would thus affect our financial conduction, results of operations and our cash flows.
We may incur losses as a result of title defects in the properties in which we invest.
The existence of a material title deficiency can render a lease worthless and can adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. While we typically obtain title opinions prior to commencing drilling operations on a lease or in a unit, the failure of title may not be discovered until after a well is drilled, in which case we may lose the lease and the right to produce all or a portion of the minerals under the property.
Development and production of oil and natural gas in offshore waters has inherent and historically higher risk than similar activities onshore.
Our offshore operations are subject to a variety of operating risks specific to the marine environment, such as a dependence on a limited number of electrical transmission lines, as well as capsizing, collisions and damage or loss from adverse weather conditions. Offshore activities are subject to more extensive governmental regulation than our other oil and natural gas activities. We are vulnerable to the risks associated with operating offshore California, including risks relating to:
• oil field service costs and availability;
• compliance with environmental and other laws and regulations;
• failure of equipment or facilities.
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In addition to lost production and increased costs, these hazards could cause serious injuries, fatalities, contamination or property damage for which we could be held responsible. The potential consequences of these hazards are particularly severe for us because a significant portion of our offshore operations are conducted in environmentally sensitive areas, including areas with significant residential populations and public and commercial infrastructure. An accidental oil spill or release on or related to offshore properties and operations could expose us to joint and several strict liability, without regard to fault, under applicable law for all containment and oil removal costs and a variety of public and private damages including, but not limited to, the costs of remediating a release of oil, natural resource damages, and economic damages suffered by persons adversely affected by an oil spill. If an oil discharge or substantial threat of discharge were to occur, we may be liable for costs and damages, which costs and damages could be material to our business, financial condition or results of operations and could subject us to criminal and civil penalties. Finally, maintenance activities undertaken to reduce operational risks can be costly and can require exploration, exploitation and development operations to be curtailed while those activities are being completed.
Adverse developments in our operating areas could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Our properties are located in the Rockies, federal waters offshore Southern California, East Texas / North Louisiana, Oklahoma and Eagle Ford. An adverse development in the oil and natural gas business of any of these geographic areas, such as in our ability to attract and retain field personnel or in our ability to comply with local regulations, could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We are dependent upon a small number of significant customers for a substantial portion of our production sales.The loss of those customers, if not replaced, could reduce our revenues and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
We had three customers that each accounted for 10% or more of total reported revenues for the year ended December 31, 2020. The loss of these customers or any significant customer, should we be unable to replace them, could adversely affect our revenues and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Also, if any significant customer reduces the volume it purchases from us, we could experience a temporary interruption in sales of, or may receive a lower price for, our production, and our revenues and cash flows could decline. We cannot assure you that any of our customers will continue to do business with us or that we will continue to have access to suitably liquid markets for our future production. See “Item 1. Business — Operations — Marketing and Major Customers.”
The inability of our significant customers to meet their obligations to us may adversely affect our financial results.
We are subject to credit risk due to concentration of our oil and natural gas receivables. The inability or failure of our significant customers, or any purchasers of our production, to meet their payment obligations to us or their insolvency or liquidation could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. To the extent that purchasers of our production rely on access to the credit or equity markets to fund their operations, there could be an increased risk that those purchasers could default in their contractual obligations to us. If for any reason we were to determine that it was probable that some or all of the accounts receivable from any one or more of the purchasers of our production were uncollectible, we would recognize a charge in the earnings of that period for the probable loss and could suffer a material reduction in our liquidity and cash flows.
We are exposed to trade credit risk in the ordinary course of our business activities.
We are exposed to risks of loss in the event of nonperformance by our vendors and other counterparties. Some of our vendors and other counterparties may be highly leveraged and subject to their own operating and regulatory risks. Many of our vendors and other counterparties finance their activities through cash flow from operations, the incurrence of debt or the issuance of equity. The combination of reduction of cash flow resulting from declines in commodity prices and the lack of availability of debt or equity financing may result in a significant reduction in our vendors’ and other counterparties’ liquidity and ability to make payments or perform on their obligations to us. Even if our credit review and analysis mechanisms work properly, we may experience financial losses in our dealings with other parties. Any increase in the nonpayment or nonperformance by our vendors and/or counterparties could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Conservation measures and technological advances could reduce demand for oil and natural gas.
Fuel conservation measures, alternative fuel requirements, increasing consumer demand for alternatives to oil and natural gas, technological advances in fuel economy and energy generation devices could reduce demand for oil and natural gas. The impact of the changing demand for oil and natural gas services and products may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
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We may be unable to compete effectively with larger companies.
The oil and natural gas industry is intensely competitive with respect to acquiring prospects and productive properties, marketing oil and natural gas and securing equipment and trained personnel. Our ability to acquire additional properties and to discover reserves in the future will depend on our ability to evaluate and select suitable properties and to consummate transactions in a highly competitive environment. Many of our larger competitors not only drill for and produce oil and natural gas but also carry on refining operations and market petroleum and other products on a regional, national or worldwide basis and many of our competitors have access to capital at a lower cost than that available to us. These companies may be able to pay more for oil and natural gas properties and evaluate, bid for and purchase a greater number of properties than our financial, technical or personnel resources permit. In addition, there is substantial competition for investment capital in the oil and natural gas industry. These larger companies may have a greater ability to continue development activities during periods of low oil and natural gas prices and to absorb the burden of present and future federal, state, local and other laws and regulations. Furthermore, we may not be able to aggregate sufficient quantities of production to compete with larger companies that are able to sell greater volumes of production to intermediaries, thereby reducing the realized prices attributable to our production. Any inability to compete effectively with larger companies could have a material adverse impact on our business activities, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Our business depends in part on pipelines, gathering systems and processing facilities owned by us or others. Any limitation in the availability of those facilities could interfere with our ability to market our oil and natural gas production.
The marketability of our oil and natural gas production depends in part on the availability, proximity and capacity of pipelines and other transportation methods, gathering systems and processing facilities owned by third parties. The amount of oil and natural gas that can be produced and sold is subject to curtailment in certain circumstances, such as pipeline interruptions due to scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, excessive pressure, physical damage or lack of contracted capacity on such systems. For example, our ability to produce and sell oil from the Beta Properties will depend on the availability of the pipeline infrastructure between platforms as well as the San Pedro Bay Pipeline for delivery of that oil to shore, and any unavailability of that pipeline infrastructure or pipeline could cause us to shut in all or a portion of the production from the Beta Properties for the length of such unavailability. Our access to transportation options can also be affected by U.S. federal and state regulation of oil and natural gas production and transportation, general economic conditions and changes in supply and demand. The curtailments arising from these and similar circumstances may last from a few days to several months. In many cases, we are provided with only limited, if any, notice as to when these circumstances will arise and their duration. Any significant curtailment in gathering system or transportation or processing facility capacity could reduce our ability to market our oil and natural gas production and harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We have limited control over the activities on properties we do not operate.
Some of the properties in which we have an interest are operated by other companies and involve third-party working interest owners. As a result, we have limited ability to influence or control the operation or future development of such properties, including compliance with environmental, safety and other regulations, or the amount of capital expenditures that we will be required to fund with respect to such properties. Moreover, we are dependent on the other working interest owners of such projects to fund their contractual share of the capital expenditures of such projects. In addition, a third-party operator could also decide to shut-in or curtail production from wells, or plug and abandon marginal wells, on properties owned by that operator during periods of lower crude oil or natural gas prices. These limitations and our dependence on the operator and third-party working interest owners for these projects could cause us to incur unexpected future costs, lower production and materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to complex federal, state, local and other laws and regulations that could adversely affect the cost, manner or feasibility of conducting our operations.
Our oil and natural gas development and production operations are subject to complex and stringent laws and regulations administered by governmental authorities vested with broad authority relating to the exploration for and the development, production and transportation of, oil and natural gas. To conduct our operations in compliance with these laws and regulations, we must obtain and maintain numerous permits, approvals and certificates from various federal, state and local governmental authorities. We may incur substantial costs in order to maintain compliance with these existing laws and regulations. Failure to comply with laws and regulations applicable to our operations, including any evolving interpretation and enforcement by governmental authorities, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
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Our oil and natural gas development and production operations are also subject to stringent and complex federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the discharge of materials into the environment, worker health and safety aspects of our operations, or otherwise relating to environmental protection. These laws and regulations may impose numerous obligations applicable to our operations including the acquisition of a permit before conducting regulated drilling activities; the restriction of types, quantities and concentration of materials that can be released into the environment; the limitation or prohibition of drilling activities on certain lands lying within wilderness, wetlands, seismically active areas and other protected areas; the application of specific health and safety criteria addressing worker protection; and the imposition of substantial liabilities for pollution resulting from our operations. Numerous governmental authorities, such as the EPA and analogous state agencies, have the power to enforce compliance with these laws and regulations and the permits issued under them, often requiring difficult and costly compliance measures or corrective actions. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in the assessment of sanctions, including administrative, civil or criminal penalties, the imposition of investigatory or remedial obligations, the suspension or revocation of necessary permits, licenses and authorizations, the requirement that additional pollution controls be installed and, in some instances, the issuance of orders limiting or prohibiting some or all of our operations. We may also experience delays in obtaining or be unable to obtain required permits, which may delay or interrupt our operations and limit our growth and revenue. In addition, the long-term trend in environmental regulation has been to place more restrictions and limitations on activities that may affect the environment and thus, our costs of compliance may increase if existing laws and regulations are revised or reinterpreted, or if new laws and regulations become applicable to our operations.
Under certain environmental laws that impose strict as well as joint and several liability, we may be required to remediate contaminated properties currently or formerly owned or operated by us or facilities of third parties that received waste generated by our operations regardless of whether such contamination resulted from the conduct of others or from consequences of our own actions that were in compliance with all applicable laws at the time those actions were taken. In addition, claims for damages to persons or property, including natural resources, may result from the environmental, health and safety impacts of our operations. Moreover, public interest in the protection of the environment has increased in recent years. New laws and regulations continue to be enacted, particularly at the state level, and, under the Biden Administration, the long-term trend of more expansive and stringent environmental legislation and regulations applied to the crude oil and natural gas industry could continue, resulting in increased costs of doing business and consequently affecting profitability. To the extent laws are enacted or other governmental action is taken that restricts drilling or imposes more stringent and costly operating, waste handling, disposal and cleanup requirements, our business, prospects, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
Further, the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended (the “Mineral Act”) prohibits ownership of any direct or indirect interest in federal onshore oil and natural gas leases by a foreign citizen or a foreign entity except through equity ownership in a corporation formed under the laws of the United States or of any U.S. State or territory, and only if the laws, customs, or regulations of their country of origin or domicile do not deny similar or like privileges to citizens or entities of the United States. If these restrictions are violated, the oil and natural gas lease can be canceled in a proceeding instituted by the United States Attorney General. We qualify as an entity formed under the laws of the United States or of any U.S. State or territory. Although the regulations promulgated and administered by the BLM pursuant to the Mineral Act provide for agency designations of non-reciprocal countries, there are presently no such designations in effect. It is possible that our stockholders may be citizens of foreign countries who do not own their stock in a U.S. corporation, or that even if such stock are held through a U.S. corporation, their country of citizenship may be determined to be non-reciprocal countries under the Mineral Act. In such event, any federal onshore oil and natural gas leases held by us could be subject to cancellation based on such determination.
See “Item 1. Business — Environmental, Occupational Health and Safety Matters and Regulations” and “— Other Regulation of the Oil and Natural Gas Industry” for a description of the more significant laws and regulations that affect us.
Climate change legislation or regulations restricting emissions of “greenhouse gases,” or GHGs, could result in increased operating costs and reduced demand for the oil and natural gas that we produce.
In December 2009, the EPA published its findings that emissions of GHGs present an endangerment to public health and the environment because emissions of such gases are contributing to the warming of the earth’s atmosphere and other climatic changes. Based on these findings, the EPA has adopted and implemented regulations to restrict emissions of GHGs under existing provisions of the CAA. In addition, the EPA has also adopted rules requiring the monitoring and reporting of GHG emissions from specified sources on an annual basis in the United States, including, among others, certain oil and natural gas production facilities, which includes certain of our operations. The adoption and implementation of any regulations imposing reporting obligations on, or limiting emissions of GHGs from, our equipment and operations could require us to incur costs to reduce emissions of GHGs associated with our operations or could adversely affect demand for the oil and natural gas we produce. Such climate change regulatory and legislative initiatives could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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While Congress has from time to time considered legislation to reduce emissions of GHGs, there has not been significant activity in the form of adopted legislation to reduce GHG emissions at the federal level in recent years. In the absence of such federal climate legislation, almost one-half of the states have taken legal measures to reduce emissions of GHGs, including through the planned development of GHG emission inventories and/or regional GHGs cap and trade programs. In addition, on an international level, the United States was one of nearly 200 countries to sign an international climate change agreement in Paris, France that requires member countries to set their own GHG emission reduction goals beginning in 2020. However, the United States formally announced its intent to withdraw from the Paris Agreement in November 2019, which became effective in November 2020. On January 20, 2021, President Biden issued written notification to the United Nations of the United States’ intention to rejoin the Paris Agreement, which will become effective on February 19, 2021. In addition, various states and local governments have vowed to continue to enact regulations to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Although it is not possible at this time to predict how legislation or new regulations that may be adopted to address GHG emissions would impact our business, any such future laws and regulations that require reporting of GHGs or otherwise limit emissions of GHGs from our equipment and operations could require us to incur costs to monitor and report on GHG emissions or reduce emissions of GHGs associated with our operations, and such requirements also could adversely affect demand for the oil and natural gas that we produce. Finally, it should be noted that most scientists have concluded that increasing concentrations of GHGs in the Earth’s atmosphere may produce climate changes that have significant physical effects, such as increased frequency and severity of storms, droughts and floods and other climatic events. If any such effects were to occur, they could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. See “Item 1. Business — Environmental, Occupational Health and Safety Matters and Regulations — Regulation of “Greenhouse Gas” Emissions for a description of the climate change laws and regulations that affect us.
The listing of a species as either “threatened” or “endangered” under the federal Endangered Species Act could result in increased costs, new operating restrictions, or delays in our operations, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
The ESA and analogous state laws regulate activities that could have an adverse effect on threatened and endangered species. Operations in areas where threatened or endangered species or their habitat are known to exist may require us to incur increased costs to implement mitigation or protective measures and also may restrict or preclude our activities in those areas or during certain seasons, such as breeding and nesting seasons. The listing of species in areas where we operate or, alternatively, entry into certain range-wide conservation planning agreements could result in increased costs to us from species protection measures, time delays or limitations on our activities, which costs, delays or limitations may be significant and could adversely affect our results of operations and financial position.
The third parties on whom we rely for gathering and transportation services are subject to complex federal, state and other laws that could adversely affect the cost, manner or feasibility of conducting our business.
The operations of the third parties on whom we rely for gathering and transportation services are subject to complex and stringent laws and regulations that require obtaining and maintaining numerous permits, approvals and certifications from various federal, state and local government authorities. These third parties may incur substantial costs in order to comply with existing laws and regulations. If existing laws and regulations governing such third-party services are revised or reinterpreted, or if new laws and regulations become applicable to their operations, these changes may affect the costs that we pay for such services. Similarly, a failure to comply with such laws and regulations by the third parties on whom we rely for gathering and transportation services could impact the availability of those services. Any potential impact to the availability of gathering and transportation services could impact our ability to market and sell our production, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. See “Item 1. Business — Environmental, Occupational Health and Safety Matters and Regulations” and “— Other Regulation of the Oil and Natural Gas Industry” for a description of the laws and regulations that affect the third parties on whom we rely for gathering and transportation services.
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Oil and natural gas producers’ operations, especially those using hydraulic fracturing, are substantially dependent on the availability of water and the disposal of waste, including produced water and drilling fluids. Restrictions on the ability to obtain water or dispose of waste may impact our operations.
Water is an essential component of oil and natural gas production during the drilling, and in particular, hydraulic fracturing, process. Our inability to locate sufficient amounts of water, or dispose of or recycle water used in our development and production operations, could adversely impact our operations. Moreover, the imposition of new environmental initiatives and regulations could include restrictions on our ability to conduct certain operations such as hydraulic fracturing or disposal of waste, including, but not limited to, produced water, drilling fluids and other wastes associated with the exploration, development or production of natural gas. The Clean Water Act imposes restrictions and strict controls regarding the discharge of produced waters and other natural gas and oil waste into “waters of the United States.” Permits must be obtained to discharge pollutants to such waters and to conduct construction activities in such waters, which include certain wetlands. The Clean Water Act and similar state laws provide for civil, criminal and administrative penalties for any unauthorized discharges of pollutants and unauthorized discharges of reportable quantities of oil and other hazardous substances. State and federal discharge regulations prohibit the discharge of produced water and sand, drilling fluids, drill cuttings and certain other substances related to the natural gas and oil industry into coastal waters. 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 the disposal and recycling of produced water, drilling fluids, and other wastes, may increase our operating costs and cause delays, interruptions or termination of our operations, the extent of which cannot be predicted. In addition, in some instances, the operation of underground injection wells for the disposal of waste has been alleged to cause earthquakes. In some jurisdictions, such issues have led to orders prohibiting continued injection or the suspension of drilling in certain wells identified as possible sources of seismic activity or resulted in stricter regulatory requirements relating to the location and operation of underground injection wells. For example, we conduct oil and gas drilling and production operations in the Mississippian Lime formation in Oklahoma, a high-water play, which requires us to dispose of large volumes of saltwater generated as part of our operations. In 2015, the Oklahoma Geological Survey attributed an increase in seismic activity in Oklahoma to saltwater disposal wells in the Arbuckle formation. Around the same time, the OCC, whose Oil and Gas Conservation Division regulates oil and gas operations in Oklahoma, began issuing regulations targeting saltwater disposal activities in certain areas of interest within the Arbuckle formation. The regulations include operational requirements (i.e., mechanical integrity testing of wells permitted for disposal of 20,000 or more barrels of water per day, daily monitoring and recording of well pressure and discharge volume), as well as orders to shut-in wells, reduce well depths, or decrease disposal volumes. Under these regulations, in 2016 and 2017, the OCC ordered us to limit the volume of saltwater disposed of in saltwater disposal wells in the Arbuckle formation and established caps for ten of our saltwater disposal wells in February 2017. To ensure that we had an adequate number of wells for disposal, we secured permits for additional saltwater disposal wells outside of the Arbuckle formation. We timely satisfied all OCC saltwater disposal requirements, while maintaining our production base without any negative material impact. However, any additional orders or regulations addressing concerns about seismic activity from well injection in jurisdictions where we operate could affect our operations. See “Item 1. Business — Environmental, Occupational Health and Safety Matters and Regulations — Water Discharges and Other Waste Discharges & Spills” and “— Hydraulic Fracturing” for additional description of the laws and regulations relating to the discharge of water and other wastes and hydraulic fracturing that affect us.
Federal and state legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to hydraulic fracturing could result in increased costs and additional operating restrictions or delays and adversely affect our production.
Hydraulic fracturing is an essential and common practice in the oil and gas industry used to stimulate production of natural gas and/or oil from dense subsurface rock formations. Hydraulic fracturing involves using water, sand and certain chemicals to fracture the hydrocarbon-bearing rock formation to allow flow of hydrocarbons into the wellbore. We routinely apply hydraulic fracturing techniques in our drilling and completion programs. While hydraulic fracturing has historically been regulated by state oil and natural gas commissions, the practice has become increasingly controversial in certain parts of the country, resulting in increased scrutiny and regulation. See “Item 1. Business — Environmental, Health and Safety Matters and Regulations — Hydraulic Fracturing” for a description of the federal and state legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to hydraulic fracturing that affect us.
If new laws or regulations that significantly restrict hydraulic fracturing are adopted at the state and local level, such laws could make it more difficult or costly for us to perform fracturing to stimulate production from dense subsurface rock formations and, in the event of prohibitions, may preclude our ability to drill wells. In addition, if hydraulic fracturing becomes further regulated at the federal level as a result of federal legislation or regulatory initiatives by the EPA or other federal agencies, our fracturing activities could become subject to additional permitting requirements and result in permitting delays as well as potential increases in costs. Restrictions on hydraulic fracturing could also reduce the amount of oil and natural gas that we are ultimately able to produce from our reserves.
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The cost of decommissioning is uncertain.
We are required to maintain reserve funds to provide for the payment of decommissioning costs associated with the Beta Properties. The estimates of decommissioning costs are inherently imprecise and subject to change due to changing cost estimates, oil and natural gas prices and other factors. If actual decommissioning costs exceed such estimates, or we are required to provide a significant amount of collateral in cash or other security as a result of a revision to such estimates, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows may be materially adversely affected.
We may be required to post cash collateral pursuant to our agreements with sureties under our existing or future bonding arrangements, which may have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and our ability to execute our capital expenditure plan, our ARO plan and comply with our existing debt instruments.
Pursuant to the terms of our existing bonding arrangements with various sureties in connection with the decommissioning obligations related to our Beta Properties, or under any future bonding arrangements we may enter into, we may be required to post collateral at any time, on demand, at the sureties’ sole discretion. If additional collateral is required to support surety bond obligations, this collateral would probably be in the form of cash or letters of credit. We cannot provide assurance that we will be able to satisfy collateral demands for current bonds or for future bonds.
If we are required to provide additional collateral, our liquidity position may be negatively impacted, and we may be required to seek alternative financing. To the extent we are unable to secure adequate financing, we may be forced to reduce our capital expenditures in the current year or future years, may be unable to execute our asset retirement obligation plan or may be unable to comply with our existing debt instruments. If we are unable or unwilling to provide additional collateral, we may have to pursue alternate bonding arrangements with other sureties. See Note 7 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included under Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, in this Form 10-K for additional information.
Changes in U.S. federal income tax law may have an adverse effect on our cash flows, results of operations or financial condition.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”), which was signed into law in December 2017, may affect our cash flows, results of operations and financial condition. Among other items, the Tax Act repealed the deduction for certain U.S. production activities and provided for a new limitation on the deduction for interest expense. Given the scope of the Tax Act and the potential interdependency of its changes, it is difficult at this time to assess whether the overall effect of the Tax Act will be cumulatively positive or negative for our earnings and cash flow, but such changes may adversely impact our financial results.
Certain U.S. federal income tax deductions currently available with respect to oil and natural gas exploration and production may be eliminated as a result of future legislation.
In past years, legislation has been proposed that would, if enacted into law, make significant changes to U.S. tax laws, including the elimination of certain key U.S. federal income tax incentives currently available to oil and natural gas exploration and production companies. These changes include, but are not limited to, (i) the repeal of the percentage depletion allowance for oil and natural gas properties, (ii) the elimination of current deductions for intangible drilling and development costs, or IDCs, (iii) the elimination of the deduction for certain domestic production activities and (iv) an extension of the amortization period for certain geological and geophysical expenditures. Although these provisions were largely unchanged by the Tax Act, Congress could consider, and could include, some or all of these proposals as part of future tax reform legislation. It is unclear whether any of the foregoing or similar proposals will be considered and enacted as part of future tax reform legislation and if enacted, how soon any such changes could become effective. The passage of any legislation as a result of these proposals or any other similar changes in U.S. federal income tax laws could eliminate or postpone certain tax deductions that are currently available with respect to oil and natural gas exploration and development and any such change could have an adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
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Our business could be negatively affected by security threats, including cybersecurity threats, destructive forms of protest and opposition by activists and other disruptions.
As an oil and natural gas producer, we face various security threats, including cybersecurity threats to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information, to misappropriate financial assets or to render data or systems unusable; threats to the security of our facilities and infrastructure or third party facilities and infrastructure, such as processing plants and pipelines; and threats from terrorist acts. The potential for such security threats has subjected our operations to increased risks that could have a material adverse effect on our business. In particular, our implementation of various procedures and controls to monitor and mitigate security threats and to increase security for our information, facilities and infrastructure may result in increased capital and operating costs. Moreover, there can be no assurance that such procedures and controls will be sufficient to prevent security breaches from occurring. If any of these security breaches were to occur, they could lead to losses of financial assets, sensitive information, critical infrastructure or capabilities essential to our operations and could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, financial position, results of operations or cash flows. Cybersecurity attacks in particular are becoming more sophisticated and include, but are not limited to, malicious software, attempts to gain unauthorized access to data and systems, and other electronic security breaches that could lead to disruptions in critical systems, unauthorized release of confidential or otherwise protected information, and corruption of data. These events could lead to financial losses from remedial actions, loss of business or potential liability. In addition, destructive forms of protest and opposition by activists and other disruptions, including acts of sabotage or eco-terrorism, against oil and gas production and activities could potentially result in damage or injury to people, property or the environment or lead to extended interruptions of our operations, adversely affecting our financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Relating to Our Common Stock
We are currently out of compliance with the NYSE minimum market capitalization requirement and are at risk of the NYSE delisting our Common Stock, which would have an adverse impact on the trading volume, liquidity and market price of our Common Stock.
On August 31, 2020, the Company, received the Market Cap Notice from the NYSE that the Company no longer satisfied the continued listing compliance standards set forth under Section 802.01B of the Manual because the average global market capitalization of the Company was less than $50,000,000 over a consecutive 30 trading-day period that ended on August 28, 2020 and, at the same time, the Company’s stockholders’ equity was less than $50,000,000.
Under NYSE procedures, the Company had 45 days from its receipt of the Market Cap Notice to submit a plan to the NYSE demonstrating how it intends to regain compliance with the NYSE’s continued listing standards within 18 months. The Company submitted its plan to regain compliance with the listing standards within the required timeframe.
Under NYSE rules, the Common Stock, will continue to be listed on the NYSE during the cure period related to the Market Cap Deficiency, subject to the Company’s compliance with other continued listing requirements. The Common Stock’s trading symbol “AMPY” was assigned a “.BC” indicator by the NYSE to signify that the Company currently is not in compliance with the NYSE’s continued listing requirements.
If the Company fails to regain compliance with Sections 802.01B during the cure period the Common Stock will be subject to the NYSE’s suspension and delisting procedures. Any such delisting could affect the market liquidity of our Common Stock, and, accordingly, the market price of our Common Stock could decrease. A delisting of our Common Stock from the NYSE could negatively impact us as it would likely reduce the liquidity and market price of our Common Stock; reduce the number of investors willing to hold or acquire our Common Stock; result in wide bid-ask spreads; contribute to significant fluctuations in the market price of our Common Stock; and negatively impact our ability to access equity markets and obtain financing.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Information regarding our properties is contained in “Item 1. Business — Our Areas of Operation” and “—Our Oil and Natural Gas Data” and “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations —Results of Operations” contained herein.
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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
As part of our normal business activities, we may be named as defendants in litigation and legal proceedings, including those arising from regulatory and environmental matters. If we determine that a negative outcome is probable and the amount of loss is reasonably estimable, we accrue the estimated amount. We are not aware of any litigation, pending or threatened, that we believe will have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows. No amounts have been accrued at December 31, 2020.
For additional information regarding legal proceedings, see Note 16, “Commitments and Contingencies — Litigation and Environmental” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included under “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this annual report, which is incorporated herein by reference.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
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PART II
Market Information
Our Common Stock is listed on the NYSE under the trading symbol “AMPY” and has been trading since August 7, 2019. Prior to such date, Midstates’ common stock was traded on the NYSE under the trading symbol “MPO” and Legacy Amplify’s common stock was quoted on the OTCQX U.S. Premier marketplace under the trading symbol “AMPY.”
As of February 26, 2021, we had 37,943,167 shares of our Common Stock outstanding. As of February 26, 2021, we had twenty-five record holders of our Common Stock, based on information provided by our transfer agent.
Dividends Policy
On March 3, 2020, our board of directors approved a quarterly dividend of $0.10 per share of Common Stock, which was paid on March 30, 2020 to stockholders of record at the close of business on March 16, 2020. The board of directors subsequently suspended quarterly dividends. Future dividends, if any, are subject to debt covenants under our Revolving Credit Facility and discretionary approval by the board of directors.
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plan
See the information incorporated by reference in “Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Shareholder Matters” for information regarding shares of our common stock authorized for issuance under our stock compensation plans, which information is incorporated herein by reference.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
The following sets forth information with respect to the Company’s repurchases of shares of its Common Stock during the fourth quarter of 2020.
(In thousands)
Common Shares Repurchased (1)
ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information under this item.
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Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and related notes in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” contained herein. The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our future plans, estimates, beliefs and expected performance. The forward-looking statements are dependent upon events, risks and uncertainties that may be outside our control. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences are discussed in “Risk Factors” contained in Part I, Item 1A. of this report. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed may not occur. See “Forward-Looking Statements” in the front of this annual report.
Overview
We operate in one reportable segment engaged in the acquisition, development, exploitation and production of oil and natural gas properties. Our management evaluates performance based on the reportable business segment as the economic environments are not different within the operation of our oil and natural gas properties. Our business activities are conducted through OLLC, our wholly owned subsidiary, and its wholly owned subsidiaries. Our assets consist primarily of producing oil and natural gas properties located in Oklahoma, the Rockies, federal waters offshore Southern California, East Texas/North Louisiana and Eagle Ford. Most of our oil and natural gas properties are located in large, mature oil and natural gas reservoirs.
The Company’s properties consist primarily of operated and non-operated working interests in producing and undeveloped leasehold acreage and working interests in identified producing wells. As of December 31, 2020:
Industry Trends
In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic related to the proliferation of COVID-19. The impact of COVID-19 and efforts to mitigate its spread have caused significant volatility in U.S. and international markets and a substantial reduction in global and domestic demand for oil and natural gas. Actions by governmental authorities to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, such as imposing mandatory closures of all non-essential business facilities, seeking voluntary closures of business facilities, and imposing restrictions on, or advisories with respect to, travel, business operations and public gatherings or interactions, have further exacerbated the economic impact of the pandemic.
As a result of the pandemic, there has also been a sharp reduction in the demand for oil and natural gas and a precipitous decline in commodity prices, which were further impacted by disputes over production levels among oil-producing countries, the significant increase in production levels by such countries and limited storage capacity for natural gas, oil and refined products.
In response to the unprecedented and extremely low commodity prices, the Company executed several liquidity enhancement initiatives to better position the Company through the downturn, including significant decreases to operating and G&A expenses, substantial reductions to capital programs, the monetization of a portion of the Company’s 2021 in-the-money crude oil hedges, the receipt of loan proceeds from the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program, royalty relief at the Company’s Beta Properties and the suspension of the quarterly dividend, among other things. The successful realization and execution of our liquidity enhancing initiatives, coupled with a disciplined commodity hedging program, have substantially mitigated the impact of the pandemic on the Company’s operational and financial results and demonstrated the sustainable value of our long-lived, low-decline assets.
Despite the gradual recovery in commodity prices in the second half of 2020 and the expectation of a successful phased rollout of a vaccine in 2021, we have continued our commitment to operating in a disciplined, capital efficient manner, and we remain committed to the responsible stewardship of our assets and to continue focusing on maximizing cash flows, further reducing debt, delivering low-cost capital efficient operations, and generating shareholder value. We will continue to monitor developments regarding the pandemic, the distribution of the vaccination and changes in market conditions as we pursue our business and strategic objectives.
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Recent Developments
Appointment of Chief Executive Officer and Director
On January 19, 2021, the Company appointed Mr. Martyn Willsher as the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board. Mr. Willsher, had served as the Company’s Interim Chief Executive Officer since April 3, 2020 and Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since April 27, 2018.
Appointment of Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
On January 19, 2021, the Company appointed Mr. Jason McGlynn as the Company’s Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. McGlynn, had served as the Company’s Vice President of Business Development since February 3, 2020.
Resignation of Chairman of the Board of Directors
On January 19, 2021, Mr. David H. Proman announced his resignation from his position as Chairman of the board of directors of the Company. Mr. Proman retained his seat as a member of the board of directors.
Appointment of Chairman of the Board of Directors
Concurrently with Mr. Proman’s resignation, the board of directors unanimously approved and appointed Mr. Christopher W. Hamm as the Company’s new Chairman of the board of directors.
Appointment of Director to the Board of Directors
On February 10, 2021, Ms. Patrice Douglas was appointed as a member of the Company’s board of directors and will also serve on the Company’s audit committee.
Secondary Public Offering of Common Stock for Selling Stockholders
On December 11, 2020, certain selling stockholders of the Company (the “Selling Stockholders”), Roth Capital Partners, LLC (the “Underwriter”) and the Company entered into an underwriting agreement, pursuant to which the Selling Stockholders agreed to sell to the Underwriter, and the Underwriter agreed to purchase from the Selling Stockholders, subject to and upon the terms and conditions set forth therein, an aggregate of 8,548,485 shares of Common Stock. The offering closed on December 15, 2020. The Company did not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of Common Stock in the offering.
The offering was made pursuant to effective shelf registration statements (File No. 333-233677, effective October 11, 2019, and 333-215602, effective May 1, 2018) and prospectuses filed by the Company with the SEC. The offering of these securities was made only by means of a prospectus and prospectus supplement.
Borrowing Base Redetermination
On November 18, 2020, as part of the Company’s fall 2020 semiannual borrowing base redetermination, the borrowing base and lender commitments under the Company’s Revolving Credit Facility reaffirmed the borrowing base at $260.0 million, with the next such redetermination scheduled for spring 2021. The Revolving Credit Facility is a reserve-based revolving credit facility with a maturity date of November 2, 2023, and semiannual borrowing base redeterminations.
Notice of Non-Compliance with NYSE Continued Listing Standards
On August 31, 2020, the Company, received the Market Cap Notice from the NYSE that the Company no longer satisfied the continued listing compliance standards set forth under Section 802.01B of the Manual because the average global market capitalization of the Company was less than $50,000,000 over a consecutive 30 trading-day period that ended on August 28, 2020 and, at the same time, the Company’s stockholders’ equity was less than $50,000,000 (the “Market Cap Deficiency”).
Under NYSE procedures, the Company had 45 days from its receipt of the Market Cap Notice to submit a plan to the NYSE demonstrating how it intends to regain compliance with the NYSE’s continued listing standards within 18 months. The Company submitted its plan to regain compliance with the listing standards within the required timeframe.
In addition, on October 13, 2020, the Company received the Share Price Notice from the NYSE that the Company no longer satisfied the continued listing compliance standards set forth under Section 802.01C of the Manual because the average closing price of the Company’s Common Stock was below $1.00 over a 30 consecutive trading-day period that ended October 12, 2020. Under the NYSE’s rules, the Company had six months following receipt of the Share Price Notice to regain compliance with the minimum share price requirement.
The Company notified the NYSE of its intent to cure the Share Price Deficiency and return to compliance with the NYSE’s continued listing requirements. On January 4, 2021, the Company received written notification from the NYSE that the Company regained compliance with the NYSE’s continued listing standards. The Company regained compliance after its average closing price for the 30 trading-day period ended December 31, 2020 and its closing price on December 31, 2020 both exceeded $1.00 per share.
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Under NYSE rules, the Common Stock, will continue to be listed on the NYSE during the cure period related to the Market Cap Deficiency, subject to the Company’s compliance with other continued listing requirements. The Common Stock’s trading symbol “AMPY” was assigned a “.BC” indicator by the NYSE to signify that the Company currently is not in compliance with the NYSE’s continued listing requirements. If the Company fails to regain compliance with Sections 802.01B of the Manual during the cure period, the Common Stock will be subject to the NYSE’s suspension and delisting procedures.
Business Environment and Operational Focus
We use a variety of financial and operational metrics to assess the performance of our oil and natural gas operations, including: (i) production volumes; (ii) realized prices on the sale of our production; (iii) cash settlements on our commodity derivatives; (iv) lease operating expense; (v) gathering, processing and transportation; (vi) general and administrative expense; and (vii) Adjusted EBITDA.
Production Volumes
Production volumes directly impact our results of operations. For more information about our volumes, see “— Results of Operations” below.
Realized Prices on the Sale of Oil and Natural Gas
We market our oil and natural gas production to a variety of purchasers based on regional pricing. The relative prices of oil and natural gas are determined by the factors impacting global and regional supply and demand dynamics, such as economic conditions, production levels, weather cycles and other events. In addition, realized prices are heavily influenced by product quality and location relative to consuming and refining markets.
Natural Gas. The NYMEX-Henry Hub future price of natural gas is a widely used benchmark for the pricing of natural gas in the United States. The actual prices realized from the sale of natural gas can differ from the quoted NYMEX-Henry Hub price as a result of quality and location differentials. Quality differentials to NYMEX-Henry Hub prices result from: (1) the Btu content of natural gas, which measures its heating value, and (2) the percentage of sulfur, CO2 and other inert content by volume. Natural gas with a high Btu content (“wet” natural gas) sells at a premium to natural gas with low Btu content (“dry” natural gas) because it yields a greater quantity of NGLs. Natural gas with low sulfur and CO2 content sells at a premium to natural gas with high sulfur and CO2 content because of the added cost required to separate the sulfur and CO2 from the natural gas to render it marketable. Wet natural gas may be processed in third-party natural gas plants, where residue natural gas as well as NGLs are recovered and sold. At the wellhead, our natural gas production typically has an average energy content greater than 1,000 Btu. The dry natural gas residue from our properties is generally sold based on index prices in the region from which it is produced.
Location differentials to NYMEX-Henry Hub prices result from variances in transportation costs based on the produced natural gas’ proximity to the major consuming markets to which it is ultimately delivered. Historically, these index prices have generally been at a discount to NYMEX-Henry Hub natural gas prices.
Oil. The NYMEX-WTI futures price is a widely used benchmark in the pricing of domestic and imported oil in the United States. The ICE Brent futures price is a widely used global price benchmark for oil. The actual prices realized from the sale of oil can differ from the quoted NYMEX-WTI price as a result of quality and location differentials. Quality differentials result from the fact that crude oils differ from one another in their molecular makeup, which plays an important part in their refining and subsequent sale as petroleum products. Among other things, there are two characteristics that commonly drive quality differentials: (1) the oil’s American Petroleum Institute (“API”) gravity and (2) the oil’s percentage of sulfur content by weight. In general, lighter oil (with higher API gravity) produces a larger number of lighter products, such as gasoline, which have higher resale value and, therefore, normally sells at a higher price than heavier oil. Oil with low sulfur content (“sweet” oil) is less expensive to refine and, as a result, normally sells at a higher price than high sulfur-content oil (“sour” oil).
Location differentials result from variances in transportation costs based on the produced oil’s proximity to the major consuming and refining markets to which it is ultimately delivered. Oil that is produced close to major consuming and refining markets, such as near Cushing, Oklahoma, is in higher demand as compared to oil that is produced farther from such markets. Consequently, oil that is produced close to major consuming and refining markets normally realizes a higher price (i.e., a lower location differential).
The oil produced from our onshore properties is a combination of sweet and sour oil, varying by location. This oil is typically sold at the NYMEX-WTI price, adjusted for quality and transportation differential, depending primarily on location and purchaser. The oil produced from our Beta Properties is heavy and sour oil. Oil produced from our Beta Properties is currently sold based on refiners’ posted prices for California Midway-Sunset deliveries in Southern California, adjusted primarily for quality and a negotiated market differential.
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Price Volatility. In the past, oil and natural gas prices have been extremely volatile, and we expect this volatility to continue. The following table shows the low and high commodity future index prices for the periods indicated:
High Low
For the Year Ended December 31, 2020:
NYMEX-WTI oil future price range per Bbl $ 63.27 $ (37.63 )
NYMEX-Henry Hub natural gas future price range per MMBtu $ 3.35 $ 1.48
ICE Brent oil future price range per Bbl $ 68.91 $ 19.33
For the Five Years Ended December 31, 2020:
NYMEX-WTI oil future price range per Bbl $ 76.41 $ (37.63 )
NYMEX-Henry Hub natural gas future price range per MMBtu $ 4.84 $ 1.48
ICE Brent oil future price range per Bbl $ 86.29 $ 19.33
Commodity Derivative Contracts. Our hedging activities are intended to support oil, natural gas and NGL prices at targeted levels and to manage our exposure to commodity price fluctuations. We intend to enter into commodity derivative contracts at times and on terms desired to maintain a portfolio of commodity derivative contracts covering at least 30% - 60% of our estimated production from proved developed producing reserves over a one-to-three-year period at any given point of time. Additionally, to satisfy the hedging covenants in our Revolving Credit Facility, we are expected to hedge 65% and 45% of our estimated production from total proved developed reserves for calendar years 2021 and 2022, respectively. We may, however, from time to time hedge more or less than this approximate range. Additionally, we may take advantage of opportunities to modify our commodity derivative portfolio to change the percentage of our hedged production volumes when circumstances suggest that it is prudent to do so. The current market conditions may also impact our ability to enter into future commodity derivative contracts.
Principal Components of Cost Structure
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Outlook
Based on our current plans, our capital expenditure program for the full year 2021 is expected to be approximately $28.0 million to $39.0 million. The charts below detail the allocation of capital across our asset base and by investment type based on the midpoint of our 2021 capital expenditure range.
As has been our historical practice, we will periodically review our capital expenditures throughout the year and may adjust the budget based on commodity prices and other factors. We anticipate funding our 2021 capital program from internally generated cash flow. Borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility and/or debt or equity financings may provide incremental financial flexibility.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Use of Estimates
The preparation of Consolidated 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 Consolidated Financial Statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Significant estimates include, but are not limited to, oil and natural gas reserves; depreciation, depletion and amortization of proved oil and natural gas properties; future cash flows from oil and natural gas properties; impairment of long-lived assets; fair value of derivatives; fair value of equity compensation; fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in business combinations and asset retirement obligations.
Oil and Natural Gas Properties
Oil and natural gas exploration, development and production activities are accounted for in accordance with the successful efforts method of accounting. Under this method, costs of acquiring properties, costs of drilling successful exploration wells and development costs are capitalized. The costs of exploratory wells are initially capitalized pending a determination of whether proved reserves have been found. At the completion of drilling activities, the costs of exploratory wells remain capitalized if a determination is made that proved reserves have been found. If no proved reserves have been found, the costs of each of the related exploratory wells are charged to expense. In some cases, a determination of proved reserves cannot be made at the completion of drilling, requiring additional testing and evaluation of the wells. The costs of such exploratory wells are expensed if a determination of proved reserves has not been made within a twelve-month period after drilling is complete. Exploration costs such as geological, geophysical, and seismic costs attributable to unproved locations are expensed as incurred.
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As exploration and development work progresses and the reserves on these properties are proven, capitalized costs attributed to the properties are subject to depreciation and depletion. Depletion of capitalized costs is provided using the units-of-production method based on proved oil and gas reserves related to the associated field. Capitalized drilling and development costs of producing oil and natural gas properties are depleted over proved developed reserves and leasehold costs are depleted over total proved reserves. Support equipment and facilities, which are primarily related to our Rockies and California assets, are depreciated using the straight-line method generally based on estimated useful lives of fifteen to forty years.
On the sale or retirement of a complete or partial unit of a proved property or pipeline and related facilities, the cost and related accumulated depreciation, depletion, and amortization are eliminated from the property accounts, and any gain or loss is recognized.
Oil and Natural Gas Reserves
The estimates of proved oil and natural gas reserves utilized in the preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements are estimated in accordance with the rules established by the SEC and the FASB. These rules require that reserve estimates be prepared under existing economic and operating conditions using a trailing 12-month average price with no provision for price and cost escalations in future years except by contractual arrangements. The development of the Company’s oil and natural gas reserve quantities require management to make significant estimates and assumptions related to the intent and ability to complete undeveloped proved reserves within a five-year development period, as prescribed by SEC guidelines. Additionally, none of our PUDs are scheduled to be developed on a date more than five years from the date the reserves were initially booked as PUD as prescribed by the SEC guidelines. PUDs are converted from undeveloped to developed as applicable wells begin production. We engaged CG&A, our independent reserve engineers, to prepare our reserves estimates for all of our proved reserves at December 31, 2020 and 2019.
Reserve estimates are inherently imprecise. Accordingly, the estimates are expected to change as more current information becomes available. It is possible that, because of changes in market conditions or the inherent imprecision of reserve estimates, the estimates of future cash inflows, future gross revenues, the amount of oil and natural gas reserves, the remaining estimated lives of oil and natural gas properties, or any combination of the above may be increased or decreased. Increases in recoverable economic volumes generally reduce per unit depletion rates while decreases in recoverable economic volumes generally increase per unit depletion rates.
Impairments
Proved oil and natural gas properties are reviewed for impairment when events and circumstances indicate the carrying value of such properties may not be recoverable. This may be due to a downward revision of the reserve estimates, less than expected production or drilling results, higher operating and development costs, or lower commodity prices. The estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected in connection with the property are compared to the carrying value of the property to determine if the carrying amount is recoverable. If the carrying value of the property exceeds its estimated undiscounted future cash flows, the carrying amount of the property is reduced to its estimated fair value using Level 3 inputs. The factors used to determine fair value include, but are not limited to, estimates of proved and probable reserves, future commodity prices, the timing of future production and capital expenditures and a discount rate commensurate with the risk reflective of the lives remaining for the respective oil and gas properties.
Unproved oil and natural gas properties are reviewed for impairment based on time or geologic factors. Information such as drilling results, reservoir performance, seismic interpretation or future plans to develop acreage is also considered. When unproved property investments are deemed to be impaired, the expense is reported in impairment expenses.
Asset Retirement Obligations
An asset retirement obligation associated with retiring long-lived assets is recognized as a liability on a discounted basis in the period in which the legal obligation is incurred and becomes determinable, with an equal amount capitalized as an addition to oil and natural gas properties, which is allocated to expense over the useful life of the asset. Generally, oil and gas producing companies incur such a liability upon acquiring or drilling a well. Accretion expense is recognized over time as the discounted liabilities are accreted to their expected settlement value. Upon settlement of the liability, a gain or loss is recognized in net income (loss) to the extent the actual costs differ from the recorded liability.
Revenue Recognition
Revenue from the sale of oil and natural gas is recognized when title passes, net of royalties due to third parties. Oil and natural gas revenues are recorded using the sales method. Under this method, revenues are recognized based on actual volumes of oil and natural gas sold to purchasers, regardless of whether the sales are proportionate to our ownership in the property. An asset or a liability is recognized to the extent there is an imbalance in excess of the proportionate share of the remaining recoverable reserves on the underlying properties.
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Derivative Instruments
Commodity derivative financial instruments (e.g., swaps, collars and puts) are used to reduce the impact of natural gas and oil price fluctuations. Every derivative instrument is recorded in the balance sheet as either an asset or liability measured at its fair value. Changes in the derivative’s fair value are recognized currently in earnings as we have not elected hedge accounting for any of our derivative positions.
Business Combinations
Accounting for the acquisition of a business requires the identifiable assets and liabilities acquired to be recorded at fair value. The most significant assumptions in a business combination include those used to estimate the fair value of the oil and gas properties acquired. The fair value of proved natural gas properties is determined using a risk-adjusted after-tax discounted cash flow analysis based upon significant assumptions including commodity prices; projections of estimated quantities of reserves; projections of future rates of production; timing and amount of future development and operating costs; projected reserve recovery factors; and a weighted average cost of capital.
The Company utilizes a market approach to estimate the fair value of unproved properties acquired in a business combination which requires the Company to use judgment in considering the value per undeveloped acre in recent comparable transactions to estimate the value of unproved properties.
The Company believes that the accounting estimates related to business combinations are “critical accounting estimates” because the Company must, in determining the fair value of assets acquired, make assumptions about future commodity prices; projections of estimated quantities of reserves; projections of future rates of production; projections regarding the timing and amount of future development and operating costs; and projections of reserve recovery factors, per acre values of undeveloped property, replacement cost of and future cash flows from midstream assets, cash flow from customer relationships and non-compete agreements and the pre and post modification value of stock based awards. Different assumptions may result in materially different values for these assets which would impact the Company’s financial position and future results of operations.
Results of Operations
The results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, have been derived from our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Factors Affecting the Comparability of the Historical Financial Results
The comparability of the results of operations among the periods presented is impacted by the Merger between Legacy Amplify and Midstates in August 2019.
As a result, the historical results of operations and period-to-period comparisons of these results and certain financial data may not be comparable or indicative of future results.
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The table below summarizes certain of the results of operations and period-to-period comparisons for the periods indicated.
For the Year Ended
December 31,
($ In thousands)
Gathering, processing and transportation 20,547 18,475
Depreciation, depletion and amortization 40,268 55,843
Accretion of asset retirement obligations 6,206 5,559
(Gain) loss on commodity derivative instruments (60,671 ) 6,700
Other income (expense) 65 (1,117 )
Loss on lease — (4,247 )
Reorganization items, net (566 ) (1,057 )
Income tax benefit (expense) (115 ) 50
Oil and natural gas revenue:
Production volumes:
Average net production (MBoe/d) 27.8 25.4
Average sales price:
Natural gas (per Mcf) 1.55 2.24
Average unit costs per Boe:
Gathering, processing and transportation 2.02 2.00
Taxes other than income 1.27 2.02
General and administrative expense 2.73 5.97
Depletion, depreciation and amortization 3.95 6.03
For the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2019
Net losses of $464.0 million and $35.2 million was recorded for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Oil, natural gas and NGL revenues were $200.9 million and $274.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Average net production volumes were approximately 27.8 MBoe/d and 25.4 MBoe/d for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The change in production volumes was primarily related to the Merger of Midstates in 2019. The average realized sales price was $19.71 per Boe and $29.67 per Boe for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The change in the average realized sales price was primarily due to lower commodity prices during 2020.
Lease operating expense was $119.7 million and $123.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The change in lease operating expense was primarily due to cost savings initiatives implemented during 2020 offset by an increase in production due to the Merger. On a per Boe basis, lease operating expense was $11.75 and $13.39 for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The change in lease operating expense on a per Boe basis was primarily related to the implementation of cost savings initiatives during 2020 offset by an increase in production due to the Merger.
Gathering, processing and transportation expenses were $20.5 million and $18.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The change in gathering, processing and transportation expenses was primarily driven by the Merger and increased fees to satisfy the minimum volume requirement. On a per Boe basis, gathering, processing and transportation expenses were $2.02 and $2.00 for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
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Taxes other than income was $12.9 million and $18.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. On a per Boe basis, taxes other than income were $1.27 and $2.02 for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The change in taxes other than income on a per Boe basis was primarily due to a decrease in commodity prices.
DD&A expense was $40.3 million and $55.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The change in DD&A expense was primarily due to impairments which reduced depletable oil and gas property.
Impairment expense was $476.9 million and $2.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. We recognized $427.6 million of impairment expense on proved properties for the year ended December 31, 2020. The estimated future cash flows expected from these properties were compared to their carrying values and determined to be unrecoverable primarily as a result of declining commodity prices. We recognized $49.3 million of impairment expense on unproved properties for the year ended December 31, 2020, which was related to expiring leases and the evaluation of qualitative and quantitative factors related to the current decline in commodity prices. The $2.2 million of impairment expense for the year ended December 31, 2019, related to certain unproved leasehold costs in Oklahoma. This was primarily due to changes in development plans in the areas of Alfalfa, Major and Woods Counties in Oklahoma.
General and administrative expense was $27.8 million and $55.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The change in general and administrative expense is primarily attributable to a decrease in acquisition and divestiture expense of $16.2 million related to the Merger, which consisted of a decrease of general acquisition expense and severance of $6.2 million, a decrease in professional services of $4.8 million, a decrease of legal services of $3.6 million, and a decrease in director & officer liability insurance of $2.1 million. The Merger acquisition expenses are non-recurring and are not expected to impact future expenses. Additional in connection with the Merger, we converted our unvested Legacy Amplify restricted stock units into newly issued restricted stock units which reflected a decrease in stock compensation expense of $2.6 million.
Net gains on commodity derivative instruments of $60.7 million were recognized for the year ended December 31, 2020, consisting of $19.7 million decrease in the fair value of open positions offset by $62.4 million of cash settlements received on expired positions and $18.0 million of cash settlements received on terminated positions. Net losses on commodity derivative instruments of $6.7 million were recognized for the year ended December 31, 2019, consisting of $10.9 million decrease in the fair value of open positions offset by $4.2 million of cash settlements received on expired positions.
Given the volatility of commodity prices, it is not possible to predict future reported unrealized mark-to-market net gains or losses and the actual net gains or losses that will ultimately be realized upon settlement of the hedge positions in future years. If commodity prices at settlement are lower than the prices of the hedge positions, the hedges are expected to mitigate the otherwise negative effect on earnings of lower oil, natural gas and NGL prices. However, if commodity prices at settlement are higher than the prices of the hedge positions, the hedges are expected to dampen the otherwise positive effect on earnings of higher oil, natural gas and NGL prices and will, in this context, be viewed as having resulted in an opportunity cost.
Interest expense, net was $20.5 million and $16.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The increase in interest expense is primarily due to being in a loss position for interest rate swaps of $4.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to being in a gain position of $0.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Additionally, we had an increase of $2.1 million in the amortization and write-off of deferred financing costs offset by a $2.6 million reduction in interest expense due to lower outstanding borrowings for the year ended December 31, 2020.
Average outstanding borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility were $279.1 million and $264.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Loss on Lease was $4.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, which was related to the Midstates corporate office lease. The office was vacated in mid-November 2019. Due to excess sublease inventory in the local market, a liability had been accrued for rent and other operating expenses based upon the term and provisions of the lease.
For the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to the year ended December 31, 2018
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 and is incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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Adjusted EBITDA
We include in this report the non-GAAP financial measure Adjusted EBITDA and provide our calculation of Adjusted EBITDA and a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net cash flow from operating activities, our most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA is a supplemental non-GAAP financial measure that is used by management and external users of our consolidated financial statements, such as industry analysts, investors, lenders and rating agencies. Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of net income or cash flows as determined by GAAP. We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss):
Plus:
• Income tax expense;
• DD&A;
• Accretion of asset retirement obligations (“AROs”);
• Loss on commodity derivative instruments;
• Cash settlements received on expired commodity derivative instruments;
• Losses on sale of assets and other, net;
• Share-based compensation expenses;
• Exploration costs;
• Acquisition and divestiture related expenses;
• Amortization of gain associated with terminated commodity derivatives;
• Restructuring related costs;
• Reorganization items, net;
• Severance payments;
• Bad debt expense; and
• Other non-routine items that we deem appropriate.
Less:
• Interest income;
• Income tax benefit;
• Gain on extinguishment of debt
• Gain on expired commodity derivative instruments;
• Cash settlements paid on expired commodity derivative instruments;
• Gains on sale of assets and other, net; and
• Other non-routine items that we deem appropriate.
We are required to comply with certain Adjusted EBITDA-related metrics under our Revolving Credit Facility.
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We believe that Adjusted EBITDA is useful because it allows us to more effectively evaluate our operating performance and compare the results of our operations from period to period without regard to our financing methods or capital structure.
Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to, or more meaningful than, net income or cash flows from operating activities as determined in accordance with GAAP or as an indicator of our operating performance or liquidity. Certain items excluded from Adjusted EBITDA are significant components in understanding and assessing a company's financial performance, such as a company's cost of capital and tax structure, as well as the historic costs of depreciable assets, none of which are components of Adjusted EBITDA. Our computations of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA is a widely followed measure of operating performance and may also be used by investors to measure our ability to meet debt service requirements.
In addition, management uses Adjusted EBITDA to evaluate actual cash flow, develop existing reserves or acquire additional oil and natural gas properties.
The following tables presents a reconciliation of the Company’s net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA, as well as a reconciliation of cash flows from operating activities to Adjusted EBITDA, our most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, for each of the periods indicated.
Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) to Adjusted EBITDA
For the Year Ended
December 31,
(In thousands)
Income tax expense (benefit) 115 (50 )
(Gains) losses on commodity derivative instruments (60,671 ) 6,700
Acquisition and divestiture related expenses 1,092 17,305
Share-based compensation expense (177 ) 4,813
Exploration costs 56 51
(Gain) loss on settlement of AROs 250 403
Non-cash loss on office lease — 4,247
Non-cash inventory valuation adjustment 1,003 —
Write-off of merger related expenses — 1,420
Secondary offering expenses 311 —
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Reconciliation of Net Cash from Operating Activities to Adjusted EBITDA
For the Year Ended
December 31,
(In thousands)
Net cash provided by operating activities $ 74,330 $ 47,283
Gain (loss) on interest rate swaps (4,044 ) 224
Cash settlements received on terminated commodity derivatives (17,977 ) —
Amortization and extinguishment of deferred financing fees (3,272 ) (1,174 )
Acquisition and divestiture related expenses 1,092 17,305
Income tax expense (benefit) - current portion 115 (50 )
Exploration costs 56 51
Plugging and abandonment cost 577 662
Non-cash loss on office lease — 4,247
Non-cash inventory valuation adjustment 1,003 —
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Overview. Our ability to finance our operations, including funding capital expenditures and acquisitions, to meet our indebtedness obligations, to refinance our indebtedness or to meet our collateral requirements will depend on our ability to generate cash in the future. Our primary sources of liquidity and capital resources have historically been cash flows generated by operating activities, borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility, and equity and debt capital markets. As we pursue reserve and production growth, we plan to monitor which capital resources, including equity and debt financings, are available to us to meet our future financial obligations, planned capital expenditure activities and liquidity requirements. Based on our current oil and natural gas price expectations, we believe our cash flows provided by operating activities and availability under our Revolving Credit Facility will provide us with the financial flexibility necessary to meet our cash requirements, including normal operating needs, and to pursue our currently planned 2021 development activities. However, future cash flows are subject to a number of variables, including the level of our oil and natural gas production and the prices we receive for our oil and natural gas production, and significant additional capital expenditures will be required to more fully develop our properties. We cannot assure you that operations and other needed capital will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. We anticipate funding our 2021 capital program from internally generated cash flow. Borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility and/or debt or equity financings may provide incremental financial flexibility.
Capital Markets. We do not currently anticipate any near-term capital markets activity, but we will continue to evaluate the availability of public debt and equity for funding potential future growth projects and acquisition activity.
Hedging. Commodity hedging has been and remains an important part of our strategy to reduce cash flow volatility. Our hedging activities are intended to support oil, NGL and natural gas prices at targeted levels and to manage our exposure to commodity price fluctuations. We intend to enter into commodity derivative contracts at times and on terms desired to maintain a portfolio of commodity derivative contracts covering at least 30% - 60% of our estimated production from total proved developed producing reserves over a one-to-three-year period at any given point of time. Additionally, to satisfy the hedging covenants in our Revolving Credit Facility, we are expected to hedge 65% and 45% of our estimated production from total proved developed reserves for calendar years 2021 and 2022, respectively. We may, however, from time to time, hedge more or less than this approximate amount. Additionally, we may take advantage of opportunities to modify our commodity derivative portfolio to change the percentage of our hedged production volumes when circumstances suggest that it is prudent to do so. The current market conditions may also impact our ability to enter into future commodity derivative contracts.
We evaluate counterparty risks related to our commodity derivative contracts and trade credit. Should any of these financial counterparties not perform, we may not realize the benefit of some of our hedges under lower commodity prices. We sell our oil and natural gas to a variety of purchasers. Non-performance by a customer could also result in losses.
Capital Expenditures. Our total capital expenditures were approximately $29.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, which were primarily related non-operated drilling activity in the Eagle Ford and, capital workovers and capital facilities expenditures located in the Rockies and California.
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Working Capital. Working capital is the amount by which current assets exceed current liabilities. Our working capital requirements are primarily driven by changes in accounts receivable and accounts payable as well as the classification of our debt outstanding. These changes are impacted by changes in the prices of commodities that we buy and sell. In general, our working capital requirements increase in periods of rising commodity prices and decreases in periods of declining commodity prices. However, our working capital needs do not necessarily change at the same rate as commodity prices because both accounts receivable and accounts payable are impacted by the same commodity prices. In addition, the timing of payments received by our customers or paid to our suppliers can also cause fluctuations in working capital because we settle with most of our larger customers on a monthly basis and often near the end of the month. We expect that our future working capital requirements will be impacted by these same factors.
As of December 31, 2020, we had a working capital deficit of less than $0.1 million primarily as the result of (i) an accounts receivable balance of $30.9 million, (ii) prepaid expenses and other current assets balance of $15.6 million and (iii) a cash balance of $10.4 million less (i) a revenue payable balance of $22.6 million, (ii) an accrued liabilities balance of $22.7 million and (iii) a short-term derivative liability balance of $10.8 million.
Debt Agreements
Revolving Credit Facility. On November 2, 2018, OLLC as borrower, entered into the Revolving Credit Facility (as amended and supplemented to date) with Bank of Montreal, as administrative agent. At December 31, 2020, our borrowing base under our Revolving Credit Facility was subject to redetermination on at least a semi-annual basis primarily based on a reserve engineering report with respect to our estimated natural gas, oil and NGL reserves, which takes into account the available natural gas, oil and NGL prices at such time, as adjusted for the impact of our commodity derivative contracts. The borrowing base as of December 31, 2020, was $260.0 million.
As of December 31, 2020, we were in compliance with all the financial (current ratio and total leverage ratio) and other covenants associated with our Revolving Credit Facility.
As of December 31, 2020, we had approximately $5.0 million of available borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility.
On April 24, 2020, we received a $5.5 million loan under the Paycheck Protection Program. The Paycheck Protection Program was established as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to provide loans to qualifying businesses. The loans and accrued interest are potentially forgivable provided that the borrower uses the loan proceeds for eligible purposes. At this time, the Company anticipates that a substantial majority of the loan proceeds will be forgiven under the program.
For additional information regarding the Revolving Credit Facility, see Note 9 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included under “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report for additional information.
Cash Flows from Operating, Investing and Financing Activities
The following table summarizes our cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities for the periods indicated. The cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, have been derived from our Consolidated Financial Statements. For information regarding the individual components of our cash flow amounts, see the Statements of Consolidated Cash Flows included under “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” contained herein.
For the Year Ended
December 31,
(In thousands)
Net cash provided by operating activities $ 74,330 $ 47,283
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities (35,890 ) 35,315
Net cash used in financing activities (28,401 ) (132,302 )
For the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2019
Operating Activities. Key drivers of net operating cash flows are commodity prices, production volumes and operating costs. For year ended December 31, 2020 we had a net loss of $464.0 million compared to a net loss of $35.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The net loss position is primarily driven by an impairment expense of $477.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to a $2.2 million impairment expense for the year ended December 31, 2019. Net cash provided by operating activities for 2020 included $61.1 million of cash receipts on expired derivative instruments and $18.0 million of cash receipts on terminated derivative instruments compared to $4.3 million of cash receipts on expired derivative instruments for 2019. For 2020, we had net gains on derivative instruments of $60.7 million compared to net losses of $6.7 million for 2019. Production volumes increased to 27.8 MBoe/d in 2020 from 25.4 MBoe/d in 2019 and the average realized sales price decreased to $19.71 per Boe in 2020 from $29.67 per Boe in 2019. The changes in production and average realized sales price were primarily related to decreased drilling activities and lower commodity prices, partially offset by the Merger in 2019.
Investing Activities. Net cash used in investing activities was $35.9 million and $35.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
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During 2020, we used $34.8 million for additions to oil and gas properties and $1.1 million for additions to other property and equipment. During 2019, we used $72.7 million for additions to oil and gas properties partially offset by $19.3 million related to cash acquired from the Merger with Midstates.
Various restricted investment accounts fund certain long-term contractual and regulatory asset retirement obligations and collateralize certain regulatory bonds associated with our offshore Southern California oil and natural gas properties. Withdrawal of restricted investment was $90.0 million at December 31, 2019, which related to the Company receiving funds from the trust account (the “Beta Decommissioning Trust Account”). See Note 8 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included under “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for additional information regarding our restricted investments.
Financing Activities. The Company had net repayments of $30.0 million and $9.0 million under the Revolving Credit Facility for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The Company received a $5.5 million loan under the Paycheck Protection Program on April 24, 2020.
The Company paid out dividends of $3.8 million in dividends on March 30, 2020 to stockholders on record at the close of business on March 16, 2020. The board of directors subsequently suspended quarterly dividends. Future dividends, if any, are subject to debt covenants under our Revolving Credit Facility and discretionary approval by the board of directors. For the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company paid dividends of $15.9 million in aggregate.
For the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company paid $76.6 million related to the repayment of Midstates’ existing reserve-based revolving credit facility which was terminated upon the closing of the Merger. Additionally the Company spent $26.2 million related to the Common Stock repurchased and retired under the share repurchase program, which was terminated on December 31, 2019.
For the year ended December 31,2019 compared to the year ended December 31, 2018
Information related to the comparison of our discussion of the cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to the year ended December 31, 2018, is included in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources” of our 2019 Form 10-K filed with the SEC and is incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Capital Requirements
See “— Outlook” for additional information regarding our capital spending program for 2021.
Off–Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of December 31, 2020, we had no off–balance sheet arrangements.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
For a discussion of recent accounting pronouncements that will affect us, see Note 2 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included under “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information under this item.
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Our Consolidated Financial Statements, together with the report of our independent registered public accounting firm, begin on page F-1 of this Annual Report and are incorporated herein by reference.
None.
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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures.
As required by Rules 13a-15(b) and 15d-15(b) of the Exchange Act, we have evaluated, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including the principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the Company, the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) and under the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this annual report. Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance that the information required to be disclosed by us in reports that we file under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including the principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the Company, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure, and is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC. Based upon this evaluation, the principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the Company have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level as of December 31, 2020.
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
The Company’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act. Internal control over financial reporting, no matter how well designed, has inherent limitations. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements.
Under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s management, including the principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the Company, the Company assessed the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (the “COSO Framework”). Based on this assessment, the Company’s management, including its principal executive and financial officers, concluded that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2020 based on the criteria set forth under the COSO Framework.
In order to protect the health and safety of our employees, we took proactive steps to allow employees to work remotely and to reduce the number of employees on site at any one time in our field areas to comply with social distancing guidelines. We believe that our internal controls and procedures are still functioning as designed and were effective for the most recent quarter.
This Annual Report does not include an attestation report of our registered public accounting firm regarding our internal control over financial reporting due to an exemption established by the SEC for smaller reporting companies.
Changes in Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting
No changes in our internal control over financial reporting occurred during the quarter ended December 31, 2020 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
The certifications required by Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 are filed as exhibits 31.1 and 31.2, respectively, to this annual report.
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
None
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PART III
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the Company’s definitive proxy statement relating to the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Amplify Energy Corp. (the “Proxy Statement”) to be held on May 19, 2021.
The Company’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the “Code of Ethics”) can be found on the Company’s website located at http://investor.amplifyenergy.com/corporate-governance. Any stockholder may request a printed copy of the Code of Ethics by submitting a written request to the Company’s Corporate Secretary. If the Company amends the Code of Ethics or grants a waiver, including an implicit waiver, from the Code of Ethics, the Company will disclose the information on its website. The waiver information will remain on the website for at least 12 months after the initial disclosure of such waiver.
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy Statement.
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy Statement.
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy Statement.
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy Statement.
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PART IV
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
(a)(1) Financial Statements
Our Consolidated Financial Statements are included under Part II, “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of the annual report. For a listing of these statements and accompanying footnotes, see “Index to Financial Statements” onPage F-1 of this annual report.
(a)(2) Financial Statement Schedules
All schedules have been omitted because they are either not applicable, not required or the information called for therein appears in the consolidated financial statements or notes thereto.
(a)(3) Exhibits
The exhibits listed on the Exhibit Index below are filed or incorporated by reference as part of this report, and such Exhibit Index is incorporated herein by reference.
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Exhibit Index
ExhibitNumber Description
66
ExhibitNumber Description
67
ExhibitNumber Description
21.1* — List of Subsidiaries of Amplify Energy Corp.
23.1* — Consent of Cawley, Gillespie and Associates, Inc.
23.2* — Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP
23.3* — Consent of KPMG LLP
99.1* — Report of Cawley, Gillespie and Associates, Inc.
101.INS* — Inline XBRL Instance Document
101.SCH* — Inline XBRL Schema Document
101.CAL* — Inline XBRL Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF* — Inline XBRL Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB* — Inline XBRL Labels Linkbase Document
101.PRE* — Inline XBRL Presentation Linkbase Document
* Filed or furnished as an exhibit to this annual report on Form 10-K.
# Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
ITEM 16. Form 10-K Summary
None.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
Amplify Energy Corp.
(Registrant)
Date: March 11, 2021 By: /s/ Jason McGlynn
Name: Jason McGlynn
Title: Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
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Pursuant to the requirements of the Exchange Act, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in their capacities and on the dates indicated.
Name Title (Position with Amplify Energy Corp.) Date
/s/ Martyn Willsher President and Chief Executive Officer March 11, 2021
Martyn Willsher (Principal Executive Officer)
Jason McGlynn (Principal Financial Officer)
/s/ Denise DuBard Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer March 11, 2021
Denise DuBard (Principal Accounting Officer)
/s/ Christopher W. Hamm Chairman and Director March 11, 2021
Christopher W. Hamm
/s/ Patrice Douglas Director March 11, 2021
Patrice Douglas
/s/ Randal T. Klein Director March 11, 2021
Randal T. Klein
/s/ Evan S. Lederman Director March 11, 2021
Evan S. Lederman
/s/ David H. Proman Director March 11, 2021
David H. Proman
/s/ Todd R. Snyder Director March 11, 2021
Todd R. Snyder
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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
AMPLIFY ENERGY CORP.
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Page No.
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm F-2
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 F-5
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Note 1 – Organization and Basis of Presentation F-9
Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies F-10
Note 3 – Revenues F-15
Note 4 – Acquisitions and Divestitures F-16
Note 5 – Fair Value Measurements of Financial Instruments F-18
Note 6 – Risk Management and Derivative Instruments F-20
Note 7 – Asset Retirement Obligations F-22
Note 8 – Restricted Investments F-23
Note 9 – Debt F-23
Note 10 – Equity (Deficit) F-26
Note 11 – Earnings per Share F-28
Note 12 – Equity-based Awards F-28
Note 13 – Leases F-33
Note 15 – Related Party Transactions F-35
Note 16 – Commitments and Contingencies F-35
Note 17 – Income Tax F-37
Note 18 – Supplemental Oil and Gas Information (Unaudited) F-39
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the shareholders and the Board of Directors of Amplify Energy Corp.:
Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of Amplify Energy Corp. and subsidiaries (the "Company") as of December 31, 2020, the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows, for the year ended December 31, 2020, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the "financial statements"). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows the year ended December 31, 2020, in conformity with the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's 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 audit 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 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 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 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 financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matter
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current-period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
Oil and Gas Reserve Quantities & Related Cashflows as used in the calculation of DD&A and Impairment — Refer to Notes 2 and 18 to the financial statements
F-2
Critical Audit Matter Description
The Company’s proved oil and natural gas properties are depleted using the units of production method driven by the underlying oil and natural gas reserves. The Company’s proved oil and natural gas properties and the related support equipment and facilities are evaluated for impairment by comparing the carrying value of the assets to the future net cashflows of the underlying oil and natural gas reserves. If the carrying amount of a property exceeds the estimated undiscounted future net cash flows, the Company recognizes an impairment expense equal to the difference between the carrying value and the fair value of the property, which is estimated to be the net present value of the future net cash flows associated with the underlying oil and natural gas reserves. The development of the Company’s oil and natural gas reserve quantities require management to make significant estimates and assumptions related to the intent and ability to complete undeveloped proved reserves within a five-year development period, as prescribed by SEC guidelines. When developing the related net present value of the future net cash flows associated with these reserves quantities, management must make significant estimates related to the risk adjusted discount rates, and future oil and natural gas prices. The Company engages an independent reservoir engineer, management’s specialist, to estimate oil and natural gas quantities using these estimates and assumptions and engineering data. Changes in these assumptions or engineering data could have a significant impact on the amount of depletion and impairment recorded for the Company’s proved oil and natural gas properties and related support equipment and facilities. As of December 31, 2020, the total gross proved oil and gas properties balance was $775 million. The Depletion, depreciation, and amortization was $40 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2020. The Impairment expense associated with the Company’s proved oil and natural gas properties and the related support equipment and facilities was $477 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2020.
Given the significant judgements made by management and management’s specialist, performing audit procedures to evaluate the Company’s oil and natural gas reserve quantities and the related net cash flows including management’s estimates and assumptions requires a high degree of auditor judgement and an increased extent of effort, including the need to involve our fair value specialists.
How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit
Our audit procedures of management’s significant judgments and assumptions related to oil and natural gas reserves quantities and estimates of the future net cash flows included the following, among others:
- Internal communications to management and the Board of Directors.
- The financial capability of the Company to execute its drilling program.
/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP
Houston, Texas
March 11, 2021
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2020.
F-3
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Stockholders and Board of Directors
Amplify Energy Corp.:
Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of Amplify Energy Corp. and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2019, the related statements of consolidated operations, cash flows and equity for the year then ended, 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, 2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended, 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 audit. 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.