Item 1A. Risk Factors
Summary of Risk Factors
An investment in our shares of Class A common stock involves a significant degree of risk. Below is a summary of certain risk factors that you should consider in evaluating us and our Class A common stock. However, this list is not exhaustive. Before you invest in our Class A common stock, you should carefully consider the risk factors discussed or referenced below and under Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. If any of the risks discussed below and under Item 1A. “Risk Factors” were actually to occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected and our results could differ materially from expected and historical results, and of which may also adversely affect the holders of our Class A common stock.
Risks Related to Our Business
• The widespread outbreak of an illness, pandemic (like COVID-19) or any other public health crisis may have material adverse effects on our business, financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.
• Substantially all of our revenues are derived from royalty payments that are based on the price at which oil, natural gas and NGLs produced from the acreage underlying our interests is sold.
• We depend on various unaffiliated operators for all of the exploration, development and production on the properties underlying our mineral and royalty interests.
• Our failure to successfully identify, complete and integrate acquisitions could adversely affect our growth and results of operations.
• Any acquisitions of additional mineral and royalty interests that we complete will be subject to substantial risks.
• Our operators’ identified potential drilling locations are susceptible to uncertainties that could materially alter the occurrence or timing of their drilling.
• We may experience delays in the payment of royalties and be unable to replace operators that do not make required royalty payments, and we may not be able to terminate our leases with defaulting lessees if any of the operators on those leases declare bankruptcy. We may also experience improper deductions in the payment of royalties.
• Acquisitions and our operators’ development activities of our leases will require substantial capital, and we and our operators may be unable to obtain needed capital or financing on satisfactory terms or at all.
• Our future success depends on replacing reserves through acquisitions and the exploration and development activities of the operators of our properties.
• We have little to no control over the timing of future drilling with respect to our mineral and royalty interests.
• Project areas on our properties, which are in various stages of development, may not yield oil, natural gas or NGLs in commercially viable quantities.
• The unavailability, high cost or shortages of rigs, equipment, raw materials, supplies or personnel may restrict or result in increased costs for operators related to developing and operating our properties.
• The marketability of oil, natural gas and NGL production is dependent upon transportation, pipelines and refining facilities, which neither we nor many of our operators’ control.
• Our estimated reserves are based on many assumptions that may turn out to be inaccurate.
• If oil, natural gas and NGL prices decline significantly, we could be required to record additional impairments of our proved oil, natural gas and NGL properties that would constitute a charge to earnings and reduce our stockholders’ equity.
Risks Related to Environmental and Regulatory Matters
• Conservation measures, technological advances, general concern about the environmental impact of the production and use of fossil fuels and increasing attention to environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) matters could materially reduce demand for oil, natural gas and NGLs and adversely affect our results of operations, availability of capital and the trading market for shares of our Class A common stock.
• Oil, natural gas and NGL operations are subject to various governmental laws and regulations. Compliance with these laws and regulations can be burdensome and expensive for our operators, and failure to comply could result in our operators incurring significant liabilities, either of which may impact our operators’ willingness to develop our interests.
• Federal and state legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to hydraulic fracturing could result in our operators incurring increased costs, additional operating restrictions or delays and fewer potential drilling locations.
Risks Related to Our Financial and Debt Arrangements
• Our derivative activities could result in financial losses and reduce earnings.
• Our revolving credit facility has substantial restrictions and financial covenants that may restrict our business and financing activities and our ability to declare dividends.
Risks Related to Our Class A Common Stock
• Brigham Minerals is a holding company. Brigham Minerals’ sole material asset is its equity interest in Brigham LLC and it is accordingly dependent upon distributions from Brigham LLC to pay taxes, cover its corporate and other overhead expenses and pay any dividends on our Class A common stock.
• The requirements of being a public company, including compliance with the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), may strain our resources, increase our costs and distract management, and we may be unable to comply with these requirements in a timely or cost-effective manner.
• If we fail to develop or maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud.
• Certain of our directors have significant duties with, and spend significant time serving, entities that may compete with us in seeking acquisitions and business opportunities and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating time or pursuing business opportunities.
• Our Sponsors and their affiliates are not limited in their ability to compete with us, and the corporate opportunity provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation could enable our Sponsors to benefit from corporate opportunities that might otherwise be available to us.
Risk Factors
The following are certain risk factors that affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Many of these risks are beyond our control. These risk factors are not exhaustive and investors are encouraged to perform their own investigation with respect to our business, financial condition and prospects. You should carefully consider the following risk factors in addition to the other information included in this Annual Report, including matters addressed under “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” If any of the events described below were to actually occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected, and our results could differ materially from expected and historical results, any of which may also adversely affect the holders of our Class A common stock.
Risks Related to Our Business
The widespread outbreak of an illness, pandemic (like COVID-19) or any other public health crisis may have material adverse effects on our business, financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.
We face risks related to the outbreak of illnesses, pandemics and other public health crises that are outside of our control, and could significantly disrupt our operations and adversely affect our financial condition. For example, the continuing global spread of a novel strain of coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2), which causes COVID-19, has caused a disruption to the oil and natural gas industry and to our business. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the global economy, disrupted global supply chains, reduced global demand for oil and gas, and created significant volatility and disruption of financial and commodity markets. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected our operations by (i) rendering our personnel unable to access company facilities for an extended period of time, (ii) contributing to a steep decline in commodities prices in 2020, which reduced activity by our operators and the amounts of royalty payments we received, (iii) causing some of the Company’s operators to shut in and curtail production from wells on the Company’s properties for a period of time, (iv) limiting our access to the capital markets on terms favorable to us and adversely affected our capital resources and (v) reducing the level of potential acquisition opportunities we have been able to identify, limiting our ability to execute on our growth strategy of acquiring additional mineral and royalty interests. Additionally, the steps taken by national, state and local governments to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, including stay-at-home orders, quarantines, travel restrictions and business shutdowns, and the implications on our operators’ workforce of a COVID-19 infection, have limited our operators’ ability to maintain production from our properties. Such orders and the other impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic may have limited the ability of our operators to access our properties and maintain their existing production and development activities, and any similar or more restrictive measures taken in the future could have similar effects.
While our business and operations have experienced certain effects of the COVID-19 pandemic as described above, the full extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operational and financial performance, including our ability to execute our business strategies and initiatives in the expected time frame, is uncertain and depends on various factors, including the demand for oil and natural gas (including the impact that reductions in travel, manufacturing and consumer product demand have had and will have on the demand for commodities), the availability of personnel, equipment and services critical to operating production activities by our operators and the impact of potential governmental restrictions on travel, transportation and operations. The degree to which the COVID-19 pandemic or any other public health crisis adversely impacts our operations, financial results and dividend policy will also depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. These developments include, but are not limited to, the duration and spread of the pandemic, its severity, the actions to contain the virus or treat its impact, its impact on the economy and market conditions, and how quickly and to what extent normal economic and operating conditions can resume. For example, there has been a recent significant increase in cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. that could lead to re-implementation of certain governmental restrictions. Therefore, while we expect this matter will continue to disrupt our operations in some way, the degree of the adverse financial impact cannot be reasonably estimated at this time.
Substantially all of our revenues are derived from royalty payments that are based on the price at which oil, natural gas and NGLs produced from the acreage underlying our interests are sold. Prices of oil, natural gas and NGLs are volatile due to factors beyond our control. A significant drop in the price of oil or a substantial or extended decline in commodity prices in the future may adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Our revenues, operating results, free cash flow and the carrying value of our mineral and royalty interests depend significantly upon the quantities of oil, natural gas and NGLs produced from our properties and the prevailing prices at which such production is sold. Historically, oil, natural gas and NGL prices have been volatile and are subject to fluctuations in response to changes in supply and demand, market uncertainty and a variety of additional factors that are beyond our control, including:
• the domestic and foreign supply of and demand for oil, natural gas and NGLs;
• market expectations about future prices of oil, natural gas and NGLs;
• the level of global oil, natural gas and NGL exploration and production;
• the cost of exploring for, developing, producing and delivering oil, natural gas and NGLs;
• the price and quantity of foreign imports and U.S. exports of oil, natural gas and NGLs;
• the level of U.S. domestic production;
• the availability of storage for hydrocarbons;
• political and economic conditions in the U.S. and other oil producing regions, including the Middle East, Africa, South America and Russia;
• the ability of members of OPEC and other countries that produce oil, natural gas, and NGLs to agree to and maintain oil price and production controls;
• trading in oil, natural gas and NGL derivative contracts;
• the level of consumer product demand;
• weather conditions and natural disasters;
• technological advances affecting energy consumption, energy storage and energy supply;
• domestic and foreign governmental regulations and taxes;
• the continued threat of terrorism and the impact of military and other action, including U.S. military operations in the Middle East and economic sanctions such as those imposed by the U.S. on oil and gas exports from Iran;
• global or national health concerns, including health epidemics such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic;
• the proximity, cost, availability and capacity of oil, natural gas and NGL pipelines and other transportation facilities;
• the price and availability of alternative fuels; and
• 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, during the past five years, the posted price for WTI light sweet crude oil has ranged from a historic, record low price of negative $36.98 per barrel in April 2020 to a high of $85.64 per barrel in October 2021. The Henry Hub spot market price for natural gas has ranged from a low of $1.33 per MMBtu in September 2020 to a high of $23.86 per MMBtu in February 2021. Certain actions by OPEC+ in the first half of 2020, combined with the impact of the continued outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and a shortage in available storage for hydrocarbons in the U.S., contributed to the historic low price for oil in April 2020. While the prices for oil have generally stabilized and also increased, such prices have historically remained volatile, which may adversely affect the prices at which production from our properties is sold as well as the production activities of operators on our properties. This, in turn, may materially affect the amount of royalty payments that we receive from such operators.
Any substantial decline in the price of oil, natural gas and NGLs or a prolonged period of low commodity prices will also materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and free cash flow. In addition, the quantities of oil, natural gas and NGLs produced from our properties has a significant impact on our operating results and financial condition. Lower oil, natural gas and NGL prices may reduce the amount of oil, natural gas and NGLs that can be produced economically by our operators, which may reduce our operators’ willingness to develop and/or continue to produce our properties. For example, partially due to the decrease in prices for oil in 2020, many operators on our properties substantially reduced their development activities and capital expenditures in 2021. Additionally, lower commodity prices resulted in some of the Company's operators temporarily shutting in or curtailing production from wells on its properties during the second quarter of 2020.
A deterioration in commodity prices, decrease in production levels, or reduction in operator production activities may result in our having to make substantial downward adjustments to our estimated proved, probable or possible reserves. If this occurs or if production estimates change or exploration or development results deteriorate, the full cost method of accounting principles may require us to write down, as a non-cash charge to earnings, the carrying value of our oil and natural gas properties. In addition, the borrowing base under our revolving credit facility is determined based on our estimated proved reserves, and any negative revisions to our estimated proved reserves would in turn reduce our borrowing base, reducing the amount available to fund our operations through borrowings under our revolving credit facility.
We depend on various unaffiliated operators for all of the exploration, development and production on the properties underlying our mineral and royalty interests. Substantially all of our revenue is derived from royalty payments made by these operators. A reduction in the expected number of wells to be drilled on our acreage by these operators or the failure of our operators to adequately and efficiently develop and operate our acreage could have an adverse effect on our results of operations. In particular, partly in response to the significant decrease in prices for oil in 2020, many of our operators substantially reduced their development activities and capital expenditures in 2021. The number of new wells drilled in many of our focus areas decreased in 2021, and such slower development pace may occur again in the future.
Our assets consist of mineral and royalty interests. Because we depend on third-party operators for all of the exploration, development and production on our properties, we have little to no control over the operations related to our properties. For the year ended December 31, 2021, we received revenues from over 178 operators with approximately 67% of our royalty revenues coming from the top ten operators on our properties, four of which each accounted for more than 10% of such royalty revenues. The failure of our operators to adequately or efficiently perform operations or an operator’s failure to act in ways that are in our best interests could reduce production and revenues. Furthermore, in response to the significant decrease in prices for oil in 2020, many of our operators substantially reduced their development activities, capital expenditures, rig count and completion crews in 2021. Additionally, certain investors have requested operators adopt initiatives to return capital to investors, which could also reduce the capital available to our operators for investment in exploration, development and production activities. Our operators may further reduce capital expenditures devoted to exploration, development and production on our properties in the future, which could negatively impact revenues we receive. The number of new wells drilled in many of our focus areas decreased in 2021, and such slower development pace may continue in the future, especially as a consequence of any reductions in operators’ capital expenditures. Moreover, over the last two years, many of our operators have announced that they plan to drill fewer wells per section than previously anticipated, due in part to greater well-interference between parent and child wells than previously anticipated and an increased focus on overall capital efficiency.
If production on our mineral and royalty interests decreases due to decreased development activities, as a result of the low commodity price environment, limited availability of development capital, production-related difficulties or otherwise, our results of operations may be adversely affected. For example, in 2020, the amount of royalty payments we received from our operators decreased due to the lower prices at which our operators were able to sell production from our properties and reduced production activities by our operators. Further, depressed commodity prices caused some of our operators to voluntarily shut in and curtail production from wells on our properties earlier in 2020. Although most of these have come back online, an additional or extended period of depressed commodity prices may cause additional operators to take similar action or even to plug and abandon marginal wells that otherwise may have been allowed to continue to produce for a longer period under more favorable pricing conditions, both of which would decrease the amount of royalty payments we receive from our operators. Our operators are often not obligated to undertake any development activities other than those required to maintain their leases on our acreage. In the absence of a specific contractual obligation, any development and production activities will be subject to their reasonable discretion (subject to certain implied obligations to develop imposed by the laws of some states). Our operators could determine to drill and complete fewer wells on our acreage than is currently expected. The success and timing of drilling and development activities on our properties, and whether the operators elect to drill any additional wells on our acreage, depends on a number of factors that are largely outside of our control, including:
• the capital costs required for drilling activities by our operators, which could be significantly more than anticipated;
• the ability of our operators to access capital;
• prevailing commodity prices;
• the operators' expected return on investment in wells drilled on our acreage as compared to opportunities in other areas;
• the availability of suitable drilling equipment, production and transportation infrastructure and qualified operating personnel;
• the availability of storage for hydrocarbons;
• the operators’ expertise, operating efficiency and financial resources;
• approval of other participants in drilling wells;
• the selection of technology;
• the selection of counterparties for the marketing and sale of production; and
• the rate of production of the reserves.
The operators may elect not to undertake development activities, or may undertake these activities in an unanticipated fashion, which may result in significant fluctuations in our results of operations and free cash flow. Sustained reductions in production by the operators on our properties may also adversely affect our results of operations and free cash flow. Additionally, if an operator were to experience financial difficulty, the operator might not be able to pay its royalty payments or continue its operations, which could have a material adverse impact on our cash flows.
Our failure to successfully identify, complete and integrate acquisitions could adversely affect our growth and results of operations.
We depend partly on acquisitions to grow our reserves, production and free cash flow. Our decision to acquire a property will depend in part on the evaluation of data obtained from production reports and engineering studies, geophysical and geological analyses and seismic data, and other information, the results of which are often inconclusive and subject to various interpretations. The successful acquisition of properties requires an assessment of several factors, including:
• recoverable reserves;
• future oil, natural gas and NGL prices and their applicable differentials;
• development plans;
• the operating costs our operators would incur to develop and operate the properties; and
• potential environmental and other liabilities that operators of the properties may incur.
The accuracy of these assessments is inherently uncertain and we may not be able to identify attractive acquisition opportunities. In connection with these assessments, we perform a review of the subject properties that we believe to be generally consistent with industry practices, given the nature of our interests. Our review will not reveal all existing or potential problems nor will it permit us to become sufficiently familiar with the properties to assess fully their deficiencies and capabilities. Even if we do identify attractive acquisition opportunities, we may not be able to complete the acquisition or do so on commercially acceptable terms.
There is intense competition for acquisition opportunities in our industry. Competition for acquisitions may increase the cost of, or cause us to refrain from, completing acquisitions. Additionally, acquisition opportunities vary over time as volatile commodity prices drive ever changing market dynamics, which can constrain our ability to capture these opportunities Our ability to complete acquisitions is dependent upon, among other things, our ability to obtain debt and equity financing. In addition, these acquisitions may be in geographic regions in which we do not currently hold properties, which could subject us to additional and unfamiliar legal and regulatory requirements. Further, the success of any completed acquisition will depend on our ability to integrate effectively the acquired assets into our existing operations. The process of integrating acquired assets may involve unforeseen difficulties and may require a disproportionate amount of our managerial and financial resources.
No assurance can be given that we will be able to identify suitable acquisition opportunities, negotiate acceptable terms, obtain financing for acquisitions on acceptable terms or successfully acquire identified targets. Our failure to achieve consolidation savings, to integrate the acquired businesses and assets into our existing operations successfully or to minimize any unforeseen operational difficulties could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and free cash flow. The inability to effectively manage the integration of acquisitions could reduce our focus on subsequent acquisitions and current operations, which, in turn, could negatively impact our growth, results of operations and free cash flow.
Any acquisitions of additional mineral and royalty interests that we complete will be subject to substantial risks.
Even if we do make acquisitions that we believe will increase our cash generated from operations, any acquisition involves potential risks, including, among other things:
• the validity of our assumptions about estimated proved, probable and possible reserves, future production, prices, revenues, capital expenditures, the operating expenses and costs our operators would incur to develop the minerals;
• a decrease in our liquidity by using a significant portion of our cash generated from operations or borrowing capacity to finance acquisitions;
• a significant increase in our interest expense or financial leverage if we incur debt to finance acquisitions;
• the assumption of unknown liabilities, losses or costs for which we are not indemnified or for which any indemnity we receive is inadequate;
• mistaken assumptions about the overall cost of equity or debt;
• our ability to obtain satisfactory title to the assets we acquire;
• an inability to hire, train or retain qualified personnel to manage and operate our growing business and assets; and
• the occurrence of other significant changes, such as impairment of oil and natural gas properties, goodwill or other intangible assets, asset devaluation or restructuring charges.
Our operators’ identified potential drilling locations are susceptible to uncertainties that could materially alter the occurrence or timing of their drilling.
The ability of our operators to drill and develop identified potential drilling locations depends on a number of uncertainties, including the availability of capital, construction of and limitations on access to infrastructure, inclement weather, regulatory changes and approvals, oil, natural gas and NGL prices, costs, drilling results and the availability of water. Further, our operators’ identified potential drilling locations are in various stages of evaluation, ranging from locations that are ready to drill to locations that will require substantial additional interpretation. The use of technologies and the study of producing fields in the same area will not enable our operators to know conclusively prior to drilling whether oil, natural gas or NGLs will be present or, if present, whether oil, natural gas or NGLs will be present in sufficient quantities to be economically viable. Even if sufficient amounts of oil or natural gas exist, our operators 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 our operators drill additional wells that they identify as dry holes in current and future drilling locations, their drilling success rate may decline and materially harm their business as well as ours.
We cannot assure you that the analogies our operators draw from available data from the wells on our acreage, more fully explored locations or producing fields will be applicable to their drilling locations. Further, initial production rates reported by our or other operators in the areas in which our reserves are located may not be indicative of future or long-term production rates. Additionally, actual production from wells may be less than expected. For example, a number of operators have previously announced that newer wells drilled close in proximity to already producing wells have produced less oil and gas than forecast. Because of these uncertainties, we do not know if the potential drilling locations our operators have identified will ever be drilled or if our operators will be able to produce oil, natural gas or NGLs from these or any other potential drilling locations. As such, the actual drilling activities of our operators may materially differ from those presently identified, which could adversely affect our business, results of operation and free cash flow.
Finally, the potential drilling locations we have identified are based on the geologic and other data available to us and our interpretation of such data. As a result, our operators may have reached different conclusions about the potential drilling locations on our properties, and our operators control the ultimate decision as to where and when a well is drilled.
We may experience delays in the payment of royalties and be unable to replace operators that do not make required royalty payments, and we may not be able to terminate our leases with defaulting lessees if any of the operators on those leases declare bankruptcy. We may also experience improper deductions in the payment of royalties.
A failure on the part of the operators to make royalty payments gives us the right to terminate the lease, repossess the property and enforce payment obligations under the lease. If we repossessed any of our properties, we would seek a replacement operator. However, we might not be able to find a replacement operator and, if we did, we might not be able to enter into a new lease on favorable terms within a reasonable period of time. In addition, the outgoing operator could be subject to a proceeding under Title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”), in which case our right to enforce or terminate the lease for any defaults, including non-payment, may be substantially delayed or otherwise impaired. For example, certain of our operators have recently commenced bankruptcy proceedings under the Bankruptcy Code and their future operations and ability to make royalty payments to us may be adversely affected by such proceedings. In general, in a proceeding under the Bankruptcy Code, the bankrupt operator would have a substantial period of time to decide whether to ultimately reject or assume the lease, which could prevent the execution of a new lease or the assignment of the existing lease to another operator. In the event that the operator rejected the lease, our ability to collect amounts owed would be substantially delayed, and our ultimate recovery may be only a fraction of the amount owed or nothing. In addition, if we are able to enter into a new lease with a new operator, the replacement operator may not achieve the same levels of production or sell oil or natural gas at the same price as the operator it replaced. Additionally, in low commodity price environments, such as that experienced in 2020, some operators have attempted to make improper deductions by netting negative gas price realizations against positive oil royalties and other operators may attempt to do so in the future. We have taken action and will continue to take action to protect our rights; however, we cannot predict whether we will ultimately be successful.
Acquisitions and our operators’ development activities of our leases will require substantial capital, and we and our operators may be unable to obtain needed capital or financing on satisfactory terms or at all.
The oil and natural gas industry is capital intensive. We make and expect to continue to make substantial capital expenditures in connection with the acquisition of mineral and royalty interests. To date, we have financed capital expenditures primarily with funding from capital contributions, cash generated by operations, proceeds from our IPO and from the December 2019 Offering and borrowings under our debt arrangements.
In the future, we may need capital in excess of the amounts we retain in our business or borrow under our revolving credit facility. The level of borrowing base available under our revolving credit facility is largely based on our estimated proved reserves and our lenders' price decks and will be reduced to the extent commodity prices decrease. Furthermore, we cannot assure you that we will be able to access other external capital on terms favorable to us or at all. Additionally, our ability to secure financing or access the capital markets could be adversely affected if financial institutions and institutional lenders elect not to provide funding for fossil fuel energy companies in connection with the adoption of sustainable lending initiatives or are required to adopt policies that have the effect of reducing the funding available to the fossil fuel sector. If we are unable to fund our capital requirements, we may be unable to complete acquisitions, take advantage of business opportunities or respond to competitive pressures, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operation and free cash flow.
Most of our operators are also dependent on the availability of external debt and equity financing sources to maintain their drilling programs. If those financing sources are not available to the operators on favorable terms or at all, then we expect the development of our properties to be adversely affected. If the development of our properties is adversely affected, then revenues from our mineral and royalty interests may decline.
Our future success depends on replacing reserves through acquisitions and the exploration and development activities of the operators of our properties. Unless we replace the oil, natural gas and NGLs produced from our properties, our results of operations and financial position could be adversely affected.
Producing oil and natural gas wells are characterized by declining production rates that vary depending upon reservoir characteristics and other factors. Our future oil, natural gas and NGL reserves and our operators’ production thereof and our free cash flow are highly dependent on the successful development and exploitation of our current reserves and our ability to successfully acquire additional reserves that are economically recoverable. Moreover, the production decline rates of our properties may be significantly higher than currently estimated if the wells on our properties do not produce as expected. We may also not be able to find, acquire or develop additional reserves to replace the current and future production of our properties at economically acceptable terms. Aside from acquisitions, we have little to no control over the exploration and development of our properties. If we are not able to replace or grow our oil, natural gas and NGL reserves, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.
We have little to no control over the timing of future drilling with respect to our mineral and royalty interests.
As of December 31, 2021, only 28,911 MBoe of our total estimated reserves were proved developed reserves. The remaining 6,894 MBoe, 48,394 MBoe and 25,996 MBoe of our total estimated reserves as of December 31, 2021 were PUDs, probable undeveloped reserves and possible undeveloped reserves, respectively, and may not ultimately be developed or produced by the operators of our properties. Recovery of undeveloped reserves requires significant capital expenditures and successful drilling operations, and the decision to pursue development of an undeveloped drilling location will be made by the operator and not by us. We generally do not have access to the estimated costs of development of these reserves or the scheduled development plans of our operators. The reserve data included in the reserve report audited by CG&A assumes that our operators must incur substantial capital expenditures to develop the reserves. We cannot be certain that the estimated costs of the development of these reserves are accurate, that development will occur as scheduled or that the results of the development will be as estimated. Delays in the development of our reserves, increases in costs to drill and develop our reserves or decreases in commodity prices will reduce the future net revenues of our estimated undeveloped reserves and may result in some projects becoming uneconomical. In addition, delays in the development of reserves could force us to reclassify certain of our proved undeveloped reserves as unproved reserves.
Project areas on our properties, which are in various stages of development, may not yield oil, natural gas or NGLs in commercially viable quantities.
Project areas on our properties are in various stages of development, ranging from project areas with current drilling or production activity to project areas that have limited drilling or production history. If the wells in the process of being completed do not produce sufficient revenues or if dry holes are drilled, our financial condition, results of operations and free cash flow may be adversely affected.
The unavailability, high cost or shortages of rigs, equipment, raw materials, supplies or personnel may restrict or result in increased costs for operators related to developing and operating our properties.
The oil and natural gas industry is cyclical, which can result in shortages of drilling rigs, equipment, raw materials (particularly water and sand and other proppants), supplies and personnel. When shortages occur, the costs and delivery times of rigs, equipment and supplies increase and demand for, and wage rates of, qualified drilling rig crews also rise with increases in demand. We cannot predict whether these conditions will exist in the future and, if so, what their timing and duration will be. In accordance with customary industry practice, our operators rely on independent third-party service providers to provide many of the services and equipment necessary to drill new wells. In addition, the economy has begun to experience elevated inflation levels as a result of global supply and demand imbalances resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in increased costs of the goods, services and labor used by our operators, which has increased their operating costs. If our operators are unable to secure a sufficient number of drilling rigs at reasonable costs, our financial condition and results of operations could suffer. Shortages of, or an increase in costs for, drilling rigs, equipment, raw materials, supplies, personnel, trucking services, tubulars, hydraulic fracturing and completion services and production equipment could delay or restrict our operators’ exploration and development operations, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and free cash flow.
The marketability of oil, natural gas and NGL production is dependent upon transportation, pipelines and refining facilities, which neither we nor many of our operators' control. Any limitation in the availability of those facilities could interfere with our or our operators’ ability to market our or our operators’ production and could harm our business.
The marketability of our or our operators’ production depends in part on the availability, proximity and capacity of pipelines, tanker trucks and other transportation methods, and processing and refining facilities owned by third parties. The amount of oil 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 available capacity on these systems, tanker truck availability and extreme weather conditions. Also, production from our wells may be insufficient to support the construction of pipeline facilities, and the shipment of our or our operators’ oil, natural gas and NGLs on third-party pipelines may be curtailed or delayed if it does not meet the quality specifications of the pipeline owners. The curtailments arising from these and similar circumstances may last from a few days to several months. In many cases, we or our operators are provided only with limited, if any, notice as to when these circumstances will arise and their duration. Any significant curtailment in gathering system or transportation, processing or refining-facility capacity could reduce our or our operators’ ability to market the production from our properties and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and free cash flow. Our or our operators’ access to transportation options and the prices we or our operators receive can also be affected by federal and state regulation-including regulation of oil, natural gas and NGL production, transportation and pipeline safety-
as well by general economic conditions and changes in supply and demand. In addition, the third parties on whom we or our operators rely for transportation services are subject to complex federal, state, tribal and local laws that could adversely affect the cost, manner or feasibility of conducting our business.
Our estimated reserves are based on many assumptions that may turn out to be inaccurate. Any material inaccuracies in these reserve estimates or underlying assumptions will materially affect the quantities and present value of our reserves.
Oil, natural gas and NGL reserve engineering is not an exact science and requires subjective estimates of underground accumulations of oil, natural gas and NGLs and assumptions concerning future oil, natural gas and NGL prices, production levels, ultimate recoveries and operating and development costs. As a result, estimated quantities of proved, probable and possible reserves, projections of future production rates and the timing of development expenditures may be incorrect. Our estimates of proved, probable and possible reserves and related valuations as of December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 were audited by CG&A. CG&A conducted a detailed review of all of our properties for the period covered by its reserve report using information provided by us. Over time, we may make material changes to reserve estimates taking into account the results of actual drilling, testing and production. For example, due to the deterioration in commodity prices and operator activity in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors, the commodity price assumptions used to calculate our reserves estimates declined, which in turn lowered our proved reserve estimates. A substantial portion of our reserve estimates are made without the benefit of a lengthy production history, which are less reliable than estimates based on a lengthy production history. Any significant variance from these assumptions to actual figures could greatly affect our estimates of reserves and future cash generated from operations. Numerous changes over time to the assumptions on which our reserve estimates are based, as described above, often result in the actual quantities of oil, natural gas and NGLs that are ultimately recovered being different from our reserve estimates.
Furthermore, the present value of future net cash flows from our proved reserves is not necessarily the same as the current market value of our estimated reserves. In accordance with rules established by the SEC and the Financial Accounting Standards Board, we base the estimated discounted future net cash flows from our proved reserves on the trailing twelve-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 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 may not be the most appropriate discount factor based on interest rates in effect from time to time and risks associated with us or the oil and natural gas industry in general.
SEC rules could limit our ability to book additional proved undeveloped reserves in the future.
SEC rules require that, subject to limited exceptions, proved undeveloped reserves 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 may continue to limit our ability to book additional proved undeveloped reserves as the operators of our properties pursue their drilling programs. Moreover, we may be required to write down our proved undeveloped reserves if those wells are not drilled within the required five-year timeframe. Furthermore, we typically do not have access to the drilling schedules of our operators and make our determinations about their estimated drilling schedules from any development provisions in the relevant lease agreement and the historical drilling activity, rig locations, production data and permit trends, as well as investor presentations and other public statements of our operators. Although we believe that our approach in making such determinations is conservative, the accuracy of any such determination is inherently uncertain and subject to a number of assumptions and factors outside of our control, including but not limited to those described under “We depend on various unaffiliated operators for all of the exploration, development and production on the properties underlying our mineral and royalty interests. Substantially all of our revenue is derived from royalty payments made by these operators. A reduction in the expected number of wells to be drilled on our acreage by these operators or the failure of our operators to adequately and efficiently develop and operate our acreage could have an adverse effect on our results of operations. In particular, partly in response to the significant decrease in prices for oil in 2020, many of our operators substantially reduced their development activities and capital expenditures in 2021. The number of new wells drilled in many of our focus areas decreased in 2021, and such slower development pace may occur again in the future.” Any significant variance between our estimates and the actual drilling schedules of our operators may require us to write down our proved undeveloped reserves.
If oil, natural gas and NGL prices decline significantly, we could be required to record additional impairments of our proved oil, natural gas and NGL properties that would constitute a charge to earnings and reduce our stockholders’ equity.
Accounting rules require that we review the carrying value of our oil, natural gas and NGL properties for possible impairment at the end of each quarter. Based on specific market factors and circumstances at the time of prospective impairment reviews, and the continuing evaluation of development activities, production data, economics and other factors, we may be required to write down the carrying value of our properties. The net capitalized costs of our proved oil, natural gas and NGL properties are subject to a full cost ceiling limitation for which the costs are not allowed to exceed their related estimated future net revenues discounted at 10%. To the extent capitalized costs of evaluated properties, net of accumulated depreciation, depletion, amortization and impairment, exceed estimated discounted future net revenues of our proved oil, natural gas and NGL reserves, the excess capitalized costs are charged to expense. Impairments would occur if we were to experience sufficient downward adjustments to our estimated proved reserves or the present value of estimated future net revenues. The risk that we will be required to recognize impairments of our oil, natural gas and NGL properties increases during periods of low commodity prices, such as those experienced in 2020. An impairment recognized in one period may not be reversed in a subsequent period even if higher oil, natural gas and NGL prices increase the cost center ceiling applicable to the subsequent period. If we incur impairment charges in the future, our results of operations for the periods in which such charges are taken may be materially and adversely affected.
The results of exploratory drilling in shale plays will be subject to risks associated with drilling and completion techniques and drilling results may not meet our expectations for reserves or production.
Our operators use the latest drilling and completion techniques in their operations, and these techniques come with inherent risks. When drilling horizontal wells, operators risk not landing the well bore in the desired drilling zone and straying from the desired drilling zone. When drilling horizontally through a formation, operators risk being unable to run casing through the entire length of the well bore and being unable to run tools and other equipment consistently through the horizontal well bore. Risks that our operators face while completing wells include being unable to fracture stimulate the planned number of stages, to run tools the entire length of the well bore during completion operations and to clean out the well bore after completion of the final fracture stimulation stage. In addition, to the extent our operators engage in horizontal drilling, those activities may adversely affect their ability to successfully drill in identified vertical drilling locations. Furthermore, certain of the new techniques that our operators may adopt, such as infill drilling and multi-well pad drilling, may cause irregularities or interruptions in production due to, in the case of infill drilling, offset wells being shut in and, in the case of multi-well pad drilling, the time required to drill and complete multiple wells before these wells begin producing. The results of drilling in new or emerging formations are more uncertain initially than drilling results in areas that are more developed and have a longer history of established production. Newer or emerging formations and areas often have limited or no production history and consequently our operators will be less able to predict future drilling results in these areas.
Ultimately, the success of these drilling and completion techniques can only be evaluated over time as more wells are drilled and production profiles are established over a sufficiently long time period. If our operators’ drilling results are weaker than anticipated or they are unable to execute their drilling program on our properties, our operating and financial results in these areas may be lower than we anticipate. Further, as a result of any of these developments we could incur material write-downs of our oil and natural gas properties and the value of our undeveloped acreage could decline, and our results of operations and free cash flow could be adversely affected.
Acreage must be drilled before lease expiration, generally within three to five years, in order to hold the acreage by production. Our operators’ failure to drill sufficient wells to hold acreage may result in the deferral of prospective drilling opportunities. In addition, our ORRIs may be lost if the underlying acreage is not drilled before the expiration of the applicable lease or if the lease otherwise terminates.
Leases on oil and natural gas properties typically have a term of three to five years, after which they expire unless, prior to expiration, production is established within the spacing units covering the undeveloped acres. In addition, even if production or drilling is established during such primary term, if production or drilling ceases on the leased property, the lease typically terminates, subject to certain exceptions.
Any reduction in our operators’ drilling programs, either through a reduction in capital expenditures or the unavailability of drilling rigs, could result in the expiration of existing leases. If the lease governing any of our mineral interests expires or terminates, all mineral rights revert back to us and we will have to seek new lessees to explore and develop such mineral interests. If the lease underlying any of our ORRIs expires or terminates, our ORRIs that are derived from such lease will also
terminate. Any such expirations or terminations of our leases or our ORRIs could materially and adversely affect the growth of our financial condition, results of operations and free cash flow.
Drilling for and producing oil, natural gas and NGLs are high-risk activities with many uncertainties that may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The drilling activities of the operators of our properties will be subject to many risks. For example, we will not be able to assure our stockholders that wells drilled by the operators of our properties will be productive. Drilling for oil, natural gas and NGLs often involves unprofitable efforts, not only from dry wells but also from wells that are productive but do not produce sufficient oil, natural gas or NGLs to return a profit at then realized prices after deducting drilling, operating and other costs. The seismic data and other technologies used do not provide conclusive knowledge prior to drilling a well that oil, natural gas or NGL is present or that it can be produced economically. The costs of exploration, exploitation and development activities are subject to numerous uncertainties beyond our control and increases in those costs can adversely affect the economics of a project. Further, our operators’ drilling and producing operations may be curtailed, delayed, canceled or otherwise negatively impacted as a result of other factors, including:
• unusual or unexpected geological formations;
• loss of drilling fluid circulation;
• title problems;
• facility or equipment malfunctions;
• unexpected operational events;
• shortages or delivery delays of equipment and services;
• compliance with environmental and other governmental requirements; and
• adverse weather conditions, including the prior winter storms in February 2021 that adversely affected operator activity and production volumes in the southern United States, including in the Permian Basin.
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, including the drilling of development wells, 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, results of operations and free cash flow may be materially adversely affected.
Operating hazards and uninsured risks may result in substantial losses to us or our operators, and any losses could adversely affect our results of operations and free cash flow.
The operations of our operators will be subject to all of the hazards and operating risks associated with drilling for and production of oil, natural gas and NGLs, including the risk of fire, explosions, blowouts, surface cratering, uncontrollable flows of oil, natural gas, NGLs and formation water, pipe or pipeline failures, abnormally pressured formations, casing collapses and environmental hazards such as oil and NGL spills, natural gas leaks and ruptures or discharges of toxic gases. In addition, their operations will be subject to risks associated with hydraulic fracturing, including any mishandling, surface spillage or potential underground migration of fracturing fluids, including chemical additives. The occurrence of any of these events could result in substantial losses to our operators 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 investigations and penalties, suspension of operations and repairs required to resume operations.
Competition in the oil and natural gas industry is intense, which may adversely affect our and our operators’ ability to succeed.
The oil and natural gas industry is intensely competitive, and the operators of our properties compete with other companies that may have greater resources. Many of these companies explore for and produce oil, natural gas and NGLs, carry on midstream and refining operations, and market petroleum and other products on a regional, national or worldwide basis. In addition, these companies may have a greater ability to continue exploration activities during periods of low oil, natural gas and
NGL market prices. Our operators’ larger competitors may be able to absorb the burden of present and future federal, state, local and other laws and regulations more easily than our operators can, which would adversely affect our operators’ competitive position. Our operators may have fewer financial and human resources than many companies in our operators’ industry and may be at a disadvantage in bidding for exploratory prospects and producing oil and natural gas properties. Furthermore, the oil and gas industry has experienced recent consolidation amongst some operators, which has resulted in certain instances of combined companies with larger resources. Such combined companies may compete against our operators or, in the case of consolidation amongst our operators, may choose to focus their operations on areas outside of our properties. In addition, we face competition in identifying and acquiring additional properties and reserves. See “Our failure to successfully identify, complete and integrate acquisitions could adversely affect our growth and results of operations.”
Title to the properties in which we have an interest may be impaired by title defects.
We are not required to, and under certain circumstances we may elect not to, incur the expense of retaining lawyers to examine the title to our royalty and mineral interests. In such cases, we would rely upon the judgment of oil and gas lease brokers or landmen who perform the fieldwork in examining records in the appropriate governmental office before acquiring a specific royalty or mineral interest. The existence of a material title deficiency can render an interest worthless and can materially adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and free cash flow. No assurance can be given that we will not suffer a monetary loss from title defects or title failure. Additionally, undeveloped acreage has a greater risk of title defects than developed acreage. If there are any title defects in properties in which we hold an interest, we may suffer a financial loss.
We rely on a few key individuals whose absence or loss could adversely affect our business.
Many key responsibilities within our business have been assigned to a small number of individuals. We rely on our founders for their knowledge of the oil and natural gas industry, relationships within the industry and experience in identifying, evaluating and completing acquisitions. The loss of their services could adversely affect our business. In particular, the loss of the services of one or more members of our executive team could disrupt our business. Further, we do not maintain “key person” life insurance policies on any of our executive team or other key personnel. As a result, we are not insured against any losses resulting from the death of these key individuals.
Loss of our or our operators’ information and computer systems, including as a result of cyber attacks, could materially and adversely affect our business.
We and our operators rely on electronic systems and networks to control and manage our respective businesses. If any of such programs or systems were to fail for any reason, including as a result of a cyber attack, or create erroneous information in our or our operators’ hardware or software network infrastructure, possible consequences could be significant, including loss of communication links and inability to automatically process commercial transaction or engage in similar automated or computerized business activities. Although we have multiple layers of security to mitigate risks of cyber attacks, cyber attacks on business have escalated in recent years. Moreover, our operators are becoming increasingly dependent on digital technologies to conduct certain exploration, development, production and processing activities, including interpreting seismic data, managing drilling rigs, production activities and gathering systems, conducting reservoir modeling and estimating reserves. The U.S. government has issued public warnings that indicate that energy assets might be specific targets of cyber security threats. If our operators become the target of cyber attacks of information security breaches, their business operations may be substantially disrupted, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations. In addition, our efforts to monitor, mitigate and manage these evolving risks may result in increased capital and operating costs, but there can be no assurance that such efforts will be sufficient to prevent attacks or breaches from occurring. Additionally, we regularly enter into transactions directly with individual mineral and royalty interest owners, who may have less sophisticated electronic systems or networks and may be more vulnerable to cyber-attacks. For example, in August 2021, an individual mineral owner’s email account was compromised, which resulted in a fraudulent payment of approximately $165,000 in connection with an acquisition. As a result of this incident, we have implemented formal procedures and controls to mitigate future occurrences of such incidents, but there can be no assurance that these efforts will be sufficient to prevent similar attacks or breaches from occurring in the future.
A terrorist attack or armed conflict could harm our business.
Terrorist activities, anti-terrorist efforts and other armed conflicts involving the United States or other countries may adversely affect the United States and global economies and could prevent us from meeting our financial and other obligations.
If any of these events occur, the resulting political instability and societal disruption could reduce overall demand for oil, natural gas and NGLs, potentially putting downward pressure on demand for our operators’ services and causing a reduction in our revenues. Oil, natural gas and NGL related facilities could be direct targets of terrorist attacks, and, if infrastructure integral to our operators is destroyed or damaged, they may experience a significant disruption in their operations. Costs for insurance and other security may increase as a result of these threats, and some insurance coverage may become more difficult to obtain, if available at all.
A deterioration in general economic, business, political or industry conditions, such as those experienced in 2020, could materially adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and free cash flow.
In recent years, concerns over global economic conditions, energy costs, geopolitical issues, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, the availability and cost of credit and slow economic growth in the United States have contributed to significantly reduced economic activity and diminished expectations for the global economy. Additionally, recent acts of protest and civil unrest have caused economic and political disruption in the United States. Meanwhile, continued hostilities in the Middle East and the occurrence or threat of terrorist attacks in the United States or other countries could adversely affect the economies of the United States and other countries. Concerns about global economic growth have had a significant adverse impact on global financial markets and commodity prices. An oversupply of crude oil in 2020 led to a severe decline in worldwide oil prices. If the economic climate in the United States or abroad deteriorates, worldwide demand for petroleum products could further diminish, which could impact the price at which oil, natural gas and NGLs from our properties are sold, affect the ability of our operators to continue operations and ultimately materially adversely impact our results of operations, financial condition and free cash flow.
Risks Related to Environmental and Regulatory Matters
Conservation measures, technological advances and increasing attention to ESG matters could materially reduce demand for oil, natural gas and NGLs, availability of capital and adversely affect our results of operations and the trading market for shares of our Class A common stock.
Fuel conservation measures, alternative fuel requirements, increasing consumer demand for alternatives to oil, natural gas and NGLs, technological advances in fuel economy and energy-generation devices could reduce demand for oil, natural gas and NGLs. The impact of the changing demand for oil, natural gas and NGL services and products may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and free cash flow.
It is also possible that the concerns about the production and use of fossil fuels will reduce the number of investors willing to own shares of our Class A common stock, adversely affecting the market price of our Class A common stock. For example, certain segments of the investor community have developed negative sentiment towards investing in our industry. Recent equity returns in the sector versus other industry sectors have led to lower oil and gas representation in certain key equity market indices. In addition, some investors, including investment advisors and certain sovereign wealth, pension funds, university endowments and family foundations, have stated policies to divest from, or not provide funding to, the oil and gas sector based on their social and environmental considerations. Furthermore, organizations that provide information to investors on corporate governance and related matters have developed ratings processes for evaluating companies on their approach to ESG matters. Such ratings are used by some investors and other financial institutions to inform their investment, financing and voting decisions, and unfavorable ESG ratings may lead to increased negative sentiment toward us from such institutions. Certain other stakeholders have also pressured commercial and investment banks to stop financing oil and gas and related infrastructure projects. Such developments, including environmental activism and initiatives aimed at limiting climate change and reducing air pollution, could result in downward pressure on the stock prices of oil and gas companies, including ours and also adversely affect our availability of capital. Additionally, to the extent ESG matters negatively impact our or our operators’ reputation, we or our operators may not be able to compete as effectively to recruit or retain employees, which may adversely affect our or our operators’ operations.
Oil, natural gas and NGL operations are subject to various governmental laws and regulations. Compliance with these laws and regulations can be burdensome and expensive for our operators, and failure to comply could result in our operators incurring significant liabilities, either of which may impact our operators’ willingness to develop our interests.
Our operators’ operations on the properties in which we hold interests are subject to various federal, state and local governmental regulations that may change from time to time in response to economic and political conditions. Matters subject to regulation include drilling operations, production and distribution activities, discharges or releases of pollutants or wastes, plugging and abandonment of wells, maintenance and decommissioning of other facilities, the spacing of wells, unitization and
pooling of properties and taxation. From time to time, regulatory agencies have imposed price controls and limitations on production by restricting the rate of flow of oil and natural gas wells below actual production capacity to conserve supplies of oil, natural gas and NGLs. In addition, the production, handling, storage and transportation of oil, natural gas and NGLs, as well as the remediation, emission and disposal of oil, natural gas and NGL wastes, by-products thereof and other substances and materials produced or used in connection with oil, natural gas and NGL operations are subject to regulation under federal, state and local laws and regulations primarily relating to protection of worker health and safety, natural resources and the environment. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in the assessment of sanctions on our operators, including administrative, civil or criminal penalties, permit revocations, requirements for additional pollution controls and injunctions limiting or prohibiting some or all of our operators’ operations on our properties. Moreover, these laws and regulations have generally imposed increasingly strict requirements related to water use and disposal, air pollution control and waste management.
Laws and regulations governing exploration and production may also affect production levels. Our operators must comply with federal and state laws and regulations governing conservation matters, including, but not limited to:
• provisions related to the unitization or pooling of the oil and natural gas properties;
• the establishment of maximum rates of production from wells;
• the spacing of wells;
• the plugging and abandonment of wells; and
• the removal of related production equipment.
Additionally, federal and state regulatory authorities may expand or alter applicable pipeline-safety laws and regulations. For example, in November 2021, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued a final rule significantly expanding reporting and safety requirements for operators of gas gathering pipelines, including previously unregulated pipelines. Compliance with such regulations may require increased capital costs for third-party oil, natural gas and NGL transporters. These transporters may attempt to pass on such costs to our operators, which in turn could affect profitability on our properties.
Our operators must also comply with laws and regulations prohibiting fraud and market manipulations in energy markets. To the extent the operators of our properties are shippers on interstate pipelines, they must comply with the tariffs of those pipelines and with federal policies related to the use of interstate capacity.
Our operators may be required to make significant expenditures to comply with the laws and regulations described above and may be subject to potential fines and penalties if they are found to have violated these laws and regulations. We believe the trend of more expansive and stricter environmental legislation and regulations will continue. For example, following the election of President Biden and a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress, it is possible that our operators may continue to be subject to greater environmental, health and safety restrictions, particularly with regards to hydraulic fracturing, permitting and GHG emissions. Please read “Item 1—Business—Regulation of Environmental and Occupational Safety and Health Matters” for a description of the laws and regulations that affect our operators and that may affect us. These and other potential regulations could increase the operating costs of our operators and delay production and may ultimately impact our operators’ ability and willingness to develop our properties.
Federal and state legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to hydraulic fracturing could result in our operators incurring increased costs, additional operating restrictions or delays and fewer potential drilling locations.
Our operators engage in hydraulic fracturing, which is a common practice that is used to stimulate production of hydrocarbons from tight formations, including shales. The process involves the injection of water, sand and chemicals under pressure into formations to fracture the surrounding rock and stimulate production. Currently, hydraulic fracturing is generally exempt from regulation under the SDWA Underground Injection Control program and is typically regulated by state oil and gas commissions or similar agencies.
However, several federal agencies have asserted regulatory authority over certain aspects of the process. For example, in June 2016, the EPA published an effluent limit guideline final rule prohibiting the discharge of wastewater from onshore unconventional oil and gas extraction facilities to publicly owned wastewater treatment plants. Also, from time to time, legislation has been introduced, but not enacted, in Congress to provide for federal regulation of hydraulic fracturing and to
require disclosure of the chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process. This or other federal legislation related to hydraulic fracturing may be considered again in the future, though we cannot predict the extent of any such legislation at this time.
Moreover, some states and local governments have adopted, and other governmental entities are considering adopting, regulations that could impose more stringent permitting, disclosure and well-construction requirements on hydraulic fracturing operations, including states in which our properties are located. For example, Texas, Colorado and North Dakota, among others, have adopted regulations that impose new or more stringent permitting, disclosure, disposal and well construction requirements on hydraulic fracturing operations. In April 2019, Colorado adopted Senate Bill 19-181, which made sweeping changes in Colorado oil and gas law, including among other matters, requiring the COGCC to prioritize public health and environmental concerns in its decisions, instructing the COGCC to adopt rules to minimize emissions of methane and other air contaminants, and delegating considerable new authority to local governments to regulate surface impacts. In keeping with SB 19-181, the COGCC in November 2020 adopted revisions to several regulations to increase protections for public health, safety, welfare, wildlife, and environmental resources. Most significantly, these revisions established more stringent setbacks (2,000 feet, instead of the prior 500-foot) on new oil and gas development and eliminated routine flaring and venting of natural gas at new or existing wells across the state, each subject to only limited exceptions. Some local communities have adopted, or are considering adopting, further restrictions for oil and gas activities, such as requiring greater setbacks. States could also elect to prohibit high volume hydraulic fracturing altogether. In addition to state laws, local land use restrictions, such as city ordinances, may restrict drilling in general and/or hydraulic fracturing in particular. Additionally, on December 17, 2021, the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission adopted regulations aimed at curbing methane emissions from oil and gas operations to include setting methane emission limits per 1,000 Boe produced, more frequent inspections and limits on emissions during maintenance.
Separately, several state and federal agencies have examined a possible connection between hydraulic fracturing related activities, particularly the underground injection of wastewater into disposal wells, and the increased occurrence of seismic activity, and regulatory agencies at all levels are continuing to study the possible linkage between oil and gas activity and induced seismicity. The United States Geological Survey has identified eight states, including Oklahoma and Texas, with areas of increased rates of induced seismicity that could be attributed to fluid injection or oil and gas extraction. To that end, states in which some of our operators operate have introduced protocols or guidance regarding saltwater disposal wells. For example, in September 2021, the RRC issued a notice to operators in the Midland area to reduce saltwater disposal well actions and provide certain data to the commission. Subsequently, the RRC ordered the indefinite suspension of all deep oil and gas produced water injection wells in the area, effective December 31, 2021. Separately, New Mexico has implemented protocols requiring operators to take various actions within a specified proximity of certain seismic activity, including a requirement to limit injection rates if a seismic event is of a certain magnitude. As a result of these developments, our operators may be required to curtail operations or adjust development plans, which may adversely affect our business.
In addition, a number of lawsuits have been filed, most recently in Oklahoma, alleging that disposal well operations have caused damage to neighboring properties or otherwise violated state and federal rules regulating waste disposal. In response to these concerns, regulators in some states are seeking to impose additional requirements, including requirements in the permitting of produced water disposal wells or otherwise to assess the relationship between seismicity and the use of such wells. In some instances, regulators may also order that disposal wells be shut in.
Increased regulation and attention given to the hydraulic fracturing process, including the disposal of produced water gathered from drilling and production activities, could lead to greater opposition to, and litigation concerning, oil, natural gas and NGL production activities using hydraulic fracturing techniques in areas where we own mineral and royalty interests. Additional legislation or regulation could also lead to operational delays or increased operating costs for our operators in the production of oil, natural gas and NGLs, including from the development of shale plays, or could make it more difficult for our operators to perform hydraulic fracturing. The adoption of any federal, state or local laws or the implementation of regulations regarding hydraulic fracturing could potentially cause a decrease in our operators’ completion of new oil and natural gas wells on our properties and an associated decrease in the production attributable to our interests, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Restrictions on the ability of our operators to obtain water may have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and free cash flow.
Water is an essential component of deep shale oil, natural gas and NGL production during both the drilling and hydraulic fracturing processes. Over the past several years, parts of the country, and in particular the western United States, have experienced extreme drought conditions. As a result of this severe drought, some local water districts have begun restricting the use of water subject to their jurisdiction for hydraulic fracturing to protect local water supply. Such conditions may be
exacerbated by climate change. If our operators are unable to obtain water to use in their operations from local sources, or if our operators are unable to effectively utilize flowback water, they may be unable to economically drill for or produce oil, natural gas and NGLs from our properties, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and free cash flow.
A series of risks arising out of the threat of climate change could result in increased operating costs, limit the areas in which oil and natural gas production may occur, and reduce demand for the oil, natural gas and NGLs that our operators produce.
The threat of climate change continues to attract considerable attention in the United States and in foreign countries. As a result, our operations as well as the operations of our operators and our operators’ suppliers are subject to a series of regulatory, political, litigation, and financial risks associated with the production and processing of fossil fuels and emission of GHGs.
In the United States, no comprehensive climate change legislation has been implemented at the federal level. However, President Biden has highlighted addressing climate change as a priority of his administration and has issued several executive orders addressing climate change. Moreover, following the U.S. Supreme Court finding that GHG emissions constitute a pollutant under the CAA, the EPA has adopted regulations that, among other things, establish construction and operating permit reviews for GHG emissions from certain large stationary sources, require the monitoring and annual reporting of GHG emissions from certain petroleum and natural gas system sources in the United States, and together with the DOT, implementing GHG emissions limits on vehicles manufactured for operation in the United States. The regulation of methane from oil and gas facilities has been subject to uncertainty in recent years. In September 2020, the Trump Administration revised prior regulations to rescind certain methane standards and remove the transmission and storage segments from the source category for certain regulations. However, subsequently, the U.S. Congress approved, and President Biden signed into law, a resolution under the Congressional Review Act to repeal the September 2020 revisions to the methane standards, effectively reinstating the prior standards. Additionally, in November 2021, the EPA issued a proposed rule that, if finalized, would establish OOOO(b) new source and OOOO(c) first-time existing source standards of performance for methane and volatile organic compound emissions for oil and gas facilities. Operators of affected facilities will have to comply with specific standards of performance to include leak detection using optical gas imaging and subsequent repair requirements, and reduction of emissions by 95% through capture and control systems. The EPA plans to issue a supplemental proposal in 2022 containing additional requirements not included in the November 2021 proposed rule, and anticipates the issuance of a final rule by the end of the year. We cannot predict the scope of any final methane regulatory requirements or the cost to comply with such requirements. However, given the long-term trend toward increasing regulation, future federal GHG regulations of the oil and gas industry remain a significant possibility.
Separately, various states and groups of states have adopted or are considering adopting legislation, regulation or other regulatory initiatives that are focused on such areas as GHG cap and trade programs, carbon taxes, reporting and tracking programs, and restriction of emissions. At the international level, the United Nations-sponsored "Paris Agreement" requires member states to submit non-binding, individually-determined reduction goals known as Nationally Determined Contributions (“NDCs”) every five years after 2020. Following President Biden’s executive order in January 2021, the United States rejoined the Paris Agreement and, in April 2021, established a goal of reducing economy-wide net GHG emissions 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030. Additionally, at COP26, the United States and the European Union jointly announced the launch of a Global Methane Pledge; an initiative committing to a collective goal of reducing global methane emissions by at least 30% from 2020 levels by 2030, including “all feasible reductions” in the energy sector. The full impact of these actions is uncertain at this time and it is unclear what additional initiatives may be adopted or implemented that may have adverse effects upon us and our operators’ operations.
Governmental, scientific, and public concern over the threat of climate change arising from GHG emissions has resulted in increasing political risks in the United States, including action taken by President Biden with respect to his climate change related pledges. On January 27, 2021, President Biden issued an executive order that called for substantial action on climate change, including, among other things, the increased use of zero-emission vehicles by the federal government, the elimination of subsidies provided to the fossil fuel industry, and increased emphasis on climate-related risks across government agencies and economic sectors. The Biden Administration has also called for restrictions on leasing on federal land, including the Department of Interior’s publication of a report recommending various changes to the federal leasing program, though many such changes would require Congressional action. Substantially all of our mineral interests are located on private lands, but we cannot predict the full impact of these developments or whether the Biden Administration may pursue further restrictions. Other actions that could be pursued by the Biden Administration may include the imposition of more restrictive requirements for the establishment of pipeline infrastructure or the permitting of LNG export facilities, as well as more restrictive GHG emission limitations for oil and gas facilities. Litigation risks are also increasing as a number of parties have sought to bring suit against
certain oil and natural gas companies in state or federal court, alleging among other things, that such companies created public nuisances by producing fuels that contributed to climate change or alleging that the companies have been aware of the adverse effects of climate change for some time but defrauded their investors or customers by failing to adequately disclose those impacts.
There are also increasing financial risks for fossil fuel producers as stockholders currently invested in fossil-fuel energy companies may elect in the future to shift some or all of their investments into non-fossil fuel related sectors. Institutional lenders who provide financing to fossil fuel energy companies also have become more attentive to sustainable lending practices and some of them may elect not to provide funding for fossil fuel energy companies. For example, at COP26, GFANZ announced that commitments from over 450 firms across 45 countries had resulted in over $130 trillion in capital committed to net zero goals. The various sub-alliances of GFANZ generally require participants to set short-term, sector-specific targets to transition their financing, investing and/or underwriting activities to net zero emissions by 2050. There is also a risk that financial institutions will be required to adopt policies that have the effect of reducing the funding provided to the fossil fuel sector. In late 2020, the Federal Reserve announced that it had joined NGFS, a consortium of financial regulators focused on addressing climate-related risks in the financial sector. Subsequently, in November 2021, the Federal Reserve issued a statement in support of the efforts of the NGFS to identify key issues and potential solutions for the climate-related challenges most relevant to central banks and supervisory authorities. Although we cannot predict the effects of these actions, such limitation of investments in and financing for fossil fuel energy companies could result in the restriction, delay or cancellation of drilling programs or development or production activities. Additionally, the SEC announced its intention to promulgate rules requiring climate disclosures. Although the form and substance of these requirements is not yet known, this may result in additional costs to comply with any such disclosure requirements.
The adoption and implementation of new or more stringent international, federal or state legislation, regulations or other regulatory initiatives that impose more stringent standards for GHG emissions from the oil and natural gas sector or otherwise restrict the areas in which this sector may produce oil and natural gas or generate the GHG emissions could result in increased costs of compliance or costs of consuming, and thereby reduce demand for oil and natural gas, which could reduce the profitability of our interests. Additionally, political, litigation and financial risks may result in our oil and natural gas operators restricting or cancelling production activities, incurring liability for infrastructure damages as a result of climatic changes, or impairing their ability to continue to operate in an economic manner, which also could reduce the profitability of our interests. One or more of these developments could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.
Climate change may also result in various physical risks, such as the increased frequency or intensity of extreme weather events or changes in meteorological and hydrological patters, that could adversely impact our operations, as well as those of our operators and their supply chains. Such physical risks may result in damage to operators’ facilities or otherwise adversely impact their operations, such as if they become subject to water use curtailments in response to drought, or demand for their products, such as to the extent warmer winters reduce the demand for energy for heating purposes.
Changes to applicable tax laws and regulations or exposure to additional income tax liabilities, including any future legislation that generally affects the taxation of natural gas and oil exploration and development companies such as our operators, could adversely affect our results of operation and free cash flow.
We are subject to various complex and evolving U.S. federal, state and local taxes. U.S. federal, state and local tax laws, policies, statutes, rules, regulations or ordinances could be interpreted, changed, modified or applied adversely to us or our operators, in each case, possibly with retroactive effect, and may have an adverse effect on our business and future profitability. For example, several tax proposals have been set forth that would, if enacted, make significant changes to U.S. tax laws. Such proposals have included an increase in the U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to corporations (such as Brigham Minerals) from 21%, the imposition of a minimum tax on book income for certain corporations, the imposition of an excise tax on certain corporate stock repurchases that would be borne by the corporation repurchasing such stock, and the elimination of certain tax subsidies for fossil fuels. Congress could consider, and could include, some or all of these proposals in connection with tax reform that may be undertaken. It is unclear whether these or similar changes will be enacted and, if enacted, how soon any such changes could take effect. The passage of any legislation as a result of these proposals and other similar changes in U.S. federal income tax laws could adversely affect us or our operators’ operations on the properties in which we hold interests, which, in turn, could adversely affect our results of operation and free cash flow.
Additional restrictions on drilling activities intended to protect certain species of wildlife may adversely affect our operators’ ability to conduct drilling activities.
In the United States, the ESA restricts activities that may affect endangered or threatened species or their habitats. Similar protections are offered to migratory birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (the “MBTA”). To the extent species that are listed under the ESA or similar state laws, or are protected under the MBTA, live in the areas where our operators operate, our operators’ abilities to conduct or expand operations could be limited, or our operators could be forced to incur material additional costs. Moreover, our operators’ drilling activities may be delayed, restricted or precluded in protected habitat areas or during certain seasons, such as breeding and nesting seasons.
In addition, as a result of one or more settlements approved by the FWS, the agency was required to make a determination on the listing of numerous other species as endangered or threatened under the ESA by the end of the FWS’ 2017 fiscal year. The FWS did not make that deadline; however, review is reportedly ongoing. The designation of previously unidentified endangered or threatened species-such as the dunes sagebrush lizard or greater sage grouse-could cause our operators’ operations to become subject to operating restrictions or bans, and limit future development activity in affected areas. In June 2021, the FWS proposed to list two distinct population segments of the lesser prairie chicken, whose range extend to areas where we may hold mineral interests, under the ESA. The FWS and similar state agencies may also designate critical or suitable habitat areas that they believe are necessary for the survival of threatened or endangered species. Such a designation could materially restrict use of or access to federal, state and private lands, which may reduce the profitability of our interests to the extent they are associated with such designations.
Risks Related to Our Financial and Debt Arrangements
Our derivative activities could result in financial losses and reduce earnings.
From time to time in the past we have used, and in the future we may use, derivative instruments for a portion of our future oil, natural gas and NGL production, including fixed price swaps, collars and basis swaps, to mitigate the risk and resulting impact of commodity price volatility. However, these hedging activities may not be as effective as we intend in reducing the volatility of our cash flows and, if entered into, are subject to the risks that the terms of the derivative instruments will be imperfect, a counterparty may not perform its obligations under a derivative contract, there may be a change in the expected differential between the underlying commodity price in the derivative instrument and the actual price received, our hedging policies and procedures may not be properly followed and the steps we take to monitor our derivative financial instruments may not detect and prevent violations of our risk management policies and procedures, particularly if deception or other intentional misconduct is involved. Further, we may be limited in receiving the full benefit of increases in oil, natural gas and NGL prices as a result of these hedging transactions. The occurrence of any of these risks could prevent us from realizing the benefit of a derivative contract. Further, our hedging activities are not likely to mitigate the entire exposure of our operations to commodity price volatility. We had no natural gas or oil derivative contracts in place as of December 31, 2021 and 2020. For the year ended December 31, 2019, we recorded a loss on commodity derivative instruments, net of $(0.6) million. To the extent we do not hedge against commodity price volatility, or our hedges are not effective, our results of operations and financial position may be diminished.
Our revolving credit facility has substantial restrictions and financial covenants that may restrict our business and financing activities and our ability to declare dividends.
The operating and financial restrictions and covenants in our revolving credit facility restrict, and any future financing agreements likely will restrict, our ability to finance future operations or capital needs, engage, expand or pursue our business activities or pay dividends. Our revolving credit facility restricts, and any future financing agreements likely will restrict, our ability to, among other things:
• incur indebtedness;
• issue certain equity securities, including preferred equity securities;
• incur certain liens or permit them to exist;
• engage in certain fundamental changes, including mergers or consolidations;
• make certain investments, loans, advances, guarantees and acquisitions;
• sell or transfer assets;
• enter into sale and leaseback transactions;
• pay dividends to or redeem or repurchase shares from our stockholders;
• make certain payments of junior indebtedness;
• enter into transactions with our affiliates;
• enter into certain restrictive agreements; and
• enter into swap agreements and hedging arrangements.
Our revolving credit facility restricts our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders or to repurchase shares of our Class A common stock. We also are required under our revolving credit facility to comply with, as of the most recently completed fiscal quarter, (i) a ratio of total net funded debt to consolidated EBITDA not to exceed 3.50 to 1.00, and (ii) a current ratio of not less than 1.00 to 1.00 and (iii) leverage (maximum 3.00x) and liquidity (minimum 10% of total revolving commitments) conditions with respect to the ability to pay dividends or distributions (other than permitted tax distributions). Our ability to comply with these restrictions and covenants in the future is uncertain and will be affected by the levels of free cash flow and events or circumstances beyond our control, such as a downturn in our business or the economy in general or reduced oil, natural gas and NGL prices. If we violate any of the restrictions, covenants, ratios or tests in our revolving credit facility, a significant portion of our indebtedness may become immediately due and payable, our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders will be inhibited and our lenders’ commitment to make further loans to us may terminate. 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 substantially all of our assets, and if we are unable to repay our indebtedness under our revolving credit facility, the lenders can seek to foreclose on our assets.
The borrowings under our revolving credit facility expose us to interest rate risk.
We are exposed to interest rate risk associated with borrowings under the our revolving credit facility. Our revolving credit facility bears interest at a rate per annum equal to, at our option, the adjusted base rate or the adjusted London Inter-Bank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") rate plus an applicable margin. The applicable margin is based on utilization of our revolving credit facility and ranges from (a) in the case of adjusted base rate loans, 1.500% to 2.500% and (b) in the case of adjusted LIBOR rate loans, 2.500% to 3.500%. LIBOR tends to fluctuate based on multiple facts, including general short-term interest rates, rates set by the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks, the supply of and demand for credit in the London interbank market and general economic conditions. If interest rates increase, so will our interest costs, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial conditions and results of operations.
In 2017, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority announced that it will no longer persuade or compel banks to submit LIBOR rates after 2021. At the end of 2021, the ICE Benchmark Administration (the current LIBOR administrator) ceased publishing one-week and two-month U.S. dollar LIBOR tenors and announced that it will cease publishing all remaining U.S. dollar LIBOR tenors in June 2023. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, in conjunction with the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, has recommended that U.S. dollar LIBOR be replaced by the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) SOFR is an overnight rate backed by U.S. Treasury, rather than a term rate, making it an inexact replacement for LIBOR. Whether or not SOFR or any other potential alternative reference rate attains market traction as a LIBOR replacement rate remains in question.
The current provisions in our revolving credit facility to change the benchmark rate for LIBOR loans from LIBOR to SOFR require calculations of a spread. Industry organizations are attempting to structure the spread calculation in a manner that
minimizes the possibility of value transfer between borrowers, lenders and contractual counterparties as a result of the switch to
SOFR, but there can be no assurance that the calculated spread will be fair and accurate. We cannot predict the effect of any such changes, any establishment of alternative reference rates or any other reforms that may be required and/or implemented given the developments with respect to LIBOR. The potential effect of the cessation of LIBOR or our future borrowing costs for any borrowings under our revolving credit facility cannot yet be determined
Our debt levels may limit our flexibility to obtain additional financing and pursue other business opportunities.
Our existing and future indebtedness could have important consequences to us, including:
• our ability to obtain additional financing, if necessary, for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions or other purposes may be impaired, or such financing may not be available on terms acceptable to us;
• covenants in our existing and future credit and debt arrangements will require us to meet financial tests that may affect our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business, including possible acquisition opportunities;
• our access to the capital markets may be limited;
• our borrowing costs may increase;
• we will need a substantial portion of our free cash flow to make principal and interest payments on our indebtedness, reducing the funds that would otherwise be available for operations, future business opportunities and payment of dividends to our stockholders; and
• our debt level will make us more vulnerable than our competitors with less debt to competitive pressures or a downturn in our business or the economy generally.
Our ability to service our indebtedness will depend upon, among other things, our future financial and operating performance, which will be affected by prevailing economic conditions and financial, business, regulatory and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. If our operating results are not sufficient to service our current or future indebtedness, we will be forced to take actions such as reducing or delaying business activities, acquisitions, investments and/or capital expenditures, selling assets, restructuring or refinancing our indebtedness, or seeking additional equity capital or bankruptcy protection. We may not be able to effect any of these remedies on satisfactory terms or at all.
Risks Related to Our Class A Common Stock
Brigham Minerals is a holding company. Brigham Minerals’ sole material asset is its equity interest in Brigham LLC and it is accordingly dependent upon distributions from Brigham LLC to pay taxes, cover its corporate and other overhead expenses and pay any dividends on our Class A common stock.
Brigham Minerals is a holding company and has no material assets other than its equity interest in Brigham LLC. Please see “Item 1—Business—Overview—Our Corporate Structure.” Brigham Minerals has no independent means of generating revenue. To the extent Brigham LLC has available cash, Brigham LLC is required to make (i) pro rata distributions to all its unitholders, including to Brigham Minerals, in an amount generally intended to allow such holders to satisfy their respective income tax liabilities with respect to their allocable share of the income of Brigham LLC, based on certain assumptions and conventions, provided that the distribution will be sufficient to allow Brigham Minerals to satisfy its actual tax liabilities and (ii) non-pro rata payments to Brigham Minerals in an amount sufficient to cover its corporate and other overhead expenses. In addition, as the sole managing member of Brigham LLC, we will cause Brigham LLC to make pro rata distributions to all of its unitholders, including to Brigham Minerals, in an amount sufficient to allow us to fund dividends to our stockholders in accordance with our dividend policy, to the extent our Board of Directors declares such dividends. Therefore, although we have paid dividends to our stockholders in the past and expect to pay dividends on our Class A common stock in amounts determined from time to time by our Board of Directors in the future, our ability to do so may be limited to the extent Brigham LLC and its subsidiaries are limited in their ability to make these and other distributions to us, including due to the restrictions under our revolving credit facility. To the extent that we need funds and Brigham LLC or its subsidiaries are restricted from making such distributions under applicable law or regulation or under the terms of their financing arrangements, or are otherwise unable to provide such funds, it could materially adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition.
The requirements of being a public company, including compliance with the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, may strain our resources, increase our costs and distract management, and we may be unable to comply with these requirements in a timely or cost-effective manner.
As a public company, we need to comply with new laws, regulations and requirements, certain corporate governance provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, related regulations of the SEC and the requirements of the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE"), with which we were not required to comply as a private company. Complying with these requirements occupies a significant amount of time of our Board of Directors and management and significantly increases our costs and expenses. We
are required to, among other things, institute a more comprehensive compliance function, comply with rules promulgated by the NYSE; prepare and distribute periodic public reports in compliance with federal securities laws; establish new internal policies, such as those relating to insider trading, and involve and retain to a greater degree outside counsel and accountants in the above activities.
Furthermore, we are required to comply with the provisions of Section 404 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act, including the requirement to have our independent registered public accounting firm attest to the effectiveness of our internal controls. Our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse in the event it is not satisfied with the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated or reviewed. Compliance with these requirements may strain our resources, increase our costs and distract management, and we may be unable to comply with these requirements in a timely or cost-effective manner.
In addition, being a public company subject to these rules and regulations makes it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. As a result, it may be more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified individuals to serve on our Board of Directors or as executive officers.
If we fail to develop or maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud. If one or more material weaknesses emerge related to financial reporting, or if we otherwise fail to establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, our ability to accurately report our financial results could be adversely affected. As a result, current and potential stockholders could lose confidence in our financial reporting, which would harm our business and the trading price of our Class A common stock .
Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports, prevent fraud and operate successfully as a public company. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our reputation and operating results would be harmed. We cannot be certain that our efforts to develop and maintain our internal controls will be successful, that we will be able to maintain adequate controls over our financial processes and reporting in the future, that we will be able to comply with our obligations under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or that we will not identify material weaknesses related to our financial reporting. If one or more material weaknesses emerge related to financial reporting in the future, or if we otherwise fail to establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, our operating results and ability to meet our reporting obligations may be adversely affected and we may be subject to adverse regulatory consequences. Ineffective internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which would likely have a negative effect on the trading price of our Class A common stock. See "Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Internal Controls and Procedures.”
Our Sponsors have the ability to direct the voting of a substantial portion of the voting power of our common stock, and their interests may conflict with those of our other stockholders.
Holders of shares of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock vote together as a single class on all matters presented to our stockholders for their vote or approval, except as otherwise required by applicable law or our certificate of incorporation. As of December 31, 2021, our Sponsors beneficially own, on a combined basis, none of our outstanding shares of Class A common stock and approximately 45.5% of our shares of Class B common stock, representing 8.7% of our combined economic interest and voting power. As a result, this concentration of ownership allows our Sponsors to have significant influence over matters requiring stockholder approval, may deter hostile takeovers and may make it less likely that other holders of our Class A common stock will be able to affect the way we are managed or the direction of our business. The interests of our Sponsors with respect to matters potentially or actually involving or affecting us, such as future acquisitions, financings and other corporate opportunities and attempts to acquire us, may conflict with the interests of our other stockholders.
Furthermore, we are party to a stockholders’ agreement with our Sponsors. The stockholders’ agreement provides each of our Sponsors with the right to designate a certain number of nominees to our Board of Directors, subject to certain ownership requirements in our common stock. Our Sponsors’ concentration of stock ownership may also adversely affect the trading price of our Class A common stock to the extent investors perceive a disadvantage in owning stock of a company with significant stockholders.
Furthermore, while we believe that our Sponsor’s ownership interests in us provide them with an economic incentive to assist us to be successful, our Sponsors are not subject to any obligation to maintain their ownership interest in us. Our
Sponsors may elect at any time thereafter to sell all or a substantial portion of or otherwise reduce their ownership interest in us, such as in the case of certain sales of our stock by our Sponsors in 2020 and 2021. Such actions could adversely affect our ability to successfully implement our business strategies, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Certain of our directors have significant duties with, and spend significant time serving, entities that may compete with us in seeking acquisitions and business opportunities and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating time or pursuing business opportunities.
Certain of our directors, who are responsible for managing the direction of our operations and acquisition activities, hold positions of responsibility with other entities (including Pine Brook-affiliated entities) that are in the business of identifying and acquiring oil and natural gas properties. For example, one of our directors (Mr. Stoneburner) is a Managing Director of Pine Brook, which is in the business of investing in oil and natural gas companies with independent management teams that also seek to acquire oil and natural gas properties. In addition, Mr. Brigham, our executive chairman, is involved with certain other entities involved in the oil and gas industry, including Brigham Exploration Company, Atlas Permian Water, Atlas Permian Sand, Brigham Development, Anthem Ventures, Langford Energy Partners I, LLC and Brigham Oil & Gas, L.P., and Mr. Langford, one of our directors, is also involved with entities involved in the oil and gas industry, including Langford Energy Partners I, LLC and Brigham Oil & Gas, L.P. The existing positions held by these directors may give rise to fiduciary or other duties that are in conflict with the duties they owe to us. These directors may become aware of business opportunities that may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as to the other entities with which they are or may become affiliated. Due to these existing and potential future affiliations, they may present potential business opportunities to other entities prior to presenting them to us, which could cause additional conflicts of interest. They may also decide that certain opportunities are more appropriate for other entities with which they are affiliated, and as a result, they may elect not to present those opportunities to us. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor. For additional discussion of our management’s business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest of which our stockholders should be aware, see “Item 13—Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.”
Our Sponsors and their affiliates are not limited in their ability to compete with us, and the corporate opportunity provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation could enable our Sponsors to benefit from corporate opportunities that might otherwise be available to us.
Our governing documents provide that our Sponsors and their affiliates (including portfolio investments of our Sponsors and their affiliates) are not restricted from owning assets or engaging in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us and that we renounce any interest or expectancy in any business opportunity that may be from time to time presented to our Sponsors or their respective affiliates. In particular, subject to the limitations of applicable law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, among other things:
• permits our Sponsors and their affiliates and our directors to conduct business that competes with us and to make investments in any kind of property in which we may make investments; and
• provides that if our Sponsors or their affiliates or any director or officer of one of our affiliates, our Sponsors or their affiliates who is also one of our directors becomes aware of a potential business opportunity, transaction or other matter, they will have no duty to communicate or offer that opportunity to us.
Our Sponsors or their affiliates may become aware, from time to time, of certain business opportunities (such as acquisition opportunities) and may direct such opportunities to other businesses in which they have invested, in which case we may not become aware of or otherwise have the ability to pursue such opportunity. Further, such businesses may choose to compete with us for these opportunities, possibly causing these opportunities to not be available to us or causing them to be more expensive for us to pursue. In addition, our Sponsors and their affiliates may dispose of oil and natural gas properties or other assets in the future, without any obligation to offer us the opportunity to purchase any of those assets. As a result, our renouncing our interest and expectancy in any business opportunity that may be from time to time presented to our Sponsors and their affiliates could adversely impact our business or prospects if attractive business opportunities are procured by such parties for their own benefit rather than for ours. Please see Exhibit 4.7 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K “Description of Brigham Minerals, Inc.’s Class A common stock.”
Each of our Sponsors is an established participant in the oil and natural gas industry and has resources greater than ours, which may make it more difficult for us to compete with our Sponsors with respect to commercial activities as well as for potential acquisitions. We cannot assure you that any conflicts that may arise between us and our stockholders, on the one hand,
and our Sponsors, on the other hand, will be resolved in our favor. As a result, competition from our Sponsors and their affiliates could adversely impact our results of operations.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, as well as Delaware law, contain provisions that could discourage acquisition bids or merger proposals, which may adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock and could deprive our investors of the opportunity to receive a premium for their shares.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes our Board of Directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval in one or more series, designate the number of shares constituting any series, and fix the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions thereof, including dividend rights, voting rights, rights and terms of redemption, redemption price or prices and liquidation preferences of such series. If our Board of Directors elects to issue preferred stock, it could be more difficult for a third party to acquire us. In addition, some provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us, even if the change of control would be beneficial to our stockholders. Among other things, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws:
• establish advance notice procedures with regard to stockholder proposals relating to the nomination of candidates for election as directors or new business to be brought before meetings of our stockholders;
• provide that the authorized number of directors constituting our Board of Directors may be changed only by resolution of the Board of Directors;
• provide that all vacancies, including newly created directorships, may, except as otherwise required by law, the terms of the stockholders’ agreement or, if applicable, the rights of holders of a series of our preferred stock, be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of our directors then in office, even if less than a quorum;
• provide that our bylaws can be amended by the Board of Directors;
• provide that any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of stockholders and may not be effected by any consent in writing in lieu of a meeting of such stockholders, subject to the rights of the holders of any series of our preferred stock with respect to such series;
• provide that our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may be amended by the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than 66 2/3% of our then outstanding shares of common stock;
• provide that special meetings of our stockholders may only be called by our Board of Directors pursuant to a resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the Board of Directors serving at the time of such vote;
• provide for our Board of Directors to be divided into three classes of directors, with each class as nearly equal in number as possible, serving staggered three-year terms, other than directors that may be elected by holders of our preferred stock, if any;
• provide that the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than 66 2/3% in voting power of all then outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class, shall be required to remove any or all of the directors from office, and such removal may only be for “cause”; and
• prohibit cumulative voting on all matters.
Furthermore, the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws are subject to the terms of the stockholders’ agreement. See “Item 13—Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.”
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers, employees or agents to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each such case subject to such Court of Chancery having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants therein. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock will be deemed to have notice of, and consented to, the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation described in the preceding sentence. This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and such persons. Alternatively, if a court were to find these provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders may be limited by our holding company structure, contractual restrictions and regulatory requirements.
Brigham Minerals is a holding company and has no material assets other than its ownership of Brigham LLC Units, and Brigham Minerals does not have any independent means of generating revenue. To the extent Brigham LLC has available cash, Brigham LLC is required to make (i) pro rata distributions to all its unitholders, including to Brigham Minerals, in an amount generally intended to allow such holders to satisfy their respective income tax liabilities with respect to their allocable share of the income of Brigham LLC, based on certain assumptions and conventions, provided that the distribution will be sufficient to allow Brigham Minerals to satisfy its actual tax liabilities and (ii) non-pro rata payments to Brigham Minerals in an amount sufficient to cover its corporate and other overhead expenses. In addition, as the sole managing member of Brigham LLC, Brigham Minerals will cause Brigham LLC to make pro rata distributions to all of its unitholders, including to Brigham Minerals, in an amount sufficient to allow it to fund dividends to its stockholders in accordance with its dividend policy, to the extent its Board of Directors declares such dividends. Brigham LLC is a distinct legal entity and may be subject to legal or contractual restrictions that, under certain circumstances, may limit Brigham Minerals ability to obtain cash from it. If Brigham LLC is unable to make distributions, we may not receive adequate distributions, which could materially and adversely affect our free cash flow and financial position and our ability to fund any dividends.
Although we have paid dividends on our Class A common stock and expect to pay dividends on our Class A common stock in the future, our Board of Directors will take into account general economic and business conditions, including our financial condition and results of operations, capital requirements, contractual restrictions, including restrictions and covenants contained in our debt agreements, business prospects and other factors that our Board of Directors considers relevant in determining whether, and in what amounts, to pay such dividends. In addition, our revolving credit facility limits the amount of distributions that Brigham LLC can make to us and the purposes for which distributions could be made. Accordingly, we may not be able to pay dividends even if our Board of Directors would otherwise deem it appropriate. See “Item 5—Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities—Dividend Policy,” “Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Capital Requirements and Sources of Liquidity” and Exhibit 4.7 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K, “Description of Brigham Minerals, Inc.’s Class A common stock.”
In certain circumstances, Brigham LLC will be required to make tax distributions to the Brigham Unit Holders, including Brigham Minerals, and such tax distributions may be substantial. To the extent Brigham Minerals receives tax distributions in excess of its actual tax liabilities and retains such excess cash, the Original Owners that hold Brigham LLC Units would benefit from such accumulated cash balances if they exercise their Redemption Right.
Pursuant to the Brigham LLC Agreement, to the extent Brigham LLC has available cash (taking into account existing and projected capital expenditures), Brigham LLC is required to make generally pro rata distributions (which we refer to as “tax distributions”), to all its unitholders, including Brigham Minerals, in an amount generally intended to allow the Brigham Unit
Holders to satisfy their respective income tax liabilities with respect to their allocable share of the income of Brigham LLC, based on certain assumptions and conventions, provided that tax distributions will be made sufficient to allow Brigham Minerals to satisfy its actual tax liabilities. The amount of such tax distributions will be determined based on certain assumptions, including an assumed individual income tax rate, and will be calculated after taking into account other distributions (including other tax distributions) made by Brigham LLC. Because tax distributions will be made pro rata based on ownership and due to, among other items, differences between the tax rates applicable to Brigham Minerals and the assumed individual income tax rate used in the calculation and requirements under the applicable tax rules that Brigham LLC’s net taxable income be allocated disproportionately to its unitholders in certain circumstances, tax distributions may significantly exceed the actual tax liability for many of the Brigham Unit Holders, including Brigham Minerals. If Brigham Minerals retains the excess cash it receives, the Original Owners that hold Brigham LLC Units would benefit from any value attributable to such accumulated cash balances upon their exercise of the Redemption Right. However, we expect to use such accumulated cash balances to pay dividends in respect of our Class A common stock or to take other steps to eliminate any material cash balances. In addition, the tax distributions Brigham LLC will be required to make may be substantial and may exceed the tax liabilities that would be owed by a similarly situated corporate taxpayer. Funds used by Brigham LLC to satisfy its tax distribution obligations will not be available for reinvestment in our business, except to the extent Brigham Minerals uses the excess cash it receives to reinvest in Brigham LLC for additional units.
The U.S. federal income tax treatment of distributions on our Class A common stock to a holder will depend upon our tax attributes and the holder’s tax basis in our stock, which are not necessarily predictable and can change over time.
Distributions of cash or other property on our Class A common stock, if any, will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. To the extent those distributions exceed our current and accumulated earnings and profits, the distributions will be treated as a non-taxable return of capital to the extent of the holder’s tax basis in our Class A common stock and thereafter as capital gain from the sale or exchange of such common stock. Also, if any holder sells our Class A common stock, the holder will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and the holder’s tax basis in such Class A common stock.
To the extent that the amount of our distributions is treated as a non-taxable return of capital as described above, such distribution will reduce a holder’s tax basis in the Class A common stock. Consequently, such excess distributions will result in a corresponding increase in the amount of gain, or a corresponding decrease in the amount of loss, recognized by the holder upon the sale of the Class A common stock or subsequent distributions with respect to such stock. Additionally, with regard to U.S. corporate holders of our Class A shares, to the extent that a distribution on our Class A shares exceeds both our current and accumulated earnings and profits and such holder’s tax basis in such shares, such holders would be unable to utilize the corporate dividends-received deduction (to the extent it would otherwise be applicable to such holder) with respect to the gain resulting from such excess distribution.
Investors in our Class A common stock are encouraged to consult their tax advisors as to the tax consequences of receiving distributions on our Class A shares that are not treated as dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Future sales of shares of our Class A common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales may occur, could reduce our stock price, and any additional capital raised by us through the sale of equity or convertible securities may dilute your ownership in us.
Certain of our Original Owners own shares of our Class A common stock and, subject to certain limitations and exceptions, the Original Owners that hold Brigham LLC Units may require Brigham LLC to redeem their Brigham LLC Units for shares of Class A common stock (on a one-for-one basis, subject to conversion rate adjustments for stock splits, stock dividends and reclassification and other similar transactions), and our Original Owners may sell any of such shares of Class A common stock. As of February 18, 2022, we had outstanding 48,360,253 shares of Class A common stock and 11,371,517 shares of Class B common stock, representing approximately 19.0% of our total outstanding shares. The Sponsors are party to a registration rights agreement, which requires us to effect the registration of their shares in certain circumstances. See “Item1—Business—Overview—Our Corporate Structure” and “Item 13—Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.”
We have previously filed a registration statement with the SEC on Form S-8 providing for the registration of 5,999,600 shares of our Class A common stock issued or reserved for issuance under our equity incentive plan. Subject to the satisfaction of vesting conditions, shares registered under the registration statement on Form S-8 will be available for resale immediately in the public market without restriction.
We cannot predict the size of future issuances of our Class A common stock or securities convertible into Class A common stock or the effect, if any, that future issuances and sales of shares of our Class A common stock will have on the market price of our Class A common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of our Class A common stock (including shares issued in connection with an acquisition), or the perception that such sales could occur, may adversely affect prevailing market prices of our Class A common stock.
Our organizational structure confers certain benefits upon the Original Owners that hold Brigham LLC Units that will not benefit the holders of our Class A common stock to the same extent as it will benefit those Original Owners.
Our organizational structure confers certain benefits upon the Original Owners that hold Brigham LLC Units that do not benefit the holders of our Class A common stock to the same extent as it will benefit those Original Owners. Brigham Minerals is a holding company and has no material assets other than its ownership of Brigham LLC Units. As a consequence, our ability to declare and pay dividends to the holders of our Class A common stock is subject to the ability of Brigham LLC to provide distributions to us. If Brigham LLC makes such distributions, the Original Owners that hold Brigham LLC Units will be entitled to receive equivalent distributions from Brigham LLC on a pro rata basis. However, because we must pay taxes, amounts ultimately distributed as dividends to holders of our Class A common stock are expected to be less on a per share basis than the amounts distributed by Brigham LLC to the Original Owners on a per unit basis. This and other aspects of our organizational structure may adversely impact the future trading market for our Class A common stock.
We may issue preferred stock whose terms could adversely affect the voting power or value of our Class A common stock.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes our Board of Directors to issue, without the approval of our stockholders, one or more classes or series of preferred stock having such designations, preferences, limitations and relative rights, including preferences over our Class A common stock respecting dividends and distributions, as our Board of Directors may determine. The terms of one or more classes or series of our preferred stock could adversely impact the voting power or value of our Class A common stock. For example, we might grant holders of a class or series of our preferred stock the right to elect some number of our directors in all events or on the happening of specified events or the right to veto specified transactions. Similarly, the repurchase or redemption rights or liquidation preferences we might assign to holders of our preferred stock could affect the residual value of our Class A common stock.
If securities or industry analysts adversely change their recommendations regarding our Class A common stock or if our operating results do not meet their expectations, our stock price could decline.
The trading market for our Class A common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline. Moreover, if one or more of the analysts who cover our company downgrades our Class A common stock or if our operating results do not meet their expectations, our stock price could decline.
