ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
RISK FACTORS
An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below before making a decision to invest in our common stock. The risks and uncertainties discussed below are not the only ones we face. Risks could also harm our business, operating results, financial condition, or prospects, and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently do not believe are material, and these risks and uncertainties could result in a complete loss of your investment. Prior to the Barrister Acquisition, we did not have revenue-generating operations that will fund our operating overhead. While we began to generate revenue following the Barrister Acquisition, our business, operating results, financial condition, or prospects could be materially and adversely affected by any of these risks and uncertainties. In assessing the risks and uncertainties described below, you should also refer to the other information contained herein, including our consolidated financial statements, pro forma financial statements, and the related notes thereto.
RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS
Risks Related to the Oil & Natural Gas Industry
Oil and natural gas prices are volatile, and any sustained decline in oil market prices could adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations, and its ability to meet capital expenditure obligations and financial commitments.
Our success is highly dependent on prices for oil and natural gas, which have in recent years been, and we expect will continue to be, extremely volatile. Oil is a commodity, and its price may fluctuate widely in response to relatively minor changes in the supply of and demand for oil and market uncertainty. Historically, oil prices have been volatile due to sensitivity to political and economic developments or crises. The prices we receive for oil production, and the levels of oil production, depend on numerous factors beyond our control, which include worldwide and regional economic conditions affecting the global supply and demand for oil, such as:
levels of production, domestic and worldwide inventories;
the capacity of U.S. and international refiners to use U.S. supplies of oil, natural gas and NGLs
the price and quantity of foreign imports of oil and their effect on U.S. oil producers;
relative price and availability of alternative forms of energy;
political and economic geopolitical instability, including the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East, including the recent conflict between the U.S. and Iran, as well as sanctions and other government actions arising from these conflicts, and conditions in or affecting other oil-producing regions or countries, including Africa, South America, which significantly affects global oil market price;
actions of the OPEC, its members, and other state-controlled oil companies relating to oil price and production controls, especially production disputes between Saudi Arabia and Russia, who often have different goals
the level of global exploration, development, and production of oil
the proximity, capacity, cost, and availability of oil gathering and transportation facilities; ·
localized and global oil supply and demand fundamentals and transportation availability
the cost of exploring for, developing, producing, and transporting oil which cost may go up due to oil storage surpluses created by COVID-19 pandemic
weather conditions and other natural disasters, and storms in the Gulf States Drilling Region appear to increase in intensity in the past five years
technological advances affecting oil consumption, especially the growing production of electric-powered cars, trucks, and buses
the price and availability and consumer demand for alternative fuels to oil and reduction in the use of products that are made from oil, especially certain plastics, which demand is fueled by environmental concerns
climate control legislation that increases the cost and lowers the demand for oil by providing incentives and tax benefits for use of non-oil fuels, and
effect of existing U.S. federal, state, and local, and non-U.S. governmental regulation and taxes.
These factors make it extremely difficult to predict future oil, natural gas and NGLs price movements with any certainty. During the three years ended December 31, 2025, NYMEX WTI prices ranged from a high of $95.03 per barrel on September 28, 2023, to a low of $54.98 per barrel on December 16, 2025, and NYMEX Henry Hub prices ranged from a high of $6.40 per MMBtu on February 18, 2025, to a low of $1.21 per MMBtu on November 11, 2024. We make price assumptions that are used for planning purposes, and a significant portion of our cash outlays, are largely fixed in nature. Accordingly, if commodity prices are below the expectations on which these commitments were based, our financial results are likely to be adversely and disproportionately affected because these cash outlays are not variable in the short term and cannot be quickly reduced to respond to unanticipated decreases in commodity prices. Specifically, prices of oil, and NGLs may adversely affect our revenues, cash flows, earnings and returns; our ability to attract capital to finance our operations and the cost of the capital; the profit or loss we incur in exploring for and developing our reserves; and the value of our oil and natural gas properties.
A substantial or extended decline in commodity prices may also reduce the amount of oil and natural gas that we can produce economically and cause a significant portion of our development projects to become uneconomic. This may result in our having to make significant downward adjustments to our estimated proved reserves. A reduction in production could also result in a shortfall in expected cash flows and require us to reduce capital spending, which could negatively affect our ability to replace our production and our future rate of growth, or require us to borrow funds to cover any such shortfall, which we may be unable to obtain at such time on satisfactory terms. Additionally, if we are required to curtail our drilling program, we may be unable to continue to hold leases that are scheduled to expire, which may further reduce our reserves. As a result, if oil and/or NGL prices experience a sustained period of weakness, our future business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and ability to finance planned capital expenditures may be materially and affected.
Our business is subject to climate-related transition risks, including evolving climate change legislation, fuel conservation measures, technological advances and negative shift in market perception towards the oil and natural gas industry, which could result in increased operating expenses and capital costs, financial risks and potential reduction in demand for oil and natural gas.
The governmental and regulatory bodies, as well as investors, consumers, industry and other stakeholders increasingly focus on combating climate change. This attention resulted in the enactment of climate change-related regulations, policies and initiatives, including alternative energy requirements, new fuel consumption standards, energy conservation and emissions reductions measures and responsible energy development; technological advances with respect to the generation, transmission, storage and consumption of energy, increased availability of, and increased demand from consumers and industry for, energy sources other than oil and natural gas (including wind, solar, nuclear, and geothermal sources as well as electric vehicles); and development of, and increased demand from consumers and industry for, lower-emission products and services (including electric vehicles and renewable residential and commercial power supplies) as well as more efficient products and services.
These developments may in the future adversely affect the demand for products manufactured with, or powered by, petroleum products, as well as the demand for, and in turn the prices of, oil and natural gas products. Such developments may also adversely impact, among other things, our stock price and access to capital markets, and the availability to us of necessary third-party services and facilities that we rely on, which may increase our operational costs and adversely affect our ability to successfully carry out our business strategy. Climate change-related developments may also impact the market prices of or our access to raw materials such as energy and water and therefore result in increased costs to our business.
More broadly, the enactment of climate change-related regulations, policies and initiatives across the market at the government, corporate, and/or investor community levels may in the future result in increases in our compliance costs and other operating costs and have other adverse effects (e.g., greater potential for governmental investigations or litigation).
Seismic studies do not guarantee that oil or hydrocarbons are present or, if present, will produce in economic quantities.
Oil exploration and production companies, like we are, rely on seismic studies to assist in assessing prospective drilling opportunities on oil and gas properties, as well as on properties that a company may acquire. Such seismic studies are merely an interpretive tool and do not necessarily guarantee that hydrocarbons are present or, if present, will produce in economic or profitable quantities.
Restrictions on our ability to obtain, recycle and dispose of water may impact our ability to execute our drilling and development plans in a timely or cost-effective manner .
Water is an essential component of both the drilling and hydraulic fracturing processes. If drought conditions were to occur or demand for water were to outpace supply, our ability to obtain water could be impacted and in turn, our ability to perform hydraulic fracturing operations could be restricted or made more costly. If we are unable to obtain water to use in our operations from local sources, we may be unable to economically produce oil and natural gas, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, significant amounts of water are produced in our operations. Inadequate access to or availability of water recycling or water disposal facilities could adversely affect our production volumes or significantly increase the cost of our operations.
Participants in the oil and gas industry are subject to numerous laws that can affect the cost, manner, or feasibility of doing business.
Exploration and production activities in the oil and gas industry are subject to various laws and regulations. Any oil and gas exploration and production operated by the Company are or may become subject to numerous environmental and occupational health and safety laws and regulations that may be imposed domestically at the federal, regional, state, and local levels. The more significant of these environmental and occupational health and safety laws and regulations include the following:
The U.S. Clean Air Act, which restricts the emission of air pollutants from many sources and imposes various pre-construction, operational, monitoring, and reporting requirements, and the Environmental Protection Agency or “EPA” has relied upon as authority for adopting climate change regulatory initiatives relating to Green House Gases or “GHG” emissions.
The U.S. Federal Water Pollution Control Act, also known as the Federal Clean Water Act, which regulates discharges of pollutants from facilities to state and federal waters and establishes the extent to which waterways are subject to federal jurisdiction and rulemaking as protected waters of the United States
The U.S. Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which subjects owners and operators of vessels, onshore facilities, and pipelines, as well as lessees or permittees of areas in which offshore facilities are located, to liability for removal costs and damages arising from an oil spill in waters of the United States
The U.S. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, which imposes liability on generators, transporters, and arrangers of hazardous substances at sites where hazardous substance releases have occurred or are threatening to occur
The U.S. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which governs the generation, treatment, storage, transport, and disposal of solid wastes, including hazardous wastes
The U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act (“SDWA”), which ensures the quality of the nation’s public drinking water through the adoption of drinking water standards and control over the injection of waste fluids into below-ground formations that may adversely affect drinking water sources
The U.S. Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, requires facilities to implement a safety hazard communication program and disseminate information to employees, local emergency planning committees, and response departments on toxic chemical uses and inventories
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Act, which establishes workplace standards for the protection of the health and safety of employees, including the implementation of hazard communications programs designed to inform employees about hazardous substances in the workplace, potentially harmful effects of these substances, and appropriate control measures
The U.S. Endangered Species Act, restricts activities that may affect federally identified endangered and threatened species or their habitats through the implementation of operating restrictions or a temporary, seasonal, or permanent ban in affected areas
The U.S. National Environmental Policy Act, requires federal agencies, including the Department of the Interior, to evaluate significant agency actions having the potential to affect the environment and that may require the preparation of environmental assessments and more detailed environmental impact statements that may be made available for public review and comment
U.S. Department of Transportation regulations, which relate to advancing the safe transportation of energy and hazardous materials and emergency response preparedness.
These environmental and occupational health and safety laws and regulations, including new or amended legal requirements, are expected to have a considerable effect on any expanded Company’s operations in terms of compliance costs.
In addition, regional, state, and local jurisdictions in the United States where the Company operates or may operate also have, or are developing or considering developing, similar environmental and occupational health and safety laws and regulations governing many of these same types of activities. The State of Alabama has extensive operation and licensing laws for oil drilling. The State Oil and Gas Boards of Mississippi and Alabama are regulatory agencies of the States of Mississippi and Alabama with the statutory charge of regulating oil exploration and production, including preventing waste and promoting the conservation of oil and gas while ensuring the protection of both the environment and the correlative rights of owners. These boards are granted broad authority in state oil and gas conservation statutes to promulgate and enforce rules and regulations to ensure the conservation and proper development of the state’s’ petroleum resources. Specific regulations may vary from state to state across the Gulf States Drill Region. We will rely on consultants and local legal counsel for compliance with the state regulatory regime.
Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in the suspension or termination of our operations and subject us to administrative, civil, and criminal penalties. Moreover, new laws and regulations may be enacted, and current laws and regulations could change, or their interpretations could change, in ways that could substantially increase our costs. The occurrence of any of these factors, or the continuation thereof, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, or future results of operations.
Our operations are subject to operating hazards inherent to our industry that may adversely impact our ability to conduct business, and we may not be fully insured against all such operating risks.
The operating hazards in exploring for and producing oil and natural gas include: encountering unexpected subsurface conditions that cause damage to equipment or personal injury, including loss of life; equipment failures that curtail or stop production or cause severe damage to or destruction of property, natural resources or other equipment; blowouts or other damages to the productive formations of our reserves that require a well to be re-drilled or other corrective action to be taken; and storms and other extreme weather conditions that cause damages to our production facilities or wells. Because of these or other events, we could experience environmental hazards, including release of oil and natural gas from spills, natural gas leaks, accidental leakage of toxic or materials, such as petroleum liquids, drilling fluids or fracturing fluids, including chemical additives, underground migration, and ruptures. If we experience any of these , we could incur substantial in excess of our insurance coverage. The occurrence of a significant event or claim, not fully insured or indemnified , could have a material effect on our financial condition and operations. In accordance with industry practice, we maintain insurance some of the operating risks to which our business is . Also, no assurance can be given that we will be to maintain insurance in the future at rates we consider reasonable to cover our possible from operating and we may elect no or minimal insurance coverage. However, we do not have insurance covering environmental and occupational health and safety risks, and even if we had such insurance, it may not cover or that may be issued by a governmental authority.
Negative public perception of the oil and gas industry could have a material and adverse effect on us.
Oil and natural gas drilling and development activities are subject to growing negative public perception globally, and particularly, in the United States resulting from, among other things, concerns raised by advocacy groups about climate change may lead to increased reputational and litigation risk and regulatory, legislative and judicial scrutiny, which may, in turn, lead to new state and federal safety and environmental laws, regulations, guidelines and enforcement interpretations. Companies in the oil and natural gas industry are often the target of activist efforts from both individuals and non-governmental organizations regarding safety, human rights, climate change, environmental matters, sustainability, and business practices. The foregoing factors may cause operational delays or restrictions, increased operating costs, additional regulatory burdens and increased risk of litigation. Negative perceptions regarding our industry and reputational risks may also in the future adversely affect our ability to successfully carry out our business strategy by affecting our access to capital. Certain segments of the investor community have developed sentiments towards investing in our industry.
Further, certain investment banks and asset managers based both domestically and internationally have announced that they are adopting climate change guidelines for their banking and investing activities. Certain other stakeholders have also pressured commercial and investment banks to stop financing oil and gas production and related infrastructure projects. Institutional lenders who provide financing to companies in the energy sector have also become more attentive to sustainable lending practices, and some may elect not to provide traditional energy producers or companies that support such producers with funding. Such developments 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. This may also potentially result in a reduction of available capital funding for potential development projects, impacting our future financial results.
Terrorist attacks aimed at energy operations could adversely affect our future oil exploration and production business.
The continued threat of terrorism and the effect of military and other government action have led and may lead to further increased volatility in prices for oil and natural gas and could affect these commodity markets or the financial markets. The U.S. government has issued warnings that energy assets may be a future target of terrorist organizations. These developments have subjected our oil and natural gas operations to increased risks. Any future terrorist attack on facilities used by Barrister or other future oil exploration and production operations, those of such operations’ customers, the infrastructure used for transportation of oil, and, in some cases, those of other energy companies, could have a material adverse effect on the Company.
Operational Risks
We have a limited history of owning and operating oil and gas exploration and production operations .
Prior to the Barrister Acquisition in November 2020, we had not generated any revenue. Although we acquired Barrister’s business pursuant to the Barrister Acquisition, these production operations are minimal and commenced less than three years ago. In addition, the history of obtaining oil rights by Barrister was minimal in terms of production and does not reveal the potential oil production and profitability of the Company Oil Rights. Subsequently, in the fourth quarter of 2022, we acquired additional oil rights and interests by purchasing NONOP Assets and Buckley Assets. In the third and fourth quarters of 2024, respectively, we acquired the non-operated interests of Liberty Operating Company, LLC in the Liberty and Pine Grove Fields of Mississippi. Now we need to obtain sufficient funds to develop reserves related to these properties. However, the lack of a more extensive operating history may discourage lenders or funding sources from providing working capital to the Company. There is no assurance that the oil rights acquired by the Company to date will produce oil or natural gas on a profitable basis. Investors should carefully consider the lack of operating history of the Company and the lack of any significant oil production from the Company Oil Rights prior to making an investment decision to invest in the Company. If the Company is to obtain needed capital or financing on terms, its ability to develop future reserves will be affected. If production or drilling operations are , then the Company may be to continue to hold leases and drilling rights that are scheduled to expire, which may further reduce oil reserves, which will materially and affect future business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and ability to finance planned capital expenditures.
We have entered a highly competitive and highly capital-intensive industry, and any oil production may be insufficient to fund, sustain, or expand revenue-generating operations .
The oil drilling exploration and production business are capital intensive due to the cost of experienced personnel; equipment and other assets required to drill, produce and store oil; regulatory compliance costs; potential liability exposures and financial effects; and the risk of unpredictable volatility in oil market prices and predatory pricing by competitors. Drilling requires an upfront payment of operational costs with no guarantee that actual oil production will cover such expenses. “Dry” holes for the first and/or second oil wells could deplete any available funding raised by the Company and render the Company insolvent. The actual amount and timing of our future capital expenditures may differ materially from our estimates as a result of, among other things, market oil prices, actual drilling results, the availability of drilling rigs and other services and equipment, and regulatory, technological, and competitive developments. The Company does not have cash flow or cash reserves sufficient to fund more extensive and deep drilling on Company Oil Rights. While we will seek such funding, there are no assurances that we can obtain funding that will be sufficient to fund deep drill wells or new property acquisitions, which are needed to produce any significant levels of oil production. Future cash flow from our operations and access to capital are subject to a number of variables, including, but not limited to: (i) the market prices at which our oil production is sold; (ii) our proved reserves; (iii) the level of hydrocarbons we can produce from any future oil wells; (iv) our ability to acquire, locate and produce new oil reserves; (v) the levels of our operating expenses; (vi) reduction in the U.S. and global demand for oil.
Our acquisitions of oil and gas properties and subsequent exploration and development drilling efforts and the operation of our wells may not be profitable or achieve our targeted returns .
Exploration, development, drilling and production activities are subject to many risks. Acquiring oil and natural gas exploration and production rights and leases requires us to assess reservoir and infrastructure characteristics, including recoverable reserves, development and operating costs, and potential environmental and other liabilities. We may invest in property, including undeveloped leasehold acreage, which we believe will result in projects that will add value over time. However, we cannot guarantee that any leasehold acreage acquired will be profitably developed, that new wells drilled will be productive or that we will recover all or any portion of our investment in such leasehold acreage or wells. Drilling for oil and natural gas may involve unprofitable efforts, including wells that are productive but do not produce sufficient net reserves to return a profit after deducting operating and other costs.
In addition, we may not be successful in controlling our drilling and production costs to improve our overall return and wells that are profitable may not achieve our targeted rate of return. Wells may have production decline rates that are greater than anticipated. Future drilling and completion efforts may impact production from existing wells, and parent-child effects may impact future well productivity as a result of timing, spacing proximity or other factors. Acquiring oil and natural gas properties requires us to assess reservoir and infrastructure characteristics, including recoverable reserves, development and operating costs and potential environmental and other liabilities. Such assessments are inexact and inherently uncertain. In connection with the assessments, we perform a review of the subject properties, but such a review will not necessarily reveal all existing or potential problems. In the course of our due diligence, we may not inspect ever well or pipeline. We cannot necessarily observe structural and environmental problems, such as pipe corrosion, when an inspection is made. We may not be able to obtain contractual indemnities from the seller for liabilities created prior to our purchase of the property. We may be required to assume the risk of the physical condition of the properties in addition to the risk that the properties may not perform in accordance with our expectations. These risks could render our drilling operations and significantly affect the overall financial performance and condition of the Company. to conduct our oil and gas operations in a manner may result in of our proved reserves quantities, of our oil and gas properties, and a write-down in the carrying value of our unproved properties, and over time may affect our growth, revenues and cash flows.
Due to our contractor model of operations, we will be vulnerable to any inability to engage or retain qualified operational personnel for new or existing drilling operations.
Our operation plan depends on a teaming/contractor approach to operate oil rigs. We may be unable to locate or retain a sufficient number of qualified independent contractors to operate new or existing oil rigs. Finding and engaging qualified independent contractors will be essential to commencing, expanding, and sustaining drilling operations. Since we will, in all likelihood, depend on one or two new oil rigs at the start of operations after raising sufficient working capital, any inability to engage or retain qualified independent contractors would be potentially fatal to our efforts to establish increased revenue-generating operations. The use of independent contractors also poses the risk of such personnel leaving for more lucrative opportunities with competitors or other oil producers. Many of our competitors can afford more lucrative compensation packages for qualified personnel. We lack the resources to effectively compete against larger competitors for operational personnel, especially against competitors with liquid public markets for their capital stock and the ability to offer stock-based incentive compensation.
Loss of key operational personnel could cause the suspension of any expanded drilling operations.
The Company does not have key-man insurance or the available cash to easily employ or engage experienced, full-time outside senior management personnel. The loss of key personnel, including our Chief Executive Officer and operational personnel of COP and our other operators that manage the Company’s oil drilling and production could undermine the Company’s ability to manage operations and implement the Company’s business plan.
With any expanded oil exploration and drilling, we will need to replace existing oil reserves with new oil reserves and develop those oil reserves. If we are unable to do so, oil reserves and production will decline, which would adversely affect future cash flows and results of operations.
Once we increase oil production, then producing oil reservoirs generally will be characterized by declining production rates that vary depending upon oil reservoir characteristics and other factors. Unless the Company conducts successful ongoing exploration and development activities or continually acquires properties containing proved reserves, proved reserves would decline as those reserves are produced. Future reserves and production, and therefore future cash flow and results of operations, are highly dependent on the success in efficiently developing current reserves and economically finding or acquiring additional recoverable oil reserves. We may not be able to develop, find, or acquire sufficient additional reserves to replace our current and future production. If we are unable to replace current and future oil production, the value of existing reserves will decrease, and business, financial condition, and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.
The oil and gas development, exploration and production industry is very competitive, and some of our competitors have greater financial and other resources than we do.
We face competition in every aspect of our business, including buying and selling reserves and leases, obtaining goods and services needed to operate our business and marketing natural gas and oil. Competitors include multinational oil companies, independent production companies and individual producers and operators. Many of our competitors have greater financial and other resources than we do and may have greater access to the capital and credit markets. Many of these companies not only explore for and produce oil and natural gas, but also carry on midstream and refining operations and market petroleum and other products on a regional, national or worldwide basis. As a result, these competitors may be able to address the competitive factors of the industry more effectively or weather industry downturns more easily than we can. We also face indirect competition from alternative energy sources, including wind, solar and electric power.
The potential lack of availability of, or cost of, drilling rigs, equipment, supplies, personnel, and crude oil field services could adversely affect our ability to execute on a timely basis exploration and development plans within any budget.
We may encounter an increase in the cost of securing needed drilling rigs, equipment, and supplies. Larger producers may be more likely to secure access to such equipment by offering more lucrative terms. If we are unable to acquire access to such resources or can obtain access only at higher prices, its ability to convert oil reserves into cash flow could be delayed, and the cost of producing from those oil reserves could increase significantly, which would adversely affect results of operations and financial condition. Our current drilling operations are limited, and the availability of essential drilling assets may not become a risk factor until such time as we increase drilling operations.
We have a limited customer base for its oil production due to its limited oil production and operating history. The cost of and difficulty in expanding the customer base for increased production from the Company Oil Rights is unknown.
We can only determine the cost and difficulty of expanding our customer base based on actual oil production and then-current market conditions and demand for oil. As such, we cannot predict the cost and ease or difficulty of selling increased oil production from the Company Oil Rights. This unknown factor in commercially exploiting any increased oil production from the Company Oil Rights increases the risk of investing in the shares of the Company because it renders uncertain a key factor in future profitability of the Company.
Cyber-attacks targeting systems and infrastructure used by the oil and gas industry and related regulations may adversely impact our operations and, if we are unable to obtain and maintain adequate protection for our data, our business may be adversely affected.
Our business has become increasingly dependent on digital technologies to conduct certain exploration, development and production activities. We depend on digital technology to estimate quantities of oil, natural gas and NGL reserves, process and record financial and operating data, analyze seismic and drilling information, and communicate with our customers, employees and third-party partners. The U.S. government has issued public warnings that indicate that energy assets might be specific targets of cyber security threats. Our technologies, systems, networks, and those of our vendors, suppliers and other business partners, may become the target of cyberattacks or information security breaches that could result in the unauthorized access to our seismic data, reserves information, customer or employee data or other proprietary or commercially sensitive information could lead to data corruption, communication interruption, or other disruptions in our exploration or production operations or planned business transactions, any of which could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.
Cybersecurity attacks in particular are evolving and include, but are not limited to, ransomware or other malicious software, social engineering attacks, deepfakes and artificial intelligence ("AI")-enhanced phishing, attempts to gain unauthorized access to data, and other electronic security breaches that could lead to disruptions in critical systems, unauthorized release of confidential or otherwise protected information and corruption of data. Threat actors may leverage AI and machine learning, technologies to conduct more sophisticated surveillance, reconnaissance and attacks against our systems. We seek to prevent, detect and investigate cybersecurity incidents, but in some cases, we might be unaware of an incident or its magnitude and effects.
If our information technology systems cease to function properly or our cybersecurity is breached, we could suffer disruptions to our normal operations, which may include drilling, completion, production and corporate functions. A cyber-attack involving our information systems and related infrastructure, or that of our business associates, could result in supply chain disruptions that delay or prevent the transportation and marketing of our production, non-compliance leading to regulatory fines or penalties, loss or disclosure of, or damage to, our customer’s, supplier’s or royalty owners’ data or confidential information that could harm our business by damaging our reputation, subjecting us to potential financial or legal liability, and requiring us to incur significant costs, including costs to repair or restore our systems and data or to take other remedial steps.
The increased use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) technologies, both by the Company and by third parties, may introduce additional cybersecurity and operational risks. AI-enabled applications and services may rely on large volumes of data, third-party models, and cloud-based infrastructure, which could increase exposure to data privacy, security, and intellectual property risks. In addition, threat actors may increasingly leverage AI-enabled techniques to enhance the scale, speed, and sophistication of cyberattacks, including social engineering, phishing, and automated exploitation. While the Company seeks to manage these risks through its cybersecurity and risk management programs, there can be no assurance that such measures will prevent all AI-related security incidents, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.
In addition, certain cyber incidents, such as surveillance, may remain undetected for an extended period. Although we utilize various procedures and controls to monitor and protect against these threats and to mitigate our exposure to such threats, there can be no assurance that these procedures and controls will be sufficient in preventing security threats from materializing. Our systems for protecting against cyber security risks may not be sufficient. While we have not been subject to cybersecurity challenges that have materially impaired our operations or financial standing, we recognize the importance of developing, implementing and maintaining cybersecurity measures to better safeguard our information systems and protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of our data. Our risk management team will work with our IT department to evaluate and address cybersecurity risks in alignment with our business objectives and operational needs. In the future, the Company will require the Board and employees to complete cybersecurity training related to the physical security of assets, data privacy and other information security policies and procedures.
However, implementation of various procedures and controls to monitor and mitigate such security threats and to increase security for its information, systems, facilities, and infrastructure may require us to expend significant additional resources to continue to modify or enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate any vulnerabilities to cyberattacks. Moreover, there can be no assurance that such procedures and controls will be sufficient to prevent security breaches from occurring.
Risk related to the Third-Party Transportation of Oil Production.
The marketability of oil production will depend upon the availability, proximity, and capacity of transportation facilities owned by third parties. Any oil production will be transported from the wellhead to gathering systems. The oil is then transported by the purchaser by truck or other means to a transportation facility. We will not be able to control most of these third-party transportation means and facilities, and access to them may be limited or denied. If in the future, the Company is unable, for any sustained period, to implement acceptable delivery or transportation arrangements or encounter production-related difficulties, it may be required to shut in or curtail production. Any such shut-in or curtailment, or an inability to obtain favorable terms for delivery of the oil produced, would materially and adversely affect our efforts to attain or sustain revenues from operations and future financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Financial Condition and Capital Requirements
Our independent registered public accounting firm has included an explanatory paragraph relating to our ability to continue as a going concern in its report on our audited financial statements.
On a consolidated basis, the Company has incurred significant operating losses since inception and has a working capital deficit. The Company’s financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. Because the Company does not expect that existing operational cash flow will be sufficient to fund presently anticipated operations, this raises substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Therefore, the Company will need to raise additional funds and is currently exploring alternative sources of financing. Historically, the Company has raised capital through an officer loan as an interim measure to finance working capital needs and will continue to raise additional capital through the sale of common stock or other securities. The Company will be required to continue to do so until its consolidated operations become profitable. Our past efforts to raise working capital have been unsuccessful.
Although our initial registration statement on Form S-1 was declared effective by the Commission in August 2019, we were unable to sell any shares and terminated said initial public offering. Our initial public offering commenced after October 9, 2020, following the effectiveness of the Form S-1 registration statement; however, we only raised $53,000 in that initial public offering, which was not sufficient, and closed in on May 31, 2021. The impact of COVID-19 pandemic and volatility of market price for oil in 2020 and 2021 further hampered efforts to raise additional working capital by creating economic uncertainty and heightened risks in lending or investing in oil production. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. If we are unable to obtain sufficient funding, our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected, and we may be unable to continue as a going . If we cannot continue as a viable entity, you would all or most of your investment in the Company.
We do not have directors’ and officers’ liability insurance due to the high cost.
The lack of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance hinders our ability to attract directors and officers. We intend to seek to purchase directors’ and officers’ liability insurance if we have sufficient cash reserves from the net proceeds of this Offering or future funding efforts. Typically, such insurance costs $100,000 or more per annum, if available. Further, directors’ and officers’ insurance require that the insured company cover the first $300,000 or more of costs prior to insurance coverage occurring. This high deductible can be beyond the financial means of a small company and effectively denies the insured company of the benefits of the insurance. If we do not have sufficient cash to purchase directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, our ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors will suffer, especially considering the lack of a public market for the common stock and resulting inability to offer incentive compensation to directors and officers. We may be unable to find an insurer willing to provide directors’ and officers’ liability insurance since we are an early-stage development company with limited operating history and no revenue-generating operations.
Risks Relating to Our Common Stock
Our common stock is currently quoted on OTCID market of OTC Markets, Inc.; however, because our common stock was downgraded to Expert Market, a new application for Proprietary Quotations may be required to allow brokers to place proprietary quotations on our stock .. We do not have an active, liquid trading market for our common stock and may never develop it.
In October 2021, our Common Stock became eligible for quotations on OTC Markets. Between October 2021 and July 2023, our stock was quoted at the time on the OTC Pink marketplace, which published brokerage quotations; however, because we were delinquent with our reporting obligations and did not file our 2022 annual report and 2023 quarterly reports timely, our stock was downgraded to Expert Market marketplace until we filed all required reports. While our common stock is currently trading on the OTCID Marketplace, which is a new tier of OTC Markets, indicating that companies on that tier complies with all SEC reporting obligations and additional obligations imposed by OTC Markets, that are current our stock is not eligible for proprietary broker-dealer quotations, and all quotes of our common stock reflect unsolicited customer orders. These unsolicited-only stocks have a higher risk of wider spread, increased volatility, and price dislocations. To be eligible for public brokerage quotations and to provide continuous market making, a market maker needs to submit a new application under SEC Rule15c2-11 which needs to be approved by FINRA. Even if our stock becomes eligible for proprietary quotations, the trading on the OTCID marketplace, which is the basic marketplace, is often thin and characterized by wide fluctuations in trading prices, due to many factors that may have little to do with our operations or business prospects. The securities market has from time-to-time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are not related to the operating performance of particular companies. These market fluctuations may also materially and affect the market price of shares of our common stock.
In the absence of an active trading market investors may have difficulty buying and selling or obtaining market quotations, market visibility for shares of our common stock may be limited, and a lack of visibility for shares of our common stock may have a depressive effect on the market price for shares of our common stock. The lack of an active market impairs the ability of our stockholders to sell their shares at a price that they consider reasonable and may also reduce the fair market value of the shares. Moreover, OTC Markets is not a securities exchange, and trading of securities is often more sporadic than the trading of securities listed on a quotation system like Nasdaq or any other national stock exchange. Accordingly, stockholders may have difficulty reselling any shares of common stock.
Future capital raises may dilute our existing shareholders’ ownership, the value of their equity securities and/or have other adverse effects on our operations.
If we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities by acquisition or by equity financing, our existing shareholders may experience substantial dilution. If we raise additional funds by issuing debt instruments, these debt instruments could impose significant restrictions on our operations, including liens on our assets. If we raise additional funds through collaborations and licensing arrangements, we may be required to relinquish some rights to our technologies or products, or to grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us or could diminish the rights of our shareholders. Furthermore, if we offer to sell our shares of common stock in subsequent offerings for a purchase price that is less than the purchase price of shares of common stock we offered to our shareholders in the past, it may impact the value of equity securities of the shareholders that purchased it in the past. In addition, the issuance of such additional shares may impact the ability of any investor to sell their shares once such shares are eligible for sale.
There is no assurance that we will be able to pay dividends to our stockholders, which means that you could receive little or no return on your investment.
Payment of dividends from our earnings and profits may be made at the sole discretion of our board of directors. There is no assurance that we will generate any distributable cash from operations. Our board may elect to retain cash for operating purposes, debt retirement, or some other purpose. Consequently, you may receive little or no return on your investment.
“ Penny Stock” rules may make buying or selling our Common Stock difficult. Limitations upon Broker-Dealers Effecting Transactions in “Penny Stocks”
Trading in our Common Stock is subject to material limitations as a consequence of regulations that limit the activities of broker-dealers effecting transactions in “penny stocks.” Pursuant to Rule 3a51-1 under the Exchange Act, our Common Stock is a “penny stock” because it (i) is not listed on any national securities exchange (ii) has a market price of less than $5.00 per share, and (iii) its issuer (the Company) has net tangible assets less than $2,000,000 (if the issuer has been in business for at least three (3) years) or $5,000,000 (if the issuer has been in business for less than three (3) years). Rule 15g-9 promulgated under the Exchange Act imposes limitations upon trading activities on “penny stocks”, which makes selling our Common Stock more difficult compared to selling securities that are not “penny stocks.” Rule 15a-9 restricts the solicitation of sales of “penny stocks” by broker-dealers unless the broker first (i) obtains from the purchaser information concerning his financial situation, investment experience, and investment objectives, (ii) reasonably determines that the purchaser has sufficient knowledge and experience in financial matters that the person is capable of evaluating the risks of investing in “penny stocks”, and (iii) delivers and receives back from the purchaser a manually signed written statement acknowledging the purchaser’s investment experience and financial sophistication.
Rules 15g-2 through 15g-6 promulgated under the Exchange Act require broker-dealers who engage in transactions in “penny stocks” first to provide their customers with a series of disclosures and documents, including (i) a standardized risk disclosure document identifying the risks inherent in investing in “penny stocks”, (ii) all compensation received by the broker-dealer in connection with the transaction, (iii) current quotation prices and other relevant market data, and (iv) monthly account statements reflecting the fair market value of the securities.
There can be no assurance that any broker-dealer which initiates quotations for the Common Stock will continue to do so, and the loss of any such broker-dealer likely would have a material adverse effect on the market price of our Common Stock.
FINRA sales practice requirements may also limit a stockholder’s ability to buy and sell our stock.
In addition to the “penny stock” rules described below, FINRA has adopted rules that require that in recommending an investment to a customer, a broker-dealer must have reasonable grounds for believing that the investment is suitable for that customer. Prior to recommending speculative low-priced securities to their non-institutional customers, broker-dealers must make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the customer’s financial status, tax status, investment objectives, and other information. Under interpretations of these rules, FINRA believes that there is a high probability that speculative low-priced securities will not be suitable for at least some customers. The FINRA requirements make it more difficult for broker-dealers to recommend that their customers buy our Common Stock, which may limit your ability to buy and sell our stock and have an adverse effect on the market for our shares.
Because our Common Stock is deemed a low-priced “penny stock,” it will be cumbersome for brokers and dealers to trade in our Common Stock, making the market for our Common Stock less liquid and negatively affecting the price of our stock. We will be subject to certain provisions of the Exchange Act, commonly referred to as the “penny stock” rules as defined in Rule 3a51-1. A penny stock is generally defined to be any equity security that has a market price less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions. Since our stock is deemed to be a penny stock, trading is subject to additional sales practice requirements of broker-dealers. These require a broker-dealer to:
Deliver to the customer, and obtain a written receipt for, a disclosure document;
Disclose certain price information about the stock;
Disclose the amount of compensation received by the broker-dealer or any associated person of the broker-dealer;
Send monthly statements to customers with market and price information about the penny stock; and
In some circumstances, approve the purchaser’s account under certain standards and deliver written statements to the customer with the information specified in the rules.
Consequently, penny stock rules and FINRA rules may restrict the ability or willingness of broker-dealers to trade and/or maintain a market in our Common Stock. Also, prospective investors may not want to get involved with the additional administrative requirements, which may have a material adverse effect on the trading of our shares.
We are an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act of 2012 and a “smaller reporting company” and, as a result of the reduced disclosure and governance requirements applicable to emerging growth companies and smaller reporting companies, our Common Stock may be less attractive to investors.
We are an “emerging growth company”, as defined in the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We cannot predict if investors will find our Common Stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our Common Stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our Common Stock and our stock price may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We are choosing to take advantage of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards.
We will remain an “emerging growth company” until the earlier of (i) the last day of the year following the fifth anniversary of the date of the completion of our initial public offering, (ii) the last day of the year in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, (iii) the last day of the year in which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act, which would occur if the market value of our Common Stock held by non-affiliates exceeded $700.0 million as of the last business day of the second fiscal quarter of such year, or (iv) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Even after we no longer qualify as an “emerging growth company,” we may still qualify as a “smaller reporting company,” which would allow us to continue to take advantage of many of the same exemptions from disclosure requirements, including, among other things, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, presenting only the two most recent fiscal years of audited financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in this Report and our periodic reports and proxy statements.
Our status as an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act may make it more difficult to raise capital as and when we need it.
Because of the exemptions from various reporting requirements provided to us as an “emerging growth company” and because we will have an extended transition period for complying with new or revised financial accounting standards, we may be less attractive to investors and it may be difficult for us to raise additional capital as and when we need it. Investors may be unable to compare our business with other companies in our industry if they believe that our financial accounting is not as transparent as other companies in our industry. If we are unable to raise additional capital as and when we need it, our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected .
