The risks described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are not the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or future results.

Business and Operating Risks

Oil and natural gas prices are volatile. A sustained decrease in the price of oil or natural gas, including price decreases caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, would adversely impact our business, financial condition or results of operations and our ability to meet our capital expenditure obligations and financial commitments.

Our success depends on the market prices of oil and natural gas. These market prices tend to fluctuate significantly in response to factors beyond our control. The prices we receive for our crude oil production are based on global market conditions. The general pace of global economic growth, the continued instability in the Middle East and other oil and natural gas producing regions and actions of OPEC, as well as other economic, political, and environmental factors will continue to affect world supply and prices of oil. Domestic natural gas prices fluctuate significantly in response to numerous factors including U.S. economic conditions, weather patterns, other factors affecting demand such as substitute fuels, the impact of drilling levels on crude oil and natural gas supply, and the environmental and access issues that limit future drilling activities for the industry.

Market prices of oil and natural gas have been adversely affected by the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19, which has also adversely impacted and is expected to continue to adversely impact our operations, the operations of our customers and the global economy, including the worldwide demand for oil and natural gas. A significant majority of states as well as local jurisdictions have imposed, and others in the future may impose, “shelter-in-place” orders, quarantines, executive orders and similar government orders and restrictions for their residents to control the spread of COVID-19. Such orders or restrictions, and the perception that such orders or restrictions could occur, have resulted in business closures, work stoppages, slowdowns and delays, work-from-home policies, travel restrictions and cancellation of events, among other effects. Such effects and restrictions have decreased the demand for oil and natural gas, resulting in a sustained decrease in the market prices of such commodities.

During the period from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2020, average daily prices for NYMEX Henry Hub natural gas ranged from a high of $6.00 per MMBtu to a low of $1.63 per MMBtu and NYMEX WTI oil prices ranged from a high of $107.26 per Bbl to a low of $10.01 per Bbl. The market for these products will likely continue to be volatile in the future. Our revenues, operating results, profitability and future growth are highly dependent on the prices we receive for our production, and the levels of our production depend on numerous factors beyond our control. These factors include the following:

Changes in commodity prices significantly affect our capital resources, liquidity and expected operating results. The extent to which COVID-19 and depressed crude oil prices impacts our business, financial condition, or results of operations will depend on future developments, such as the availability of effective treatments and vaccines, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted.

Lower commodity prices will reduce our cash flows and borrowing ability and may require us to curtail exploration, drilling and production activity. We may be unable to obtain needed capital or financing on satisfactory terms, which could lead to a decline in the present value of our reserves and our ability to develop future reserves. Lower commodity prices may also reduce the amount of oil and natural gas that we can produce economically. We have historically been able to hedge our natural gas production at prices that are higher than current strip prices. However, in the current commodity price environment, our ability to enter into comparable derivative arrangements may be limited. Additionally, declines in prices could result in non-cash charges to earnings due to impairment write downs. Any such write down could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations in the period taken.

Our future revenues are dependent on the ability to successfully complete drilling activity.

Drilling and exploration are the main methods we utilize to replace our reserves. However, drilling and exploration operations may not be successful or may not result in the levels of production or reserves we have estimated. Exploration activities involve numerous risks, including the risk that no commercially productive oil or natural gas reservoirs will be discovered. In addition, the future cost and timing of drilling, completing and producing wells is often uncertain. Furthermore, drilling operations may be curtailed, delayed or canceled as a result of a variety of factors, including:
 

Our decisions to purchase, explore, develop and exploit prospects or properties depend in part on data obtained through geophysical and geological analyses, production data and engineering studies, the results of which are often uncertain.

In addition, while lower oil and natural gas prices may reduce the amount of oil and natural gas that we can produce economically, higher oil and natural gas prices generally increase the demand for drilling rigs, equipment and crews and can lead to shortages of, and increased costs for, such drilling equipment, services and personnel. Such shortages could restrict our ability to drill the wells and conduct the operations that we currently have planned, and increased costs could reduce the profitability of our operations. Any delay in the drilling of new wells or significant increases in drilling costs could adversely affect our ability to increase our reserves and production and reduce our revenues.

Because our operations require significant capital expenditures, we may not have the funds available to replace reserves, maintain production or maintain interests in our properties.

We must make a substantial amount of capital expenditures for the acquisition, exploration and development of oil and natural gas reserves. In recent years, we have paid for these expenditures with cash from operating activities and, to a lesser extent, borrowings under our 2019 Senior Credit Facility (as described below). Our revenues and cash flows are subject to a number of variables, including:

If our revenues or cash flows decrease, we may not have the funds available to replace reserves or maintain production at current levels. If this occurs, our production will decline over time. Other sources of financing may not be available to us to the extent required or on acceptable terms if our cash flows from operations are not sufficient to fund our capital expenditure requirements. If funding is not available as needed, or is available only on more expensive or otherwise unfavorable terms, we may be unable to meet our obligations as they come due or we may be unable to implement our development plan, enhance our existing business, complete acquisitions or otherwise take advantage of business opportunities or respond to competitive pressures, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our production, revenues and results of operations. In addition, where we are not the majority owner or operator of an oil and natural gas property, we may have no control over the timing or amount of capital expenditures associated with the particular property, and expenditures we are required to pay or reimburse may be incurred at times we cannot control. If we cannot fund such capital expenditures, our interests in some properties may be reduced or forfeited.

If we are unable to or do not otherwise replace reserves, we may not be able to sustain production at present levels.

Our future success depends largely upon our ability to find, acquire or develop additional oil and natural gas reserves that are economically recoverable. Unless we replace the reserves we produce through successful development, exploration or acquisition activities, our proved reserves will decline over time. At December 31, 2020, 71% of our total estimated proved reserves by volume were undeveloped. By their nature, estimates of proved undeveloped reserves and timing of their production are less certain particularly because we may choose not to develop such reserves on anticipated schedules in lower oil or natural gas price environments. In addition, recovery of such reserves will require significant capital expenditures and successful drilling operations. The lack of availability of sufficient capital to fund such future operations could materially hinder or delay our replacement of produced reserves. We may not be able to successfully find and produce reserves economically in the future. In addition, we may not be able to acquire proved reserves at acceptable costs.

Our ability to sell natural gas and receive market prices for our natural gas may be adversely affected by pipeline and gathering system capacity constraints and various transportation interruptions.

We operate primarily in (i) Northwest Louisiana and East Texas, which includes the Haynesville Shale Trend and (ii) Southwest Mississippi and Southeast Louisiana, which includes the TMS. A number of companies are currently operating in the Haynesville Shale Trend. If drilling in these areas continues to be successful, the amount of natural gas being produced could exceed the capacity of the various gathering and intrastate or interstate transportation pipelines currently available in this region. If this occurs, it will be necessary for new pipelines and gathering systems to be built. Because of the current economic climate, certain pipeline projects that are planned for Northwest Louisiana and East Texas may not occur or may be substantially delayed for lack of financing. In addition, capital constraints could limit our ability to build intrastate gathering systems necessary to transport our natural gas to interstate pipelines. In such an event, we might have to shut in our wells awaiting a pipeline connection or capacity or sell natural gas production at significantly lower prices than those quoted on NYMEX or that we currently project, which would adversely affect our results of operations.

A portion of our oil and natural gas production in any region may be interrupted, or shut in, from time to time for numerous reasons, including as a result of weather conditions, accidents, loss of pipeline or gathering system access, field labor issues or strikes, or we might voluntarily curtail production in response to market conditions. If a substantial amount of our production is interrupted at the same time, the interruption could temporarily adversely affect our cash flow.

The oil and natural gas exploration and production business involves many uncertainties, economic risks and operating risks that can prevent us from realizing profits and can cause substantial losses.

The nature of the oil and natural gas exploration and production business involves certain operating hazards such as:

Any of these operating hazards could result in substantial losses to us. As a result, substantial liabilities to third parties or governmental entities may be incurred. The payment of these amounts could reduce or eliminate the funds available for exploration, development or acquisitions. These reductions in funds could result in a loss of our properties. Additionally, some of our oil and natural gas operations are located in areas that are subject to weather disturbances such as hurricanes. Some of these disturbances can be severe enough to cause substantial damage to facilities and possibly interrupt production.

Our actual production, revenues and expenditures related to our reserves are likely to differ from our estimates of proved reserves. We may experience production that is less than estimated and drilling costs that are greater than estimated in our reserve report. These differences may be material.

The proved oil and natural gas reserve information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are estimates. These estimates are based on reports prepared by NSAI and RSC, our independent reserve engineers, and were calculated using the unweighted average of first-day-of-the-month oil and natural gas prices in 2020. The prices we receive for our production may be lower than those upon which our reserve estimates are based. Reservoir engineering is a subjective process of estimating underground accumulations of oil and natural gas that cannot be measured in an exact manner. Estimates of economically recoverable oil and natural gas reserves and of future net cash flows necessarily depend upon a number of variable factors and assumptions, including:

Because all reserve estimates are to some degree subjective, each of the following items may differ materially from those assumed in estimating proved reserves:

Furthermore, different reserve engineers may make different estimates of reserves and cash flows based on the same available data. Our actual production, revenues and expenditures with respect to reserves will likely be different from estimates and the differences may be material. The discounted future net cash flows included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K should not be considered as the current market value of the estimated oil and natural gas reserves attributable to our properties. As required by the SEC, the standardized measure of discounted future net cash flows from proved reserves are generally based on 12-month average prices and costs as of the date of the estimate, while actual future prices and costs may be materially higher or lower. Actual future net cash flows also will be affected by factors such as:

In addition, the 10% discount factor, which is required by the SEC to be used to calculate discounted future net cash flows for reporting purposes, and which we use in calculating our PV-10, may not necessarily 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.

Due to the nature of the industry, we sell our oil and natural gas production to a limited number of purchasers and, accordingly, amounts receivable from such purchasers could be significant. The loss of, or material nonpayment or nonperformance by, any one or more of these customers could materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Due to the nature of the industry, we sell our oil and natural gas production to a limited number of purchasers and, accordingly, amounts receivable from such purchasers could be significant. Revenues from the largest of these purchasers as a percent of oil and natural gas revenues for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 were 41% and 39%, respectively. Some of our customers may have material financial and liquidity issues or may, as a result of operational incidents or other events, be disproportionately affected as compared to larger, better-capitalized companies. Any material nonpayment or nonperformance by any of our key customers could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We expect our exposure to concentrated risk of non-payment or non-performance to continue as long as we remain substantially dependent on a relatively small number of customers for a substantial portion of our revenue.

A majority of our production, revenue and cash flow from operating activities are derived from assets that are concentrated in a single geographic area, making us vulnerable to risks associated with operating in one geographic area.

Essentially all of our estimated proved reserves at December 31, 2020 were associated with our Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi properties which include the Haynesville Shale Trend and, to a lesser extent, the TMS. Accordingly, if the level of production from these properties substantially declines or is otherwise subject to a disruption in our operations resulting from operational problems, government intervention (including potential regulation or limitation of the use of high pressure fracture stimulation techniques in these formations) or natural disasters, it could have a material adverse effect on our overall production level and our revenue.

Competition in the oil and natural gas industry is intense, and we are smaller and have more limited operating resources than some of our competitors.

We compete with major and independent oil and natural gas companies for property acquisitions. We also compete for the equipment and labor required to operate and to develop these properties. Some of our competitors have substantially greater financial and other resources than us. In addition, larger competitors may be able to absorb the burden of any changes in federal, state and local laws and regulations more easily than we can, which would adversely affect our competitive position. These competitors may be able to pay more for oil and natural gas properties and may be able to define, evaluate, bid for and acquire a greater number of properties than we can. Our ability to acquire additional properties and develop new and existing properties in the future will depend on our ability to conduct operations, to evaluate and select suitable properties and to consummate transactions in this highly competitive environment.

Our business could be adversely affected by security threats, including cybersecurity threats.

As a producer of crude oil and natural gas, we face various security threats, including cybersecurity threats to gain unauthorized access to our sensitive information or to render our information or systems unusable, and threats to the security of our facilities and infrastructure or third-party facilities and infrastructure. The potential for such security threats subjects our operations to increased risks that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, unauthorized access to our reserves information or other proprietary information could lead to data corruption, communication interruptions, or other disruptions to our operations.

Our implementation of various procedures and controls to monitor and mitigate such security threats and to increase security for our information, systems, facilities and infrastructure may result in increased capital and operating costs. Moreover, there can be no assurance that such procedures and controls will be sufficient to prevent security breaches from occurring. If any of these security breaches were to occur, they could lead to losses of, or damage to, sensitive information or facilities, infrastructure and systems essential to our business and operations, as well as data corruption, communication interruptions or other disruptions to our operations, which, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations.

We could experience periods of higher costs if commodity prices rise. These increases could reduce our profitability, cash flows and ability to complete development activities as planned.

Historically, our capital and operating costs have risen during periods of increasing oil and natural gas prices. These cost increases result from a variety of factors beyond our control, such as increases in the cost of electricity, steel and other raw materials that we and our vendors rely upon; increased demand for labor, services and materials as drilling activity increases; and increased taxes. Decreased levels of drilling activity in the oil and natural gas industry in recent periods have led to declining costs of some drilling equipment, materials and supplies. However, such costs may rise faster than increases in our revenue if commodity prices rise, thereby negatively impacting our profitability, cash flows and ability to complete development activities as scheduled and on budget. This impact may be magnified to the extent that our ability to participate in the commodity price increases is limited by our derivative activities.

We have limited control over the activities on properties we do not operate.

Other companies operate some of the properties in which we have an interest. For example, Chesapeake operates certain of our properties in the Haynesville Shale Trend. As of December 31, 2020, approximately 11% of our reserves and approximately 13% of our sales volumes were attributable to non-operated properties. We have less ability to influence or control the operation or future development of these non-operated properties or the amount of capital expenditures that we are required to fund with respect to them versus those fields in which we are the operator. Although we have the ability to propose operations to the operator, our dependence on the operator and other working interest owners for these projects, and our reduced influence or ability to control the operation and future development of these properties, could materially adversely affect the realization of our targeted returns on capital and lead to unexpected future costs.

Events of force majeure may limit our ability to operate our business and could adversely affect our operating results.

The weather, unforeseen events, or other events of force majeure in the areas in which we operate could cause disruptions and, in some cases, suspension of our operations. This suspension could result from a direct impact to our properties or result from an indirect impact by a disruption or suspension of the operations of those upon whom we rely for gathering and transportation. If disruption or suspension were to persist for a long period, our results of operations would be materially impacted.

We may be unable to identify liabilities associated with the properties that we acquire or obtain protection from sellers against them.

The acquisition of properties requires us to assess a number of factors, 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 reveal all existing or potential problems. In the course of our due diligence, we may not inspect every well, facility or pipeline. We cannot necessarily observe structural and environmental problems, such as pipeline corrosion or subsurface groundwater contamination, when an inspection is made. We may not be able to obtain contractual indemnities from the seller for liabilities relating to the acquired assets and indemnities are unlikely to cover liabilities relating to the time periods after closing. We may be required to assume any risk relating to the physical condition of the properties in addition to the risk that the properties may not perform in accordance with our expectations. The incurrence of an unexpected liability could have a material adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations.

The ability to attract and retain key personnel is critical to the success of our business.

The success of our business depends on key personnel. The ability to attract and retain these key personnel may be difficult in light of the uncertainties currently facing the business and changes we may make to the organizational structure to adjust to changing circumstances. We may need to enter into retention or other arrangements that could be costly to maintain. If executives, managers or other key personnel resign, retire or are terminated, or their service is otherwise interrupted, we may not be able to replace them in a timely manner and we could experience significant declines in productivity and business operations could be adversely affected.

Financial Risks

We have incurred losses from operations and may continue to do so in the future.

We had an operating loss of $41.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 inclusive of a $36.1 million impairment of oil and natural gas properties and an operating income of $11.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. We had accumulated deficit of $41.4 million as of December 31, 2020. Our development of drilling locations has required and will continue to require substantial capital expenditures. The uncertainty and risks described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K may impede our ability to economically acquire and develop oil and natural gas reserves. As a result, we may not be able to sustain profitability or positive cash flows provided by operating activities in the future.

We may be unable to maintain compliance with the financial maintenance or other covenants in the 2019 Senior Credit Facility and 2023 Second Lien Notes, which could result in an event of default that, if not cured or waived, would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our 2023 Second Lien Notes (as defined below) and our 2019 Senior Credit Facility (as defined below), contain various affirmative and negative covenants with which we must comply. For example, under the 2019 Senior Credit Facility, we are required to maintain certain financial covenants including the maintenance of (i) a ratio of Net Funded Debt (as defined in the 2019 Senior Credit Facility) to EBITDAX not to exceed 3.50 to 1.00 as of the last day of any fiscal quarter and (ii) a current ratio (based on the ratio of current assets plus availability under the current borrowing base to current liabilities) not to be less than 1.00 to 1.00 and (iii) until no 2023 Second Lien Notes remain outstanding, a ratio of Total Proved PV-10 attributable to the Company's and Subsidiary's Proved Reserves (as defined in the 2019 Senior Credit Facility) to Total Secured Debt (net of any Unrestricted Cash not to exceed $10.0 million) not to be less than 1.50 to 1.00.

The 2019 Senior Credit Facility also contains certain covenants which, among other things, and subject to certain exceptions, restrict the Company’s and certain of its subsidiaries’ ability to incur additional debt or liens, pay dividends, repurchase equity interests, prepay other indebtedness, sell, transfer, lease or dispose of assets, and make investments in or merge with another company.

If the Company were to violate any of the covenants under the 2019 Senior Credit Facility and were unable to obtain a waiver, it would be considered a default after the expiration of any applicable grace period. If the Company were in default under the 2019 Senior Credit Facility, then we would no longer be permitted to borrow under that facility and the lenders thereunder may exercise remedies in accordance with the terms thereof, including declaring all outstanding borrowings immediately due and payable. This could adversely affect our operations and our ability to satisfy our obligations as they come due.

Customer credit risks could result in losses.

Our exposure to non-payment or non-performance by our customers and counterparties presents a credit risk. Generally, non-payment or non-performance results from a customer’s or counterparty’s inability to satisfy obligations. We monitor the creditworthiness of our customers and counterparties and establish credit limits according to our credit policies and guidelines, but cannot assure that any losses will be consistent with our expectations. Furthermore, the concentration of our customers in the energy industry may impact our overall exposure to credit risk as customers may be similarly affected by prolonged changes in economic and industry conditions. The revenues compared to our total oil and natural gas revenues from the top purchasers for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 are as follows:

Our use of oil and natural gas price hedging contracts may limit future revenues from price increases and result in significant fluctuations in our net income.

We have historically used hedging transactions with respect to a portion of our oil and natural gas production in an effort to achieve more predictable cash flow and to reduce our exposure to price fluctuations. While the use of hedging transactions limits the downside risk of price declines, their use may also limit future revenues from price increases. We had positive net cash settlements of $15.2 million during 2020 and positive net cash settlements of $9.6 million during 2019.

We account for our oil and natural gas derivatives using fair value accounting standards. Each derivative is recorded on the balance sheet as an asset or liability at its fair value. Additionally, changes in a derivative’s fair value are recognized currently in earnings unless specific hedge accounting criteria are met at the time the derivative contract is executed. We have elected not to apply hedge accounting treatment to our swap and call derivative contracts and, as such, all changes in the fair value of these instruments are recognized in earnings. Our fixed price physical contracts qualify for the normal purchase and normal sale exception. Contracts that qualify for this treatment do not require mark-to-market accounting treatment.

In the future, we will continue to be exposed to volatility in earnings resulting from changes in the fair value of our derivative instruments. See Note 9—Derivative Activities in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in “Item 8—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The exercise of all or any number of outstanding warrants or the issuance of share-based awards may dilute your holding of shares of our common stock.

As of March 9, 2021, we have outstanding (i) 910,790 warrants exercisable into approximately 1.3 million shares of the Company's common stock at an exercise price of $15.52 per share, (ii) 2023 Second Lien Notes convertible into approximately 1.4 million shares of the Company's common stock at an exercise price of $21.33, and (iii) approximately 305,442 restricted stock awards at target, collectively representing in total approximately 19% of our shares on a fully diluted basis. The exercise of equity awards, including any stock options that we may grant in the future, and warrants and the sale of shares of our common stock underlying any such options or the warrants, could have an adverse effect on the market for our common stock, including the price that an investor could obtain for their shares. Investors may experience dilution in the net tangible book value of their investment upon the exercise of the warrants and any stock options that may be granted or issued pursuant to the warrants in the future.

There may be future sales or other dilution of our equity, which may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

We are not restricted from issuing additional common stock, including securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent a right to receive, common stock. Any issuance of additional shares of our common stock or convertible securities, including outstanding options, will dilute the ownership interest of our common stockholders. In addition, a significant amount of our common stock is owned by a limited number of holders, many of which received the shares that they own when we emerged from bankruptcy or in financing transactions following such emergence. We have filed registration statements under which many of these holders may sell shares of our common stock. Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock or other equity-related securities in the public market could depress the market price of our common stock and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We cannot predict the effect that future sales of our common stock or other equity-related securities would have on the market price of our common stock.

Derivatives legislation could have an adverse effect on our ability to use derivative instruments to reduce the effect of commodity prices, interest rates and other risks associated with our business.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), among other things, establishes federal oversight and regulation of the over-the-counter derivatives market and entities, such as us, that participate in that market. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) has finalized certain of its regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act, but others remain to be finalized or implemented. It is not possible at this time to predict when this will be accomplished or what the terms of the final rules will be, so the impact of those rules is uncertain at this time.

The CFTC has designated certain types of swaps (thus far, only certain interest rate swaps and credit default swaps) for mandatory clearing and exchange trading, and may designate other types of swaps for mandatory clearing and exchange trading in the future. To the extent we engage in such transactions or transactions that become subject to such rules in the future, we will be required to comply or to take steps to qualify for an exemption to such requirements. Although we are availing ourselves of the end-user exception to the mandatory clearing and exchange trading requirements for swaps designed to hedge our commercial risks, the application of the mandatory clearing and trade execution requirements to other market participants, such as swap dealers, may change the cost and availability of the swaps that we use for hedging. If any of our swaps do not qualify for the commercial end-user exception, or if the cost of entering into uncleared swaps becomes prohibitive, we may be required to clear such transactions or execute them on a derivatives contract market or swap executive facility.

In addition, certain banking regulators and the CFTC have adopted final rules establishing minimum margin requirements for uncleared swaps. Although we expect to qualify for the end-user exception from margin requirements for swaps to other market participants, such as swap dealers, these rules may change the cost and availability of the swaps we use for hedging. If any of our swaps do not qualify for the commercial end-user exception, we could be required to post initial or variation margin, which would impact liquidity and reduce our cash. This would in turn reduce our ability to execute hedges to reduce risk and protect cash flows.

The Dodd-Frank Act and any new regulations could significantly increase the cost of derivative contracts, materially alter the terms of derivative contracts, reduce the availability of derivatives to protect against risks we encounter and reduce our ability to monetize or restructure our existing commodity price contracts. If we reduce our use of commodity price contracts as a result of the legislation and regulations, our results of operations may become more volatile and our cash flows may be less predictable, which could adversely affect our ability to plan for and fund capital expenditures and make cash distributions to our unitholders. Further, to the extent our revenues are unhedged, they could be adversely affected if a consequence of the Dodd-Frank Act and implementing regulations is to lower commodity prices.

We may incur substantial impairment writedowns.

If management’s estimates of the recoverable proved reserves on a property are revised downward or if oil and natural gas prices decline, we may be required to record non-cash impairment writedowns, which would result in a negative impact to our earnings and financial position. We account for our oil and natural gas properties under the Full Cost Method of Accounting (the “Full Cost Method”). The Full Cost Method requires a ceiling test be performed each quarter to determine whether an impairment exists. The reserve value basis used in the ceiling test is the SEC calculated reserves. The SEC value of reserves utilizes a look back at the last twelve month commodity prices. We recorded a $36.1 million impairment for the year ended December 31, 2020, while we had no impairment for the year ended December 31, 2019.

We do not currently pay a dividend.

We do not currently pay cash dividends or other distributions with respect to our common stock. In addition, restrictive covenants in certain debt instruments to which we are, or may be, a party, may limit our ability to pay dividends or for us to receive dividends from our operating companies, any of which may negatively impact the trading price of our common stock.

There is a limited trading market for our securities and the market price of our securities is subject to volatility.

Our common stock is listed on the NYSE American. The market price of our common stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to, and the level of trading that develops with our common stock may be affected by, numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control. These factors include, among other things, our limited trading volume, the concentration of holdings of our common stock, actual or anticipated variations in our operating results and cash flow, the nature and content of our earnings releases, announcements or events that impact our products, customers, competitors or markets, business conditions in our markets and the general state of the securities markets and the market for energy-related stocks, as well as general economic and market conditions and other factors that may affect our future results, including those described in this Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. No assurance can be given that an active market will develop for the common stock or as to the liquidity of the trading market for the common stock. Due to the concentration of holdings of our common stock, holders of our common stock may experience difficulty in reselling, or an inability to sell, their shares. In addition, if an active trading market does not develop or is not maintained, significant sales of our common stock, or the expectation of these sales, could materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock. 

The ownership position of our larger stockholders may limit other stockholders’ ability to influence corporate matters and could affect the price of our common stock.

As of February 28, 2021, our largest three stockholders collectively beneficially own approximately 42% of our outstanding common stock. As a result, these stockholders will be able to exercise significant influence over matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors, changes to our organizational documents and significant corporate transactions. This concentration of ownership makes it unlikely that any other holder or group of holders of our common stock will be able to affect the way we are managed or the direction of our business. The interests of these stockholders 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. Moreover, the concentration of stock ownership may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock as a result of lower public float or if investors perceive a disadvantage in owning stock of a company with a significant concentration of ownership.

Legal or Regulatory Risks

We cannot be certain that the insurance coverage maintained by us will be adequate to cover all losses that may be sustained in connection with all oil and natural gas activities.

We maintain general and excess liability policies, which we consider to be reasonable and consistent with industry standards. These policies generally cover:

As is common in the oil and natural gas industry, we will not insure fully against all risks associated with our business either because such insurance is not available or because we believe the premium costs are prohibitive. A loss not fully covered by insurance could have a material adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations. There can be no assurance that the insurance coverage that we maintain will be sufficient to cover every claim made against us in the future. A loss in connection with our oil and natural gas properties could have a material adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations to the extent that the insurance coverage provided under our policies cover only a portion of any such loss.

Our operations are subject to governmental risks that may impact our operations.

Our operations have been, and at times in the future may be, affected by political developments and are subject to complex federal, state, local and other laws and regulations such as restrictions on production, permitting and changes in taxes, deductions, royalties and other amounts payable to governments or governmental agencies or price gathering-rate controls. In order to conduct our operations in compliance with these laws and regulations, we must obtain and maintain numerous permits, approvals and certificates from various federal, state, and local governmental authorities. We may incur substantial costs in order to maintain compliance with these existing laws and regulations. In addition, our costs of compliance may increase if existing laws, including tax laws, and regulations are revised or reinterpreted, or if new laws and regulations become applicable to our operations.

Our operations are subject to environmental and occupational health and safety laws and regulations that may expose us to significant costs and liabilities.

Our oil and natural gas exploration and production operations are subject to stringent and complex federal, regional, state and local laws and regulations governing the discharge of materials into the environment, worker health and safety aspects of our operations, or otherwise relating to the protection of the environment and natural resources. These laws and regulations may impose numerous obligations applicable to our operations including the acquisition of permits, including drilling permits, before conducting regulated activities; plugging and abandonment and site reclamation requirements; the restriction of types, quantities and concentration of materials that can be released into the environment; limiting or prohibiting drilling activities on certain lands lying within wilderness, wetlands and other protected areas; the application of specific health and safety criteria addressing worker protection; and the imposition of substantial liabilities for pollution resulting from our operations. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in the assessment of sanctions, including administrative, civil or criminal penalties, the imposition of investigatory or remedial obligations, and the issuance of orders limiting or prohibiting some or all of our operations.

There is inherent risk of incurring significant environmental costs and liabilities in the performance of our operations as a result of our handling of petroleum hydrocarbons and wastes, because of air emissions and wastewater discharges related to our operations, and as a result of historical industry operations and waste disposal practices. Under certain environmental laws and regulations, we could be subject to strict, joint and several liabilities for the removal or remediation of previously released materials or property contamination. Failure to comply with environmental laws and regulations may result in the assessment of civil and criminal fines and penalties, the revocation of permits or the issuance of injunctions restricting or prohibiting our operations in certain areas. Moreover, private parties, including the owners of properties upon which our wells are drilled and facilities where our petroleum hydrocarbons or wastes are taken for reclamation or disposal, also may have the right to pursue legal actions to enforce compliance as well as to seek damages for non-compliance with environmental laws and regulations or for personal injury or property or natural resource damages. Changes in environmental laws and regulations occur frequently and the clear trend has been to place increasingly stringent limitations on activities that may affect the environment. Any changes in legal requirements related to the protection of the environment could result in more stringent or costly well drilling, construction, completion or water management activities, or waste control, handling, storage, transport, disposal or cleanup requirements. Such changes could also require us to make significant expenditures to attain and maintain compliance, and also have the potential to reduce demand for the oil and gas we produce and may otherwise have a material adverse effect on our own results of operations, competitive position or financial condition. We may not be able to recover some or any of these costs from insurance.

Federal, state and local legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to hydraulic fracturing as well as government reviews of such activity could result in increased costs and additional operating restrictions or delays in the completion of oil and natural gas wells and adversely affect our production.

Hydraulic fracturing is an important and common practice that is used to stimulate production of natural gas and/or oil from dense subsurface rock formations. Hydraulic fracturing involves the injection of water, sand or alternative proppant and chemicals under pressure into target geological formations to fracture the surrounding rock and stimulate production. We regularly use hydraulic fracturing as part of our operations. Over the years, there has been increased public concern regarding an alleged potential for hydraulic fracturing to adversely affect drinking water supplies, and proposals have been made to enact separate federal, state and local legislation that would increase the regulatory burden imposed on hydraulic fracturing. For example, the EPA has issued guidance under the SDWA for hydraulic fracturing activities involving the use of diesel fuel and finalized rules in June 2016 that prohibit the discharge of wastewater from hydraulic fracturing operations to publicly owned wastewater treatment plants.

In December 2016, the EPA released its final report on the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. The final report concluded that “water cycle” activities associated with hydraulic fracturing may impact drinking water resources under certain limited circumstances. The EPA has not proposed to take any action in response to the report’s findings. Additionally, the Biden Administration has issued orders temporarily suspending the issuance of certain authorizations, and suspending the issuance of new leases, for oil and gas activities on federal lands, though these orders do not impact existing operations on valid leases.

Congress has from time to time considered legislation to provide for federal regulation of hydraulic fracturing under the SDWA and to require disclosure of the chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process, and such legislation may be considered again in the future. At the state level, some states where we operate, including Louisiana and Texas, have adopted, and other states are considering adopting, legal requirements that could impose more stringent permitting, public disclosure or well construction requirements on hydraulic fracturing activities. There has also been increased public scrutiny of seismic events in areas where hydraulic fracturing of wastewater disposal activities occur. Moreover, some states and local governments have enacted laws or regulations limiting hydraulic fracturing within their borders or prohibiting the activity altogether. In the event that new or more stringent federal, state, or local legal restrictions relating to the hydraulic fracturing process are adopted in areas where we operate, we could incur potentially significant added costs to comply with such requirements, experience delays or curtailment in the pursuit of exploration, development, or production activities, and perhaps even be precluded from drilling wells.

Our operations are subject to a series of risks arising out of the threat of climate change that could result in increased operating costs, limit the areas in which oil and natural gas production may occur, and reduce demand for our products.

The threat of climate change continues to attract considerable attention in the United States and in foreign countries. Numerous proposals have been made and could continue to be made at the international, national, regional and state levels of government to monitor and limit existing emissions of GHGs as well as to restrict or eliminate such future emissions. As a result, our operations as well as the operations of our oil and natural gas exploration and production customers 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, 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 Department of Transportation, implement 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, on January 20, 2021, President Biden signed an executive order calling for the suspension, revision, or rescission of the September 2020 rule, and the reinstatement or issuance of methane emissions standards for new, modified, and existing oil and gas facilities. Additionally, various states and groups of states have adopted or are considering adopting legislation, regulations 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 every five years after 2020. Although the United States withdrew from the Paris Agreement on November 4, 2020, President Biden has signed executive orders recommitting the United States to the agreement and calling for the federal government to begin formulating the United States’ nationally determined emissions reduction goals under the agreement. However, the impacts of these orders and the terms of any legislation or regulation to implement the United States’ commitment under the Paris Agreement remain unclear at this time.

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 climate change related pledges made by certain candidates now in political office. On January 27, 2021, President Biden issued an executive order that commits to substantial action on climate change, calling for, among other things, the increased use of zero-emissions vehicles by the federal government, the elimination of subsidies provided to the fossil fuel industry, and increased emphasis on climate-related risk across agencies and economic sectors. 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 cities and other local governments have sought to bring suit against the largest 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 failed to adequately disclose those impacts to their investors or customers.

There are also increasing financial risks for fossil fuel producers as shareholders currently invested in fossil fuel energy companies may elect in the future to shift some or all of their investments into non-energy 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. 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. Recently, the Federal Reserve announced it had joined the Network for Greening the Financial System, a consortium of financial regulators focused on addressing climate-related risks in the financial sector. Limitation of investments in and financings for fossil fuel energy companies could result in the restriction, delay or cancellation of drilling programs or development or production activities.

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 GHG emissions could result in increased costs of compliance or costs of consuming, and thereby reduce demand for, oil and natural gas. Additionally, political, litigation and financial risks may result in us restricting or cancelling production activities, incurring liability for infrastructure damages as a result of climatic changes, or having an impaired ability to continue to operate in an economic manner. One or more of these developments could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.

Finally, it should be noted that many scientists have concluded that increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere may produce climate changes that have significant physical effects, such as increased frequency and severity of storms, droughts and floods and other extreme weather events. Such weather events could disrupt our operations or result in damages to our assets and have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. 

Certain provisions of our Charter and our Bylaws may make it difficult for stockholders to change the composition of our Board and may discourage, delay or prevent a merger or acquisition that some stockholders may consider beneficial.

Certain provisions of our Third Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (“Charter”) and our Second Amended and Restated Bylaws (“Bylaws”) may have the effect of delaying or preventing changes in control if our board of directors (“Board”) determines that such changes in control are not in the best interests of the Company and our stockholders. The provisions in our Charter and Bylaws include, among other things, those that:

While these provisions have the effect of encouraging persons seeking to acquire control of the Company to negotiate with our Board, they could enable the Board to hinder or frustrate a transaction that some, or a majority, of the stockholders may believe to be in their best interests and, in that case, may prevent or discourage attempts to remove and replace incumbent directors. These provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our Board, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management.