Commitments And Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2015

Commitments And Contingencies [Abstract]

Commitments And Contingencies

(11) Commitments and Contingencies

The Company as designated operator of the Hoactzin properties was administratively issued an Incident of Non-Compliance by BSEE during the quarter ended September 30, 2012 concerning one of Hoactzins operated properties. This action calls for payment of a civil penalty of $386,000 for failure to provide, upon request, documentation to the BSEE evidencing that certain safety inspections and tests had been conducted in 2011. In the 4th quarter of 2012, the Company filed an administrative appeal with the Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA) of this action in order to attempt to significantly reduce the civil penalty. This appeal required a fully collateralized appeal bond to postpone the payment obligation until the appeal was determined. The Company posted and collateralized this bond with RLI Insurance Company. If the bond was not posted, the appeal would have been administratively denied and the order to the Company as operator to pay the $386,000 penalty would have become final. On June 23, 2014, the IBLA affirmed the civil penalty without reduction. On September 22, 2014, the Company sought judicial review of the June 23, 2014 agency action in the federal district court in the Eastern District of Louisiana at New Orleans. While the civil penalty could ultimately be reduced in the judicial review process, as a result of the determination by the IBLA, the Company recorded a liability of $386,000 in the Companys Consolidated Balance Sheets under Accrued and other current liabilities and an expense in its Consolidated Statements of Operations under Production costs and taxes for the year ended December 31, 2014. In the event any portion of the civil penalty is affirmed, the Company expects to seek reimbursement of such penalty from Hoactzin, pursuant to the terms of the Management Agreement. However, there can be no assurances that the Company would be successful in such a claim.

No funds have been advanced by the Company to pay any obligations of Hoactzin. No borrowing capability of the Company has been used by the Company in connection with its obligations under the Management Agreement, except for those funds used to collateralize the appeal bond with RLI Insurance Company.

During the quarter ended March 31, 2015, the Company initiated cost reduction measures including compensation reductions for each employee as well as members of the Board of Directors. These compensation reductions will remain in place until such time, if any, that the market price of crude oil, calculated as a thirty day trailing average of WTI postings as published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration meets or exceeds $70 per barrel when compensation shall revert to the levels in place before the reductions became effective. At such time, if any, that the market price of crude oil, calculated as a thirty day trailing average of WTI postings as published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration meets or exceeds $85 per barrel, all previous reductions made will be reimbursed to each employee and members of the Board of Directors if he is still employed by the Company or still a member of the Board of Directors. As of March 31, 2015, the reductions were approximately $23,000. The Company has not accrued any liabilities associated with these compensation reductions.