Oil and Natural Gas Properties

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2021

Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Industries Disclosures [Abstract]

Oil and Natural Gas Properties

Oil and Natural Gas Properties

The Company follows the successful efforts method of accounting for its oil and natural gas properties. Under this method, costs to acquire oil and natural gas properties, drill and equip exploratory wells that find proved reserves, and drill and equip development wells are capitalized. Exploration costs, including unsuccessful exploratory wells and geological and geophysical costs, are charged to operations as incurred. Upon sale or retirement of oil and natural gas properties, the costs and related accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization are eliminated from the accounts and the resulting gain or loss is recognized.

Costs incurred to maintain wells and related equipment, lease and well operating costs, and other exploration costs are charged to expense as incurred. Gains and losses arising from the sale of properties are included in operating income in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

The Company’s lease acquisition costs and development costs of proved oil and natural gas properties are amortized using the units-of-production method, at the field level, based on total proved reserves and proved developed reserves, respectively. Depletion expense for oil and natural gas producing property and related equipment was $105.7 million, $95.9 million and $68.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Proved Oil and Natural Gas Properties

Proved oil and natural gas properties are reviewed for impairment on a nonrecurring basis. The impairment charge reduces the carrying values to their estimated fair values. These fair value measurements are classified as Level 3 measurements and include many unobservable inputs. Fair value is calculated as the estimated discounted future net cash flows attributable to the assets. The Company’s primary assumptions in preparing the estimated discounted future net cash flows to be recovered from oil and natural gas properties are based on (i) proved reserves, (ii) forward commodity prices and assumptions as to costs and expenses, and (iii) the estimated discount rate that would be used by potential purchasers to determine the fair value of the assets.

Unproved Oil and Natural Gas Properties

Unproved properties consist of costs incurred to acquire undeveloped leases as well as the cost to acquire unproved reserves. Undeveloped lease costs and unproved reserve acquisition costs are capitalized. Unproved oil and natural gas leases are generally for a primary term of three to five years. In most cases, the term of the unproved leases can be extended by paying delay rentals, meeting contractual drilling obligations, or by the presence of producing wells on the leases. Unproved costs related to successful exploratory drilling are reclassified to proved properties and depleted on a units-of-production basis.

The Company reviews its unproved properties periodically for impairment. In determining whether an unproved property is impaired, the Company considers numerous factors including, but not limited to, current exploration and development plans, favorable or unfavorable exploration activity on the property being evaluated and/or adjacent properties, the Company’s geologists’ evaluation of the property, and the remaining months in the lease term for the property.

Impairments to Oil and Natural Gas Properties

The Company recorded no non-cash asset impairment charges for the year ended December 31, 2021.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, primarily as a result of the decline in crude oil price futures, the Company recorded non-cash impairment charges of $25.3 million to its proved oil and natural gas properties and $13.2 million to its unproved oil and natural gas properties, located in the Eagle Ford Trend. As a result of certain acreage expirations, the Company recorded

non-cash impairment charges of $8.4 million to its unproved oil and natural gas properties during the year ended December 31, 2020.

The Company recorded no non-cash asset impairment charges for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Accumulated impairments to proved and unproved oil and natural gas properties as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 were $168.0 million and $168.0 million, respectively.