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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Liquidity and Capital Resources

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The Partnership is generally limited to the amount of funds generated by the cash flow from its operations to fund its obligations and make distributions, if any, to its partners. Prices for oil and natural gas began to decline significantly during the fourth quarter of 2014 and have continued to decline and remain low in 2016. These lower commodity prices have negatively impacted the Partnership’s revenues, earnings and cash flows. Sustained low commodity prices will have a material and adverse effect on the Partnership’s liquidity position. In addition, the Partnership has experienced significant downward revisions of its natural gas and oil reserves volumes and values due to the declines in commodity prices. The MGP continues to implement various cost saving measures to reduce the Partnership’s operating and general and administrative costs, including renegotiating contracts with contractors, suppliers and service providers, reducing the number of staff and contractors and deferring and eliminating discretionary costs. The MGP will continue to be strategic in managing the Partnership’s cost structure and, in turn, liquidity to meet its operating needs. To the extent commodity prices remain low or decline further, or the Partnership experiences other disruptions in the industry, the Partnership’s ability to fund its operations and make distributions may be further impacted, and could result in the MGP’s decision to liquidate the Partnership’s operations.

If, however, the MGP were to decide to liquidate our operations, the liquidation valuation of the Partnership’s assets and liabilities would be determined by an independent expert. It is possible that based on such determination, we would not be able to make any liquidation distributions to our limited partners. A liquidation could result in the transfer of the post-liquidation assets and liabilities of the Partnership to the MGP and would occur without any further contributions from or distributions to the limited partners.

Historically, there has been no need to borrow funds from the MGP to fund operations as the cash flow from the Partnership’s operations have been adequate to fund its obligations and distributions to its partners. However, the recent significant declines in commodity prices have challenged the Partnership’s ability to fund its operations and may make it uneconomical for the Partnership to produce its wells until they are depleted as the Partnership originally intended. Accordingly, the MGP determined that there is substantial doubt about the Partnership’s ability to continue as a going concern. The MGP intends, as necessary, to continue the Partnership’s operations and to fund the Partnership’s obligations for at least the next twelve months. To the extent commodity prices remain low or decline further or ARP is unsuccessful in completing its Restructuring (as defined below) or the Plan (as defined below), the MGP’s ability to continue the Partnership’s operations may be further impacted.

ARP Restructuring and Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Proceedings

On July 25, 2016, ARP and certain of its subsidiaries, including the MGP, and Atlas Energy Group, solely with respect to certain sections thereof, entered into a restructuring support agreement with ARP’s lenders (the “Restructuring Support Agreement”) to support ARP’s restructuring that will reduce debt on its balance sheet (the “Restructuring”) pursuant to a pre-packaged plan of reorganization (the “Plan”).  The Plan will position ARP for the future and is expected to be completed before the end of the third quarter of 2016, after which ARP should emerge from Chapter 11 (as defined below), backed by its stakeholders, committed to investing capital to develop its exploration and production assets, as well as its tax-advantaged drilling partnership program.

 

On July 27, 2016, ARP and certain of its subsidiaries, including the MGP, filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (“Chapter 11”) in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (the “Bankruptcy Court”). The cases commenced thereby are being jointly administered under the caption “In re: ATLAS RESOURCE PARTNERS, L.P., et al.” Interested parties should refer to the information and the limitations and qualifications discussed in the disclosure statement related to the Restructuring which was filed as Exhibit 99.1 to ARP’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 25, 2016.

The MGP intends to continue to operate the Partnership’s businesses as “debtors in possession” under the jurisdiction of the Bankruptcy Court and in accordance with the applicable provisions of Chapter 11 and the orders of the Bankruptcy Court. Under the Plan, it is contemplated that all suppliers, vendors, employees, royalty owners, trade partners and landlords will be unimpaired and will be satisfied in full in the ordinary course of business, and the MGP’s existing trade contracts and terms will be maintained. To assure ordinary course operations, the MGP obtained interim approval from the Bankruptcy Court on a variety of “first day” motions, including motions seeking authority to use cash collateral on a consensual basis, pay wages and benefits for individuals who provide services to the Partnership, and pay vendors, oil and gas obligations and other creditor claims in the ordinary course of business.

The Partnership is not a party to the Restructuring Support Agreement. The ARP Restructuring is not expected to materially impact the MGP or its ability to perform as the managing general partner and operator of the Partnership’s operations. On July 26, 2016, the MGP adopted certain amendments to our partnership agreement, in accordance with the MGP’s ability to amend our partnership agreement to cure an ambiguity in or correct or supplement any provision of our partnership agreement as may be inconsistent with any other provision, to provide that bankruptcy and insolvency events, such as the MGP’s Chapter 11 filing, with respect to the managing general partner will not cause the managing general partner to cease to serve as the managing general partner of the Partnership nor cause the termination of the Partnership.

Atlas Energy Group is not a party to the ARP Restructuring. Atlas Energy Group remains controlled by the same ownership group and management team and thus, the ARP Restructuring is not expected to have a material impact on the ability of Atlas Energy Group management to operate ARP or the other Atlas Energy Group businesses.

 

Use of Estimates

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the Partnership’s condensed financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities that exist at the date of the Partnership’s condensed financial statements, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and costs and expenses during the reporting periods. The Partnership’s condensed financial statements are based on a number of significant estimates, including the revenue and expense accruals, depletion, impairments, fair value of derivative instruments and the probability of forecasted transactions. The natural gas industry principally conducts its business by processing actual transactions many as 60 days after the month of delivery. Consequently, the most recent two months’ financial results were recorded using estimated volumes and contract market prices. Actual results could differ from those estimates.  

Gas and Oil Properties

Gas and Oil Properties

The following is a summary of gas and oil properties at the dates indicated:

 

 

  

June 30,

 

  

December 31,

 

 

  

2016

 

  

2015

 

Proved properties:

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Leasehold interests

  

$

1,684,000

 

  

$

1,684,000

 

Wells and related equipment

  

 

86,777,600

 

  

 

86,777,600

 

Total natural gas and oil properties

  

 

88,461,600

 

  

 

88,461,600

 

Accumulated depletion and impairment

  

  

(86,545,300)

 

  

  

(86,539,800

)

Gas and oil properties, net

  

$

1,916,300

 

  

$

1,921,800

 

 

As a result of the recent significant declines in commodity prices and associated recorded impairment charges, remaining net book value of gas and oil properties on our condensed balance sheets at June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 was primarily related to the estimated salvage value of such properties.  The estimated salvage values were based on the MGP’s historical experience in determining such values.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

In August 2014, the FASB updated the accounting guidance related to the evaluation of whether there is substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. The updated accounting guidance requires an entity’s management to evaluate whether there are conditions or events that raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern within one year from the date the financial statements are issued and provide footnote disclosures, if necessary. The updated guidance is effective as of January 1, 2017 and the Partnership is currently in the process of determining the impact of providing the enhanced disclosures, as applicable, within its condensed financial statements.

In May 2014, the FASB updated the accounting guidance related to revenue recognition. The updated accounting guidance provides a single, contract-based revenue recognition model to help improve financial reporting by providing clearer guidance on when an entity should recognize revenue, and by reducing the number of standards to which an entity has to refer. In July 2015, the FASB voted to defer the effective date by one year to December 15, 2017 for annual reporting periods beginning after that date. The updated accounting guidance provides companies with alternative methods of adoption. The Partnership is currently in the process of determining the impact that the updated accounting guidance will have on its condensed financial statements and its method of adoption.