Asset Retirement Obligations

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2013

6. Asset Retirement Obligations

AROs represent the future abandonment costs of tangible assets, such as wells, service assets and other facilities. The fair value of the ARO at inception is capitalized as part of the carrying amount of the related long-lived assets. AROs approximated $22.6 million and $15.2 million as of June 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, respectively.

The liability has been accreted to its present value as of June 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012. The Company evaluated its wells and determined a range of abandonment dates through 2071.

The following table reflects the changes in the Company’s AROs for the six months ended June 30, 2013 (in thousands):

Asset retirement obligations at January 1, 2013	$	15,245
Liabilities incurred	509
Liabilities assumed in Anadarko Basin Acquisition	6,296
Revisions	—
Liabilities settled	—
Current period accretion expense	567
Asset retirement obligations at June 30, 2013	$	22,617

- Definition

The entire disclosure for an asset retirement obligation and the associated long-lived asset. An asset retirement obligation is a legal obligation associated with the disposal or retirement from service of a tangible long-lived asset that results from the acquisition, construction or development, or the normal operations of a long-lived asset, except for certain obligations of lessees.

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