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Note 13 - Long-term Debt

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

NOTE 13—LONG-TERM DEBT:

	*September 30,*		*December 31,*
	*2020*		*2019*
Debt:
Term Loan B due in September 2024 (Principal of $270,875 and $272,938 less Unamortized Discount of $1,000 and $1,187, 4.65% and 6.30% Weighted Average Interest Rate, respectively)	$	269,875	$	271,751
11.00% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes due November 2025		176,452		221,628
MEDCO Revenue Bonds in Series due September 2025 at 5.75%		102,865		102,865
Term Loan A due in March 2023 (5.50% and 5.55% Weighted Average Interest Rate, respectively)		72,500		88,750
Other Asset-Backed Financing Arrangements		21,885		9,289
Advance Royalty Commitments (10.78% Weighted Average Interest Rate)		1,895		1,895
Less: Unamortized Debt Issuance Costs		10,759		10,323
		634,713		685,855
Less: Amounts Due in One Year*		47,693		32,053
Long-Term Debt	$	587,020	$	653,802

* Excludes current portion of Finance Lease Obligations of $21,261 and $18,219 at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively.

In November 2017, CONSOL Energy entered into a revolving credit facility with commitments up to $300 million (the “Revolving Credit Facility”), a Term Loan A Facility of up to $100 million (the “TLA Facility”) and a Term Loan B Facility of up to $400 million (the “TLB Facility”, and together with the Revolving Credit Facility and the TLA Facility, the “Senior Secured Credit Facilities”). On March 28, 2019, the Company amended the Senior Secured Credit Facilities to increase the borrowing commitment of the Revolving Credit Facility to $400 million and reallocate the principal amounts outstanding under the TLA Facility and TLB Facility. On June 5, 2020, the Company amended the Senior Secured Credit Facilities (the “amendment”) to provide eight quarters of financial covenant relaxation, effect an increase in the rate at which borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility and the TLA Facility bear interest, and add an anti-cash hoarding provision. Borrowings under the Company's Senior Secured Credit Facilities bear interest at a floating rate which can be, at the Company's option, either (i) LIBOR plus an applicable margin or (ii) an alternate base rate plus an applicable margin. The applicable margin for the Revolving Credit Facility and TLA Facility depends on the total net leverage ratio, whereas the applicable margin for the TLB Facility is fixed. The amendment increased the applicable margin by 50 basis points on both the Revolving Credit Facility and the TLA Facility. The maturity date of the Revolving Credit and TLA Facilities is March 28, 2023. The TLB Facility's maturity date is September 28, 2024. Obligations under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities (Term Loan B and Term Loan A, together with the Revolving Credit Facility, on which there were no outstanding borrowings at September 30, 2020) are guaranteed by (i) all owners of the 75% undivided economic interest in the PAMC held by the Company, (ii) any other members of the Company’s group that own any portion of the collateral securing the Revolving Credit Facility, and (iii) subject to certain customary exceptions and agreed materiality thresholds, all other existing or future direct or indirect wholly-owned restricted subsidiaries of the Company (excluding the Partnership and its wholly-owned subsidiaries). The obligations are secured by, subject to certain exceptions (including a limitation of pledges of equity interests in certain subsidiaries and certain thresholds with respect to real property), a first-priority lien on (i) the Company’s 75% undivided economic interest in the PAMC, (ii) the limited partner units of the Partnership held by the Company, (iii) the equity interests in CONSOL Coal Resources GP LLC held by the Company (iv) the CONSOL Marine Terminal and (v) the 1.5 billion tons of Greenfield Reserves.

The Senior Secured Credit Facilities contain a number of customary affirmative covenants. In addition, the Senior Secured Credit Facilities contain a number of negative covenants, including (subject to certain exceptions) limitations on (among other things): indebtedness, liens, investments, acquisitions, dispositions, restricted payments, and prepayments of junior indebtedness. The amendment added additional conditions to be met for the covenants relating to investments in joint ventures, general investments, share repurchases, dividends, and repurchases of Second Lien Notes. The additional conditions require no outstanding borrowings and no more than $200 million of outstanding letters of credit on the Revolving Credit Facility. Further restrictions apply to investments in joint ventures, share repurchases and dividends that require the total net leverage ratio shall not be greater than 2.00 to 1.00.

The Revolving Credit Facility and TLA Facility also include covenants relating to (i) a maximum first lien gross leverage ratio, (ii) a maximum total net leverage ratio, and (iii) a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio. The maximum first lien gross leverage ratio is calculated as the ratio of Consolidated First Lien Debt to Consolidated EBITDA, excluding the Partnership. Consolidated EBITDA, as used in the covenant calculation, excludes non-cash compensation expenses, non-recurring transaction expenses, extraordinary gains and losses, gains and losses on discontinued operations, non-cash charges related to legacy employee liabilities and gains and losses on debt extinguishment, and includes cash distributions received from the Partnership and subtracts cash payments related to legacy employee liabilities. The maximum total net leverage ratio is calculated as the ratio of Consolidated Indebtedness, minus Cash on Hand, to Consolidated EBITDA, excluding the Partnership. The minimum fixed charge coverage ratio is calculated as the ratio of Consolidated EBITDA to Consolidated Fixed Charges, excluding the Partnership. Consolidated Fixed Charges, as used in the covenant calculation, include cash interest payments, cash payments for income taxes, scheduled debt repayments, dividends paid, and Maintenance Capital Expenditures. The amendment revised the financial covenants applicable to the Revolving Credit Facility and TLA Facility relating to the maximum first lien gross leverage ratio, maximum total net leverage ratio and minimum fixed charge coverage ratio, so that for the fiscal quarters ending June 30, 2020 through March 31, 2021, the maximum first lien gross leverage ratio shall be 2.50 to 1.00, the maximum total net leverage ratio shall be 3.75 to 1.00, and the minimum fixed charge coverage ratio shall be 1.00 to 1.00; for the fiscal quarters ending June 30, 2021 through September 30, 2021, the maximum first lien gross leverage ratio shall be 2.25 to 1.00 and the maximum total net leverage ratio shall be 3.50 to 1.00; for the fiscal quarters ending June 30, 2021 through March 31, 2022, the minimum fixed charge coverage ratio shall be 1.05 to 1.00; for the fiscal quarters ending December 31, 2021 through March 31, 2022, the maximum first lien gross leverage ratio shall be 2.00 to 1.00 and the maximum total net leverage ratio shall be 3.25 to 1.00; and for the fiscal quarters ending on or after June 30, 2022, the maximum first lien gross leverage ratio shall be 1.75 to 1.00, the maximum total net leverage ratio shall be 2.75 to 1.00 and the minimum fixed charge coverage ratio shall be 1.10 to 1.00. The maximum first lien gross leverage ratio was 2.04 to 1.00 at September 30, 2020. The maximum total net leverage ratio was 3.38 to 1.00 at September 30, 2020. The minimum fixed charge coverage ratio was 1.33 to 1.00 at September 30, 2020. The Company was in compliance with all of its debt covenants as of September 30, 2020. The Company is continuing to actively monitor the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on its liquidity.

The TLB Facility also includes a financial covenant that requires the Company to repay a certain amount of its borrowings under the TLB Facility within ten business days after the date it files its Form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission if the Company has excess cash flow (as defined in the credit agreement for the Senior Secured Credit Facilities) during the year covered by the applicable Form 10-K. During the nine months ended September 30, 2019, CONSOL Energy made the required repayment of approximately $110 million based on the amount of the Company's excess cash flow as of December 31, 2018. For fiscal year 2018, such repayment was equal to 75% of the Company's excess cash flow less any voluntary prepayments of its borrowings under the TLB Facility made by the Company during 2018. For all subsequent fiscal years, the required repayment is equal to a certain percentage of the Company’s excess cash flow for such year, ranging from 0% to 75% depending on the Company’s total net leverage ratio, less the amount of certain voluntary prepayments made by the Company, if any, under the TLB Facility during such fiscal year. Based on the Company's excess cash flow calculation, no repayment was required with respect to the year ended December 31, 2019. The amount of excess cash flow is a covenant feature only applicable as of the Company's year-end and will be calculated as of December 31, 2020.

At September 30, 2020, the Revolving Credit Facility had no borrowings outstanding and $99,126 of letters of credit outstanding, leaving $300,874 of unused capacity. At December 31, 2019, the Revolving Credit Facility had no borrowings outstanding and $69,588 of letters of credit outstanding, leaving $330,412 of unused capacity. From time to time, CONSOL Energy is required to post financial assurances to satisfy contractual and other requirements generated in the normal course of business. Some of these assurances are posted to comply with federal, state or other government agencies' statutes and regulations. CONSOL Energy sometimes uses letters of credit to satisfy these requirements and these letters of credit reduce the Company's borrowing facility capacity.

In November 2017, CONSOL Energy issued $300 million in aggregate principal amount of 11.00% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes due 2025 (the “Second Lien Notes”) pursuant to an indenture (the “Indenture”) dated as of November 13, 2017, by and between the Company and UMB Bank, N.A., a national banking association, as trustee and collateral trustee (the “Trustee”). On November 28, 2017, certain subsidiaries of the Company executed a supplement to the Indenture and became party to the Indenture as a guarantor (the “Guarantors”). The Second Lien Notes are secured by second priority liens on substantially all of the assets of the Company and the Guarantors that are pledged and on a first-priority basis as collateral securing the Company’s obligations under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities (described above), subject to certain exceptions under the Indenture. The Indenture contains covenants that will limit the ability of the Company and the Guarantors, to (i) incur, assume or guarantee additional indebtedness or issue preferred stock; (ii) create liens to secure indebtedness; (iii) declare or pay dividends on the Company’s common stock, redeem stock or make other distributions to the Company’s stockholders; (iv) make investments; (v) restrict dividends, loans or other asset transfers from the Company’s restricted subsidiaries; (vi) merge or consolidate, or sell, transfer, lease or dispose of substantially all of the Company’s assets; (vii) sell or otherwise dispose of certain assets, including equity interests in subsidiaries; (viii) enter into transactions with affiliates; and (ix) create unrestricted subsidiaries. These covenants are subject to important exceptions and qualifications. If the Second Lien Notes achieve an investment grade rating from both Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services and Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and no default under the Indenture exists, many of the foregoing covenants will terminate and cease to apply.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company repurchased $45,176 of its outstanding 11.00% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes due in 2025. During the nine months ended September 30, 2019, the Company made a required repayment of approximately $110 million on the TLB Facility (discussed above) and amended the Senior Secured Credit Facilities. The Company also repurchased $35,048 of its outstanding 11.00% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes due in 2025 during the nine months ended September 30, 2019. As part of these transactions, $1,078 and $17,911 was included in Gain on Debt Extinguishment on the Consolidated Statements of Income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively, and $801 and $25,444 was included in Loss on Debt Extinguishment on the Consolidated Statements of Income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively.

The Company is a borrower under two asset-backed financing arrangements related to certain equipment. The equipment, which has an approximate value of $21,885, fully collateralizes the loans. As of September 30, 2020, a total of $18,894 matures in December 2020 and $2,991 matures in September 2024. The loans had a weighted average interest rate of 4.30% and 5.07% at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively.

During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company entered into interest rate swaps, which effectively converted $150,000 of the TLB Facility's floating interest rate to a fixed interest rate for the twelve months ending December 31, 2020 and 2021, and $50,000 of the TLB Facility's floating interest rate to a fixed interest rate for the twelve months ending December 31, 2022. The interest rate swaps qualify for cash flow hedge accounting treatment and as such, the change in the fair value of the interest rate swaps is recorded on the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets as an asset or liability. The effective portion of the gains or losses is reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss and the ineffective portion is reported in earnings. At September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the interest rate swap contracts were reflected in the Consolidated Balance Sheets at their fair value of $3,373 and $154, respectively, which is recorded in Other Accrued Liabilities and Other Liabilities. The fair value of the interest rate swaps reflected an unrealized loss of $2,408 (net of $810 tax) at September 30, 2020. The unrealized loss is included on the Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity as part of accumulated other comprehensive loss, as well as on the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income as unrealized loss on cash flow hedges. Some of the Company's interest rate swaps reached their effective date in the nine months ended September 30, 2020. As such, a loss of $1,005 was recognized in interest expense in the Consolidated Statements of Income for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. During 2020, notional amounts of $150,000 will become effective. Based on the fair value of the Company's cash flow hedges at September 30, 2020, the Company expects expense of approximately $2,069 to be reclassified into earnings in the next 12 months.