Note 13 - Long-term Debt

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

Notes to Financial Statements

Long-term Debt [Text Block]

NOTE 13—LONG-TERM DEBT:

	March 31,		December 31,
	2021		2020
Debt:
Term Loan B due in September 2024 (Principal of $264,652 and $270,188 less Unamortized Discount of $875 and $938, 4.61% and 4.65% Weighted Average Interest Rate, respectively)	$	263,777	$	269,250
11.00% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes due November 2025		156,957		167,147
MEDCO Revenue Bonds in Series due September 2025 at 5.75%		102,865		102,865
Term Loan A due in March 2023 (5.50% Weighted Average Interest Rate)		60,000		66,250
Other Asset-Backed Financing Arrangements		2,632		2,813
Advance Royalty Commitments (13.68% Weighted Average Interest Rate)		2,185		2,185
Less: Unamortized Debt Issuance Costs		9,083		9,921
		579,333		600,589
Less: Amounts Due in One Year*		28,889		33,731
Long-Term Debt	$	550,444	$	566,858

* Excludes current portion of Finance Lease Obligations of $21,168 and $20,115 at March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively.

In November 2017, CONSOL Energy entered into a revolving credit facility with PNC Bank, N.A. 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 March 29, 2021, the Company amended the Senior Secured Credit Facilities to revise the negative covenant with respect to other indebtedness to allow the Company to incur obligations under the tax-exempt solid waste disposal revenue bonds. 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 are guaranteed by (i) all owners of 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. 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 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, (v) the Itmann Mine and (vi) 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. 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 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. The minimum fixed charge coverage ratio is calculated as the ratio of Consolidated EBITDA to Consolidated Fixed Charges. 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 1.37 to 1.00 at March 31, 2021. The maximum total net leverage ratio was 1.97 to 1.00 at March 31, 2021. The minimum fixed charge coverage ratio was 1.88 to 1.00 at March 31, 2021. The Company was in compliance with all of its financial covenants under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities as of March 31, 2021. 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 three months ended March 31, 2021, CONSOL Energy made the required repayment of approximately $5 million based on the amount of the Company's excess cash flow as of December 31, 2020. 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. 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, 2021.

At March 31, 2021, the Revolving Credit Facility had no borrowings outstanding and $145,656 of letters of credit outstanding, leaving $254,344 of unused capacity. At December 31, 2020, the Revolving Credit Facility had no borrowings outstanding and $125,938 of letters of credit outstanding, leaving $274,062 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 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.

The only non-guarantor subsidiary of the Senior Credit Facilities is the SPV, which holds the assets pledged to the Accounts Receivable Securitization Facility. The SPV had total assets of $127,258 and $123,468, comprised mainly of $126,290 and $122,639 trade receivables, as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. Net income attributable to the SPV was $1,160 and $1,047 for three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, which primarily reflected intercompany fees related to purchasing the receivables, which are eliminated in the Consolidated Financial Statements contained within this Form 10-Q. During the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, there were no borrowings or payments under the Accounts Receivable Securitization Facility. See Note 10 - Accounts Receivable Securitization for additional information. All other subsidiaries are guarantors of the Senior Secured Credit Facilities.

During the three months ended March 31, 2021, the Company spent $9,338 to retire $10,190 of its outstanding 11.00% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes due in 2025 and made a required repayment of approximately $5 million on the TLB Facility (discussed above). During the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company spent $25,480 to retire $43,176 of its outstanding 11.00% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes due in 2025. As part of these transactions, $683 and $16,833 was included in Gain on Debt Extinguishment on the Consolidated Statements of Income for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

The Company is a borrower under an asset-backed financing arrangement related to certain equipment. The equipment, which had an approximate value of $2,632 and $2,813 at  March 31, 2021 and  December 31, 2020, respectfully, fully collateralizes the loan. As of March 31, 2021, the total outstanding loan of $2,632 matures in September 2024. The loan had a weighted average interest rate of 3.61% at March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020.

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 March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, the interest rate swap contracts were reflected in the Consolidated Balance Sheets at their fair value of $2,275 and $2,834, respectively, which is recorded in Other Accrued Liabilities and Other Liabilities. The fair value of the interest rate swaps reflected an unrealized gain of $414 (net of $144 tax) at March 31, 2021 and an unrealized loss of $2,773 (net of $933 tax) at March 31, 2020. The unrealized gain (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 gain (loss) on cash flow hedges. Some of the Company's interest rate swaps reached their effective date in the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020. As such, a loss of $532 and a gain of $4 was recognized in interest expense in the Consolidated Statements of Income for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. During 2021, notional amounts of $150,000 will become effective. Based on the fair value of the Company's cash flow hedges at March 31, 2021, the Company expects expense of approximately $1,694 to be reclassified into earnings in the next 12 months.