Note 4 - Commitments and Contingencies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2021

Notes to Financial Statements

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]

Note 4. Commitments and Contingencies

The Company operates exclusively in Ohio and Pennsylvania of the United States in the business of oil and gas acquisition, exploration, development and production. The Company operates in an environment with many financial risks, including, but not limited to, the ability to acquire additional economically recoverable oil and gas reserves, the inherent risks of the search for, development of and production of oil and gas, the ability to sell oil and gas at prices which will provide attractive rates of return, the volatility and seasonality of oil and gas production and prices, and the highly competitive and, at times, seasonal nature of the industry and worldwide economic conditions. The Company’s ability to expand its reserve base and diversify its operations is also dependent upon the Company’s ability to obtain the necessary capital through operating cash flow, borrowings or equity offerings. Various federal, state and governmental agencies are considering, and some have adopted, laws and regulations regarding environmental protection which could adversely affect the proposed business activities of the Company. The Company cannot predict what effect, if any, current and future regulations may have on the operations of the Company.

The Company has multiple contracts with a gas purchaser which obligate the gas purchaser to purchase, and the Company to sell and deliver, certain quantities of natural gas production from the Company’s oil and gas properties throughout the contract periods. The Company may elect to lock-in specific volumes of natural gas to be sold in specific months at a mutually agreeable price. The Company has elected to lock-in various monthly quantities of natural gas which total 577,000 MCF from October 2021 through March 2022 at various monthly weighted-average pricing provisions averaging $3.99 per MCF, net of regional basis adjustments. Pricing provisions with the gas purchaser apply to certain fixed quantities on a monthly basis with excess monthly quantities being priced based on a monthly settlement price, net of a regional basis adjustment. The impact of these contracts on the Company’s future oil and gas sales cannot fully be measured until actual production volumes and prices have been determined. Management believes the Company can meet its delivery commitments based on estimated production.

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the novel strain of the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) a global pandemic. COVID-19 has led to global shutdowns as governments imposed regulations in efforts to control the spread of COVID-19. As a result, physical and economic uncertainties have arisen which have, at times, negatively impacted the Company’s operations, cash flows and financial position.