Civitas Resources (CIVI) 10-K2022 FY Annual report

Documents Incorporated By Reference:

We have included below the definitions for certain terms used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

Civitas is an independent exploration and production company focused on the acquisition, development, and production of oil and associated liquids-rich natural gas in the Rocky Mountain region, primarily in the Denver-Julesburg Basin of Colorado (the “DJ Basin”). Our operations are focused on developing the horizontal Niobrara and Codell formations that have a low-cost structure, mature infrastructure, strong production efficiencies, multiple producing horizons, multiple service providers, established reserves, and prospective drilling opportunities, which help facilitate predictable production and achieve our business strategies.

As of December 31, 2022, we had approximately 525,900 net acres in the Rocky Mountain region. Approximately 470,000 net, or 89%, of the Company’s acreage is located in some of the most productive areas of the DJ Basin. We believe our acreage has been significantly delineated by our own drilling success and by the success of offset operators, providing confidence that our results are repeatable and will continue to generate economic returns. As of December 31, 2022, we operated a total of 3,108 gross producing wells, of which 2,551 were horizontal. Our working and net revenue interest in our operated wells averaged approximately 80% and 65%, respectively.

We are committed to pursuing compelling economic returns and generating significant free cash flow. To that end, we strive to deliver a peer-leading operating cost structure, maximize capital efficiencies, and minimize capital reinvestment rates, while keeping production broadly flat over time. Our technical staff of geologists, petroleum engineers, and geophysicists have decades of industry experience and are experts in horizontal drilling and fracture stimulation.

The Company’s primary objective is to maximize shareholder returns by responsibly developing our oil and natural gas resources. To achieve this, Civitas is guided by four foundational pillars that we believe add long-term, sustainable value. These pillars are:

We successfully navigated a challenging 2022, delivering on our key financial objectives while maintaining a strong capital structure. We successfully executed our development plan and countered industry-wide inflationary pressures while exercising capital discipline to ensure we were investing in our best projects and able to return significant free cash flow to shareholders.

We posted strong financial results in 2022, including net income of approximately $1.2 billion and cash flow from operating activities of approximately $2.5 billion, driven primarily by commodity prices and well performance from our high-return development projects. We invested approximately 39% of our 2022 cash flow from operating activities into drilling and completion activities, allowing us to continue to return significant cash to shareholders through our base and variable dividend. In early 2022, the Board initiated a quarterly variable cash dividend in addition to our base dividend. We believe Civitas provides investors with one of the highest dividend yields in the exploration and production sector.

The Company achieved its annual safety target, advanced critical environmental, health, and safety objectives, integrated data management systems to improve productivity and aligned work processes, and continued to cultivate a results-driven employee culture focused on continuous improvement. Additionally, we safely tested enhanced completion designs on large, efficient multi-well pads throughout the Company’s acreage position. Fluid volumes and types, fluid rates, proppant volumes and types, stage spacing, perforation architecture, lateral spacing, and flowback techniques were the primary variables that were tested throughout the 2022 program. Along with extensive internal evaluation, the Company will also continue to monitor industry trends, public data, and information from non-operated wells to further optimize completion techniques.

During 2022, the Company incurred capital costs of approximately $988.5 million that, along with the incremental production acquired through acquisitions, drove an increase in sales volumes to 170.0 MBoe per day. The capital invested during 2022 allowed the Company to drill 176, complete 142, and turn to sales 146 gross operated wells.

Our operations are located in the Rocky Mountain region, primarily in the DJ Basin, and target the Niobrara and Codell formations. As of December 31, 2022, our total acreage position consisted of approximately 826,500 gross (525,900 net) acres, and our estimated proved reserves were 416,019 MBoe and contributed 170.0 MBoe per day of sales volumes during 2022. We believe our position allows us to control the pace, costs, and completion techniques used in the development of our reserves.

As of December 31, 2022, we had working interests in a total of 3,702 gross producing wells, of which 3,116 were horizontal. Our working and net revenue interest for all wells in which we had a working interest averaged approximately 69% and 56%, respectively. Our sales volumes for the fourth quarter of 2022 were 169.4 MBoe per day.

We drilled 176 gross (152.0 net) wells in 2022. As of December 31, 2022, we have identified approximately 201 gross (141.7 net) proved undeveloped drilling locations on our acreage.

Reserve estimates are inherently imprecise and estimates for undeveloped properties are more imprecise than reserve estimates for producing oil and gas properties. Accordingly, all of these estimates are expected to change as new information becomes available. Neither prices nor costs have been escalated. The actual quantities and present values of our estimated proved reserves may vary from what we have estimated.

Proved developed oil and gas reserves are reserves that can be expected to be recovered through existing wells with existing equipment and operating methods. Proved undeveloped oil and gas reserves are reserves that are expected to be recovered from new wells on undrilled acreage, or from existing wells where a relatively major expenditure is required for completion. Proved undeveloped reserves on undrilled acreage are limited to those directly offsetting development spacing areas that are reasonably certain of production when drilled, unless evidence using reliable technology exists that establishes reasonable certainty of economic productivity at greater distances.

Proved undeveloped locations in our December 31, 2022 reserve report are included in our development plan and are scheduled to be drilled within five years from the year they were initially recorded, consistent with the SEC’s five-year rule requirement. Annually, management creates a capital expenditure plan based on our best available data at the time the plan is developed. The development plan is based upon management’s evaluation of a number of qualitative and quantitative factors including estimated risk-based returns, estimated well density, commodity prices and cost forecasts, recent drilling results and well performance, and anticipated availability of services, equipment, supplies, and personnel. Generally, the Company books proved undeveloped locations within one development spacing area from developed producing locations. For the instances where a proved undeveloped location is beyond one spacing area from a developed producing location, the Company utilizes reliable geologic and engineering technology inclusive of, but not limited to, pressure performance, geologic mapping, offset productivity, electric logs, seismic, and production data.

As of December 31, 2022, we had 201 gross proved undeveloped locations compared to 234 as of December 31, 2021. The Company’s gross proved undeveloped drilling locations as of December 31, 2022 have an average lateral length of approximately 2.2 miles.

The 27.3 MMBoe of purchases of minerals in place is comprised of 22.5 MMBoe and 4.8 MMBoe from the Bison Acquisition and acquisition of additional working interest in Company-operated wells, respectively. The 27.9 MMBoe of extensions, discoveries, and other additions were primarily attributable to the success observed in our horizontal drilling program that resulted in the addition of 21.6 MMBoe through 61 proved undeveloped location additions and 6.3 MMBoe of new proved developed reserves that did not have any associated proved undeveloped reserves recorded as of December 31, 2021. The positive revision of proved reserves as compared to previous estimates is 25.4 MMBoe. Price-related revisions of 11.8 MMBoe resulted from the increase to SEC prices of $27.11 to $93.67 per Bbl WTI for oil and $2.76 to $6.36 per MMBtu HH for natural gas. The remaining positive revisions of 13.6 MMBoe are primarily driven by updates to well performance forecasts and NGL yields.

As of December 31, 2022, our proved undeveloped reserves were 71.1 MMBoe, nearly all of which are scheduled to be drilled within three years from the year they were initially recorded, well within the SEC’s five-year rule requirement. We recognize proved undeveloped reserves on undrilled acreage directly offsetting development areas that are reasonably certain of economic producibility and regulatory accessibility, and that align with the Company’s approved development plans. During 2022, the Company converted 55% of its proved undeveloped reserves, which is comprised of 107 gross wells representing net reserves of 44.0 MMBoe, at a cost of $527.5 million. The 12.4 MMBoe of purchases of minerals in place is primarily due to the Bison Acquisition. During the year, we added 61 proved undeveloped locations for a total reserve addition of 21.6 MMBoe. Increases in SEC pricing year-over-year resulted in a positive pricing revision of 1.5 MMBoe.

Our policies regarding internal controls over the recording of reserves estimates require reserves to be in compliance with SEC definitions and guidance and prepared in accordance with Standards Pertaining to the Estimating and Auditing of Oil and Gas Reserves Information promulgated by the Society of Petroleum Engineers. The Company’s Audit Committee reviews significant reserve changes on an annual basis, and Ryder Scott, our third-party independent reserve engineers, is engaged by and has direct access to the Audit Committee. The reserves estimates shown herein have been independently prepared by Ryder Scott for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020. These reserve estimates are reviewed by our in-house technical person who oversees and controls preparation of the reserve report data by working with Ryder Scott to ensure the integrity, accuracy, and timeliness of data furnished for their evaluation process. The Company’s technical person who was primarily responsible for overseeing the preparation of our reserve estimates is our Senior Manager, Reserves, who has 35 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, including 6 years in her role at the Company. Her professional qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the Colorado School of Mines.

The reserves estimates shown herein for December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020 have been prepared by Ryder Scott. Ryder Scott is an independent petroleum engineering consulting firm that has been providing petroleum consulting services throughout the world since 1937. Ryder Scott performs consulting petroleum engineering services under Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors firm registration number F-1580. Within Ryder Scott, the technical person primarily responsible for preparing the estimates set forth in the Ryder Scott reserves report filed as Exhibit 99.1 to this report is Mr. Scott James Wilson. Mr. Wilson is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Colorado (No. 36112) who has over 35 years of experience in the oil and gas industry and has been practicing consulting petroleum engineering at Ryder Scott since 2000. He graduated from Colorado School of Mines in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering and from the University of Colorado in 1985 with a Master of Business Administration. The responsible party meets or exceeds the education, training, and experience requirements set forth in the Standards Pertaining to the Estimating and Auditing of Oil and Gas Reserves Information promulgated by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and is proficient in judiciously applying industry standard practices to engineering and geoscience evaluations as well as applying SEC and other industry reserves definitions and guidelines.

Oil and natural gas prices fluctuated significantly during 2021 and 2022. Oil and natural gas prices are impacted by production levels, inventory levels, real or perceived geopolitical risks in producing regions, the relative strength of the U.S. dollar, weather, and global demand. We reevaluate our development plan based on oil and natural gas prices, however, the Company strategy is focused on maximizing free cash flow while maintaining broadly flat production.

If oil and natural gas SEC prices declined by 10%, our proved reserve volumes would decrease by 1% and our PV-10 value as of December 31, 2022 would decrease by approximately 13% or $1.3 billion. If oil and natural gas SEC prices increased by 10%, our proved reserve volumes would increase by 1% and our PV-10 value as of December 31, 2022 would increase by approximately 13% or $1.3 billion.

Certain leases comprising the undeveloped acreage set forth in the table above will expire at the end of their respective primary terms unless production from the leasehold acreage has been established prior to such date, in which event the lease will remain in effect until the cessation of production. Approximately 29,200 net acres, or 5.6%, of the Company’s total net acres may expire in the next three years if production is not established or if we do not extend lease terms. We intend to extend our strategic leases to the extent possible. Decisions to let leasehold expire generally relate to areas outside of our core area of development or when the expirations do not pose material impacts to development plans or reserves. The following table sets forth the undeveloped acreage, as of December 31, 2022, that will expire in the years indicated unless production is established within the spacing units covering the acreage or the lease is renewed or extended under continuous drilling provisions prior to the primary term expiration dates.

There were no exploratory drilling activities during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020. Additionally, we did not have any dry wells during the same periods.

In addition to supply and demand, oil, natural gas, and NGL prices are affected by seasonal, economic, local, and geo-political factors that we can neither control nor predict. We attempt to mitigate a portion of our exposure to potentially adverse market changes in commodity prices and the associated impact on cash flows through the use of derivative contracts. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had entered into the following commodity price derivative contracts:

Subsequent to December 31, 2022, the Company entered into a series of fixed price, natural gas basis protection swaps on all of its outstanding NYMEX HH positions through the third quarter of 2024 to mitigate exposure to adverse pricing differentials between NYMEX HH and CIG. The weighted-average contract price entered of $(0.13) per MMBtu represents the amount of reduction to the NYMEX HH natural gas price for the contracted volumes covered by the basis protection swaps.

Our properties are subject to customary royalty interests, overriding royalty interests, obligations incident to operating and joint venture agreements, liens for current taxes, other industry-related constraints, and certain other leasehold restrictions. We do not believe that any of these burdens materially interfere with our use of the properties in the operation of our business. We believe that we have satisfactory title to all of our producing properties. Although title to our properties is subject to complex interpretation of multiple conveyances, deeds, reservations, and other instruments that serve to affect mineral title, we believe that none of these risks will materially detract from the value of our properties or from our interest therein or otherwise materially interfere with the operation of our business.

The oil and natural gas industry is highly competitive, and we compete with a substantial number of other companies that often have greater resources. Many of these companies explore for, produce, and market oil and natural gas, carry on refining operations, and market the resultant products on a worldwide basis. The primary areas in which we encounter substantial competition are in locating and acquiring desirable leasehold acreage for our drilling and development operations, locating and acquiring attractive producing oil and natural gas properties, attracting and retaining qualified personnel, and obtaining transportation for the oil and natural gas we produce. There is also competition between producers of oil and natural gas and other industries producing alternative energy and fuel. Furthermore, competitive conditions may be substantially affected by various forms of energy legislation and/or regulation considered from time to time by federal, state, and local governments; however, it is not possible to predict the nature of any such legislation or regulation that may ultimately be adopted or its effects upon our future operations. Such laws and regulations may, however, substantially increase the costs of exploring for, developing, or producing oil and natural gas and may prevent or delay the commencement or continuation of certain operations. The effect and potential impacts of these risks are difficult to accurately predict.

Further, oil and natural gas prices do not necessarily fluctuate in direct relationship to each other. Because approximately 65% of our estimated proved reserves as of December 31, 2022 were oil and natural gas liquids reserves, our financial results are more sensitive to movements in oil prices. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the daily NYMEX WTI oil spot price ranged from a high of $123.64 per Bbl to a low of $71.05 per Bbl, and the NYMEX natural gas HH spot price ranged from a high of $9.85 per MMBtu to a low of $3.46 per MMBtu.

As is common in the oil and natural gas industry, we will not insure fully against all risks associated with our business, either because such insurance is not available or customary, or because premium costs are considered cost-prohibitive. A loss not fully covered by insurance could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

Our operations are substantially affected by federal, state, and local laws and regulations. In particular, oil and natural gas production and related operations are, or have been, subject to price controls, taxes, and numerous other laws and regulations. The jurisdictions in which we own and operate properties or assets for oil and natural gas production have statutory provisions regulating the exploration for and production of oil and natural gas, including, among other things, provisions related to permits for the drilling of wells, bonding requirements to drill or operate wells, the location of wells, the method of drilling and casing wells, the production and operation of wells and other facilities, the surface use and restoration of properties upon which wells are drilled, sourcing and disposal of water used in the drilling and completion process, and the proper abandonment of wells and pipelines. Our operations are also subject to various conservation laws and regulations. These include regulation of the size of drilling and spacing units or proration units, the number of wells which may be drilled in an area and size of associated facilities, and the unitization or pooling of oil and natural gas wells, and regulations that generally prohibit the venting or flaring of natural gas and that impose certain requirements regarding the ratability or fair apportionment of production from fields and individual wells.

Failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations can result in substantial penalties and the suspension or cessation of operations. Our competitors in the oil and natural gas industry are subject to the same regulatory requirements and restrictions that affect our operations. The regulatory burden on the industry can increase the cost of doing business and negatively affect profitability. Because such laws and regulations are frequently revised and amended through various legislative actions and rulemakings, it is difficult to predict the future costs or impact of compliance. Additional rulemakings that affect the oil and natural gas industry are regularly considered at the federal, state, and various local government levels, including statutorily and through powers granted to various agencies that regulate our industry, and various court actions. We cannot predict when or whether any such future rulemakings may become effective or if the outcomes will negatively affect our operations.

We believe that continued substantial compliance with existing requirements will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position, cash flows, or results of operations. However, it is difficult to estimate the potential impact on our business from rules and regulations adopted by, and potential future rulemakings of, the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (“COGCC”) in November 2020 pursuant to Colorado Senate Bill 19-181, discussed herein, which impose a number of new and amended requirements on our operations. These requirements, and any new requirements, could make it more difficult and costly to develop new oil and natural gas wells and to continue to produce existing wells, increase our costs of compliance and doing business, and delay or prevent development in certain areas or under certain conditions. We cannot assure that the existing rules, as implemented, or any future rulemaking, will not have a material and adverse impact on our financial position, cash flows, or results of operations. In addition, the current regulatory requirements may change, currently unforeseen incidents may occur, or past noncompliance with laws or regulations may be discovered, any of which could likewise have a material adverse effect on our financial position, cash flows, or results of operations.

The production of oil and natural gas is subject to regulation under a wide range of local, state, and federal statutes, rules, orders, and regulations. Federal, state, and local statutes and regulations require, among other things, permits for drilling operations, drilling bonds, and reports concerning operations. Colorado, the state in which we own and operate the vast majority of our properties, has regulations governing conservation matters, including provisions for the spacing and unitization or pooling of oil and natural gas properties, the regulation of well spacing and well density, and procedures for proper plugging and abandonment of wells and associated facilities. These regulations effectively identify well densities by geologic formation and the appropriate spacing and pooling unit size to effectively drain the resources. Operators can apply for exceptions to such regulations, including applications to increase well densities to more effectively recover the oil and gas resources. Moreover, Colorado imposes a production or severance tax with respect to the production and sale of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids within its jurisdiction.

Colorado also regulates drilling and operating activities by requiring, among other things, permits for new pad locations, the drilling of wells, best management practices and/or conditions of approval for operating wells, maintaining bonding requirements in order to drill or operate wells, regulating the location of wells, the method of drilling and casing wells, the surface use and restoration of properties upon which wells are drilled, and the plugging and abandonment of wells. Colorado laws also govern a number of environmental, health and safety matters that may impact our drilling and operating activities, including setbacks from buildings, schools, and other occupied areas, sensitive habitats and/or disproportionately impacted communities, consideration of alternative locations for new wells, the handling and disposal of waste materials, prevention of venting and flaring, mitigation of noise, lighting, visual, odor, and dust impacts, air pollutant emissions permitting, protection of certain wildlife habitat, protection of public health, safety, welfare, and environment, and evaluation of cumulative impacts.

Our sales of crude oil are affected by the availability, terms, and cost of transportation. Interstate transportation of oil by pipeline is regulated by FERC pursuant to the Interstate Commerce Act (“ICA”), the Energy Policy Act of 1992, and the rules and regulations promulgated under those laws. The ICA and its implementing regulations require that tariff rates for interstate service on oil pipelines, including interstate pipelines that transport crude oil and refined products (collectively referred to as “petroleum pipelines”), be just and reasonable and non-discriminatory and that such rates and terms and conditions of service be filed with FERC.

Intrastate oil pipeline transportation rates are generally subject to regulation by state regulatory commissions. The basis for intrastate oil pipeline regulation, and the degree of regulatory oversight and scrutiny given to intrastate oil pipeline rates, varies from state to state. Insofar as effective interstate and intrastate rates are equally applicable to all comparable shippers, we believe that the regulation of oil transportation rates will not affect our operations in any way that is materially different from how it affects operations of our competitors who are similarly situated.

Historically, the transportation and sale for resale of natural gas in interstate commerce have been regulated by agencies of the U.S. federal government, primarily FERC. FERC regulates interstate natural gas transportation rates and service conditions, which affects the marketing of natural gas that we produce, as well as the revenues we receive for sales of our natural gas.

In the past, the federal government has regulated the prices at which natural gas could be sold. While sales by producers of natural gas can currently be made at uncontrolled market prices, Congress could reenact price controls in the future. Deregulation of wellhead natural gas sales began with the enactment of the Natural Gas Policy Act (“NGPA”) and culminated in adoption of the Natural Gas Wellhead Decontrol Act which removed controls affecting wellhead sales of natural gas effective January 1, 1993. The transportation and sale for resale of natural gas in interstate commerce is regulated primarily under the Natural Gas Act (“NGA”), and by regulations and orders promulgated by FERC under the NGA. In certain limited circumstances, intrastate transportation and wholesale sales of natural gas may also be affected directly or indirectly by laws enacted by Congress and by FERC regulations.

FERC issued a series of orders in 1996 and 1997 to implement its open access policies. As a result, the interstate pipelines’ traditional role as wholesalers of natural gas has been greatly reduced and replaced by a structure under which pipelines provide transportation and storage service on an open access basis to others who buy and sell natural gas. Although FERC’s orders do not directly regulate natural gas producers, they are intended to foster increased competition within all phases of the natural gas industry.

The Domenici Barton Energy Policy Act of 2005 (“EP Act of 2005”) introduced significant changes to the statutory policy that affects all segments of the energy industry. Among other matters, the EP Act of 2005 amended the NGA to add an anti-market manipulation provision which makes it unlawful for any entity to engage in prohibited behavior to be prescribed by FERC. The EP Act of 2005 provided FERC with the power to assess civil penalties of up to $1,000,000 per day for violations of the NGA and increased FERC’s civil penalty authority under the NGPA from $5,000 per violation per day to $1,000,000 per violation per day, with such penalties adjusted regularly for inflation. The civil penalty provisions are applicable to entities that engage in the sale of natural gas for resale in interstate commerce. FERC’s anti-manipulation rule, adopted pursuant to EP Act of 2005, makes it unlawful, in connection with the purchase or sale of natural gas subject to the jurisdiction of FERC, or the purchase or sale of transportation more accessible to natural gas services subject to the jurisdiction of FERC, for any entity, directly or indirectly, (1) to use or employ any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud; (2) to make any untrue statement of material fact or omit to make any such statement necessary to make the statements made not misleading; or (3) to engage in any act or practice that operates as a fraud or deceit upon any person. The anti-manipulation rule does not apply to activities that relate only to intrastate or other non-jurisdictional sales or gathering. However, it does apply to activities of gas pipelines and storage companies that provide interstate services, as well as otherwise non-jurisdictional entities to the extent the activities are conducted “in connection with” gas sales, purchases, or transportation subject to FERC jurisdiction. The anti-manipulation rule and enhanced civil penalty authority reflect an expansion of FERC’s NGA enforcement authority. Our sales of natural gas are also subject to requirements under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”), and regulations promulgated thereunder by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”). The CEA prohibits any person from manipulating or attempting to manipulate the price of any commodity in interstate commerce or futures on such commodity. The CEA also prohibits knowingly delivering or causing to be delivered false or misleading or knowingly inaccurate reports concerning market information or conditions that affect or tend to affect the price of a commodity.

Gathering service, which occurs upstream of jurisdictional transmission services, is regulated by the states onshore and in state waters. Section 1(b) of the NGA exempts natural gas gathering facilities from regulation by FERC as a natural gas company under the NGA. Although its policy continues to evolve, FERC has reclassified certain jurisdictional transmission facilities as non-jurisdictional gathering facilities, which has the tendency to increase our costs of getting gas to point-of-sale locations.

We believe that the natural gas pipelines in our gathering systems meet the traditional tests FERC has used to establish a pipeline’s status as a gatherer not subject to regulation as a natural gas company. However, the distinction between FERC-regulated transmission services and federally unregulated gathering services is the subject of ongoing litigation, so the classification and regulation of our gathering facilities are subject to change based on future determinations by FERC, the courts, or Congress.

State regulation of natural gas gathering facilities generally includes various safety, environmental, and, in some circumstances, nondiscriminatory-take requirements. Although nondiscriminatory-take regulation has not generally been affirmatively applied by state agencies, natural gas gathering may receive greater regulatory scrutiny in the future.

Intrastate natural gas transportation is also subject to regulation by state regulatory agencies. The basis for intrastate regulation of natural gas transportation and the degree of regulatory oversight and scrutiny given to intrastate natural gas pipeline rates and services vary from state to state. Insofar as such regulation within a particular state will generally affect all intrastate natural gas shippers within the state on a comparable basis, we believe that the regulation of similarly situated intrastate natural gas transportation in the state in which we operate and ship natural gas on an intrastate basis will not affect our operations in any way that is materially different from how it affects operations of our competitors. Like the regulation of interstate transportation rates, the regulation of intrastate transportation rates affects the marketing of natural gas that we produce, as well as the revenues we receive for sales of our natural gas.

Changes in law and to FERC policies and regulations may adversely affect the availability and reliability of firm and/or interruptible transportation service on interstate pipelines. Changes in law and to FERC and state utility commission policies and regulations also may result in increased regulation of our business and operations, and we cannot predict what future action FERC or any state utility commission will take. We do not believe, however, that any regulatory changes will affect us in a way that materially differs from the way they will affect other natural gas producers, gatherers, and marketers with which we compete.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) was passed by Congress and signed into law in July 2010. The Dodd-Frank Act is designed to provide a comprehensive framework for the regulation of the over-the-counter derivatives market with the intent to provide greater transparency and reduction of risk between counterparties. The Dodd-Frank Act subjects swap dealers and major swap participants to capital and margin requirements and requires many derivative transactions to be cleared on exchanges. The Dodd-Frank Act provides for a potential exemption from these clearing and cash collateral requirements for commercial end-users.

Our natural gas and oil exploration and production operations are subject to numerous stringent federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing public and occupational safety and health, the discharge of hazardous materials into the environment, or otherwise relating to protection of the environment or natural resources, noncompliance with which can result in substantial administrative, civil, and criminal penalties and other sanctions, including suspension or cessation of operations. These laws and regulations may, among other things, require the acquisition of permits and other approvals before drilling or other regulated activity commences; restrict the types, quantities, and concentrations of various substances that can be released into the environment; require the assessment and mitigation of potential surface impacts; govern the sourcing and disposal of water used in the drilling and completion process; limit or prohibit drilling activities that have certain impacts or that occur in certain areas; require some form of investigation or remedial action to prevent or mitigate pollution from former and ongoing legacy operations such as plugging low-producing wells or restrictions from using earthen pits; establish specific safety and health criteria addressing worker, public health, and natural resource protection, and impose substantial liabilities or curtail operations for unpermitted pollutant emissions or failure to comply with regulatory filing obligations. Cumulatively, these laws and regulations may impact our operations.

The following is a summary of the more significant environmental and health and safety laws and regulations to which we are subject and for which compliance may have a material adverse impact on our capital expenditures, results of operations, or financial position.

The Clean Air Act (“CAA”) and comparable state and local laws and regulations restrict the emission of air pollutants from many sources, including oil and gas operations, and impose various monitoring and reporting requirements. These laws and regulations may require us to obtain pre-approval for the construction or modification and operation of certain projects or facilities expected to produce or significantly increase air emissions, obtain and comply with stringent air permit requirements or utilize specific equipment or technologies to control emissions. Obtaining required air permits can significantly delay the development of certain oil and natural gas projects. Over the next several years, we may be required to incur certain expenditures for air pollution control equipment or other air emissions-related issues.

In June 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”) finalized additional New Source Performance Standards (“NSPS”) rules, known as Subpart OOOOa, focused on achieving additional methane and volatile organic compound reductions from new and modified oil and natural gas production and natural gas processing and transmission facilities. Among other things, these revisions imposed new requirements for leak detection and repair, control requirements for oil well completions, and additional control requirements for gathering, boosting, and compressor stations. In September 2020, the EPA finalized two sets of amendments to the 2016 OOOOa standards. The first, known as the “2020 Technical Rule” reduced the 2016 rule’s fugitive emissions monitoring requirements and expanded exceptions to pneumatic pump requirements, among other changes. The second, known as the “2020 Policy Rule” rescinded the methane specific requirements for certain oil, NGL and natural gas sources in the production and processing segments. On January 20, 2021, President Biden issued an Executive Order directing the EPA to rescind the 2020 Technical Rule by September 2021 and consider revising the 2020 Policy Rule. In June 2021, President Biden signed a Congressional Review Act (“CRA”) resolution passed by Congress that revoked the 2020 Policy Rule. The CRA did not address the 2020 Technical Rule. Further, on November 15, 2021, the EPA issued a proposed rule intended to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas sources. The proposed rule would make the existing regulations in Subpart OOOOa more stringent and create a Subpart OOOOb to expand reduction requirements for new, modified, and reconstructed oil and gas sources, including standards focusing on certain source types that have never been regulated under the CAA (including intermittent vent pneumatic controllers, associated gas, and liquids unloading facilities). In addition, the proposed rule would establish “Emissions Guidelines,” creating a Subpart OOOOc that would require states to develop plans to reduce methane emissions from existing sources that must be at least as effective as presumptive standards set by the EPA. On November 15, 2022, the EPA issued a proposed rule supplementing the November 2021 proposed rule. Among other things, the November 2022 supplemental proposed rule removes an emissions monitoring exemption for small wellhead-only sites and creates a new third-party monitoring program to flag large emissions events, referred to in the proposed rule as “super emitters.” The EPA is expected to issue a final rule by August 2023.

In February 2014, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Air Quality Control Commission (“AQCC”) adopted new and revised air quality regulations that imposed stringent new requirements to control emissions from both existing and new or modified oil and gas facilities in Colorado. The regulations included new emissions control, monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements, as well as a Leak Detection and Repair (“LDAR”) program for well production facilities and compressor stations. The LDAR program primarily targets hydrocarbon (i.e., methane) emissions from the oil and gas sector in Colorado.

The AQCC has adopted new and revised air quality regulations that extended the controls adopted in 2014 to many lower producing and emitting facilities statewide, and added storage tank loadout controls to those requirements, among other changes. The new rules also increased the frequency of LDAR monitoring to semi-annual for lower producing facilities previously subject to a one-time monitoring requirement, as well as monthly LDAR monitoring for facilities within 1,000 feet of occupied areas, and imposed a new emission inventory and reporting of greenhouse gases (“GHGs”), among other requirements. The AQCC also revised rules specific to the oil and gas sector in September 2020, and again in December 2020; these revisions included emission control requirements for natural gas fired engines typically in compression service, for pre-production tanks used in flowback, and also established a preproduction air monitoring plan requirement for operators for the first time, as well as further revisions to LDAR monitoring requirements within 1,000 feet of occupied areas.

In 2021, the AQCC also adopted regulations requiring the use of non-emitting pneumatic controllers at both new and existing facilities, increasing LDAR monitoring frequencies, requiring additional pneumatic controller emissions reduction and elimination requirements, imposing enclosed combustion device testing requirements, and requiring company-wide GHG intensity reductions, among other things. These updated regulations are aimed in substantial part at achieving GHG and conventional pollutant emission reductions from Colorado’s oil and gas industry in response to legislative directives, including Colorado House Bill 19-1261, which set ambitious GHG emission targets, and House Bill 21-1266, which modified those targets, among other things.

Each of the above AQCC rulemakings are intended to further Colorado’s legislative directive to reduce GHG emissions to attain climate action goals. AQCC is expected to undertake several rulemaking efforts to further reduce emissions in the next several years.

Beginning in November 2020, the COGCC has adopted new regulations that generally prohibit the venting or flaring of natural gas during drilling, completion, and production operations, with limited exceptions, using its expanded oil and gas conservation and environmental protection authority under Colorado Senate Bill 19-181. Among other things, these regulations require that operators proposing new oil and gas wells either commit to connecting to a gathering system when production commences or submit a gas capture plan and significantly increase the financial assurance amounts required for oil and gas producers to cover potential cleanup costs.

Compliance with these and other air pollution control, air monitoring, gas capture, and permitting requirements has the potential to delay the development of oil and natural gas projects and increase our costs of development and production, which costs could be significant.

States have historically regulated oil and gas exploration and production activity, including hydraulic fracturing. The Colorado state government where we operate has adopted or is considering adopting additional requirements relating to hydraulic fracturing that could restrict its use in certain circumstances or make it more costly to utilize. Colorado requires operators to reduce hydrocarbon emissions associated with hydraulic fracturing, prepare and report significant data regarding oil and gas impacts, compile and report additional information regarding wellbore integrity, publicly disclose the chemical ingredients used in hydraulic fracturing, maintain minimum distance between occupied structures and oil and gas wells, undertake additional mitigation for nearby residents, and implement additional groundwater testing. Any enforcement actions or requirements of additional studies or investigations by governmental authorities where we operate could increase our operating costs and cause delays or interruptions to our operations.

The federal Safe Drinking Water Act (“SDWA”) and comparable state statutes may restrict the disposal, treatment, or release of water produced or used during oil and gas development. Subsurface emplacement of fluids, primarily via disposal wells or enhanced oil recovery (“EOR”) wells, is governed by federal or state regulatory authorities that, in some cases, include the state oil and gas regulatory or the state’s environmental authority. The federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 amended the Underground Injection Control provisions of the SDWA to expressly exclude certain hydraulic fracturing from the definition of “underground injection,” but disposal of hydraulic fracturing fluids and produced water or their injection for EOR is not excluded.

Federal agencies have periodically considered additional regulation of hydraulic fracturing. The EPA has published guidance for issuing underground injection permits that would regulate hydraulic fracturing using diesel fuel. This guidance eventually could encourage other regulatory authorities to adopt permitting and other restrictions on the use of hydraulic fracturing. In June 2016, the EPA finalized regulations that address discharges of wastewater pollutants from onshore unconventional extraction facilities to publicly-owned treatment works. The EPA also published a study of the impact of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources, which concluded that drinking water resources can be affected by hydraulic fracturing under specific circumstances. The results of this study could result in additional regulations, which could lead to operational burdens similar to those described above. The United States Department of the Interior also finalized a rule regulating hydraulic fracturing activities on federal lands, including requirements for disclosure, wellbore integrity, and handling of flowback water; however, on December 29, 2017, the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) rescinded the hydraulic fracturing rule. This rescission and the rule as promulgated are subject to ongoing litigation. Additionally, in 2016,

Apart from these ongoing federal and state initiatives, some state and local governments have adopted their own new requirements on hydraulic fracturing and other oil and gas operations. At the state level, interest groups in Colorado have proposed or advanced initiatives restricting or banning oil and gas development in Colorado, but these initiatives have failed to date. Further, Colorado Senate Bill 19-181 amended state law to give municipalities and counties greater local control over siting and permitting of oil and gas locations, and some municipalities within the state have implemented regulations within their jurisdictions. Any successful bans or moratoria where we operate, whether at the state or local level, could increase the costs of our operations, impact our profitability, and even prevent us from drilling in certain locations which could adversely impact our ability to develop our reserves. In addition, in light of concerns about seismic activity potentially being triggered by the injection of produced waters into underground wells, certain regulators have adopted or are considering additional requirements related to seismic safety for hydraulic fracturing activities or the underground injection of fluid wastes. For example, the regulations that the COGCC adopted in November 2020 impose various requirements on the underground injection of fluid wastes to further seismic safety and protect the environment. Any regulation that restricts our ability to dispose of produced waters or increases the cost of doing business could have a material adverse effect on our business.

At this time, it is not possible to estimate the potential impact on our business of recent state and local actions or the enactment of additional federal or state legislation or regulations affecting hydraulic fracturing. The adoption of future federal, state, or local laws or implementing regulations imposing new environmental obligations on, or otherwise limiting, our operations could make it more difficult and more expensive to complete oil and natural gas wells, increase our costs of compliance and doing business, delay or prevent the development of certain resources (including especially shale formations that are not commercial without the use of hydraulic fracturing), or alter the demand for and consumption of our products. We cannot assure that any such outcome would not be material, and any such outcome could have a material and adverse impact on our cash flows and results of operations.

Typical hydraulic fracturing treatments are made up of water, proppant, and certain chemical additives. We utilize major hydraulic fracturing service companies who track and report additive chemicals that are used in fracturing as required by the appropriate government agencies, including FracFocus, the national hydraulic fracturing chemical registry managed by the Ground Water Protection Council and Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. Each of the service companies we use fracture stimulate a multitude of wells for the industry each year.

We periodically review our plans and policies regarding oil and gas operations, including hydraulic fracturing, in order to minimize any potential environmental impact. Our operations are subject to close supervision by state and federal regulators (including the BLM with respect to federal acreage), who frequently inspect our fracturing operations.

Our properties located in Colorado are subject to the authority of the COGCC, as well as other state agencies. Over the past several years, the COGCC has approved new rules regarding various matters, including wellbore integrity, hydraulic fracturing, well control, waste management, spill reporting, spacing of wells and pooling of mineral interests, and an increase in potential sanctions for COGCC rule violations.

In April 2019, Colorado Senate Bill 19-181 (SB 181) became effective, which substantially changes the state’s regulation of oil and gas exploration and production activities. SB 181 changed the COGCC’s mission from “fostering” responsible and balanced development “consistent with protection” of public health and the environment to “regulating” development “to protect” public health and the environment. SB 181 also instituted several state-wide regulatory changes, namely (i) changed the composition of the COGCC to remove two seats for industry experts and add experts on wildlife/environmental protection and public health, and changed the Commissioners’ employment from volunteer to full-time positions, (ii) changed Colorado’s statutory pooling provisions to require that an applicant own, or obtain the consent of, more than 45% of the applicable working or mineral interest, whereas previously the consent of only one mineral interest owner was required, (iii) changed state pre-emption law such to afford local governments greater control over oil and gas siting, and (iv) initiated a comprehensive rulemaking to amend COGCC’s rules consistent with the agency’s revised mission.

Among the most significant changes under SB 181 was the aforementioned provision giving local governments greater control over facility siting and surface impacts associated with oil and gas development. Whether an applicable local government determines to implement regulatory changes is optional, but if changes are adopted, the resulting regulations may be stricter than state requirements. Further, local governments can inspect oil and gas operations and impose fines for leaks and spills. Regulation in the municipalities and areas where we operate could result in increased costs, delays in securing permits and other approvals related to our operations, and otherwise materially impact our ability to operate and drill new wells in the areas where we hold oil and gas interests.

The COGCC has adopted significant additional regulations to implement SB 181. The legislation mandated COGCC rulemaking on environmental protection, facility siting, cumulative impacts, flowlines, wells that are inactive, temporarily abandoned or shut-in, financial assurance, wellbore integrity, and application fees. In November 2022, the COGCC completed rulemaking on flowlines and wells that are inactive, temporarily abandoned, or shut-in and completed rulemaking on wellbore integrity in June 2020. In January 2021, the results of a major rulemaking took effect addressing a wide range of topics including facility siting, cumulative impacts, development approvals, asset transfers, pollution standards, hearings and variances, groundwater monitoring, underground injection control and enhanced recovery wells, venting and flaring restrictions, spill reporting, cleanup responsibility, and wildlife protection, and those rules apply to permit applications pending on or submitted after that date and generally to operations occurring on or after that date. The agency has issued certain written guidance on many of the issues addressed to provide direction on regulatory interpretation and compliance, and it may continue to issue new or revised guidance in the future. The COGCC has also issued rules on financial assurance, application fees, and high priority habitat. The financial assurance rule increased the amounts that operators are required to provide as a surety bond for assurance that wells will be properly plugged and abandoned at the end of their lifecycle. Depending on how these and any other new rules are applied and enforced, they could add substantial increases in well costs for our Colorado operations. The rules could also impact our ability to operate and extend the time necessary to obtain drilling permits, which would create substantial uncertainty about future development plans.

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (“CERCLA”), also known as the Superfund law, and comparable state laws impose liability without regard to fault or the legality of the original conduct on certain classes of persons who are considered to be responsible for the release of a “hazardous substance” into the environment. These persons include current and prior owners or operators of the site where the release occurred and entities that transported, disposed, or arranged for the disposal of the hazardous substances found at the site. Under CERCLA, these potentially responsible parties may be subject to strict, joint, and several liability for the costs of cleaning up the hazardous substances that have been released into the environment, for damages to natural resources, and for the costs of certain health studies, and it is not uncommon for neighboring landowners and other third parties to file claims for personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by the hazardous substances released into the environment. We are able to control directly the operation of only those wells with respect to which we act as operator. Notwithstanding our lack of direct control over wells operated by others, the failure of an operator other than us to comply with applicable environmental regulations may, in certain circumstances, be attributed to us. We generate materials in the course of our operations that may be regulated as or contain CERCLA hazardous substances but we are not aware of any liabilities for which we may be held responsible that would materially or adversely affect us.

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”) and comparable state statutes regulate the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, disposal, and cleanup of hazardous wastes, and distinguishes between hazardous and non-hazardous or solid wastes. With the approval of the EPA, the individual states can administer some or all of the provisions of RCRA, and some states have adopted their own, more stringent hazardous waste requirements, while all states regulate solid waste. Drilling fluids, produced waters, and most of the other wastes associated with the exploration, development, and production of natural gas and oil are currently regulated under RCRA’s non-hazardous waste provisions and state solid waste laws. However, legislation has been proposed from time to time and various environmental groups have filed lawsuits that, if successful, could result in the reclassification of certain oil and natural gas exploration and production wastes as “hazardous wastes,” which would make such wastes subject to much more stringent and costly handling, disposal, and clean-up requirements. The EPA has indicated that it will continue to work with states and other organizations to identify areas for continued improvement and to address emerging issues to ensure that exploration, development, and production wastes

In 2018, the Colorado State legislature passed Senate Bill 245 that gave the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (“CDPHE”) the authority to promulgate rules for the safe management of Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (“TENORM”). TENORM is naturally occurring radioactive material whose radionuclide concentrations are increased through human activity, such as through generation of water treatment residuals, scales, and sediments from oil and gas production, and other processes. During 2020, CDPHE promulgated new rules governing TENORM waste, which were adopted in November 2020 and became effective January 14, 2021, but were not enforceable until July 14, 2022, to provide operators time to come into compliance. During drilling, completion, and production, numerous waste streams that may contain TENORM are created that are hauled for disposal at permitted disposal facilities. CDPHE has developed guidance documents and is holding stakeholder meetings to help impacted facility operators characterize existing materials, make a TENORM determination and comply with the new rules. Depending on the final waste streams chosen for characterization and regulatory levels set for disposal, costs for characterization, storage, and disposal of waste could significantly increase.

We currently own or lease, and have in the past owned or leased, properties that have been used for numerous years, often by legacy operators, to explore for and produce oil and natural gas. Although we have utilized operating and disposal practices that were standard in the industry at the time, exploration and production fluids and gases may have been disposed of or released on or under the properties owned or leased by us or on or under the other locations where these hydrocarbons and wastes have been taken for treatment or disposal. In addition, certain of these properties have been operated by third parties whose treatment and disposal or release of hydrocarbons and wastes were not under our control. These properties and wastes disposed thereon may be subject to CERCLA, RCRA, and analogous state laws. Under these laws, we could be required to remove or remediate previously disposed wastes (including wastes disposed of or released by prior owners or operators), to clean up contaminated property (including groundwater contaminated by prior owners or operators), to pay for damages for the loss or impairment of natural resources, and to take measures to prevent future contamination from our operations.

In addition, other laws require the reporting on use of hazardous and toxic chemicals. For example, the oil and gas extraction industry and natural gas processing facilities that receive and refine natural gas are required to report releases of certain “toxic chemicals” under the Toxic Release Inventory (“TRI”) program under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.

Pipelines, gathering systems, and terminal operations are subject to increasingly strict safety laws and regulations. Both the transportation and storage of refined products and crude oil involve a risk that hazardous liquids may be released into the environment, potentially causing harm to the public or the environment. In turn, such incidents may result in substantial expenditures for response actions, significant penalties, liability for natural resources damages, and significant business interruption. The U.S. Department of Transportation has adopted safety regulations with respect to the design, construction, operation, maintenance, inspection, and management of our pipeline and storage facilities. These regulations contain requirements for the development and implementation of pipeline integrity management programs, which include the inspection and testing of pipelines and the correction of anomalies. These regulations also require that pipeline operation and maintenance personnel meet certain qualifications and that pipeline operators develop comprehensive spill response plans.

There have been recent initiatives to strengthen and expand pipeline safety regulations and to increase penalties for violations. The Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act was signed into law in early 2012. In addition, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (“PHMSA”) has issued new rules to strengthen federal pipeline safety enforcement programs. In 2015, PHMSA proposed to expand its regulations in a number of ways, including through the increased regulation of gathering lines, even in rural areas. In 2016, PHMSA increased its regulations to require crude oil sampling and reporting as an “offeror” (as defined under the PHMSA) and increased its civil penalty structure. In November 2021, PHMSA issued its final rule extending reporting requirements to all onshore gas gathering operators and applying a set of minimum safety requirements to certain onshore gas gathering pipelines with large diameters and high operating pressures.

In Colorado, on March 17, 2021, the Public Utilities Commission adopted Regulation 11 rules Regulating Pipeline Operators and Gas Pipeline Safety. These regulations apply to all gas public utilities, all municipal or quasi-municipal corporations transporting natural gas or providing natural gas services, all operators of master meter systems, and all operators of pipelines transporting gas in intrastate commerce including gas gathering system operators (certain provisions are tailored to the location and size of the gathering systems involved). The rules require all filed reports to be publicly available and all Notices of Proposed Violation, Notices of Action, pleadings and decisions to be filed publicly. The rules also provide a revised methodology for calculating civil penalties in an effort to provide clarity to both operators and the public.

The EPA has adopted rules requiring the monitoring and reporting of GHGs from specified onshore and offshore oil and gas production sources in the U.S. on an annual basis, which include certain of our operations. We are monitoring GHG emissions from our operations in accordance with the EPA’s GHG emissions reporting rule and Colorado’s GHG emissions inventory and reporting rules more recently adopted.

In August 2022, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Among other things, the Inflation Reduction Act includes a methane emissions reduction program that amends the CAA to include a Methane Emissions and Waste Reduction Incentive Program for petroleum and natural gas systems. This program requires the EPA to impose a “waste emissions charge” on certain oil and gas sources that are already required to report under EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. In addition, a number of state and regional efforts have emerged that are aimed at tracking and/or reducing GHG emissions by means of carbon taxes, policies, and incentives to encourage the use of renewable energy or alternative low-carbon fuels, and cap and trade programs that typically require major sources of GHG emissions, such as electric power plants, to acquire and surrender emission allowances in return for emitting those GHGs.

The $1 trillion legislative infrastructure package passed by Congress in November 2021 includes a number of climate-focused spending initiatives targeted at climate resilience, enhanced response and preparation for extreme weather events, and clean energy and transportation investments. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 also provides significant funding and incentives for research and development of low-carbon energy production methods, carbon capture, and other programs directed at addressing climate change.

Additionally, on March 21, 2022, the SEC issued a proposed rule regarding the enhancement and standardization of mandatory climate-related disclosures for investors. The proposed rule would require registrants to include certain climate-related disclosures in their registration statements and periodic reports, including, but not limited to, information about the registrant’s governance of climate-related risks and relevant risk management processes; climate-related risks that are reasonably likely to have a material impact on the registrant’s business, results of operations, or financial condition and their actual and likely climate-related impacts on the registrant’s business strategy, model, and outlook; climate-related targets, goals, and transition plan (if any); certain climate-related financial statement metrics in a note to their audited financial statements; Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions; and Scope 3 GHG emissions and intensity, if material, or if the registrant has set a GHG emissions reduction target, goal, or plan that includes Scope 3 GHG emissions. Although the proposed rule’s ultimate date of effectiveness and the final form and substance of these requirements is not yet known and the ultimate scope and impact on our business is uncertain, compliance with the proposed rule, if finalized, may result in increased legal, accounting, and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming, and costly, and place strain on our personnel, systems, and resources.

On May 30, 2019, Colorado also passed GHG inventory legislation and climate action legislation. House Bill 19-1261 concerns the reduction of greenhouse gas pollution and established statewide greenhouse gas pollution reduction goals. Senate Bill 19-096 concerns the collection of greenhouse gas emissions data to facilitate measures to cost-effectively meet the states GHG emissions reduction goals established in HB 19-1261. Regulations implementing the GHG inventory requirements of these statutes took effect on July 15, 2020. Additionally, on September 30, 2020, the Colorado Energy Office and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment finalized a Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap in January 2021. The GHG Roadmap lays out a pathway to meet the state’s climate action targets established in HB 19-1261, as amended by HB 21-1266.

Although it is not possible at this time to predict how legislation or new regulations that may be adopted to address GHG emissions would impact our business, any such future laws and regulations imposing reporting obligations on, or limiting, emissions of GHGs from our equipment and operations could require us to incur costs to reduce emissions of GHGs associated with our operations. Additional limitations on GHG emissions could adversely affect our production operations and/or demand for the oil and natural gas we produce. Moreover, incentives to conserve energy or use alternative energy sources as a means of addressing climate change could also reduce demand for the oil and natural gas we produce.

In May 2020, a federal court in Montana enjoined the use of nationwide permit (“NWP”) 12 to construct new oil and gas-related pipelines, on the basis that the Corps had not properly consulted with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service when that permit was renewed in 2017 but the U.S. Supreme Court significantly narrowed the Montana court’s injunction to cover only the challenged XL Pipeline in July 2020.

In January 2021, the Corps issued proposals to revise and reissue all 52 current NWPs, including No. 12, to, among other things, lessen the burden on the energy industry and address the flaws alleged in the Montana lawsuit. The new NWPs became effective in March 2021.

Among other things, NWP 12 was broken up into three separate parts, with the new NWP 12 being limited solely to construction and maintenance of oil and gas pipelines, with other utility-related structures covered by two new NWPs. The new 2021 version of NWP 12 has again been challenged in the District of Montana, by the same plaintiffs on the same grounds, which case is still pending. On March 28, 2022, the Corps published a notice announcing that it is undertaking formal review of NWP 12 and sought public comments. The comment period ended on May 27, 2022 and the review remains pending. Any further changes to NWP 12 could have an impact on our business.

The WOTUS regulations under the current administration could ultimately change the scope of the CWA’s jurisdiction and result in increased costs and delays with respect to obtaining permits for discharges of pollutants or dredge and fill activities in waters of the U.S., including regulated wetland areas.

The federal Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) restricts activities that may affect endangered and threatened species or their habitats. In August 2019, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the “FWS”) and National Marine Fisheries Service (“NMFS”) issued three rules amending implementation of the ESA regulations revising, among other things, the process for listing species and designating critical habitat. In June and July 2022, the FWS and the NMFS issued final rules rescinding Trump-era regulations concerning the definition of “habitat” and critical habitat exclusions. Similar protections are offered to migratory birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (“MBTA”), which makes it illegal to, among other things, hunt, capture, kill, possess, sell, or purchase migratory birds, nests, or eggs without a permit. This prohibition covers most bird species in the U.S. On January 7, 2021, the Department of the Interior finalized a rule limiting application of the MBTA, however the Department of the Interior under President Biden delayed the effective date of the rule and opened a public comment period for further review. The January 2021 rule was revoked and replaced by a final rule on October 4, 2021. With this revocation of the January 2021 rule, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service returned to implementing the MBTA as prohibiting incidental take and applying enforcement discretion, consistent with long-standing agency practice prior to 2017. Concurrently, the FWS finalized a rule limiting application of the MBTA. The FWS revoked the rule in October 2021 and issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking seeking comment to the Department of the Interior’s plan to develop regulations that authorize incidental take under certain prescribed conditions. The notice of proposed rulemaking is expected in March 2023 and is expected to be finalized by the end of 2023. Some of our facilities may be located in areas that are designated as habitat for endangered or threatened species. The designation of previously unidentified endangered or threatened species could cause us to incur additional costs or become subject to operating restrictions or bans in the affected areas.

We are subject to a number of federal and state laws and regulations, including the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (“OSHA”), and comparable state statutes, the purpose of which are to protect the health and safety of workers. In addition, OSHA’s hazard communication standard, the EPA community right-to-know regulations under Title III of the federal Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act and comparable state statutes require that information be maintained concerning hazardous materials used or produced in our operations, and that this information be provided to employees, state and local government authorities, and citizens.

Natural gas and oil exploration and production activities on federal lands are subject to the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”). NEPA requires federal agencies, including the Departments of Interior and Agriculture, to evaluate major federal actions having the potential to significantly impact the human environment. In the course of such evaluations, an agency will evaluate the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of a proposed project. If impacts are considered significant, the agency will prepare a detailed environmental impact statement that is made available for public review and comment. All of our current exploration and production activities, as well as proposed exploration and development plans, on federal lands require governmental permits that are subject to the requirements of NEPA. The vast majority of our exploration and production activities are not on federal lands. This environmental review process has the potential to delay or limit, or increase the cost of, the development of natural gas and oil projects on federal lands. Authorizations under NEPA also are subject to protest, appeal, or litigation, which can delay or halt projects. On July 16, 2020, the Council on Environmental Quality (“CEQ”) revised NEPA’s implementing regulations to make the NEPA process more efficient, effective, and timely. The rule required federal agencies to develop procedures consistent with the new rule within one year of the rule’s effective date (which was extended to two years in June 2021). These regulations are subject to ongoing litigation in several federal district courts, and in October 2021, CEQ issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to amend the NEPA regulatory changes adopted in 2020 in two phases. Phase I of the CEQ’s proposed rulemaking process was finalized on April 20, 2022, and generally restored provisions that were in effect prior to 2020. It is anticipated that Phase II of the proposed rulemaking will propose further revisions to ensure the NEPA process “provides for efficient and effective environmental reviews,” and meets environmental, environmental justice, and climate change objectives. The CEQ’s proposed changes could result in increased NEPA review timelines for projects involving agency action regarding federal lands, federal money, or federal permits or approvals.

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (“OPA”) establishes strict liability for owners and operators of facilities that release oil into waters of the U.S. The OPA and its associated regulations impose a variety of requirements on responsible parties related to the prevention of oil spills and liability for damages resulting from such spills. A “responsible party” under the OPA includes owners and operators of certain onshore facilities from which a release may affect waters of the U.S. The OPA assigns liability to each responsible party for oil cleanup costs and a variety of public and private damages. While liability limits apply in some circumstances, a party cannot take advantage of liability limits if the spill was caused by gross negligence or willful misconduct or resulted from violation of a federal safety, construction, or operating regulation. If the party fails to report a spill or to cooperate fully in the cleanup, liability limits likewise do not apply. Few defenses exist to the liability imposed by the OPA. The OPA imposes ongoing requirements on a responsible party, including the preparation of oil spill response plans and proof of financial responsibility to cover environmental cleanup and restoration costs that could be incurred in connection with an oil spill.

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had 353 full-time employees. We are not party to any collective bargaining agreements and have not experienced any strikes or work stoppages. Our employees play a critical role in the achievement of our short-term and long-term business goals. Consequently, we are committed to attracting, retaining and developing highly motivated and qualified employees who share our core values of sustainability, safety, innovation, integrity, and community. All employees are responsible for upholding Company-wide standards and values. We have policies designed to promote ethical conduct and integrity that employees are required to review on an annual basis. Employees are consistently provided training opportunities to develop skills in leadership, safety, and technical acumen, which help strengthen our efforts in conducting business with high ethical standards.

Our team of diverse and talented employees possess a vast array of skills including engineering, geology, research and development, midstream operations, production, logistics and administrative support, accounting, information technology, legal, policy, human resources, and finance. Certain of our employees have highly specialized skills and subject-matter expertise in their respective fields.

We are committed to protecting the safety of our employees, our contractors, and the communities in which we operate. Safety is embedded in everything we do and is prioritized in each decision made by management, employees, and contractors. A commonly used measure of an organization’s safety performance is total recordable incident rate (“TRIR”), which represents the number of injuries requiring medical treatment per 100 full-time employees during a one-year period. We monitor this performance measure and communicate it broadly across the company as a means to evaluate safety performance. We are committed to maintaining a TRIR below 0.25 for both employees and contractors, a target far below industry average as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Oil and Gas Extraction industry. During 2022, we achieved a TRIR of 0.19.

We work to identify and track hazards in the workplace and incidents so corrective actions may be taken to continuously improve safety performance. We operate our worksites under a stop work authority program, under which every person is empowered to halt operations if they observe operations that are being planned or executed without a complete risk assessment or safety management.

All employees are required to participate in training courses that ensure work is completed safely and efficiently. The courses vary according to employee group, job responsibilities, and manager discretion. Classroom training courses are held throughout the year to inform employees of relevant safety and environmental topics within the industry and to proactively ensure compliance and adherence related to recently issued rules and regulations.

We seek to provide fair, market-competitive, performance-based compensation, and comprehensive benefits to our employees. To ensure alignment with our short-term and long-term business goals, our compensation program consists of base pay as well as short-term and long-term incentives. To foster the health and well-being of our employees and their families, all full-time employees are offered access to financial, health, and wellness programs, including: a 401(k) plan with company match, medical, dental, and vision insurance, income protection and disability coverage, paid time off, fitness reimbursement, and various quality of life tools and resources included within our Employee Assistance Program. We believe that our compensation and benefits package promotes retention and employee engagement as well as fosters physical, mental, financial, and social health within our workforce. The Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors oversees our compensation programs and regularly modifies program design to incentivize achievement of our corporate strategy and matters of importance to our stakeholders.

We recognize and support the growth of our employees by offering internal and external development programs, including a tuition reimbursement program. We invest in leadership training and professional development programs that will enable our employees to reach their potential and perform at their best.

We believe a diverse and inclusive workforce is critical to our success as a business and will allow the company to

We are required to file annual, quarterly, and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our filings with the SEC are available to the public from commercial document retrieval services and at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

Our common stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “CIVI.” Our reports, proxy statements, and other information filed with the SEC can also be inspected and copied at the New York Stock Exchange, 20 Broad Street, New York, New York 10005.

We also make available on our website at http://civitasresources.com all of the documents that we file with the SEC, free of charge, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with the SEC. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Our business involves a high degree of risk. If any of the following risks, or any risk described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, actually occurs, our business, financial condition, or results of operations could suffer. The risks described below are not the only ones facing us. Additional risks not presently known to us or which we currently consider immaterial also may adversely affect us.

The price we receive for our oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (“NGLs”) heavily influences our revenue, profitability, cash flows, liquidity, access to capital, present value and quality of our reserves, and the nature and scale of our operations. Oil and natural gas are commodities and, therefore, their prices are subject to wide fluctuations in response to relatively minor changes in supply and demand. In recent years, the markets for oil and natural gas have been volatile. These markets will likely continue to be volatile in the future. Further, oil prices and natural gas prices do not necessarily fluctuate in direct relation to each other. Because approximately 65% of our estimated proved reserves as of December 31, 2022 were oil and NGLs, our financial results are more sensitive to movements in oil and NGL prices.

During times of suppressed oil prices, we have historically experienced significant decreases in crude oil revenues and recorded unproved property asset impairment charges. Any prolonged period of low market prices for oil, natural gas, and NGLs could result in future capital expenditures being reduced and will necessarily adversely affect our business, financial condition, and liquidity and our ability to meet obligations, targets, or financial commitments. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the daily NYMEX WTI oil spot price ranged from a high of $123.64 per Bbl to a low of $71.05 per Bbl, and the NYMEX HH natural gas spot price ranged from a high of $9.85 per MMBtu to a low of $3.46 per MMBtu. As of February 20, 2023, the daily NYMEX WTI oil spot price and NYMEX HH natural gas spot price was $76.34 per Bbl and $2.28 per MMBtu, respectively.

The prices we receive for our production and the levels of our production, depend on numerous factors beyond our control. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:

Substantially all of our production is sold to purchasers under contracts at market-based prices. Declines in commodity prices may have the following effects on our business:

Any future excess supply of oil and natural gas (such as that which resulted from the unprecedented decline in demand for oil and natural gas stemming from various governmental actions taken in 2020 to mitigate the impact of COVID-19) could impact our ability to sell our production because of transportation or storage constraints, causing us to shut-in or curtail production or flare our natural gas. Any such prolonged shut-in of our wells may result in decreased well productivity once we are able to resume operations, and any cessation of drilling and development of our acreage could result in the expiration, in whole or in part, of our leases. The occurrence of any of these risks may, in the future, adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our production is not fully hedged, and we may hedge a lower percentage of our production than we have in the past. We are therefore exposed to fluctuations in the price of oil, natural gas, and NGLs and will be affected by continuing and prolonged declines in such prices.

Our derivative activities could result in financial losses or could reduce our income.

To achieve more predictable cash flows and to reduce our exposure to adverse fluctuations in the prices of oil and natural gas, we have, and may in the future enter into additional, derivative arrangements for a portion of our oil, natural gas, and NGL production, including swaps, collars, and other instruments. We have not in the past designated any of our derivative instruments as hedges for accounting purposes and have recorded all derivative instruments on our balance sheet at fair value.

Derivative arrangements also expose us to the risk of financial loss in some circumstances, including when:

In addition, these types of derivative arrangements may limit the benefit we would receive from increases in the prices for oil and natural gas and may expose us to cash margin requirements.

The agreements covering our debt have restrictive covenants that could limit our ability to finance our operations, fund capital needs, respond to changing conditions, and engage in other business activities that may be in our best interests.

We may be prevented from taking advantage of business opportunities that arise because of the limitations imposed on us by the restrictive covenants contained in our debt documents. In addition, our ability to comply with the financial ratios and financial condition tests under the Credit Facility may be affected by events beyond our control and, as a result, we may be unable to meet these ratios and financial condition tests. These financial ratio restrictions and financial condition tests could limit our ability to obtain future financings, make needed capital expenditures, withstand a continued downturn in commodity prices, our business, or the economy in general, or otherwise conduct necessary corporate activities.

In our fall 2022 semi-annual redetermination, the borrowing base under the Credit Facility was set at $1.85 billion with an elected committed amount of $1.0 billion.

Our development and production projects require substantial capital expenditures. We may be unable to obtain needed capital or financing on satisfactory terms, which could lead to expiration of our leases or a decline in our oil and natural gas reserves or anticipated production volumes.

Our development and production activities are capital intensive. We make and expect to continue to make substantial capital expenditures in our business for the development, exploitation, production, and acquisition of oil and natural gas reserves. At this time, we intend to finance future capital expenditures primarily through cash flows provided by operating activities and borrowings under the Credit Facility. Declines in commodity prices coupled with our financing needs may require us to alter or increase our capitalization substantially through the issuance of additional equity securities or debt securities or the strategic sale of assets. The issuance of additional debt may require that a portion of our cash flows provided by operating activities be used for the payment of principal and interest on our debt, thereby reducing our ability to use cash flows to fund working capital, capital expenditures, and acquisitions. In addition, upon the issuance of certain debt securities (other than on a borrowing base redetermination date), our borrowing base under the Credit Facility would be reduced unless we obtain a waiver from the lenders under the Credit Facility. The issuance of additional equity securities could have a dilutive effect on the value of our common stock.

Our cash flows provided by operating activities and access to capital are subject to a number of variables, including:

If the borrowing base under the Credit Facility decreases or if our revenues decrease as a result of lower oil or natural gas prices, operating difficulties, declines in reserves, or for any other reason, we may have limited ability to obtain the capital necessary to sustain our operations. If additional capital is needed, we may not be able to obtain debt or equity financing on favorable terms, or at all. If cash generated by operations or cash available under the Credit Facility is not sufficient to meet our capital requirements, the failure to obtain additional financing could result in a curtailment of our operations relating to development of our drilling locations, which in turn could lead to a possible expiration of our undeveloped leases and a decline in our oil and natural gas reserves, and an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

In order to prepare our estimates, we must project production rates and the timing of development expenditures. We must also analyze available geological, geophysical, production, and engineering data. The extent, quality, and reliability of this data can vary. The process also requires economic assumptions about matters such as oil and natural gas prices, drilling and operating expenses, capital expenditures, taxes, and availability of funds, and given the current volatility in pricing, such assumptions are difficult to make. Although the reserves information contained herein is prepared by independent reserves engineers, estimates of oil and natural gas reserves are inherently imprecise, particularly as they relate to state-of-the-art technologies being employed, such as the combination of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling.

Actual future production, oil and natural gas prices, revenues, taxes, development expenditures, operating expenses, and quantities of recoverable oil and natural gas reserves will vary from our estimates. Any significant variance could materially affect the estimated quantities and present value of reserves shown in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and cause potential impairment charges. In addition, we may adjust estimates of proved reserves to reflect production history, results of exploration and development, prevailing oil and natural gas prices, and other factors, many of which are beyond our control.

You should not assume that the present value of future net revenues from our proved reserves is the current market value of our estimated oil and natural gas reserves. In accordance with SEC requirements for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020, we based the estimated discounted future net revenues from our proved reserves on the unweighted arithmetic average of the first-day-of-the-month commodity prices for the preceding twelve months (after adjustment for location and quality differentials), without giving effect to derivative transactions. Actual future net revenues from our oil and natural gas properties will be affected by factors such as:

The timing of both our production and our incurrence of expenses in connection with the development and production of oil and natural gas properties will affect the timing and amount of actual future net revenues from proved reserves, and thus their actual present value. In addition, the 10% discount factor (the factor required by the SEC) used when calculating discounted future net revenues may not be the most appropriate discount factor based on interest rates in effect from time to time and risks associated with us or the oil and natural gas industry in general.

We review our proved oil and natural gas properties for impairment whenever events and circumstances indicate that a decline in the recoverability of their carrying value may have occurred. Based on specific market factors and circumstances at the time of prospective impairment reviews, and the continuing evaluation of development plans, production data, economics, and other factors, from time to time, we may be required to write-down the carrying value of our oil and natural gas properties. A write-down constitutes a non-cash charge to earnings. Given the historical price volatility in the oil and natural gas markets, prices may decline or other events may arise that would require us to record further impairments of the book values associated with oil and natural gas properties. Accordingly, we may incur significant impairment charges in the future which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and could reduce our earnings and stockholders’ equity for the periods in which such charges are taken.

Inflation has been an ongoing concern in the U.S. since 2021. Ongoing inflationary pressures may result in increases to the costs of our oilfield goods, services, and personnel, which would in turn cause our capital expenditures and operating costs to rise. Sustained levels of high inflation could cause the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks to continue to increase interest rates, which could have the effects of raising the cost of capital and depressing economic growth, either of which, or the combination thereof, could hurt the financial and operating results of our business.

Horizontal drilling is generally more complex and more expensive on a per well basis than vertical drilling. As a result, there is greater risk associated with a horizontal well program. Risks associated with our horizontal drilling program include, but are not limited to, the following, any of which could materially and adversely impact the success of our horizontal drilling program and, thus, our cash flows and results of operations:

Ultimately, the success of these drilling and completion techniques can only be evaluated over time as more wells are drilled and production profiles are established over a sufficiently long time period. If our drilling results are less than anticipated or we are unable to execute our drilling program because of capital constraints, lease expirations, access to gathering systems, limited takeaway capacity, or depressed natural gas and oil prices, the return on our investment in these areas may not be as attractive as anticipated. Further, as a result of any of these developments, we could incur material impairments of our oil and gas properties and the value of our undeveloped acreage could decline in the future.

In the future we may make acquisitions of producing properties or businesses that complement or expand our current business. The successful acquisition of producing properties requires an assessment of several factors, including:

The accuracy of these assessments is inherently uncertain, and we may not be able to identify attractive acquisition opportunities. In connection with these assessments, we perform a review of the subject properties that we believe to be generally consistent with industry practices. Our review will not reveal all existing or potential problems nor will it permit us to become sufficiently familiar with the properties to assess fully their deficiencies and capabilities. Inspections may not always be performed on every well and environmental problems, such as groundwater contamination, are not necessarily observable even when an inspection is undertaken. Even when problems are identified, the seller may be unwilling or unable to provide effective contractual protection against all or part of the problems. We often are not entitled to contractual indemnification for environmental liabilities and acquire properties on an “as is, where is” basis. Even if we do identify attractive acquisition opportunities, we may not be able to complete the acquisition or do so on commercially acceptable terms or for other reasons stated herein.

Competition for acquisitions may increase the cost of, or cause us to refrain from, completing acquisitions. Our ability to complete acquisitions is dependent upon, among other things, our ability to obtain debt and equity financing and, in some cases, regulatory approvals. No assurance can be given that we will be able to identify additional suitable acquisition opportunities, negotiate acceptable terms, obtain financing for acquisitions on acceptable terms, or successfully acquire identified targets. In addition, our Credit Facility and the indentures governing our senior notes impose certain limitations on our ability to enter into mergers or combination transactions and also limit our ability to incur certain indebtedness, which could indirectly limit our ability to engage in acquisitions.

We seek to complete acquisitions in order to strengthen our position and to create the opportunity to realize certain benefits, including, among other things, potential cost savings and potential production multiples. Achieving the benefits of acquisitions depends in part on successfully consolidating functions and integrating operations and procedures in a timely and efficient manner, as well as being able to realize the anticipated growth opportunities and synergies from combining the acquired businesses and operations. Acquisitions could also result in difficulties in being able to hire, train, or retain qualified personnel to manage and operate such properties.

Potential difficulties in realizing the anticipated benefits of mergers and acquisitions include:

Our future success will depend, in part, on our ability to manage our expanded business by, among other things, integrating the assets, operations, or personnel of acquired businesses in an efficient and timely manner; consolidating systems and management controls; and successfully integrating relationships with customers, vendors, and business partners. Failure to successfully manage the combined company may have an adverse effect on our business, reputation, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our assets and operations are currently concentrated in one core area: the DJ Basin in Colorado. The core area currently provides 100% of our current sales volumes and development projects.

Because our operations are not as diversified geographically as some of our competitors, the success of our operations and our profitability may be disproportionately exposed to the effect of any regional events, including: fluctuations in prices of crude oil, natural gas, and NGLs produced from wells in the area, geologic and engineering developments associated with this area, accidents or natural disasters, restrictive governmental regulations, including ozone non-attainment, climate-action, or other legislation and/or regulation within Colorado, activist anti-industry litigation, curtailment of production, interruption in the availability of gathering, processing, or transportation infrastructure and services, and any resulting delays or interruptions of production from existing or planned new wells. Similarly, the concentration of our assets within a single producing formation exposes us to risks, such as changes in field-wide rules or local regulations, which could adversely affect development activities or production relating to the formation. In addition, in areas where exploration and production activities are increasing, as has been the case in recent years in the DJ Basin, we are subject to increasing competition for drilling rigs, pressure pumping fleets, oilfield equipment, services, supplies, and qualified personnel, which may lead to periodic shortages or delays. These constraints and the resulting shortages or high costs could delay our operations and materially increase our operating and capital costs. Further, the areas in which we operate are experiencing increasing urban and suburban expansion, which impacts the number of available drilling locations, increases governmental reach such as evolving environmental legislation or regulatory initiatives, health, safety, and environmental regulation, annexation and taxation, and increases costs and expenses due to limited locations, political activism and opposition, increased litigation risk, siting issues, and other factors. As a result of this increased risk, the Company may face difficulties securing permits, executing on our production target, meeting operations benchmarks, and other general risks to the Company that are identified herein.

We do not maintain business interruption (loss of production) insurance for our oil and gas producing properties. Loss of production or limited access to reserves in our core operating area could have a significant negative impact on our cash flows and profitability.

Opposition toward oil and gas drilling and development activity has been growing globally. Companies in the oil and gas industry are often the target of activist efforts from both individuals and non-governmental organizations regarding safety, environmental compliance, and business practices. Certain activists are working to, among other things, reduce access to fee, federal, and state government lands, and delay or cancel certain projects such as the development of oil or gas shale plays. For example, environmental activists continue to advocate for increased regulations or bans on shale drilling in the U.S., even in jurisdictions that are among the most stringent in their regulation of the industry. Further efforts could result in the following:

Specifically in Colorado, anti-development activity has both increased and become more effective in recent years. In April 2019, new legislation became effective in Colorado, which substantially changed the state’s regulation of oil and gas exploration and production activities. The new law changed the mission of the COGCC from “fostering” responsible and balanced development “consistent with protection” of public health and the environment to “regulating” oil and natural gas development “to protect” public health and the environment. SB 181 also instituted several state-wide regulatory changes, namely (i) changed the composition of the COGCC to remove two seats for industry experts and add experts on wildlife/environmental protection and public health, and changed the Commissioners’ employment from volunteer to full-time positions, (ii) changed Colorado’s statutory pooling provisions to require that an applicant own, or obtain the consent of, more than 45% of the applicable working or mineral interest, whereas previously the consent of only one mineral interest owner was required, (iii) changed state pre-emption law such to afford local governments greater control over oil and gas siting, and (iv) initiated a comprehensive rulemaking to amend COGCC’s rules consistent with the agency’s revised mission.

Among the most significant changes under the legislation was the aforementioned provision giving local governments greater control over facility siting and surface impacts associated with oil and gas development. Whether an applicable local government determines to implement regulatory changes is optional, but if changes are adopted, the resulting regulations may be stricter than state requirements. Further, local governments may now inspect oil and gas operations and impose fines for leaks, spills, and emissions. Regulation in the municipalities and areas where we operate could result in increased costs, delays in securing permits and other approvals related to our operations, and otherwise materially bear on our ability to operate and drill new wells in the areas where we hold oil and gas interests. At this time, it impossible to estimate the potential impact on our business of future local actions on our ability to operate and/or drill oil and gas wells in these areas.

The legislation mandated the COGCC conduct rulemaking on environmental protection, facility siting, cumulative impacts, flowlines, wells that are inactive, temporarily abandoned, or shut-in, financial assurance, wellbore integrity, and application fees. A major rulemaking addressing a wide range of topics including facility siting, cumulative impacts, development approvals, asset transfers, pollution standards, hearings and variances, groundwater monitoring, underground injection control and enhanced recovery wells, venting and flaring restrictions, spill reporting, cleanup responsibility, and wildlife protection took effect in January 2021. The agency has issued written guidance on many of the issues addressed to provide direction on regulatory interpretation and compliance. Among other things, the amended rules adopt an increased required setback of 2,000 feet between an oil and gas location and a residential or high occupancy building unit unless one or more conditions are satisfied to allow for a lesser setback that the COGCC determines is acceptable under the rules. In addition, as part of wildlife protections, the COGCC adopted a setback of 500 feet between oil and gas locations and/or certain operations thereon and the ordinary high water mark for certain high priority aquatic habitats, though the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Division may waive this setback beyond 300 feet.

Permitting delays that result from the new COGCC rules and regulations could substantially curtail the Company’s near-term pace of new oil and gas development. We have observed a decline in the pace at which permit applications are being granted, and if this trend continues, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, production targets, and results of operations.

Additionally, the new legislation requires the state’s AQCC to undertake rulemaking efforts to minimize methane emissions and emissions of other hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, and nitrogen oxides associated with oil and gas facilities. The AQCC has more recently adopted more stringent standards for leak detection and repair inspection frequency, pipeline and compressor station inspection and maintenance frequencies, the development of pre-production air monitoring plans at certain oil and gas facilities, enclosed combustion device testing, a company-wide methane intensity reduction requirement, and additional measures for reducing and eliminating emissions from pneumatic devices. The legislation also granted the AQCC regulatory authority over a broad range of oil and gas facilities during pre-production activities, drilling, and completion.

Rules adopted by the COGCC and AQCC pursuant to the new legislation may significantly increase the Company’s operating costs and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

In addition, there have been several citizen/activist lawsuits filed against industry and state and local regulators associated with air quality, siting, environmental justice, and climate change. Such anti-development efforts are likely to continue in the future, which could result in dramatically reducing the area of future oil and gas development in Colorado or outright banning oil and gas development in Colorado. These efforts could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

In some cases, we do not own more than 45% working interest or mineral interest in a prospective area of development, which is now required to statutorily pool our applicable working or mineral interests. In such cases, unless we can obtain the consent of more than 45% of all applicable working or mineral interest owners (who can be located through reasonable diligence) to pursue statutory pooling, or achieve a voluntary pooling agreement with 100% of the applicable interest owners, we may be prohibited from developing the resources in that area or having them be developed by other operators.

We face risks related to public health crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including travel bans, prohibitions on group events and gatherings, shutdowns of certain businesses, curfews, shelter-in-place orders, and recommendations to practice social distancing in addition to other actions taken by both businesses and governments, resulted in a significant and swift reduction in international and U.S. economic activity. The collapse in the demand for oil caused by this unprecedented global health and economic crisis contributed to the significant decrease in crude oil prices in 2020 and had and could in the future continue to have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

Since the beginning of 2021, the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines progressed and many government-imposed restrictions were relaxed or rescinded. However, we continue to monitor the effects of the pandemic on our operations. As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, our operations, and those of our operating partners, have and may continue to experience delays or disruptions and temporary suspensions of operations. In addition, our results of operations and financial condition have been and may continue to be adversely affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The extent to which our operating and financial results are affected by COVID-19 will depend on various factors and consequences beyond our control, such as the emergence of more contagious and harmful variants of the COVID-19 virus, the duration and scope of the pandemic, additional actions by businesses and governments in response to the pandemic, and the speed and effectiveness of responses to combat the virus. COVID-19, and the volatile regional and global economic conditions stemming from the pandemic, could also aggravate the other risk factors that we identify herein. While the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have lessened recently in the U.S., we cannot predict the duration or future effects of the pandemic, or more contagious and harmful variants of the COVID-19 virus, and such effects may materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition in a manner that is not currently known to us or that we do not currently consider to present significant risks to our operations.

Terrorist attacks and armed conflict may significantly affect the energy industry, including our operations and those of our current and potential customers, as well as general economic conditions, consumer confidence and spending, and market liquidity. Strategic targets, such as energy-related assets, may be at greater risk of future attacks than other targets in the U.S. Our insurance may not protect against such occurrences. Furthermore, commodity markets are currently also subject to heightened levels of uncertainty related to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, which has given rise to regional instability and resulted in heightened economic sanctions by the U.S. and the international community that, in turn, could increase uncertainty with respect to global financial markets and production output from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other oil producing nations. Consequently, it is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We do not operate all of the properties in which we have an interest. We own significant non-operated working interests which are not currently within our operated development plan. As a result, we may have a limited ability to exercise influence over normal operating procedures, expenditures, timing, or future development of underlying properties, and their associated costs. For all of the properties that are operated by others, we are dependent on their decision-making with respect to day-to-day operations over which we have little control. The failure of an operator of wells in which we have an interest to adequately perform operations, or an operator’s breach of applicable agreements, could reduce production and revenues we receive from that well. The success and timing of our drilling and development activities on properties operated by others depend upon a number of factors outside of our control, including the timing and amount of capital expenditures, the available expertise and financial resources, the inclusion of other participants, and the use of technology. Our lack of control over non-operated properties also makes it more difficult for us to forecast capital expenditures, revenues, production, liability, and other related matters.

Approximately 17% of our total proved reserves were classified as proved undeveloped as of December 31, 2022. Development of these reserves may take longer and require higher levels of capital expenditures than we currently anticipate or that may be available to us. Delays in the development of our reserves or increases in costs to drill and develop such reserves will reduce the value of our estimated proved undeveloped reserves and future net revenues estimated for such reserves and may result in some projects becoming uneconomic. In addition, delays in the development of reserves could cause us to have to reclassify our proved reserves as unproved reserves.

Our management has identified and scheduled drilling locations as an estimation of our future multi-year drilling activities on our existing acreage. Our ability to drill and develop these locations is subject to a number of uncertainties, including uncertainty in the level of reserves; the availability of capital to us and other participants; seasonal conditions; regulatory approvals; activist intervention; oil, natural gas, and NGL prices; availability of permits; costs; and well performance. Because of these uncertainties, we do not know if the numerous potential drilling locations we have identified will ever be drilled or if we will be able to produce oil or natural gas from these or any other potential drilling locations. Pursuant to existing SEC rules and guidance, subject to limited exceptions, proved undeveloped reserves may only be booked if they relate to wells scheduled to be drilled within five years of the date of booking, and we may therefore be required to downgrade to probable or possible categories any proved undeveloped reserves that are not developed within this five-year time frame. These limitations may limit our potential to book additional proved undeveloped reserves as we pursue our drilling program.

We describe some of our drilling locations and our plans to explore those drilling locations in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our drilling locations are in various stages of evaluation, ranging from a location that is ready to drill to a location that will require substantial additional evaluation. There is no way to predict in advance of drilling and testing whether any particular location will yield oil or natural gas in sufficient quantities to recover drilling or completion costs or to be economically viable. Prior to drilling, the use of 2-D and 3-D seismic technologies, various other technologies, and the study of producing fields in the same area will still not enable us to know conclusively whether oil or natural gas will be present or, if present, whether oil or natural gas will be present in sufficient quantities to be economically viable. In addition, the use of 2-D and 3-D seismic data and other technologies requires greater pre-drilling expenditures than traditional drilling strategies, and we could incur greater drilling and testing expenses as a result of such expenditures which may result in a reduction in our returns or increase our losses. Even if sufficient amounts of oil or natural gas exist, we may damage the potentially productive hydrocarbon bearing formation or experience mechanical difficulties while drilling or completing the well, resulting in a reduction in production from the well or abandonment of the well. If we drill any dry holes in our current and future drilling locations, our profitability and the value of our properties will likely be reduced. We cannot assure you that the analogies we draw from available data from other wells, more fully explored locations, or producing fields will be applicable to our drilling locations. Further, initial production rates reported by us or other operators may not be indicative of future or long-term production rates. In sum, the cost of drilling, completing, and operating any well is often uncertain, and new wells may not be productive.

The terms of our oil and gas leases often stipulate that the lease will terminate if not held by production, rentals, or otherwise some form of an extension payment to extend the term of the lease. As of December 31, 2022, approximately 36,100 net acres of our properties were not held by production. For these properties, if production in paying quantities is not established on units containing leases during the next year, then approximately 17,600 net acres will expire in 2023, approximately 4,900 net acres will expire in 2024, and approximately 13,600 net acres will expire in 2025 and thereafter. While some expiring leases may contain predetermined extension payments, other expiring leases will require us to negotiate new leases at the time of lease expiration. Further, existing leases which are currently held by production may unexpectedly encounter operational, political, regulatory, or litigation challenges which could result in their termination. It is possible that market conditions at the time of negotiation could require us to agree to new leases on less favorable terms to us than the terms of the expired leases or cause us to lose the leases entirely. If our leases expire, we will lose our right to develop the related properties.

In general, production from oil and gas properties declines as reserves are depleted, with the rate of decline depending on reservoir characteristics. Our current proved reserves will decline as reserves are produced and, therefore, our level of production and cash flows will be affected adversely unless we conduct successful exploration and development activities or acquire properties containing proved reserves. Thus, our future oil and natural gas production and, therefore, our cash flow and income are highly dependent upon our level of success in finding, acquiring, and/or developing additional reserves. However, we cannot assure you that our future acquisition, development, and exploration activities will result in any specific amount of additional proved reserves or that we will be able to drill productive wells at acceptable costs.

Our oil and natural gas exploration and production activities are subject to all of the operating risks associated with drilling for and producing oil and natural gas, including, but not limited to, the possibility of:

Any of these risks could adversely affect our ability to conduct operations or result in substantial losses to us as a result of:

As is customary in the oil and gas industry, we maintain insurance against some, but not all, of these potential risks and losses. Although we believe the coverage and amounts of insurance that we carry are consistent with industry practice, we do not have insurance protection against all risks that we face, because we choose not to insure certain risks, insurance is not available at a level that balances the costs of insurance and our desired rates of return, or actual losses exceed coverage limits. Insurance costs will likely continue to increase, which could result in our determination to decrease coverage and retain more risk to mitigate those cost increases. In addition, pollution and environmental risks generally are not fully insurable. If we incur substantial liability, and the damages are not covered by insurance or are in excess of policy limits, then our business, results of operations, and financial condition may be materially adversely affected.

Because hydraulic fracturing activities are integral to our operations, they are covered by our insurance against claims made for bodily injury, property damage, and clean-up costs stemming from a sudden and accidental pollution event. However, we may not have coverage if the operator is unaware of the pollution event and unable to report the “occurrence” to the insurance company within the required time frame. We also do not have coverage for gradual, long-term pollution events, including climate change.

Under certain circumstances, we have agreed to indemnify third parties against losses resulting from our operations. Pursuant to our surface leases, we typically indemnify the surface owner for clean-up and remediation of the site. As owner and operator of oil and gas wells and associated gathering systems and pipelines, we typically indemnify the drilling contractor for pollution emanating from the well, while the contractor indemnifies us against pollution emanating from its equipment.

We are subject to stringent and complex federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing public health and occupational safety, the discharge of materials into the environment, noise emittance, light emittance, and the general protection of the environment and wildlife. These laws and regulations may impose numerous requirements on our operations, including the obligation to obtain a permit before conducting drilling or underground injection activities; restrictions on the types, quantities, and concentration of materials that may be released into the environment; limitations or prohibitions of drilling or completion activities; the application of specific health and safety criteria to protect the public or workers; and the responsibility for cleaning up pollution resulting from operations. Numerous governmental authorities, such as the EPA and analogous state agencies, have the power to enforce compliance with these laws and regulations and the permits issued under them, oftentimes requiring difficult and costly actions. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in the assessment of administrative, civil, and criminal penalties; the imposition of investigatory or remedial obligations; the issuance of injunctions limiting or preventing some or all of our operations; delays in granting permits; or even the cancellation of leases and/or permits.

There is an inherent risk of incurring significant environmental costs and liabilities in our operations, some of which may be material, due to our handling of petroleum hydrocarbons and wastes, our emissions into air, water, and the environment, the underground injection or other disposal of our wastes, the use and disposition of hydraulic fracturing fluids, and historical industry operations and waste disposal practices. Under certain environmental laws and regulations, we may be liable for the full cost of removing or remediating contamination, regardless of whether we were at fault, and even when multiple parties contributed to the release and the contaminants were released in compliance with all applicable laws then in effect. In addition, accidental spills or releases on or off our properties may expose us to significant liabilities that could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. Aside from government agencies, the owners of properties where our wells are located, the owners or operators of facilities where our petroleum hydrocarbons or wastes are taken for reclamation or disposal or otherwise come to be located, and other private parties may be able to sue us to enforce compliance with environmental laws and regulations, collect penalties for violations, or obtain damages for any related personal injury, or damage and property damage, and certain trustees may seek natural resource damages. Some sites we operate are located near current or former third-party oil and natural gas operations or facilities, and there is a risk that historic contamination has migrated from those sites to ours. Changes in environmental laws and regulations occur frequently, and any changes that result in more stringent or costly requirements could require us to make significant expenditures to attain and maintain compliance or may otherwise have a material adverse effect on our own results of operations, competitive position, or financial condition. We may not be able to recover some or any of these costs from insurance.

We are subject to extensive federal, state, and local laws and regulations, including those concerning public and occupational health and safety and environmental protection. Governmental authorities frequently review, revise, and supplement these requirements, and both oil and gas development generally, and hydraulic fracturing specifically, are receiving increasing legislative and regulatory attention. For example, the COGCC has revised its regulations on a range of topics including facility siting, development approvals, cumulative impacts, asset transfers, pollution standards, hearings and variances, groundwater monitoring, underground injection control and enhanced recovery wells, venting and flaring restrictions, spill reporting, cleanup responsibility, and wildlife protection. Additionally, financial assurance rulemaking was completed by the COGCC in early 2022, which will impact fees required for surety bonding and includes comprehensive language that addressed the transfer of wells and plugging and abandonment obligations. Our operations utilize hydraulic fracturing, an important and commonly used process in the completion of oil and natural gas wells in low-permeability formations. Hydraulic fracturing involves the injection of water, proppant, and chemicals under pressure into rock formations to stimulate hydrocarbon production.

In some instances, certain state and local governments are adopting new requirements on hydraulic fracturing and other oil and gas operations. Some counties in Colorado, for instance, have amended their land use regulations to impose new siting and other requirements on oil and gas development, while other local governments have entered memoranda of agreement with oil and gas producers to accomplish the same or similar objectives. Under current Colorado law, local governments can regulate both facility siting and the surface impacts associated with oil and gas development, and local government regulations may be more protective or stricter than State requirements. In addition, voters in Colorado have proposed or advanced ballot initiatives restricting or banning oil and gas development in Colorado. Because our operations and reserves are solely located in Colorado, the risks we face with respect to such ballot initiatives are greater than other companies with more geographically diverse operations.

The adoption of future federal, state, or local laws or implementing regulations imposing new environmental, operational, and/or financial assurance obligations on, or otherwise limiting, our operations could make it more difficult, more expensive, and/or impossible to complete oil and natural gas wells, increase our costs of compliance operations, delay or prevent the development of certain resources (including especially shale formations that are not commercial without the use of hydraulic fracturing), or alter the demand for and consumption of our products. We cannot assure that any such outcome would not be material, and any such outcome could have a material adverse impact on our cash flows and results of operations.

There is a broad consensus of scientific opinion that human-caused (anthropogenic) emissions of GHGs are linked to climate change. Climate change and the costs that may be associated with its impacts and the regulation of GHGs have the potential to affect our business in many ways, including negatively impacting the costs we incur in providing our products and the demand for and consumption of our products (due to potential changes in both costs and weather patterns).

The EPA also adopted regulations requiring the reporting of GHG emissions from specific categories of higher GHG emitting sources in the U.S., including certain oil and natural gas production facilities, which include certain of our operations. Information in such reporting may form the basis for further GHG regulation. Further, the EPA has continued with its comprehensive strategy for further reducing methane emissions from oil and gas operations, with a final rule being issued in June 2016 as part of the Subpart OOOOa NSPS. Further, on November 15, 2021, the EPA issued a proposed rule intended to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas sources. The proposed rule would make the existing regulations in Subpart OOOOa more stringent and create a Subpart OOOOb to expand reduction requirements for new, modified, and reconstructed oil and gas sources, including standards focusing on certain source types that have never been regulated under the CAA (including intermittent vent pneumatic controllers, associated gas, and liquids unloading facilities). In addition, the proposed rule would establish “Emissions Guidelines,” creating a Subpart OOOOc that would require states to develop plans to reduce methane emissions from existing sources that must be at least as effective as presumptive standards set by the EPA. On November 15, 2022, the EPA issued a proposed rule supplementing the November 2021 proposed rule. Among other things, the November 2022 supplemental proposed rule removes an emissions monitoring exemption for small wellhead-only sites and creates a new third-party monitoring program to flag large emissions events, referred to in the proposed rule as “super emitters”. The EPA is expected to issue a final rule by August 2023. The EPA’s GHG rules could adversely affect our operations and restrict or delay our ability to obtain air permits for new or modified facilities.

In the meantime, many states already have taken such measures, which have included renewable energy standards, development of GHG emission inventories or cap and trade programs, and the adoption of ambitious climate action targets in Colorado under HB 19-1261.

Finally, most scientists have concluded that increasing concentrations of GHGs in the Earth’s atmosphere and climate change may produce significant physical effects on weather conditions, such as increased frequency and severity of droughts, storms, floods, and other climatic events. If any such effects were to occur, they could adversely affect or delay demand for the oil or natural gas produced or cause us to incur significant costs in preparing for or responding to the effects of climatic events themselves, which may not be fully insured. Potential adverse effects could include disruption of our production activities, including, for example, damages to our facilities from winds or floods, increases in our costs of operation, or reductions in the efficiency of our operations, increases in market prices of or limited access to raw materials such as energy and water, impacts on our personnel, supply chain, or distribution chain, as well as potentially increased costs for insurance coverages in the aftermath of such effects. Any of these effects could have an adverse effect on the Company’s assets and operations. Our ability to mitigate the adverse physical impacts of climate change depends in part upon our disaster preparedness and response and business continuity planning. Further, energy needs could increase or decrease as a result of extreme weather conditions depending on the duration and magnitude of any such climate changes. Increased energy use due to weather changes may require us to invest in additional equipment to serve increased demand. A decrease in energy use due to weather changes may affect our financial condition through decreased revenues. The effect of fluctuations on supply and demand may become more pronounced within specific geographic oil and natural gas producing areas, which may cause these conditions to occur with greater frequency or magnify the effects of these conditions. Due to the concentrated nature of our portfolio of properties, a

Increasing attention from governmental and regulatory bodies, investors, consumers, industry, and other stakeholders on combatting climate change, together with changes in consumer and industrial/commercial behavior, societal expectations on companies to address climate change, investor and societal expectations regarding voluntary climate-related disclosures, preferences and attitudes with respect to the generation and consumption of energy, the use of hydrocarbons, and the use of products manufactured with, or powered by, hydrocarbons, may result in the enactment of climate change-related regulations, policies, and initiatives (at the government, regulator, corporate, and/or investor community levels), including alternative energy requirements, new fuel consumption standards, energy conservation and emissions reductions, measures and responsible energy development; technological advances with respect to the generation, transmission, storage, and consumption of energy (including advances in wind, solar, and hydrogen power, as well as battery technology); increased availability of, and increased demand from consumers and industry for, energy sources other than oil and natural gas (including wind, solar, nuclear, and geothermal sources as well as electric vehicles); and development of, and increased demand from consumers and industry for, lower-emission products and services (including electric vehicles and renewable residential and commercial power supplies) as well as more efficient products and services. These developments may in the future adversely affect the demand for products manufactured with, or powered by, petroleum products, as well as the demand for, and in turn the prices of, the products that we sell, the Company’s stock price and access to capital markets, and the availability to us of necessary third-party services and facilities that we rely on, which may increase our operational costs and adversely affect our ability to successfully carry out the Company’s business strategy.

Furthermore, the oil and natural gas industry, and energy industry more broadly, is characterized by rapid and significant technological advancements and introductions of new products and services using new technologies. As others use or develop new technologies, including technological advances in fuel economy and energy generation devices or other technological advances that could reduce demand for oil and natural gas, we may be placed at a competitive disadvantage or may be forced by competitive pressures to implement new technologies at substantial costs. We may not be able to respond to these competitive pressures or implement new technologies on a timely basis or at an acceptable cost. If one or more of the technologies we use now or in the future were to become obsolete, our business, financial condition, or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Certain segments of the investor community have developed negative sentiment towards investing in our industry, and such negative sentiment and related reputational risks may also adversely affect our ability to successfully carry out our business strategy by adversely affecting our access to capital. Recent equity returns in the sector versus other industry sectors have led to lower oil and gas representation in certain key equity market indices. In addition, some investors, including investment advisors and certain sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, university endowments, and family foundations, have stated policies to disinvest in the oil and gas sector based on their social and environmental considerations. Certain investment banks and asset managers based both domestically and internationally have announced that they are adopting climate change guidelines for their banking and investing activities. Institutional lenders who provide financing to energy companies such as ours have also become more attentive to sustainable lending practices, and some may elect not to provide traditional energy producers or companies that support such producers with funding. Certain other stakeholders have also pressured commercial and investment banks to stop financing oil and gas production and related infrastructure projects. Such developments, including environmental activism and initiatives aimed at limiting climate change and reducing air pollution, could result in downward pressure on the stock prices of oil and gas companies, including ours. This may also potentially result in a reduction of available capital funding or higher cost of capital for potential development projects as well as the restriction, delay, or cancellation of infrastructure projects and energy production activities, ultimately impacting our future financial results.

Additionally, negative public perception regarding us and/or our industry may lead to increased regulatory, legislative, and judicial scrutiny, which may, in turn, lead to new state and federal safety and environmental laws, regulations, guidelines, and enforcement interpretations. Additionally, environmental groups, landowners, local groups, and other advocates may oppose our operations through organized protests, attempts to block or sabotage our operations or those of our midstream transportation providers, intervene in regulatory or administrative proceedings involving our assets or those of our midstream transportation providers, or file lawsuits or other actions designed to prevent, disrupt, or delay the development or operation of our assets and business or those of our midstream transportation providers. These actions may cause operational delays or restrictions, increased operating costs, additional regulatory burdens, and increased risk of litigation. Further, a number of cities and other local governments have sought to bring suit against the largest oil and gas companies in state or federal court, alleging, among other things, that such companies created public nuisances by producing fuels that contributed to climate

Moreover, governmental authorities exercise considerable discretion in the timing and scope of permit issuance and the public may engage in the permitting process, including through intervention in the courts. Negative public perception could cause the permits we require to conduct our operations to be withheld, delayed, or burdened by requirements that restrict our ability to profitably conduct our business. In addition, various officials and candidates at the federal, state, and local levels have made climate-related pledges or proposed banning hydraulic fracturing altogether. More broadly, the enactment of climate change-related policies and initiatives across the market at the corporate level and/or investor community level may in the future result in increases in the Company’s compliance costs and other operating costs and have other adverse effects (e.g., greater potential for governmental investigations or litigation). For further discussion regarding the transition risks posed to us by climate change-related regulations, policies, and initiatives, see the discussion above in “Climate change laws and regulations restricting emissions of greenhouse gases could result in increased operating costs and reduced demand for the oil and natural gas that we produce, while the physical effects of climate change could disrupt our production and cause us to incur significant costs in preparing for or responding to those effects.”

In recent years, companies across all industries are facing increasing scrutiny from a variety of stakeholders, including investor advocacy groups, proxy advisory firms, certain institutional investors, and lenders, investment funds and other influential investors and rating agencies, related to their ESG and sustainability practices. If we do not adapt to or comply with investor or other stakeholder expectations and standards on ESG matters (or meet sustainability goals and targets that we have set), as they continue to evolve, or if we are perceived to have not responded appropriately or quickly enough to growing concern for ESG and sustainability issues, regardless of whether there is a regulatory or legal requirement to do so, we may suffer from reputational damage and our business, financial condition, and/or stock price could be materially and adversely affected.

In addition, the Company’s continuing efforts to research, establish, accomplish, and accurately report on the implementation of our ESG strategy, including any specific ESG objectives, may also create additional operational risks and expenses and expose us to reputational, legal, and other risks. While we create and publish voluntary disclosures regarding ESG matters from time to time, some of the statements in those voluntary disclosures may be based on hypothetical expectations and assumptions that may or may not be representative of current or actual risks or events or forecasts of expected risks or events, including the costs associated therewith. Such expectations and assumptions are necessarily uncertain and may be prone to error or subject to misinterpretation given the long timelines involved and the lack of an established single approach to identifying, measuring, and reporting on many ESG matters. In addition, organizations that provide information to investors on corporate governance and related matters have developed ratings processes for evaluating companies on their approach to ESG matters. Such ratings are used by some investors to inform their investment and voting decisions. Unfavorable ESG ratings could lead to increased negative investor sentiment toward us and our industry and to the diversion of investment to other industries, which could have a negative impact on our stock price and our access to and costs of capital.

Further, our operations and projects require us to have strong relationships with various key stakeholders, including our shareholders, employees, suppliers, customers, local communities, and others. We may face pressure from stakeholders, many of whom are increasingly focused on climate change, to prioritize sustainable energy practices, reduce our carbon footprint, and promote sustainability while at the same time remaining a successfully operating public company. If we do not successfully manage expectations across these varied stakeholder interests, it could erode stakeholder trust and thereby affect our brand and reputation. Such erosion of confidence could negatively impact our business through decreased demand, delays in projects, increased legal action and regulatory oversight, adverse press coverage and other adverse public statements, difficulty hiring and retaining top talent, difficulty obtaining necessary approvals and permits from governments and regulatory agencies on a timely basis and on acceptable terms, and difficulty securing investors and access to capital.

Our principal exposures to credit risk are through receivables resulting from commodity price derivatives instruments, joint interest billings, and other components of $135.8 million at December 31, 2022, and the sale of our oil, natural gas, and NGLs production of $343.5 million in receivables at December 31, 2022, which we market to energy marketing companies, refineries, and affiliates.

Joint interest receivables arise from billing entities who own partial interest in the wells we operate. These entities participate in our wells primarily based on their ownership in leases on which we wish to drill. We can do very little to choose who participates in our wells.

We are also subject to credit risk due to concentration of our oil, natural gas, and NGLs receivables with significant customers. This concentration of customers may impact our overall credit risk since these entities may be similarly affected by changes in economic, political, and other conditions.

We are exposed to credit risk in the event of default of our counterparty, principally with respect to hedging agreements, but also with respect to insurance contracts and bank lending commitments. We do not require most of our customers to post collateral. The inability or failure of our significant customers to meet their obligations to us or their insolvency or liquidation may adversely affect our financial results. Deterioration in the credit markets may impact the credit ratings of our current and potential counterparties and affect their ability to fulfill their existing obligations to us and their willingness to enter into future transactions with us.

The Dodd-Frank Act establishes, among other provisions, federal oversight and regulation of the over-the-counter derivatives market and entities that participate in that market. The Dodd-Frank Act also establishes margin requirements and certain transaction clearing and trade execution requirements. The Dodd-Frank Act may require us to comply with margin requirements in our derivative activities, although the application of those provisions to us is uncertain at this time. The financial reform legislation may also require the counterparties to our derivative instruments to spin off some of their derivatives activities to separate entities, which may not be as creditworthy as the current counterparties.

The Dodd-Frank Act and any new regulations could significantly increase the cost of derivative contracts (including through requirements to post collateral, which could adversely affect our available liquidity), materially alter the terms of derivative contracts, reduce the availability of derivatives to protect against risks we encounter, reduce our ability to monetize or restructure our existing derivative contracts, and increase our exposure to less creditworthy counterparties. If we reduce our use of derivatives as a result of the Dodd-Frank Act and regulations, our results of operations may be more volatile and our cash flows may be less predictable, which could adversely affect our ability to plan for and fund capital expenditures.

Like many oil and gas companies, we are involved in various legal and other cases, such as title, royalty, or contractual disputes, regulatory compliance matters, and personal injury or property damage matters, in the ordinary course of our business. Such legal cases are inherently uncertain, and their results cannot be predicted. Regardless of the outcome, such cases could have an adverse impact on us because of legal costs, diversion of management and other personnel, and other factors. In addition, it is possible that a resolution of one or more such cases could result in liability, penalties, or sanctions, as well as judgments, consent decrees, or orders requiring a change in our business practices, which could materially and adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition. Accruals for such liability, penalties, or sanctions may be insufficient. Judgments and estimates to determine accruals or range of losses related to legal and other cases could change from one period to the next, and such changes could be material.

The federal, state, and local governments in the areas in which we operate (i) impose taxes on the oil and natural gas products we sell, and (ii) for many of our wells, impose sales and use taxes on significant portions of our drilling and operating costs. Many states have raised state taxes on energy sources or state taxes associated with the extraction of hydrocarbons, and additional increases, unexpectedly may occur. In addition, there has been a significant amount of discussion by legislators and presidential administrations concerning a variety of energy tax proposals.

There have been proposals for legislative changes that, if enacted into law, would eliminate certain key U.S. federal income tax incentives currently available to oil and natural gas exploration and production companies. Such changes include, but are not limited to, (i) the repeal of the percentage depletion allowance for oil and gas properties; (ii) the elimination of current deductions for intangible drilling and development costs; (iii) the elimination of the deduction for certain U.S. production activities; and (iv) an extension of the amortization period for certain geological and geophysical expenditures. It is unclear whether these or similar changes will be enacted and, if enacted, how soon any such changes could become effective. Any such changes in U.S. federal income tax law could eliminate or defer certain tax deductions within the industry that are currently available with respect to oil and gas exploration and development, and any such change could negatively affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flow.

In Colorado, there may be proposals for legislative changes that, if enacted into law, could substantially increase our severance tax and ad valorem tax effective rates. Such changes may include, but are not limited to, (i) the reduction or elimination of the credit against severance tax based on the property tax we pay; (ii) the reduction or elimination of certain exemptions impacting severance tax liability; and (iii) increased severance tax rates. Any such changes to Colorado’s ad valorem and severance tax laws could negatively affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flow.

On August 16, 2022, legislation commonly known as the Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law. Among other things, the Inflation Reduction Act includes a 1% excise tax on corporate stock repurchases, applicable to repurchases after December 31, 2022, and also a new minimum tax based on book income. We are in the process of evaluating the potential impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act to us. While we do not currently expect the Inflation Reduction Act to have a material impact on our effective tax rate, our analysis of the effect of the Inflation Reduction Act on us is ongoing and incomplete, and it is possible that the Inflation Reduction Act (or implementing regulations and other guidance, which have not yet been issued) could adversely impact our current and deferred federal tax liability.

Changes to federal tax deductions, as well as any changes to or the imposition of new state or local taxes (including production, severance, or similar taxes) could negatively affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flow.

We are subject to taxes by U.S. federal, state, and local tax authorities. Our future effective tax rates could be subject to volatility or adversely affected by a number of factors, including changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities, expected timing and amount of the release of any tax valuation allowances, or changes in tax laws, regulations, or interpretations thereof. In addition, we may be subject to audits of our income, sales, and other transaction taxes by U.S. federal, state, and local taxing authorities. Outcomes from these audits could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, and results of operations.

The oil and gas industry is highly dependent on digital technologies to conduct certain exploration, development, production, processing, and distribution activities. For example, we depend on digital technologies to interpret seismic data, manage drilling rigs, production equipment, and gathering and transportation systems, conduct reservoir modeling and reserves estimation, and process and record financial and operating data. Pipelines, refineries, power stations, and distribution points for both fuels and electricity are increasingly more interconnected by computer systems. We also depend on digital technology, including information systems and related infrastructure, as well as cloud applications and services, to process and record financial and operating data, communicate with our employees and business parties, analyze seismic and drilling information, estimate quantities of oil and gas reserves, as well as other activities related to our business. We also collect and store sensitive data in the ordinary course of our business, including personally identifiable information of our employees as well as our proprietary business information and that of our customers, suppliers, investors, and other stakeholders. Our business partners, including vendors, service providers, purchasers of our production, and financial institutions, are also dependent on digital technology. The secure processing, maintenance, and transmission of information is critical to our operations, and we monitor our key information technology systems in an effort to detect and prevent cyber-attacks, security breaches, or unauthorized access. At the same time, cyber incidents, including deliberate attacks or unintentional events, have continued to increase in frequency and are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Despite our security measures, our technologies, systems, networks, and those of our vendors, suppliers, and other business partners may become the target of cyber-attacks or information security breaches that could result in the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss or destruction of proprietary and other information, or other disruption of our business operations. In addition, weaknesses in the cyber security of our vendors, suppliers, and other business partners could facilitate an attack on our technologies, systems, and networks. In addition, certain cyber incidents, such as surveillance, may remain undetected for an extended period. Given the politically sensitive nature of hydraulic fracturing and the controversy generated by its opponents, our technologies, systems, and networks may be of particular interest to certain ideological groups, which may seek to launch cyber-attacks as a method of advancing their agenda. Our systems and insurance coverage for protecting against cyber security risks may not be sufficient.

As cyber-attacks continue to evolve, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to continue to modify or enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate any vulnerabilities to cyber-attacks. In particular, our implementation of various procedures and controls to monitor and mitigate security threats and to increase security for our personnel, information, facilities, and infrastructure may result in increased capital and operating costs. A cyber-attack or security breach could result in liability under data privacy laws, regulatory penalties, damage to our reputation, or loss of confidence in us, or additional costs for remediation and modification or enhancement of our information systems to prevent future occurrences, all of which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations. To date we have not experienced any material losses relating to cyber-attacks; however, there can be no assurance that we will not suffer such losses in the future. Consequently, it is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

The trading price of shares of our common stock has fluctuated widely and in the future may be subject to similar fluctuations. As an example, during the 2022 calendar year, the sales price of our common stock ranged from a low of $44.17 per share to a high of $84.76 per share. The trading price of our common stock may be affected by a number of factors, including the volatility of oil, natural gas, and NGL prices, our operating results, changes in our earnings estimates, additions or departures of key personnel, our financial condition and liquidity, drilling activities, legislative and regulatory changes, general conditions in the oil and natural gas exploration and development industry, general economic conditions, and general conditions in the securities markets. In particular, a significant or extended decline in oil, natural gas, and NGL prices could have a material adverse effect our sales price of our common stock. Other risks described in this annual report could also materially and adversely affect our share price.

Although our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, we cannot assure you that an active public market will continue for our common stock or that we will be able to continue to meet the listing requirements of the NYSE. If an active public market for our common stock does not continue, the trading price and liquidity of our common stock will be materially and adversely affected. If there is a thin trading market or “float” for our stock, the market price for our common stock may fluctuate significantly more than the stock market as a whole. Without a large float, our common stock would be less liquid than the stock of companies with broader public ownership and, as a result, the trading prices of our common stock may be more volatile. In addition, in the absence of an active public trading market, investors may be unable to liquidate their investment in us.

Holders of our common stock are only entitled to receive such cash dividends as our Board, in its sole discretion, may declare out of funds legally available for such payments. In May 2021, we announced the initiation of a quarterly base cash dividend and, in March 2022, the Board approved the initiation of a quarterly variable cash dividend, assuming pro forma compliance with certain leverage targets. The decision to pay any future dividends is solely within the discretion of, and subject to approval by, our Board. Our Board’s determination with respect to any such dividends, including the record date, the payment date and the actual amount of the dividend, will depend upon, among other things, our profitability and financial condition, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable law, and other factors that our Board deems relevant at the time of such determination. We cannot assure you, however, that we will pay dividends in the future in the current amounts or at all. Our Board may change the timing and amount of any future dividend payments or eliminate the payment of future dividends to our common stockholders at its discretion, without notice to our stockholders. Our ability to declare and pay dividends to our stockholders is subject to certain laws, regulations, and policies, including minimum capital requirements and, as a Delaware corporation, we are subject to certain restrictions on dividends under the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”). Under the DGCL, our Board may not authorize payment of a dividend unless it is either paid out of our surplus, as calculated in accordance with the DGCL, or if we do not have a surplus, it is paid out of our net profits for the fiscal year in which the dividend is declared and/or the preceding fiscal year. In addition, our ability to pay cash dividends to our stockholders may be limited by covenants in any debt agreements that we are currently a party to, including the Credit Facility and the indenture governing our senior notes, or may enter into in the future. As a consequence of these various limitations and restrictions, we may not be able to make, or may have to reduce or eliminate at any time, the payment of dividends on our common stock. If as a result, we are unable to pay dividends, investors may be forced to rely on sales of their common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize a return on their investment. Any change in the level of our dividends or the suspension of the payment thereof could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

Our certificate of incorporation authorizes our Board of Directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval. If our Board elects to issue preferred stock, it could be more difficult for a third party to acquire us. In addition, some provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us, even if the change of control would be beneficial to our stockholders, including:

Delaware law prohibits us from engaging in any business combination with any “interested stockholder,” meaning generally that a stockholder who beneficially owns more than 15% of our stock cannot acquire us for a period of three years from the date this person became an interested stockholder, unless various conditions are met, such as approval of the transaction by our Board.

Upon completion of the Extraction Merger and the Crestone Peak Merger, a private investment fund managed by Kimmeridge Energy Management Company, LLC, which owns shares through a subsidiary, Kimmeridge Chelsea, LLC, (the “Kimmeridge Fund”) owns approximately 14% of our Common Stock, representing approximately 14% of our combined voting power, and the Crestone Peak Stockholder owns approximately 25% of our Common Stock, representing approximately 25% of our combined voting power. Subsequent to year-end, the Company entered into a privately-negotiated share purchase agreement with the Crestone Peak Stockholder for the purchase of approximately 4.9 million shares of the Company’s common stock. Following the share purchase, the Crestone Peak Stockholder remained the Company’s largest shareholder. In addition, upon completion of the Extraction Merger, Mr. Benjamin Dell, independent chairman of the Extraction board and a Manager of the Kimmeridge Fund, became chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company; and he served as the Interim Chief Executive Officer from January 31, 2022 until May 2, 2022. As a result, we believe that the Kimmeridge Fund and the Crestone Peak Stockholder may or will have some ability to influence our management and affairs. Further, the existence of a new significant stockholder may have the effect of deterring hostile takeovers, delaying or preventing changes in control or changes in management, or limiting the ability of our other stockholders to approve transactions that they may view as being in their best interests or in our best interests.

In the event that the Kimmeridge Fund or the Crestone Peak Stockholder continue to be the owner of a significant amount of our Common Stock, the prospect that they may be able to influence matters requiring stockholder approval may continue. In any of these matters, the interests of the Kimmeridge Fund or the Crestone Peak Stockholder and of our other stockholders may differ or conflict. Moreover, in the event that the Kimmeridge Fund or the Crestone Peak Stockholder continue to be the owner of a significant concentration of our Common Stock, such an ownership stake may also adversely affect the trading price of our Common Stock to the extent investors perceive a disadvantage in owning stock of a company with a significant stockholder.

Our certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum shall be the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee, or agent of ours to us or to our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws (or any action to interpret, apply, or enforce any provision thereof), or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each such case subject to said court of chancery having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants therein.

Our exclusive forum provision is not intended to apply to claims arising under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act. To the extent the provision could be construed to apply to such claims, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce the forum selection provision with respect to such claims, and in any event, our stockholders would not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock is deemed to have received notice of and consented to the foregoing forum selection provision. This provision may limit our stockholders’ ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that they find favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this choice of forum provision inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, prospects, or results of operations.

None.

From time to time, we are subject to legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business. Like other gas and oil producers and marketers, our operations are subject to extensive and rapidly changing federal and state environmental, health, and safety and other laws and regulations governing air emissions, wastewater discharges, and solid and hazardous waste management activities.

In May 2022, the Company became aware that Boulder County is alleging new legal theories and requesting termination of the leases previously at issue in the Blue Paintbrush litigation. No formal action has been initiated, but the Company intends to vigorously defend against all claims alleged by Boulder County. If an action is brought by Boulder County, an adverse outcome in any such litigation could result in the Company failing to meet its development objectives in Blue Paintbrush.

Not applicable.

The following graph compares the cumulative total stockholder return for the Company’s common stock, the Standard and Poor’s 500 Stock Index (the “S&P 500 Index”) and the Standard and Poor’s 500 Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Index (“S&P O&G E&P Index”) over the five year period from December 31, 2017 through December 31, 2022. The graph assumes that $100 was invested on December 31, 2017 in each of the common stock of the Company, the S&P 500 Index, and the S&P O&G E&P Index and assumes reinvestment of any dividends. The stock price performance on the following graph is not necessarily indicative of future stock price performance.

We are an independent exploration and production company focused on the acquisition, development, and production of oil and associated liquids-rich natural gas in the Rocky Mountain region, primarily in the DJ Basin of Colorado. We believe our acreage in the DJ Basin has been significantly delineated by our own drilling success and by the success of offset operators, providing confidence that our results are repeatable and will continue to generate economic returns. The majority of our revenues are generated through the sale of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids production.

The Company’s primary objective is to maximize shareholder returns by responsibly developing our oil and natural gas resources. To achieve this, Civitas is guided by four foundational pillars that we believe add long-term, sustainable value. These pillars are: generate free cash flow, maintain a premier balance sheet, return free cash flow to shareholders, and demonstrate ESG leadership.

Our financial and operational results include:

The Company’s midstream assets provide reliable gathering, treating, and storage for the Company’s operated production while reducing facility site footprints, leading to more cost-efficient operations and reduced emissions and surface disturbance per Boe produced. Additionally, this infrastructure helps ensure that the Company’s production is not constrained by any single midstream service provider. The net book value of the Company’s midstream assets was $326.8 million as of December 31, 2022.

Commodity prices continue to be impacted by various macro-economic factors influencing the balance of supply and demand. Commodity prices strengthened in 2021 and continued to strengthen throughout the majority of 2022, which has significantly improved our earnings and ability to generate free cash flow. The increase in commodity prices was primarily driven by increased demand resulting from the global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and related economic sanctions imposed on Russia, as well as OPEC+ restraining production growth, further augmented supply shortages, causing oil prices to increase even more throughout most of 2022.

However, the economy is experiencing uncertainty surrounding inflation and increased interest rates, as evidenced by the decline of oil prices in the fourth quarter of 2022. Inflationary pressures could result in increases to our capital and operating expenses and could impact the cost of oilfield services, equipment, and personnel retention, among other things. Increases in interest rates as a result of inflation and a potentially recessionary economic environment in the United States could also have a negative effect on the demand for oil and natural gas. The foregoing destabilizing factors have caused dramatic fluctuations in global financial markets and uncertainty about world-wide oil and natural gas supply and demand, which in turn has increased the volatility of oil and natural gas prices.

The below graph depicts month average NYMEX WTI oil and NYMEX natural gas HH spot price over the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021.

While WTI oil prices have strengthened, in light of uncertainty associated with oil and natural gas demand, future monetary policy relating to inflationary pressures, and governmental policies aimed at transitioning toward lower carbon energy, we cannot predict any future volatility in or levels of commodity prices or demand for oil and natural gas.

Our 2023 drilling and completion capital budget of $725 million to $825 million contemplates running an average of 2 operated rigs and 2 operated crews that will drill 100 to 110 and complete 120 to 130 gross operated wells. Additionally, we intend to invest approximately $75 million to $85 million in land, midstream, and other capital activity, inclusive of approximately $11 million towards ESG emissions reduction initiatives. Further, we have allocated $8 million in the 2023 budget toward the purchase of carbon offsets and renewable energy credits. Despite the prevalence of climate change-related regulations, policies and initiatives (across the market at the corporate level and/or investor community level), we did not incur any material increase in compliance costs related to climate change in the year ended December 31, 2022, and we do not presently anticipate the incurrence of any material increases in future periods.

The Company’s primary sources of liquidity include cash flows from operating activities, available borrowing capacity under the Credit Facility, potential proceeds from equity and/or debt capital markets transactions, potential proceeds from sales of assets, and other sources. We may use our available liquidity for operating activities, working capital requirements, capital expenditures, acquisitions, the return of capital to shareholders, and for general corporate purposes.

Our primary source of cash flows from operating activities is the sale of oil, natural gas, and NGLs. As such, our cash flows are subject to significant volatility due to changes in commodity prices, as well as variations in our production volumes. The prices for these commodities are driven by a number of factors beyond our control, including global and regional product supply and demand, the impact of inflation and monetary policy, weather, product distribution, refining and processing capacity, regulatory constraints, and other supply chain dynamics, among other factors.

As of December 31, 2022, our liquidity was $1.8 billion, consisting of cash on hand of $768.0 million and $987.9 million of available borrowing capacity on our Credit Facility. As of the date of filing of this report, the available borrowing capacity on our Credit Facility remained unchanged. Borrowing capacity under the Credit Facility is primarily based on the value assigned to the proved reserves attributable to our oil and natural gas interests. On April 20, 2022, the Company entered into an amendment to the Credit Agreement that increased the Company’s borrowing base from $1.0 billion to $1.7 billion and the aggregate elected commitment amount from $800.0 million to $1.0 billion. On October 27, 2022, and as part of the regularly scheduled, semi-annual borrowing base redetermination under the Credit Facility, the Company’s aggregate elected commitments of $1.0 billion were reaffirmed and borrowing base was increased from $1.7 billion to $1.85 billion.

Net cash used in investing activities of $1.3 billion during 2022 was primarily the result of the exploration and development of oil and natural gas properties of $967.1 million, acquisitions of oil and natural gas properties of $377.9 million that included the Bison Acquisition and the purchase additional working interests in certain Company-operated wells, partially offset by $44.3 million of cash acquired in the Bison Acquisition.

Net cash provided by investing activities of $73.5 million during 2021 was primarily the result of cash acquired in the HighPoint, Extraction, and Crestone Peak Mergers of $223.7 million, partially offset by the exploration and development of oil and natural gas properties of $151.5 million.

Net cash used in financing activities of $657.4 million during 2022 was primarily the result of dividends paid of $536.9 million, the redemption of our 7.5% Senior Notes for $100.0 million, and payments of employee tax withholdings in exchange for the return of common stock of $19.6 million.

Net cash used in financing activities of $118.4 million during 2021 was primarily the result of net payments made on the Credit Facility of $434.0 million that included the net payoff of the HighPoint credit facility of $154.0 million and the Crestone Peak credit facility of $280.0 million, dividends paid of $60.8 million, and deferred financing costs of $19.3 million. Partially offsetting these outflows were proceeds from the $400.0 million issuance of 5.0% Senior Notes.

Free cash flow is a supplemental non-GAAP financial measure that is calculated as net cash provided by operating activities before changes in current assets and liabilities and less exploration and development of oil and natural gas properties, changes in working capital related to capital expenditures, and purchases of carbon offsets. We believe that free cash flow provides additional information that may be useful to investors in evaluating our ability to generate cash from our existing oil and natural gas assets to fund future exploration and development activities and to return cash to shareholders. Free cash flow is a supplemental measure of liquidity and should not be viewed as a substitute for cash flows from operations because it excludes certain required cash expenditures.

The following table presents a reconciliation of the GAAP financial measure of net cash provided by operating activities to the non-GAAP financial measure of free cash flow (in thousands):

PV-10 is derived from the Standardized Measure, which is the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure. PV-10 is a computation of the Standardized Measure on a pre-tax basis. PV-10 is equal to the Standardized Measure at the applicable date, before deducting future income taxes, discounted at 10%. We believe that the presentation of PV-10 is relevant and useful to investors because it presents the discounted future net cash flows attributable to our estimated net proved reserves prior to taking into account future corporate income taxes, and it is a useful measure for evaluating the relative monetary significance of our oil and natural gas properties. We use this measure when assessing the potential return on investment related to our oil and natural gas properties. PV-10, however, is not a substitute for the Standardized Measure. Neither our PV-10 measure nor the Standardized Measure purports to present the fair value of our oil and natural gas reserves.