| • | | delays associated with suspending our operations to accommodate nearby drilling or completion operations being conducted by other operators; |
| • | | mechanical difficulties, fires, explosions, equipment failures, or accidents, including ruptures of pipelines or storage facilities, or train derailments; |
| • | | restrictions on the use of underground injection wells for disposing of wastewater from oil and gas activities; |
| • | | political events, public protests, civil disturbances, terrorist acts, or cyber-attacks; |
| • | | decreases in, or extended periods of low, crude oil and natural gas prices; |
| • | | environmental hazards, such as uncontrollable flows of crude oil, natural gas, brine, well fluids, hydraulic fracturing fluids, toxic gas, or other pollutants into the environment, including groundwater and shoreline contamination; |
| • | | adverse climatic conditions and natural disasters; |
| • | | spillage or mishandling of crude oil, natural gas, brine, well fluids, hydraulic fracturing fluids, toxic gas, or other pollutants by us or by third-party service providers; |
| • | | limitations in infrastructure, including transportation, processing, refining, and exportation capacity, or markets for crude oil and natural gas; and |
| • | | delays imposed by or resulting from compliance with regulatory requirements, including permitting. |
As we expand our direct drilling and extraction activities the impact of these risks on our overall business will only grow more significant. See “— The businesses of direct drilling and extraction of minerals and acquisition of mineral rights are highly competitive. If we are unable to successfully compete within these businesses through our direct drilling operations conducted by PhoenixOp, we may not be able to identify and purchase attractive assets and successfully operate our properties,” “—Our business is sensitive to the price of oil and gas and declines in prices may adversely affect our financial position, financial results, cash flows, access to capital, and ability to grow,” “—Properties we acquire for our direct drilling and extraction operations, currently conducted through PhoenixOp, may not produce as projected, and we may be unable to determine reserve potential, identify liabilities associated with such properties, or obtain protection from sellers against such liabilities,” and “—Our development of successful operations relies extensively on our direct operations, through PhoenixOp and various third-party E&P operators, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.”
We are not insured against all risks associated with our business. We and PhoenixOp may elect to not obtain insurance if we believe the cost of available insurance is excessive relative to the risks presented or for other reasons. In addition, some risks such as those stemming from certain environmental hazards are generally not fully insurable.
Losses and liabilities arising from any of the above events could reduce the value of our capital contributions to PhoenixOp, increase our need to provide additional capital to PhoenixOp, and otherwise harm our financial position, which could adversely affect us and our ability to pay our obligations under the Notes.
Our business is sensitive to the price of oil and gas and declines in prices may adversely affect our financial position, financial results, cash flows, access to capital, and ability to grow.
We are in the business of both drilling and extracting oil and gas minerals directly through our operations conducted by PhoenixOp, and purchasing mineral rights and non-operated working interests in land in the United States, including the rights to drill for oil and gas. The prices we receive for our oil and natural gas production heavily influence our revenue, operating results, profitability, access to capital, future rate of growth, and carrying value of our properties. 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, as well as costs and terms of transport to downstream markets.
Historically, the commodities markets have been volatile, and these markets will likely continue to be volatile in the future. A decline in oil and natural gas prices can have an adverse effect on the value of our interests in the land, which will materially and adversely affect our ability to generate cash flows and, in turn, our ability to make interest and principal payments on the Notes. The prices received for oil and natural gas produced on our land, and the levels of the production, depend on numerous factors beyond our control and include the following:
| • | | changes in global supply and demand for oil and natural gas; |
| • | | the actions of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”); |
| • | | political conditions, including embargoes, in or affecting other oil-producing activity; |
| • | | the level of global and domestic oil and natural gas exploration and production activity; |
| • | | the level of global and domestic oil and natural gas inventories; |
| • | | the level of consumer product demand; |
| • | | technological advances affecting energy consumption and energy supply; |
| • | | speculative trading in commodity markets, including expectations about future commodity prices; |
| • | | the proximity of our production operations to, and capacity, availability, and cost of, pipelines and other transportation and storage |
| • | | facilities, and other factors that result in differentials to benchmark prices; |
| • | | domestic, local, and foreign governmental regulation and taxes; |
| • | | fuel and energy conservation measures and technological advances affecting energy consumption; and |
| • | | the price and availability of alternative fuels. |
These factors and the volatility of oil and natural gas prices make it extremely difficult to predict future crude oil, natural gas, and NGL price movements or to estimate the value of producing properties for acquisition and often cause disruption in the market for oil and natural gas producing properties, as buyers and sellers have difficulty agreeing on such value. Certain actions by OPEC and other oil producing nations in the first half of 2020, combined with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and a shortage in available storage for hydrocarbons in the United States, contributed to the historic low price for crude oil in April 2020. While the prices for crude oil have generally increased since then, such prices have historically remained volatile, which has adversely affected the prices at which production from our properties is sold, as well as the production activities of operators on our properties, and may continue to do so in the future. This, in turn, has and will materially affect the amount of royalty payments that we receive from our E&P operators. Price volatility also makes it difficult to budget for and project the return on acquisitions and development and exploitation projects.
Our revenues, operating results, profitability, and future rate of growth depend primarily on the prices of oil and, to a lesser extent, natural gas that we sell. Any substantial decline in the price of crude oil, natural gas, and NGL or prolonged period of low commodity prices will materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Further, a slowdown in the timing of oil or natural gas production, especially if in connection with a decline in prices, may reduce our ability to collect lease payments from leaseholders, which could limit our ability to make interest and principal payments on the Notes. Prices also affect the amount of cash flow available for capital expenditures and our ability to raise additional capital. In addition, we may need to record asset carrying value write-downs if prices fall. A significant decline in the prices of natural gas or oil could adversely affect our financial position, financial results, cash flows, access to capital, and ability to grow.
We have a limited operating history and have experienced periods of significant business growth in a short time, making it difficult for you to evaluate our business and prospects. If we are unable to manage our business and growth effectively, our business could be materially and adversely affected.
Since our formation in 2019, our business has grown considerably. Our limited operating history and the significant growth in operations and revenue we have experienced since then makes evaluation of our business and prospects difficult. Any growth that we experience in the future will require us to further expand our drilling and extraction activities and our acquisitions. There can be no assurance that growth in our revenue and operations will continue at a similar pace, or that we will be able to manage our growth effectively. Furthermore, the growth of our business places significant demands on our management, including managing increased numbers of personnel, properties, and business relations, such as our E&P operators. If we do not effectively manage the increased obligations brought by the growth of our operations, we may not be able to execute on our business plan, respond to competitive pressures, take advantage of market opportunities, or satisfy delivery requirements, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
In addition, we may encounter risks and difficulties experienced by companies whose performance is dependent upon newly acquired assets, such as failing to integrate, or realizing the expected benefits of, such assets. As a result of the foregoing, we may be less successful in achieving consistent results and continue the growth of our business, as compared with companies that have longer operating histories and a more stable size of operations. In addition, we may be less equipped to identify and address risks and hazards in the conduct of our business than those companies that have longer operating histories.
The acquisition and development of our properties, directly or through our E&P operators, will require substantial capital, and we and our E&P operators may be unable to obtain needed capital or financing on satisfactory terms or at all, including as a result of increases in the cost of capital resulting from Federal Reserve policies in the past few years and otherwise.
The oil and gas industry is capital-intensive. We make, and will continue to make, substantial capital expenditures in connection with the acquisition of mineral and royalty interests. To date, we have financed capital expenditures primarily with funding from capital contributions, cash generated by operations, borrowings under credit facilities, and issuances of debt securities.
In the future, we may need capital in excess of the amounts we retain in our business, borrow under our existing credit facilities, or through issuances of debt securities. There can be no assurance that we can increase the borrowing amount available under our existing credit facilities or continue to raise sufficient funds through our debt securities issuances.
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