employment, taxes, royalty rates, permitted production rates, entitlements, import, export and use of raw materials, equipment or products, use or increased use of land, water and other natural resources, safety, the manufacturing of chemicals, asset integrity management, the marketing or export of commodities, security and environmental protection, all of which may restrict or prohibit our activities or those of our contractors, increase our costs or reduce demand for our products. In addition, violation of certain governmental laws and regulations may result in strict, joint and several liability and the imposition of significant civil and criminal fines and penalties;
• | refusal of, or delay in, the extension or grant of exploration, development or production contracts; and |
• | development delays and cost overruns due to approval delays for, or denial of, drilling, construction, environmental and other regulatory approvals, permits and authorizations. |
As an example of state governmental actions, the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (“COGCC”) has adopted new regulations that will impose, as of January 2021, siting requirements or “setbacks” on certain oil and gas drilling locations based on the distance of a proposed well pad to occupied structures. Pursuant to the regulations, well pads cannot be located within 500 feet of an occupied structure without the consent of the property owner. As part of the permitting process, the COGCC will consider a series of siting requirements for all drilling locations located between 500 feet and 2,000 feet of an occupied structure. Alternatively, the operator may seek a waiver from each owner and tenant within the designated distance. We are currently evaluating the impact of these regulations on our business. At this time, we do not anticipate near-term changes to our development program in the DJ basin based on these regulations; we may, however, experience increased costs to comply with such requirements or delays or curtailment in permitting, impacting our exploration, development, or production activities. Such delays, curtailments, limitations, or prohibitions, if determined to be significant, could have a material adverse effect on our future cash flows and results of operations and may negatively impact our reportable quantities of proved undeveloped oil and gas reserves.
In addition, we have and may continue to experience adverse consequences, such as risk of loss or production limitations, because certain of its international operations are located in countries affected by political instability, nationalizations, corruption, armed conflict, terrorism, insurgency, civil unrest, security problems, labor unrest, OPEC production restrictions, equipment import restrictions and sanctions. Exposure to such risks may increase if a greater percentage of our future oil and gas production or revenue comes from international sources.
Risks Related to the Notes
Our ability to service our debt and meet our cash requirements depends on many factors, some of which are beyond our control.
Our ability to satisfy our debt obligations, including the notes, will depend on our ability to generate sufficient cash flow to service our debt, which in turn depends on our future financial performance. A range of economic, competitive, business and industry factors will affect our future financial performance, and, as a result, our ability to generate cash flow from operations and to pay our debt, including our obligations under the notes. Many of these factors, such as oil and gas prices, economic and financial conditions in our industry and the global economy, the impact of legislative or regulatory actions on how we conduct our business or competition and initiatives of our competitors, are beyond our control.
We continue to review our debt management options, which could include the utilization of liability management solutions, such as debt exchanges and extension of maturities, the refinancing of debt and further accessing the capital markets. We also continue to pursue divestitures of certain assets and intend to use the proceeds from asset sales and free cash flow to repay nearer-term debt maturities (see “Summary—Recent Debt Management Transactions and Associated Maturity Profile”), but the expected timing and final proceeds from future asset sales are uncertain. If we do not generate enough cash flow from operations or through debt management options to satisfy our debt obligations, particularly in light of the inherent uncertainty associated with the duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting impact on oil demand, we may have to undertake alternative financing plans, including selling additional debt or equity securities, reducing or delaying capital investments or divesting additional assets. We may not be able to refinance our debt or sell additional debt or equity securities or assets on favorable terms, if at all, and if we are forced to refinance our debt at higher interest rates, any increases in interest expense could adversely affect our cash flows and results of operations. Similarly, if we reduce or delay capital investments or sell our assets on disadvantageous terms, such reductions, delays or sales may negatively affect our ability to generate revenues or result in losses.