Commitments And Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Severance agreements. As of December 31, 2020, the Company has entered into severance and change in control agreements with its officers and certain key employees. The current annual salaries for the officers and key employees covered under such agreements total $12 million.

Indemnifications. The Company has agreed to indemnify its directors and certain of its officers, employees and agents with respect to claims and damages arising from acts or omissions taken in such capacity, as well as with respect to certain litigation.

Legal actions. The Company is party to various proceedings and claims incidental to its business. While many of these matters involve inherent uncertainty, the Company believes that the amount of the liability, if any, ultimately incurred with respect to these proceedings and claims will not have a material adverse effect on the Company's consolidated financial position as a whole or on its liquidity, capital resources or future annual results of operations. The Company records reserves for

contingencies when information available indicates that a loss is probable and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated.

Environmental. Environmental expenditures that relate to an existing condition caused by past operations and that have no future economic benefits are expensed. Environmental expenditures that extend the life of the related property or mitigate or prevent future environmental contamination are capitalized. Liabilities for expenditures that will not qualify for capitalization are recorded when environmental assessment and/or remediation is probable and the costs can be reasonably estimated. Such liabilities are undiscounted unless the timing of cash payments for the liability is fixed or reliably determinable. Environmental liabilities normally involve estimates that are subject to revision until settlement or remediation occurs.

Obligations following divestitures. In connection with its divestiture transactions, the Company may retain certain liabilities and provide the purchaser certain indemnifications, subject to defined limitations, which may apply to identified pre-closing matters, including matters of litigation, environmental contingencies, royalty and income taxes. Also associated with its divestiture transactions, the Company has issued and received guarantees to facilitate the transfer of contractual obligations, such as firm transportation agreements or gathering and processing arrangements. The Company does not recognize a liability if the fair value of the obligation is immaterial and the likelihood of making payments under these guarantees is remote.

South Texas Divestiture. In conjunction with the South Texas Divestiture, the Company transferred its long-term midstream agreements and associated MVC's to the buyer. However, the Company retained the obligation to pay 100 percent of any deficiency fees associated with the MVC's from January 2019 through July 2022. The buyer is required to reimburse the Company for 18 percent of the deficiency fees paid by the Company from January 2019 through July 2022; such reimbursement will be paid by the buyer in installments beginning in 2023 through 2025. Assuming 100 percent of the MVC's are paid as deficiency fees, the maximum amount of future payments for this obligation would be approximately $388 million as of December 31, 2020. The Company's estimated deficiency fee obligation as of December 31, 2020 is $333 million, of which $144 million is included in other current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. The corresponding estimated deficiency fee receivable from the buyer of $75 million is included in noncurrent other assets in the consolidated balance sheets. The Company has received credit support for the deficiency fee receivable of up to $100 million.

Raton transportation commitments. As part of the Raton Basin Sale, the Company transferred certain gas transportation commitments, which extend through 2032, to the buyer for which the Company has provided a guarantee. Assuming 100 percent of the remaining commitments are paid by the Company under its guarantee, the maximum amount of future payments would be approximately $77 million as of December 31, 2020. The Company has received credit support for the commitments of up to $50 million. The Company paid $11 million in gas transportation fees associated with the transferred commitment for the year ended December 31, 2020 and was fully reimbursed.

West Eagle Ford Shale commitments. In April 2018, the Company completed the sale of its West Eagle Ford Shale gas and liquids field to an unaffiliated third party and transferred certain gas and liquids transportation commitments, which extend through 2022, to the buyer for which the Company has provided a guarantee. Assuming 100 percent of the remaining commitments are paid by the Company under its guarantee, the maximum amount of future payments would be approximately $24 million as of December 31, 2020. The Company has received credit support for the commitments of up to $19 million.

Certain contractual obligations were retained by the Company after the South Texas Divestiture, the Raton Basin Sale, the divestiture of the Company's pressure pumping assets and the decommissioning of the Company's sand mine operations in Brady, Texas. These contracts were primarily related to firm transportation and storage agreements in which the Company is unlikely to realize any benefit. The estimated obligations are included in other current or noncurrent liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. The changes in these contractual obligations are as follows:


	Year Ended December 31, 2020
	(in millions)
Beginning contract obligations	$	468

Liabilities settled	(200)
Accretion of discount	13
Changes in estimate (a)	79
Ending contract obligations	$	360

______________________

(a)Primarily represents changes in the Company's forecasted deficiency fee payments associated with the South Texas Divestiture and the difference between estimated and actual liabilities settled associated with the Raton transportation commitments.

Firm commitments. The Company from time to time enters into, and is a party to, take-or-pay agreements, which include contractual commitments (i) to purchase sand, water and diesel for use in the Company's drilling operations, (ii) with midstream service companies and pipeline carriers for future gathering, processing, transportation, fractionation and storage and (iii) with oilfield services companies that provide drilling and pressure pumping services. These commitments are normal and customary for the Company's business activities. Certain future minimum gathering, processing, transportation, fractionation and storage fees are based upon rates and tariffs that are subject to change over the terms of the commitments.

Minimum firm commitments are as follows:


	As of December 31, 2020
	Firm Commitments
	(in millions)
2021	$	577
2022	527
2023	453
2024	478
2025	436
Thereafter	1,833
Total minimum firm commitments	$	4,304

Oil and gas delivery commitments. The Company has contracts that require delivery of fixed volumes of oil and gas. The Company intends to fulfill its short-term and long-term obligations with the Company's production or from purchases of third party volumes.

Delivery commitments for oil and gas are as follows:


	As of December 31, 2020
	Oil	Gas
	(Bbls per day)	(MMBtu per day)
2021	70,000	264,671
2022	30,575	275,000
2023	—	279,178
2024	—	264,754
2025	—	125,000
Thereafter	—	405,822
Total oil and gas delivery commitments	100,575	1,614,425