Commitments and Contingencies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitment and Contingencies [Text Block]

The Company is involved in various commercial and regulatory claims, litigation and other legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of its business. In each reporting period, the Company assesses these claims in an effort to determine the degree of probability and range of possible loss for potential accrual in its financial statements. In accordance with ASC 450, Contingencies, an accrual is recorded for a material loss contingency when its occurrence is probable and damages are reasonably estimable based on the anticipated most likely outcome or the minimum amount within a range of possible outcomes.

Legal proceedings are inherently unpredictable and unfavorable resolutions can occur. Assessing contingencies is highly subjective and requires judgment about uncertain future events. When evaluating contingencies related to legal proceedings, the Company may be unable to estimate losses due to a number of factors, including potential defenses, the procedural status of the matter in question, the presence of complex legal and/or factual issues and the ongoing discovery and/or development of information important to the matter.

Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation ("MHA Nation") Title Dispute – In June 2018, the MHA Nation notified QEP of its position that QEP has no valid lease covering certain minerals underlying the Missouri and Little Missouri Riverbeds on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. The MHA Nation also passed a resolution purporting to rescind those portions of QEP's IMDA lease covering the disputed minerals underlying the Missouri River. In May 2020, the Office of the Solicitor of the United States Department of the Interior issued an opinion finding that the State of North Dakota, not the MHA Nation, is the legal owner of the minerals underlying the Missouri River. QEP holds leases granted by the State of North Dakota covering the majority of QEP’s producing tracts underlying the Missouri River. The MHA Nation has filed actions in two federal courts seeking to overturn the May 2020 opinion.

Overriding Royalty Interest Litigation – In July 2019, owners of small overriding royalty interests in certain wells in the South Antelope oil and gas field in North Dakota filed suit against QEP, alleging QEP has improperly taken deductions for post-production expenses.

In many cases, the Company is unable to make an estimate of the range of reasonably possible loss related to its contingencies. To the extent that the Company can reasonably estimate losses for contingencies where the risk of material loss (in excess of accruals, if any) is reasonably possible, the Company estimates such losses to be in a range of zero to approximately $10.0 million, in the aggregate.