OIL AND NATURAL GAS PROPERTIES

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2021

Extractive Industries [Abstract]

OIL AND NATURAL GAS PROPERTIES

NOTE 3 - OIL AND NATURAL GAS PROPERTIES    

Acquisitions

Acquisitions of proved oil and natural gas properties and working interests are generally considered business combinations and are recorded at their estimated fair value as of the acquisition date. Acquisitions that consist of all or substantially all unproved oil and natural gas properties are generally considered asset acquisitions and are recorded at cost.

In the second quarter of 2021, the Partnership closed an acquisition of mineral and royalty acreage in the northern Midland Basin for total consideration of $20.8 million. The purchase price consisted of $10.0 million in cash and $10.8 million in common units of the Partnership. The cash consideration was funded with borrowings under the Credit Facility (as defined in Note 6 - Credit Facility) and funds from operating activities. The transaction was accounted for as a business combination with the assets acquired recorded at their estimated fair values as of the acquisition date. The assets acquired consisted of $4.9 million of proved oil and natural gas properties, $15.6 million of unproved oil and natural gas properties, and $0.3 million of net working capital. Acquisition related costs of $0.3 million were expensed and included in the General and administrative line of the consolidated statement of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021.

Divestitures

In the third quarter of 2020, the Partnership closed two separate divestitures of certain mineral and royalty properties in the Permian Basin for total proceeds, after closing adjustments, of $150.6 million. One of these transactions, effective May 1, 2020, involved the sale of the Partnership's mineral and royalty interest in specific tracts in Midland County, Texas for net proceeds of approximately $54.5 million. The other transaction, effective July 1, 2020, involved the sale of an undivided interest across parts of the Partnership's Delaware Basin and Midland Basin positions for net proceeds of approximately $96.1 million. The total book value of the assets divested through these transactions was $126.6 million at the time of sale. The Partnership recognized a $24.0 million gain associated with the divestitures in the third quarter of 2020.

Farmout Agreements

In 2017, the Partnership entered into two farmout arrangements designed to reduce its working interest capital expenditures and thereby significantly lower its capital spending other than for mineral and royalty interest acquisitions. Under these agreements, the Partnership conveyed its rights to participate in certain non-operated working interest opportunities to external capital providers while retaining value from these interests in the form of additional royalty income or retained economic interests.

Canaan Farmout

In February 2017, the Partnership entered into a farmout agreement (the "First Canaan Farmout") with Canaan Resource Partners ("Canaan") covering certain Haynesville and Bossier shale acreage in San Augustine County, Texas jointly owned with and operated by XTO Energy Inc. ("XTO"), a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation. The Partnership had an approximate 50% working interest in the acreage. Under the terms of the First Canaan Farmout, Canaan funded 80% of the Partnership's drilling and completion costs and was assigned 80% of the Partnership's working interests in covered wells (40% working interest on an 8/8ths basis) as the wells were drilled. The Partnership received an ORRI before payout and an increased ORRI after payout on all wells drilled under the First Canaan Farmout.

Canaan's rights and obligations to participate in future wells in the contract area were terminated in the second quarter of 2021 in conjunction with Canaan and the Partnership entering into a new farmout agreement as discussed below. Canaan participated in a total of 37 wells under the First Canaan Farmout.

In 2019, XTO Energy Inc. suspended its development activities in the area due to low natural gas prices. In March 2021, BSM and XTO reached an agreement to partition the jointly owned working interests in the San Augustine County development area. Under the partition agreement, BSM and XTO exchanged working interests in certain existing and proposed drilling units, resulting in each company holding 100% of the working interests in their respective partitioned units.

In May 2021, BSM and Aethon Energy ("Aethon") entered into an agreement to develop certain of the Partnership's undeveloped acreage in San Augustine County, including the working interests resulting from the partition agreement discussed above. The agreement provides for minimum well commitments by Aethon in exchange for reduced royalty rates and exclusive access to BSM's mineral and leasehold acreage in the contract area. The agreement calls for a minimum of five wells to be drilled in the initial program year, which begins in the third quarter of 2021, increasing to a minimum of 12 wells per year beginning with the fourth program year. The Partnership's development agreement with Aethon and related drilling commitments covering its San Augustine County acreage is independent of the development agreement and associated commitments covering Angelina County discussed below.

On May 25, 2021, the Partnership and Canaan entered into a new farmout agreement (the "Second Canaan Farmout"). The Second Canaan Farmout supersedes and replaces the First Canaan Farmout with respect to the area in San Augustine County covered by the Aethon development agreement. The Second Canaan Farmout covers part of the Partnership's share of working interests under active development by Aethon in San Augustine County, Texas and continues until May 2031, unless earlier terminated in accordance to the terms of the agreement. Canaan will earn 80% of the Partnership's working interest in the partitioned acreage from XTO (up to a maximum of 40% on an 8/8ths basis) and 50% of the Partnership's working interest in other areas (up to a maximum of 12.5% on an 8/8ths basis) in wells drilled and operated by Aethon in accordance with the development agreement. Canaan is obligated to fund the development of all wells drilled by Aethon in the initial program year and thereafter, Canaan has certain rights and options to continue funding the Partnership's working interest for the duration of the Second Canaan Farmout. As of June 30, 2021, no wells had been drilled under the Second Canaan Farmout. The Partnership will receive an ORRI before payout and an increased ORRI after payout on all wells drilled under the Second Canaan Farmout.

Pivotal Farmout

In November 2017, the Partnership entered into a farmout agreement (the "First Pivotal Farmout") with Pivotal Petroleum Partners (“Pivotal”), a portfolio company of Tailwater Capital, LLC. The farmout agreement covers substantially all of the Partnership's remaining working interests in wells operated by XTO Energy and BPX Energy in the Shelby Trough area of East Texas targeting the Haynesville and Bossier shale acreage (after giving effect to the Canaan Farmout), until November 2025. Pivotal is obligated to fund the development of up to 80 wells, in designated well groups, across several development areas and then has options to continue funding the Partnership's working interest across those areas for the duration of the farmout agreement. Once Pivotal achieves a specified payout for a designated well group, the Partnership will obtain a majority of the original working interest in such well group. As of June 30, 2021, a total of 68 wells have been spud in the contract area subject to the First Pivotal Farmout. The Partnership's development agreement with BPX Energy terminated in 2019 with respect to the majority of the Partnership's acreage covered by the agreement. As such, Pivotal retains minimal rights or obligations related to the farmout for that area that remains subject to the First Pivotal Farmout.

In the second quarter of 2020, the Partnership entered into a development agreement with Aethon to develop certain portions of the area forfeited by BPX Energy in Angelina County, Texas. The agreement provides for minimum well

commitments by Aethon in exchange for reduced royalty rates and exclusive access to our mineral and leasehold acreage in the contract area. The agreement calls for a minimum of four wells to be drilled in the initial program year, which began in the third quarter of 2020, increasing to a minimum of 15 wells per year beginning with the third program year. In November 2020, the Partnership entered into a new farmout agreement (the "Second Pivotal Farmout") with Pivotal. The Second Pivotal Farmout supersedes and replaces the First Pivotal Farmout with respect to the area covered by the Aethon development agreement. The Second Pivotal Farmout covers the Partnership's share of working interest under active development by Aethon in Angelina County, Texas and continues until April 2028, unless earlier terminated in accordance to the terms of the agreement. Pivotal will earn 100% of the Partnership's working interest (ranging from approximately 12.5% to 25% on an 8/8ths basis) in wells drilled and operated by Aethon in accordance with the development agreement. Pivotal is obligated to fund the development of all wells drilled by Aethon in the initial program year and thereafter, Pivotal has certain rights and options to continue funding the Partnership's working interests for the duration of the Second Pivotal Farmout. Once Pivotal achieves a specified payout for a designated well group, the Partnership will obtain a majority of the original working interest in such well group. As of June 30, 2021, a total of five wells have been spud in the contract area subject to the Second Pivotal Farmout.

From the inception of the farmout agreements through June 30, 2021, the Partnership has received $90.2 million and $119.2 million from Canaan and Pivotal, respectively, under the agreements. When such reimbursements are received prior to assigning the wells to Canaan and Pivotal, the Partnership records the amounts as increases to Oil and natural gas properties and Other long-term liabilities. When working interests in farmout wells are assigned to Canaan and Pivotal, the Partnership's Oil and natural gas properties and Other long-term liabilities are reduced by the reimbursed capital costs. As of June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, $0.1 million was included in the Other long-term liabilities line item of the consolidated balance sheets for reimbursements received associated with farmed-out working interests not yet assigned to Canaan and Pivotal.

Impairment of Oil and Natural Gas Properties

Proved and unproved oil and natural gas properties are reviewed for impairment when events and circumstances indicate a possible decline in the recoverability of the carrying value of those properties. When assessing producing properties for impairment, the Partnership compares the expected undiscounted projected future cash flows of the producing properties to the carrying amount of the producing properties to determine recoverability. When the carrying amount exceeds its estimated undiscounted future cash flows, the carrying amount is written down to its fair value, which is measured as the present value of the projected future cash flows of such properties.

There was a collapse in oil prices during the first quarter of 2020 due to geopolitical events that increased supply at the same time demand weakened due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Partnership determined these events and circumstances indicated a possible decline in the recoverability of the carrying value of certain proved properties and recoverability testing determined that certain depletable units consisting of mature oil producing properties were impaired. The Partnership recognized no impairment of oil and natural gas properties for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 and the three months ended June 30, 2020. The Partnership recognized $51.0 million of impairment of oil and natural gas properties for the six months ended June 30, 2020. See Note 5 - Fair Value Measurements for further discussion.