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Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies
Note 14 – Commitments and Contingencies
The following table sets forth our significant commitments as of December 31, 2022, by category, for the next five years and thereafter:
YearGathering and Intermediate Transportation CommitmentsOther Commitments
2023$13,937 $296 
202413,976 211 
202513,937 136 
20267,794 — 
20273,796 — 
Thereafter12,012 — 
Total$65,452 $643 
Drilling and Completion Commitments
As of December 31, 2022, we had contracts for three drilling rigs with remaining terms of less than two years.
Gathering and Intermediate Transportation Commitments
We have long-term agreements that provide us with field gathering and intermediate pipeline transportation services for a majority of our crude oil and condensate production in Lavaca and Gonzales Counties, Texas. We also have volume capacity support for certain downstream intrastate pipeline transportation. The following table provides details on these contractual arrangements as of December 31, 2022:
Description of contractual arrangementExpiration
of Contractual Arrangement
Minimum Gross Volume Commitment (MVC)
(bbl/d)
Expiration of Minimum Volume Commitment (MVC)
Field gathering agreementFebruary 20418,000February 2031
Intermediate pipeline transportation servicesFebruary 20268,000February 2026
Volume capacity supportApril 20268,000April 2026
Each of these arrangements also contain an obligation to deliver the first 20,000 gross barrels of oil per day produced from Gonzales, Lavaca and Fayette Counties, Texas. For certain of our crude oil volumes gathered under the field gathering agreement, our rate includes an adjustment based on NYMEX WTI prices. As crude oil prices increase, up to a cap of $90 per bbl, the gathering rate escalates pursuant to the field gathering agreement.
Under the field gathering and volume capacity support arrangements, credits for deliveries of volumes in excess of the volume commitment may be applied to any deficiency arising in the succeeding 12-month period.
During the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, we recorded expense of $42.5 million, $36.0 million and $34.5 million, respectively, for these contractual obligations in connection with these arrangements.
Crude Oil Storage
As of December 31, 2022, we had access to up to approximately 180,000 barrels of dedicated tank capacity for no additional charge at the service provider’s central delivery point facility (“CDP”), in Lavaca County, Texas through February 2041. In addition, we had access for an additional 70,000 barrels of tank capacity at the CDP on a month-to-month basis, which can be terminated by either party with 45-days’ notice to the counterparty. Costs associated with this monthly agreement are in the form of a monthly fixed rate short-term lease and are charged as incurred on a monthly basis to GPT in our consolidated statements of operations.
Other Agreements
We have a long-term dedication of certain specific leases under a crude purchase and throughput terminal agreement through 2032. Under the agreement, we have rights to transfer dedicated oil for delivery to a Gulf coast terminal in Point Comfort, Texas or oil may be transferred at alternate locations to third parties with a terminal fee.
We have agreements that provide us with field gathering, compression and short-haul transportation services for our natural gas production and gas lift for our hydrocarbon production under various terms through 2039.
We also have agreements that provide us with services to process our wet gas production into NGL products and dry, or residue, gas. Several agreements covering the majority of our wet gas production extend beyond three years, including one agreement that extends into 2029.
Legal
We are involved, from time to time, in various legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. While the ultimate results of these proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty, our management believes that these claims will not have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, we had an estimated reserve of approximately $0.1 million for certain claims made against us regarding previously divested operations included in Accounts payable and accrued liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets.
Environmental Compliance
Extensive federal, state and local laws govern oil and gas operations, regulate the discharge of materials into the environment or otherwise relate to the protection of the environment. Numerous governmental departments issue rules and regulations to implement and enforce such laws that are often difficult and costly to comply with and which carry substantial administrative, civil and even criminal penalties for failure to comply. Some laws, rules and regulations relating to protection of the environment may, in certain circumstances, impose “strict liability” for environmental contamination, rendering a person liable for environmental and natural resource damages and cleanup costs without regard to negligence or fault on the part of such person. Other laws, rules and regulations may restrict the rate of oil and gas production below the rate that would otherwise exist or even prohibit exploration or production activities in sensitive areas. In addition, state laws often require some form of remedial action to prevent pollution from former operations, such as plugging of abandoned wells. As of December 31, 2022, and 2021, we had AROs of $8.8 million and $8.4 million, respectively. Additionally, we had environmental remediation liabilities recorded as part of the Lonestar Acquisition of $0.2 million and $2.3 million as of December 31, 2022, and 2021, respectively. The environmental remediation activities were completed in the fourth quarter of 2022.
The regulatory burden on the oil and gas industry increases its cost of doing business and consequently affects its profitability. These laws, rules and regulations affect our operations, as well as the oil and gas exploration and production industry in general. We believe that we are in substantial compliance with current applicable environmental laws, rules and regulations and that continued compliance with existing requirements will not have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. Nevertheless, changes in existing environmental laws or the adoption of new environmental laws, including any significant limitation on the use of hydraulic fracturing, have the potential to adversely affect our operations.
Other Commitments
We have entered into certain contractual arrangements for other products and services and have commitments under information technology licensing and service agreements, among others.