June 24,
2008
Mr. H.
Christopher Owings
Assistant
Director
Division
of Corporation Finance
United
States Securities and
Exchange
Commission
100 F
Street, N.E.
Washington,
D.C. 20549
Re: Atlas
America, Inc.
Form 10-K for Fiscal Year Ended
December 31, 2007
Filed February 29, 2008
Form 10-Q for Quarter Ended March 31,
2008
Filed May 9, 2008
File No. 1-32169
Dear Mr.
Owings:
A copy of
this letter has been furnished through EDGAR as correspondence.
This
letter sets forth the Registrant’s responses to the comments and requests for
additional information of the Staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (the
“Staff”) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) in its
comment letter dated June 2, 2008 (the “Comment Letter”). For your
convenience, the comments and requests for additional information provided by
the Staff have been repeated in bold type exactly as set forth in the comment
letter. The Registrant’s response to each comment and request is set
forth immediately below the text of the applicable comment or
request.
General
1. Where
a comment below requests added disclosures or other revisions to be made, please
show us in your response what the revisions will look like. These
revisions should be included in future interim and annual filings, as
applicable.
Response: The
Registrant confirms that it will comply with the Staff’s comments in future
filings, as applicable.
Mr. H.
Christopher Owings
Page
2
Form 10-K for Fiscal Year
Ended December 31, 2007
Part II, page
60
Item 6. Selected Financial
Data, page 61
2. We
note you reconcile EBITDA with income from continuing operations before the
cumulative effect of accounting change. Please tell us your
consideration of the requirement to reconcile to net income as presented in the
statement of operations under GAAP. See Question 15 of Frequently
Asked Questions Regarding the Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures dated June 13,
2003, as prepared by the staff of the Division of Corporation
Finance.
Response: The Registrant notes that
it will in future filings reconcile EBITDA to net income and add a line to
eliminate the cumulative effect of accounting change, which the Registrant
considers non-recurring.
Item 7. Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, page
62
Overview of Years Ended
December 31, 2007 and 2006, Three Months Ended December 31, 2005 and Year Ended
September 30, 2005, page 62
3. In
future filings, disclose in a separately captioned section any off-balance sheet
arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future
effect on your financial condition. Your discussion should include
all of the information that is required by Item 303(a)(4) of Regulation
S-K. If there are none, please state this in future
filings.
Response: The Registrant notes that
it will in future filings disclose and discuss any off-balance sheet
arrangements in accordance with Item 303(a)(4) of Regulation S-K.
4. In
future filings, please discuss known material trends, demands, commitments,
events, or uncertainties that will have, or are reasonably likely to have, a
material impact on your financial condition, operating performance, revenues,
and/or income, or results in your liquidity decreasing or increasing in any
material way. Please provide additional information about the quality
and variability of your earnings and cash flows so that investors can ascertain
the likelihood of the extent past performance is indicative of future
performance. Please discuss whether you expect your financial
position to remain at its current level or to increase or
decrease. Also, you should consider discussing the impact of any
changes to your earnings. Further, please provide in reasonable
detail:
|
·
|
economic
or industry-wise factors relevant to your company,
and
|
|
·
|
material
opportunities, challenges, and risks in the short and long term and the
actions you are taking to address
them.
|
Mr. H.
Christopher Owings
Page 3
See
SEC Release No. 333-8350.
Response: The Registrant notes that
it will in future filings discuss the above mentioned items.
Contractual Obligations and
Commercial Commitments, page 80
5. Please
advise or revise future tables to include your estimates of interest payments on
debt. If you choose not to include these payments, a footnote to the
table should clearly identify the excluded amounts and provide any additional
information that is material to an understanding of your cash
requirements. Please also tell us if the obligation to invest $20
million in Lightfoot is a contractual obligation and, if so, if you are required
to include the commitment in your table. We refer you to note
17.
Response: The Registrant believes
that it has provided the requested disclosure with regard to interest payments
on page 80 of the Registrant’s Form 10-K below the Contractual Cash Obligations
table. The following paragraph discloses the interest payments for
the corresponding periods in the table.
“Not included in the table above are
estimated interest payments calculated at the rates in effect at
December 31, 2007: less than one year - $149.3 million; 1 to 3 years -
$297.6 million; 4 to 5 years - $268.8 million; after 5 years - $206.5
million.
The
obligation to invest up to $20.0 million in Lightfoot is a contractual
obligation. The commitment at December 31, 2007 is $9.4
million. The Registrant will include this commitment in the table in
future filings.
Critical Accounting
Policies, page 80
6. Please
revise the critical accounting policies to eliminate repetition with the
significant accounting policies and concentrate on the estimates and assumptions
that may be material due to the levels of subjectivity and judgment necessary to
account for uncertain matters and the amount of variability these uncertainties
have on your financial condition and operating performance. See Item
I.E. of the Commission Guidance Regarding Management’s Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, as prepared by the staff of
the Division of Corporation Finance and issued December 29,
2003. Please show us what your revised disclosure looks
like.
Response: After further review of
the above-referenced guidance, the Registrant proposes to delete the “Accounts
Receivable and Allowance for Possible Losses” and “Income Taxes” policies as it
believes that these accounting policies are not material to the Registrant it in
the areas of subjectivity and judgment.
Mr. H.
Christopher Owings
Page
4
The
Registrant proposes to revise its critical accounting policies disclosure as
follows (items in bold have been added):
The
discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are
based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in
accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of
America. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make
estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of our assets,
liabilities, revenues and cost and expenses, and related disclosure of
contingent assets and liabilities. On an on-going basis, we evaluate our
estimates. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other
assumptions that we believe reasonable under the circumstances, the results of
which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets
and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results
may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or
conditions.
We
believe the critical accounting policies and estimates discussed in the
following paragraphs address the more significant judgments and estimates we use
in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. Each of these areas
involves complex situations and a high degree of judgment either in the
application and interpretation of existing accounting literature or in the
development of estimates that affect our consolidated financial
statements.
Derivative
Instruments
We apply
the provisions of SFAS No. 133, Accounting for Derivative
Instruments and Hedging Activities, or SFAS 133. SFAS 133
requires each derivative instrument to be recorded in the balance sheet as
either an asset or liability measured at fair value. Changes in a derivative
instrument’s fair value are recognized currently in earnings unless specific
hedge accounting criteria are met (See Note 7).
Our
net income and cash flows are subject to volatility stemming from changes in
interest rates and commodity prices of natural gas, NGLs, condensate and
fractionation margins (the relative price differential between NGL sales and the
offsetting natural gas purchases). To reduce the volatility of our cash flows,
we use derivative financial instruments (i.e., futures, forwards, swaps, options
and other financial instruments with similar characteristics) to manage the
purchase and sales prices of the commodities and fix the interest rate on our
variable rate debt.
The
accounting for changes in the fair market value of a derivative instrument
depends on the intended use of the derivative instrument and the resulting
designation, which is established at the inception of a derivative instrument.
SFAS 133 requires that a company formally document, at the inception of a hedge,
the hedging relationship and the company’s risk management objective and
strategy for undertaking the hedge, including identification of the hedging
instrument, the hedged item or transaction, the nature of the risk being hedged,
the method that will be used to assess effectiveness and the method that will be
used to measure hedge ineffectiveness of derivative instruments that receive
hedge accounting treatment.
Under
the guidance of SFAS 133, the changes in fair market value, both realized and
unrealized gains and losses, of derivative financial instruments that 1) do not
qualify for hedge accounting, 2) are not designated as hedges and 3) are
ineffective, are recognized each period in our consolidated financial statements
of income. We refer to the accounting treatment for derivative financial
instruments that do not qualify for hedge accounting as mark-to-market
accounting. Our preference, whenever possible, is for our derivative instruments
to receive hedge accounting treatment to mitigate the non-cash earnings
volatility that arises under mark-to-market accounting treatment.
Our
cash flow is only affected to the extent the actual derivative contract is
settled by 1) making or receiving a payment to/from the counterparty; or 2) by
making or receiving a payment for entering into a contract that exactly offsets
the original derivative contract. Typically, a derivative contract is settled
when the physical transaction that underlies the derivative financial instrument
occurs.
Mr. H.
Christopher Owings
Page
5
One
of the primary factors that can affect our operating results each period is the
price assumptions we use to value our derivative instruments. To the extent that
these derivative instruments are ineffective or do not qualify for hedge
accounting treatment under the requirements of SFAS 133, they are accounted for
using the mark-to-market method of accounting and any change in the fair market
value is reflected in our consolidated financial statements. The amounts we
report in our consolidated financial statements change quarterly as these
estimates are revised to reflect actual results, changes in market conditions or
other factors, many of which are beyond our control.
Reserve
Estimates
Our
estimates of Atlas Energy’s proved natural gas and oil reserves and future net
revenues from them are based upon reserve analyses that rely upon various
assumptions, including those required by the SEC, as to natural gas and oil
prices, drilling and operating expenses, capital expenditures, taxes and
availability of funds. Any significant variance in these assumptions could
materially affect the estimated quantity of Atlas Energy’s reserves. As a
result, our estimates of Atlas Energy’s proved natural gas and oil reserves are
inherently imprecise. Actual future production, natural gas and oil prices,
revenues, taxes, development expenditures, operating expenses and quantities of
recoverable natural gas and oil reserves may vary substantially from Atlas
Energy’s estimates or estimates contained in the reserve reports and may affect
our ability to pay amounts due under our credit facilities or cause a reduction
in our credit facilities. In addition, Atlas Energy’s proved reserves may be
subject to downward or upward revision based upon production history, results of
future exploration and development, prevailing natural gas and oil prices,
mechanical difficulties, governmental regulation and other factors, many of
which are beyond our control.
Our
estimates of proved reserves materially impact depletion expense. If the
estimates of proved reserves decline, the rate at which Atlas Energy records
depletion will increase, reducing future net income. Such a decline may result
from lower market prices, which may make it uneconomical to drill for and
produce higher cost fields. In addition, a decline in proved reserve estimates
may impact the outcome of Atlas Energy’s assessment of its oil and gas producing
properties for impairment.
Impairment
of Oil and Gas Properties
We review
Atlas Energy’s producing oil and gas properties for impairment on an annual
basis and whenever events and circumstances indicate a decline in the
recoverability of their carrying values. We estimate the expected future cash
flows from our oil and gas properties and compare such future cash flows to the
carrying amount of the oil and gas properties to determine if the carrying
amount is recoverable. If the carrying amount exceeds the estimated undiscounted
future cash flows, we will adjust the carrying amount of the oil and gas
properties to their fair value in the current period. The factors used to
determine fair value include, but are not limited to, estimates of reserves,
future production estimates, anticipated capital expenditures, and a discount
rate commensurate with the risk associated with realizing the expected cash
flows projected. Because of the complexities associated with oil and gas reserve
estimates and the history of price volatility in the oil and gas markets, events
may arise that will require us to record an impairment of our oil and gas
properties. Any such impairment may affect or cause a reduction in our credit
facilities.
Mr. H.
Christopher Owings
Page
6
Asset
Retirement Obligations
On an
annual basis, we estimate the costs of future dismantlement, restoration,
reclamation and abandonment of our natural gas and oil-producing properties. We
also estimate the salvage value of equipment recoverable upon abandonment. On
December 31, 2006 we adopted the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or
FASB, Interpretation No. 47, or FIN 47, Accounting for Conditional Asset
Retirement Obligations, as discussed in Note 2 to our consolidated
financial statements. As of December 31, 2007 and 2006, our estimate of
salvage values was greater than or equal to our estimate of the costs of future
dismantlement, restoration, reclamation and abandonment. Projecting future retirement cost
estimates is difficult as it involves the estimation of many variables such as
economic recoveries of reserves, future labor and equipment rates, future
inflation rates and our credit adjusted risk free rate. A decrease in
salvage values or an increase in dismantlement, restoration, reclamation and
abandonment costs from those we have estimated, or changes in our estimates or
costs, could reduce our gross profit from operations.
Goodwill
and Other Long-Lived Assets
Goodwill
and other intangibles with an indefinite useful life are no longer amortized,
but instead are assessed for impairment annually. We have recorded goodwill of
$744.4 million in connection with several acquisitions of assets. In assessing
impairment of goodwill, we use estimates and assumptions in estimating the fair
value of reporting units. If under these estimates and assumptions we determine
that the fair value of a reporting unit has been reduced, the reduction can
result in an “impairment” of goodwill. However, future results could differ from
the estimates and assumptions we use. Events or circumstances which might lead
to an indication of impairment of goodwill would include, but might not be
limited to, prolonged decreases in expectations of long-term well servicing
and/or drilling activity or rates brought about by prolonged decreases in
natural gas or oil prices, changes in government regulation of the natural gas
and oil industry or other events which could affect the level of activity of
exploration and production companies.
In
assessing impairment of long-lived assets other than goodwill, where there has
been a change in circumstances indicating that the carrying amount of a
long-lived asset may not be recoverable, we have estimated future undiscounted
net cash flows from the use of the asset based on actual historical results and
expectations about future economic circumstances, including natural gas and oil
prices and operating costs. Our estimate of future net cash flows from the use
of an asset could change if actual prices and costs differ due to industry
conditions or other factors affecting our performance.
Revenue
Recognition
In
general, we recognize revenue when delivery has occurred or services have been
rendered, pricing is determinable and collectability is reasonably assured. We
must estimate our unbilled revenue and cost of natural gas to permit the timely
preparation of our consolidated financial statements. We generally cannot
compile actual billing information nor obtain actual vendor invoices within a
timeframe that would permit the recording of this actual data prior to
preparation of the consolidated financial statements. As a result, we record an
estimate for our operating revenues and cost of natural gas based on the best
available volume and price data for natural gas delivered and received, along
with a true-up of the prior period's estimate to equal the prior period's actual
data. As a result, there is generally two months’ of estimated data recorded in
our operating revenues and cost of natural gas for each period reported. We
believe that the assumptions underlying these estimates will not be
significantly different from the actual amounts due to the routine nature of
these estimates and the stability of our processes.
Mr. H.
Christopher Owings
Page 7
Item 8. Financial Statements
and Supplementary Data, page 90
Note 3 – Acquisitions, page
108
7. Please
tell us and disclose whether the pro forma information includes the NOARK and
ETC Oklahoma Pipeline, Ltd acquisitions as of January 1, 2006. We
note you disclose APL is included as of January 1, 2006 and NOARK and ETC
operations are included in APL consolidated financial statements as of their
respective acquisition dates. See paragraph 54.a. of SFAS No.
141.
Response: The Registrant, in its
pro forma disclosure, includes the results of operations of NOARK and ETC as of
January 1, 2006 in accordance with paragraph 54.a of SFAS 141. In the
Registrant’s following disclosure on page 111 its Form 10K, “APL acquisitions”
refers to the acquisitions consummated by APL which include NOARK and ETC (the
Registrant will clarify this in future filing):
“The following data presents pro
forma revenues, net income and basic and diluted net income per share for the
Company as if the ATN and APL acquisitions had occurred on January 1, 2006. The
Company has prepared these pro forma unaudited financial results for comparative
purposes only; they may not be indicative of the results that would have
occurred if the acquisitions had occurred on January 1, 2006 or the results that
will be attained in the future (in thousands, except per share data;
unaudited):
Note 13 – Operating Segment
Information and Major Customers, page 138
8. The
total of your revenues for your segments does not agree with your consolidated
revenues reported in your statement of operations. Please provide a
reconciliation. See paragraph 32.a. of SFAS 131.
Response: The disclosure required
by paragraph 32.a of SFAS 131 to reconcile the total of the reportable segments’
revenues to the enterprise’s consolidated revenues is as follows. The Registrant
notes that it will provide this reconciliation in future filings:
|
|
|
Year
Ended
|
|
|
Three
Months Ended
|
|
|
Year
Ended
|
|
|
|
|
December
31,
|
|
|
December
31
|
|
|
September
30,
|
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
2005
|
|
|
2005
|
|
|
Revenues
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gas
and Oil
Production
|
|
$ |
206,382 |
|
|
$ |
88,449 |
|
|
$ |
24,086 |
|
|
$ |
63,499 |
|
|
Well
Construction and
Completion
|
|
|
321,471 |
|
|
$ |
198,567 |
|
|
$ |
42,145 |
|
|
$ |
134,338 |
|
|
Atlas
Pipeline
|
|
|
663,321 |
|
|
$ |
458,581 |
|
|
$ |
135,264 |
|
|
$ |
282,286 |
|
|
Other
|
|
|
50,044 |
|
|
$ |
33,966 |
|
|
$ |
6,931 |
|
|
$ |
23,786 |
|
|
Inter-company
revenue eliminations
|
|
|
(33,571 |
) |
|
$ |
(30,257 |
) |
|
$ |
(7,930 |
) |
|
$ |
(21,929 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Revenues
|
|
$ |
1,207,647 |
|
|
$ |
749,306 |
|
|
$ |
200,496 |
|
|
$ |
481,980 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9. We
note your disclosure with respect to footnote (c). Your disclosure
does not indicate why this net presentation complies with paragraph 19 of SFAS
131. If these businesses are operating segments that do not meet the
quantitative thresholds of paragraph 18 of SFAS 131, then you may combine this
information to produce a reportable segment if the operating segments share a
majority of aggregation criteria. We also direct your attention to
paragraph 21 of SFAS 131. In either case, you should report revenues
associated with these business activities in your footnote.
Mr. H.
Christopher Owings
Page 8
Response: The Registrant notes that
the disclosures required by paragraph 18 of SFAS 131, “Disclosures about
Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information (as amended)” do not require
an additional reportable segment, and it properly disclosed in footnote (c) that
the revenue, profit and assets from well services, transportation and
administration and oversight (“Other” segment) do not meet the quantitative
thresholds. The following provides an analysis of the SFAS 131 quantitative
thresholds requiring a separate segment (SFAS 131, paragraph 18 requirements in
italics):
a. The segment’s reported revenue is
10% or more of the combined revenue, internal and external, of all operating
segments. The revenue for the Registrant’s “Other” segment has ranged
from 3.3% to 4.7% of combined revenue for the periods in its Form
10-K.
b. The absolute amount of its reported
profit or loss is 10% or more of the greater, in absolute amount, of (1) the
combined reported profit of all operating segments that did not report a loss or
(2) the combined reported loss of all operating segments that did report a
loss. The Registrant’s “Other” segment reported profit or loss has ranged
from 1.9% to 5% of the combined reported profit of all operating segments that
did not report a loss for the periods in its Form 10-K.
c. The segment’s assets are 10% or more
of the combined assets of all operating segments. The Registrant included
corporate assets, such as cash and cash equivalents, with the “Other” segment
assets in the Segment Assets section of Note 13. The “Other” segment assets
constitute .4% and 1.3% of total assets for the years ended December 31, 2007
and 2006, respectively.
d. The segment’s amounts for every
other significant item of information disclosed to the corresponding
consolidated amount are 10% or more of the combined amount of all operating
segments. The Registrant included a reconciliation of Goodwill by segment
in Note 13. The “Other” segment goodwill constituted 1% and 7% of total goodwill
for the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2006, respectively.
Pursuant
to the requirements of SFAS 131, paragraph 21, the Registrant notes that while
the source of the “Other” segment revenue was described in footnote (c), the
revenue was not disclosed separately, and it will provide the revenues
associated with the “Other” segment in future filings. The Registrant believes
that it adhered to the requirements of SFAS 131 paragraph 21 and paragraph 32 by
disclosing the “Other” segment profit, assets and goodwill in the Operating
Segment reconciliations.
10. Please
tell us why you have not reported depreciation, depletion and amortization and
minority interests by operating segment. It appears you can identify
a significant portion of assets associated with the reportable segments in this
note. See paragraph 27 of SFAS No. 131. If you do not
provide these measures to the CODM, please confirm this fact.
Response: The Registrant notes that
the disclosures required by paragraph 27a of SFAS 131, “Disclosures about
Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information (as amended)” are as
follows:
“An
enterprise also shall disclose the following about each reportable segment if
the specified amounts (a) are included in the measure of segment profit or loss
reviewed by the chief operating decision maker or (b) are otherwise regularly
provided to the chief operating decision maker, even if not included in that
measure of segment profit or loss”.
Mr. H.
Christopher Owings
Page 9
Financial
information regarding depreciation, depletion and amortization and minority
interest is provided to the Registrant’s CDOM in the aggregate because these
measures are not significant drivers in deciding how to allocate resources and
in assessing performance of each segment. The segment profit, defined as
revenues generated less direct costs and expenses attributable to the segment,
are the basis that is used internally for evaluating segment performance and
deciding how to allocate resources to the segments.
Note 20 – Quarterly Results
(unaudited), page 147
11. Please
disclose the impact that significant business disposals or additions and other
infrequently items occurring each quarter have on your quarterly operating
results. For example, we would expect the acquisitions of DTE Antrim
Assets and Chaney Dell and Midkiff/Benedum systems to materially impact your
operations. See Item 302(A)(3) of Regulation S-K.
Response: In future filings, the
Registrant will disclose the impact of disposals, additions and other
infrequently occurring items.
Part III, Page
150.
Item
10. Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant, page
150
Code of Ethics, page
152
12. You
indicate that your code of business conduct and ethics is available on your
website. We were unable to access the code of business conduct and
ethics as well as other corporate governance documents on your
website. Please ensure that the links to these documents are
accessible.
Response: Due to a technical
problem, the hyperlink on the Registrant’s web site to the corporate governance
documents was not working properly. Please be advised that the Registrant has
remedied the problem and its code of business conduct and ethics, as well as
other corporate governance documents, may be accessed on the Registrant’s web
site.
Mr. H.
Christopher Owings
Page 10
Item 11. Executive
Compensation, page 153
Compensation Discussion and
Analysis, page 153
13. Please
disclose fully the role of the executive officers in determining or recommending
the amount or form of executive compensation and the role of the compensation
consultants, describing the nature and scope of the consultant’s assignment and
the material elements of the instructions or directions given to the consultant
regarding the performance of its duties. See Item 407(e)(3)(ii) and
(iii) of Regulation S-K.
Response: In future filings
the Respondent will enhance its disclosure which would be similar to the
following, as appropriate:
The
Compensation Committee (the “Committee”) has retained Mercer (US) Inc.
(“Mercer”) to provide information, analyses, and advice regarding executive
compensation, as described below. The Mercer consultant who performs
these services reports directly to the Committee chair.
The
Committee has established procedures that it considers adequate to ensure that
Mercer’s advice to the Committee remains objective and is not influenced by the
Company’s management. These procedures include: a direct
reporting relationship of the Mercer consultant to the Committee; a provision in
the Committee’s engagement letter with Mercer specifying the information, data,
and recommendations that can and cannot be shared with management; an annual
update to the Committee on Mercer's financial relationship with the
Company, including a summary of the work performed for the Company during the
preceding 12 months; and written assurances from Mercer that, within the Mercer
organization, the Mercer consultant who performs services for the Company has a
reporting relationship and compensation determined separately from Mercer’s
other lines of business and from its other work for the Company.
At the
Committee's direction, Mercer provided the following services for the Committee
during fiscal 2007:
|
·
|
Provided
on-going advice as needed on the design of
Company's
|
annual
and long-term incentive plans;
|
·
|
Advised
the Committee as requested on the performance
measures
|
and
performance targets for the annual programs;
In the
course of conducting its activities for this year, Mercer attended 4 meetings of
the Committee and presented its findings and recommendations for
discussion.
With the
consent of the Committee chair, Mercer may, and has, from time to time,
contacted the Company's executive officers for information necessary to fulfill
its assignment and may make reports and presentations to and on behalf of the
Committee that the executive officers also receive.
Mr. H.
Christopher Owings
Page
11
All of
the decisions with respect to determining the amount or form of compensation
under the Company’s executive compensation programs are made by the Committee
alone and may reflect factors and considerations other than the information and
advice provided by Mercer.
The
Registrant’s Chief Executive Officer is also involved in providing the Committee
with key elements of both the Registrant’s and the individual NEO’s performance
during the year. The CEO makes recommendations to the Committee
regarding the salary, bonus and incentive compensation component of each NEO’s
total compensation, including his own. For calendar year 2007, the CEO did not
recommend any increases in salaries for 2008; the Committee took this into
consideration and ultimately adopted that recommendation. The CEO, at
the Committee’s request, may attend Committee meetings; however, his role during
the meetings is to provide insight into the Registrant’s and the individual
NEO’s performance as well as the performance of other comparable companies in
the same industry. In making its compensation decisions, the Committee meets in
executive session, without management, both with and without
Mercer.
14. Your
disclosure regarding the compensation consultant’s analysis indicates your 2006
compensation amounts fell between the median and the 75th
percentile of the peer group used. Please identify all the companies
with which you are engaged in benchmarking compensation of your named executive
officers for 2007 compensation. See Item 402(b)(2)(xiv) of Regulation
S-K.
Response: When the Committee
retained Mercer in 2006, it asked Mercer to analyze and review the
competitiveness and appropriateness of all elements of the compensation the
Registrant paid to its NEO’s. Mercer was retained, among other
things, to provide a baseline general industry comparison. The
Committee did not target the compensation to specific percentiles, but used the
peer group analysis for general information as a “reality check” of the
Registrant’s compensation program. In future filings, if the
Registrant uses peer group and survey data to set pay levels, it will list all
of the peer companies against which it benchmarked compensation.
Annual Incentives, page
154
15. You have
not provided quantitative disclosure of the pre-determined performance goals
that the compensation committee established for 2008 for the annual incentive
plan. Please disclose or, to the extent you believe disclosure of
these targets is not required because it would result in competitive harm,
provide us on a supplemental basis a detailed explanation under Instruction 4 to
Item 402(b) of Regulation S-K for this conclusion. See also Question
3.04 of the Item 402 of Regulation S-K interpretations available on our website
at www.sec.gov. If
disclosure of the factors could cause competitive harm, please discuss further
how difficult it will be for the named executive officer or how likely it will
be for you to achieve the target levels or other factors. Please see
Instruction 4 to Item 402(b) of Regulation S-K.
Mr. H.
Christopher Owings
Page
12
Response: The Registrant was
unable to provide in its 2007 Form 10-K quantitative disclosure of the
predetermined performance goals that the compensation committee established for
2008 for the annual incentive plan because the Committee had not yet established
them at the time of filing. Pursuant to Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue
Code, the Committee is required to establish the predetermined performance goals
within 90 days of the beginning of the performance period. The
Committee subsequently set the predetermined performance goals. In
future filings, the Registrant will provide quantitative disclosure of the
predetermined performance goals that the Committee established for the current
year for the annual incentive plan. The disclosure would be similar
to the following, as appropriate:
2008 Bonus
Awards. In March, 2008, the compensation committee approved
2008 target bonus awards which would be paid from a bonus pool. The bonus pool
shall be equal to 18.3% of our adjusted distributable cash flow, except to the
extent that the adjusted distributable cash flow includes any capital
transaction gains in excess of $50 million, then only 10% of that excess shall
be included in the bonus pool. If the adjusted distributable cash flow does not
equal at least 95% of the adjusted distributable cash flow for the previous
year, no bonuses shall be paid. Adjusted distributable cash flow means the sum
of (i) cash available for distribution to us by any of our subsidiaries
(regardless of whether such cash is actually distributed), plus (ii) interest
income during the year, plus (iii) to the extent not otherwise included in
adjusted distributable cash flow, any realized gain on the sale of securities,
including securities of a subsidiary, less (iv) our stand-alone general and
administrative expenses for the year (other than non-cash bonus compensation
included in general and administrative expenses), and less (v) to the extent not
otherwise included in adjusted distributable cash flow, any loss on the sale of
securities, including securities of a subsidiary. A return of our capital
investment in a subsidiary is not intended to be included and, accordingly, if
adjusted distributable cash flow includes proceeds from the sale of all or
substantially all of the assets of a subsidiary, the amount of such proceeds to
be included in adjusted distributable cash flow will be reduced by our basis in
the subsidiary.
The
amounts payable under the Amended and Restated Senior Executive Plan for 2008
will not be determined until after the year is completed and achievement of the
performance goals is determined. The maximum award payable for 2008, expressed
as a percentage of our estimated 2008 adjusted distributable cash flow, for each
participant is as follows: Edward E. Cohen, 6.14%; Jonathan Z. Cohen, 4.37%;
Matthew A. Jones, 3.46%; Richard D. Weber, 2.60% and Freddie Kotek,
1.73%.
Mr. H.
Christopher Owings
Page
13
Long-Term Incentives, page
156
16. Please
discuss in further detail how you determine the amount for each element of
pay. See Item 402(b)(1)(v) of Regulation
S-K. Specifically, please explain how you determined the long-term
incentive awards.
Response: In future filings,
the Registrant will enhance its disclosure to include more detail regarding the
determination of long-term incentive awards. The disclosures would be
similar to the following, as appropriate:
The
Committee considers both individual and company performance when determining
long-term incentive awards. The Registrant’s CEO makes
recommendations of award amounts based upon NEO’s individual performance as well
as the performance of the companies for which the NEO provides service; however,
it is the Committee that has the discretion to approve, reject or modify the
awards. In making long-term incentive award determinations for
calendar year 2007, the Committee recognized that all of the NEO’s had made
significant contributions to the overall performance of the Registrant and that
they had not received any grants of the Registrant’s stock options since the
tax-free spin-off from Resource America in July of 2005, or, with respect to Mr.
Weber, since he began his employment. The Committee determined that
the award of stock options to the NEO’s was an appropriate adjunct to the
balance of the incentive compensation. The Committee recognizes stock
options as an important component of incentive even where the NEO’s receive
other forms of compensation. The Committee structured the amount of
the stock options awarded to each NEO to be proportionate to the cash incentive
amounts that he received.
2007 Grants of Plan-Based
Awards Table, page 158
17. You
state that you paid non-equity incentive plan compensation based upon the
achievement of net income goals and you have disclosed these amounts in the
summary compensation table. Please include the non-equity incentive
grants in the grants of plan-based awards table. See Item 402(d) of
Regulation S-K.
Response: The Registrant will
include the non-equity incentive grants in the grants of plan based awards table
in all future filings.
Mr. H.
Christopher Owings
Page
14
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Estimated
Future Payouts Under Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards
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All
Other
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All
Other
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Stock
Awards
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Option
Awards
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Exercise
of
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Grant
Date
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|
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Number
of Shares
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|
Number
of Securities
|
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|
Base
Price of
|
|
|
Fair
Value
|
|
|
|
Grant
|
Approval
|
|
Threshold
($)
|
|
|
Target
($)
|
|
|
Maximum
($)
|
|
|
Of
Stock or Units
|
|
|
Underlying
Options
|
|
|
Option
Awards
|
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|
Stock
and
|
|
|
Name
|
Date
|
Date
|
|
|
(5 |
) |
|
|
(5 |
) |
|
|
(5 |
) |
|
|
(# |
) |
|
|
(# |
) |
|
($/Sh)
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|
Option
Awards
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|
|
Edward
E. Cohen
|
1/24/07
|
1/22/07
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|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
$ |
5,000,000 |
|
|
|
200,000 |
(1) |
|
|
500,000 |
(2) |
|
$ |
23.06 |
|
|
$ |
4,612,000 |
(1) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
1,250,000 |
(2)(3) |
|
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|
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|
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|
|
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|
|
|
|
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Matthew
A. Jones
|
1/24/07
|
1/22/07
|
|
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N/A |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
$ |
3,256,700 |
|
|
|
20,000 |
(1) |
|
|
50,000 |
(2) |
|
$ |
23.06 |
|
|
$ |
461,200 |
(1) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
120,500 |
(2) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jonathan
Z. Cohen
|
1/24/07
|
1/22/07
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
$ |
4,239,600 |
|
|
|
100,000 |
(1) |
|
|
200,000 |
(2) |
|
$ |
23.06 |
|
|
$ |
2,306,000 |
(1) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
482,000 |
(2) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Richard
D. Weber
|
1/24/07
|
4/3/06
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
$ |
3,256,700 |
|
|
|
47,619 |
(3) |
|
|
373,752 |
(4) |
|
$ |
21.00 |
|
|
$ |
999,999 |
(1) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
900,742 |
(2) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Freddie
Kotek
|
1/24/07
|
1/22/07
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20,000 |
(1) |
|
|
50,000 |
(2) |
|
$ |
23.06 |
|
|
$ |
461,200 |
(1) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
120,500 |
(2) |
(1) Represents
grants of phantom units under the ATN Plan, which vest 25% on the third
anniversary and 75% on the fourth anniversary of the grant, valued in accordance
with FAS 123R at the closing price of Atlas Energy’s common units on
the grant date of $23.06.
(2) Represents
grants of stock options under the ATN Plan, which vest 25% on the third
anniversary and 75% on the fourth anniversary of the grant, valued at $ 2.41 per
option using the Black-Scholes option pricing model to estimate the weighted
average fair value of each unit option granted with weighted average assumptions
for (a) expected dividend yield of 8.0%, (b) risk-free interest rate of 4.7%,
(c) expected volatility of 25.0%, and (d) an expected life of 6.3
years.
(3) Represents
grants of phantom units under the ATN Plan, in accordance with Mr. Weber’s
employment agreement, which vest 25% per year on the anniversary of the
commencement of Mr. Weber’s employment on April 17, 2006, valued in accordance
with FAS 123R at the closing price of Atlas Energy’s common units on the grant
date of $21.00.
(4) Represents
grants of options under the ATN Plan, in accordance with Mr. Weber’s employment
agreement, which vest 25% per year on the anniversary of the commencement
of Mr. Weber’s employment on April 17, 2006, valued at $ 2.41 per option using
the Black-Scholes option pricing model to estimate the weighted average fair
value of each unit option granted with weighted average assumptions for (a)
expected dividend yield of 8.0%, (b) risk-free interest rate of 4.7%, (c)
expected volatility of 25.0%, and (d) an expected life of 6.3
years.
(5) Represents
performance-based bonuses under our Senior Executive Plan. As
discussed under “Compensation Discussion and Analysis─Elements of Our
Compensation Program—Annual Incentives—Performance-Based Bonuses,” the
Compensation Committee set performance goals based on our net income, and
established maximum awards, but not minimum or target amounts, for each eligible
NEO. Our Senior Executive Plan sets an individual limit of $5,000,000
per annum regardless of the maximum amounts that might otherwise be
payable.
Mr. H.
Christopher Owings
Page
15
Employment Agreements, page
158
18. Please
describe and explain how you determine the appropriate payment and benefit
levels under the various circumstances that trigger payments or provision of
benefits upon termination or a change in control. See Item
402(b)(1)(v) and 402(j)(3) of Regulation S-K. Please discuss why you
have chosen to pay certain multiples of the components of compensation under
these arrangements and how potential payments and benefits under these
arrangements may have influenced the compensation committee’s decisions
regarding other compensation elements.
Response: In
future filings, the Registrant will enhance its disclosure to include more
detail regarding the decision to pay multiples of the components of compensation
under these arrangements and how potential payments and benefits under these
arrangements may have influenced the Committee’s decisions regarding other
compensation elements. The disclosures would be similar to the
following, as appropriate:
Mr. E.
Cohen’s employment agreement was entered into in 2004, around the time that the
Registrant was preparing to launch its initial public offering in connection
with its spin-off from Resource America, Inc. At that time, it was
important to establish a long-term commitment to and from Mr. E. Cohen as the
Chief Executive Officer and President of the Registrant. The rolling
three-year term was determined to be an appropriate amount of time to reflect
that commitment and was deemed a term that was commensurate with Mr. E. Cohen’s
position. The multiples of the compensation components upon
termination or a change of control were generally aligned with competitive
market practice for similar executives at the time that the agreement was
negotiated.
The terms
of Mr. Weber’s agreement, including those which address the payment and benefit
amounts upon termination or change of control, were the result of negotiations
with Mr. Weber.
With
respect to both individuals, the Committee takes the potential payments under
these arrangements into consideration when determining other compensation
elements, but ultimately, the Committee’s focus is upon recognizing each
individual’s contribution to the performance of the Registrant during the fiscal
year.
Item 13. Certain
Relationships and Related Transactions, page 170
19. Please
describe your policies and procedures for the review, approval, or ratification
of the transactions you describe in this section. See Item 404(b) of
Regulation S-K.
Response: In
future filings, the Registrant will describe its policies and procedures for the
review, approval, or ratification of the transactions described in this
section. The disclosure would be similar to the following, which was
provided in the Registrant’s 2008 Proxy Statement:
The
Registrant’s policy for evaluating related person transactions is to have its
Board or one of its committees consisting solely of independent directors review
transactions with related persons that are required to be disclosed in proxy
statements by SEC regulations. In approving any related person transaction, the
Board or committee must determine that the transaction is fair and reasonable to
the Registrant.
Mr. H.
Christopher Owings
Page
16
20. Please
disclose whether you have a related person policy or if it is included in your
corporate code of conduct. The policy required by Item 404(b) should
be specific to transactions subject to Item 404(a) of Regulation
S-K.
Response: The Registrant
does not have a written policy regarding related persons; however, the
Registrant’s procedure for evaluating related person transactions is set forth
in Registrant’s response to Comment #19 above.
21. Please
file the agreements that you discuss in this section as exhibits or tell us why
you believe this is not necessary.
Response: The Registrant
included the referenced agreements in its 2006 Form 10-K, all of which were
incorporated therein from previous filings. The Registrant eliminated
the references to these agreements from its 2007 Form 10-K in reliance upon
Regulation S-K Item 601(a)(4). The Registrant will list these
agreements as exhibits in the future, as appropriate.
The
Registrant acknowledges that:
|
·
|
it
is responsible for the adequacy and accuracy of the disclosure in its
filings:
|
|
·
|
staff
comments or changes to disclosure in response to staff comments do not
foreclose the Commission from taking any action with respect to the
filings; and
|
|
·
|
it
may not assert staff comments as a defense in any proceedings initiated by
the Commission or any person under the federal securities laws of the
United States.
|
If you
have any questions or comments regarding this letter, please contact Nancy J.
McGurk, Chief Accounting Officer, at (330) 896-8510, ext. 201 or Lisa
Washington, Chief Legal Officer, at (215) 717-3387.
Very
truly yours,
Atlas
America, Inc.
By: /s/ Nancy J.
McGurk
Title: Chief
Accounting Officer