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Commitments and Contingencies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies
As of September 30, 2022, the Company’s material off-balance sheet arrangements and transactions include $5.9 million in outstanding letters of credit under the Credit Facility and $8.0 million in net surety bond exposure issued as financial assurance on certain agreements.
As of September 30, 2022, there have been no material changes to the Company’s commitments and contingencies disclosed in Note 22 — Commitments and Contingencies in the Company’s 2021 Annual Report, except as set forth below.
Volume commitment agreements. In connection with the Merger, the Company assumed certain agreements with an aggregate requirement to deliver a minimum quantity of crude oil from the Company’s Sanish field in Mountrail County, North Dakota through June 2024. As of September 30, 2022, the Company had remaining commitments to deliver approximately 12.3 million barrels (“MMBbl”) of crude oil under these agreements. The Company believes its production and reserves at the Sanish field are sufficient to fulfill this delivery commitment, and therefore expects to avoid any payments for deficiencies under this contract.
Additionally, the Company assumed two buy/sell transportation agreements with an aggregate requirement to deliver a minimum quantity of crude oil through July 2024. As of September 30, 2022, the Company had remaining commitments to deliver approximately 4.7 MMBbl of crude oil under these agreements. The Company recorded the fair value of these agreements as derivative liabilities in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2022. See Note 7—Derivative Instruments for additional information.
Lease commitments. In connection with the Merger, the Company assumed approximately $15.1 million of operating lease
liabilities for office buildings and operating equipment with lease terms through 2030 and approximately $1.6 million of finance lease liabilities for vehicles with lease terms through 2026.
Chapter 11 bankruptcy claims. On April 1, 2020, Whiting and certain of its subsidiaries (the “Debtors”) commenced voluntary cases (the “Whiting Chapter 11 Cases”) under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. On June 30, 2020, the Debtors filed their proposed Joint Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization of Whiting and its Debtor affiliates (as amended, modified and supplemented, the “Whiting Plan”). On August 14, 2020, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (the “Bankruptcy Court”) confirmed the Whiting Plan and on September 1, 2020, the Debtors satisfied all conditions required for Plan effectiveness and emerged from the Whiting Chapter 11 Cases.
The filing of the Whiting Chapter 11 Cases allowed Whiting to, upon approval of the Bankruptcy Court, assume, assign or reject certain contractual commitments, including certain executory contracts. Generally, the rejection of an executory contract or unexpired lease is treated as a pre-petition breach of such contract and, subject to certain exceptions, relieves Whiting from performing future obligations under such contract but entitles the counterparty or lessor to a pre-petition general unsecured claim for damages caused by such deemed breach. The claims resolution process is ongoing and certain of these claims remain subject to the jurisdiction of the Bankruptcy Court. To the extent that the Bankruptcy Court allows any unsecured claims against the Company, such claims may be satisfied through an issuance of the Company’s common stock or other remedy or agreement under and pursuant to the Whiting Plan. In connection with the closing of the Merger on July 1, 2022, the Company assumed Whiting’s obligations with respect to the Whiting Plan and, accordingly, has reserved 1,224,840 shares of common stock for potential future distribution to certain general unsecured claimants whose claim values are pending resolution in the Bankruptcy Court.
Arguello Inc. and Freeport-McMoRan Oil & Gas LLC. Whiting Oil and Gas Corporation (“WOG”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, had interests in federal oil and gas leases in the Point Arguello Unit located offshore in California. While those interests have expired, pursuant to certain related agreements (the “Point Arguello Agreements”), WOG was subject to certain abandonment and decommissioning obligations prior to WOG and Whiting rejecting the related contracts pursuant to the Whiting Plan. On October 1, 2020, Arguello Inc. and Freeport-McMoRan Oil & Gas LLC, individually and in its capacity as the designated Point Arguello Unit operator (collectively, the “FMOG Entities”) filed with the Bankruptcy Court an application for allowance of certain administrative claims arguing the FMOG Entities were entitled to recover Whiting’s proportionate share of decommissioning obligations owed to the U.S. government through subrogation to the U.S. government’s economic rights. The FMOG Entities’ application alleged administrative claims of approximately $25 million for estimated decommissioning costs owed to the U.S. government, at least $60 million of estimated decommissioning costs owed to the FMOG Entities and claims for certain other immaterial amounts. On September 14, 2020, the FMOG Entities also filed with the Bankruptcy Court proofs of claim for rejection damages to serve as an alternative course of action in the event that a court should determine that the FMOG Entities do not hold any applicable administrative claims. The U.S. Government may also be able to bring claims against WOG directly for decommissioning costs. On February 18, 2021, WOG entered into a stipulation and agreed order with the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement (the “BSEE”) pursuant to which the BSEE withdrew its proofs of claims against Whiting and WOG and acknowledged their respective rights and obligations pursuant to the Whiting Plan. On March 26, 2021, the FMOG Entities withdrew their administrative claim for the recovery of Whiting’s proportionate share of costs incurred after August 31, 2020 to fulfill obligations owed to the U.S. government on the basis of subrogation to the U.S. government’s economic rights. The FMOG Entities continued to assert certain other administrative claims and reserved the right to assert claims for the recovery of Whiting’s share of the decommissioning costs incurred after August 31, 2020 based on the theory of equitable subrogation. On September 14, 2021, Whiting and WOG filed an objection in the Bankruptcy Court, seeking an order partially disallowing the FMOG Entities’ claims. On October 20, 2022, the Company filed stipulations and proposed orders with the Bankruptcy Court to resolve all outstanding claims asserted by the FMOG Entities. Those stipulations and proposed orders were signed by the Bankruptcy Court on October 27, 2022. Subsequent to September 30, 2022, the Company paid $55.0 million in cash as full and final satisfaction, discharge and release of all such claims.