<SEC-DOCUMENT>0000893538-22-000138.txt : 20221021
<SEC-HEADER>0000893538-22-000138.hdr.sgml : 20221021
<ACCEPTANCE-DATETIME>20220914184442
<PRIVATE-TO-PUBLIC>
ACCESSION NUMBER:		0000893538-22-000138
CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE:	CORRESP
PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT:		1
FILED AS OF DATE:		20220914

FILER:

	COMPANY DATA:	
		COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:			SM Energy Co
		CENTRAL INDEX KEY:			0000893538
		STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION:	CRUDE PETROLEUM & NATURAL GAS [1311]
		IRS NUMBER:				410518430
		STATE OF INCORPORATION:			DE
		FISCAL YEAR END:			1231

	FILING VALUES:
		FORM TYPE:		CORRESP

	BUSINESS ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		1700 LINCOLN STREET
		STREET 2:		SUITE 3200
		CITY:			DENVER
		STATE:			CO
		ZIP:			80203
		BUSINESS PHONE:		303-861-8140

	MAIL ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		1700 LINCOLN STREET
		STREET 2:		SUITE 3200
		CITY:			DENVER
		STATE:			CO
		ZIP:			80203

	FORMER COMPANY:	
		FORMER CONFORMED NAME:	ST MARY LAND & EXPLORATION CO
		DATE OF NAME CHANGE:	19940228
</SEC-HEADER>
<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>CORRESP
<SEQUENCE>1
<FILENAME>filename1.htm
<TEXT>
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd"><html><head>
<!-- Document created using Wdesk -->
<!-- Copyright 2022 Workiva -->
<title>Document</title></head><body><div id="iea911f3792cc4d0bbdaf0cc9e61706c5_1"></div><div style="min-height:87.84pt;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div><div style="margin-bottom:36pt;text-align:right"><font><br></font></div><div style="margin-bottom:36pt;text-align:center"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">September 14, 2022</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%"><br>Division of Corporation Finance<br>Office of Energy &#38; Transportation <br>United States Securities and Exchange Commission</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">100 F Street, NE<br>Washington, D.C. 20549</font></div><div style="padding-left:72pt;text-indent:-36pt"><font><br></font></div><div style="padding-left:72pt;text-indent:-36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">Re&#58;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;SM Energy Company<br>Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2021<br>Filed February 25, 2022</font></div><div style="padding-left:72pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">Form 8-K, Filed February 24, 2022<br>File No. 001-31539</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font><br></font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">Dear Ladies and Gentlemen&#58;</font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">Set forth below are the responses of SM Energy Company, a Delaware corporation (the &#8220;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">Company</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">,&#8221; &#8220;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">we</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">,&#8221; or &#8220;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">our</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">&#8221;), to further comments received from the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance, Office of Energy &#38; Transportation (the &#8220;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">Staff</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">&#8221;) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the &#8220;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">Commission</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">&#8221;) by letter dated September 2, 2022, with respect to the review of the Company&#8217;s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 filed with the Commission on February 25, 2022 (the &#8220;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">2021 Form 10-K</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">&#8221;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">)</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%"> and Form 8-K, filed with the Commission on February 24, 2022 (File No. 001-31539).</font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36pt"><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">For your convenience, each response is prefaced by the exact text of the Staff&#8217;s corresponding comment in bold text.</font></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36pt"><font><br></font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt;text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">*&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;*&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;*&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;*&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;*&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;*</font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%;text-decoration:underline">Form 10-K for Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2021</font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%;text-decoration:underline">Business and Properties</font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%;text-decoration:underline">Reserves</font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%;text-decoration:underline">Proved Undeveloped Reserves, page 13</font></div><div style="padding-left:36pt;text-align:justify"><font><br></font></div><div style="padding-left:36pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-18pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">1.</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%;padding-left:9pt">We have read your response to comment 1 and note that a portion of the proved undeveloped reserves you added as extension and discoveries are associated with infill wells. Your discussion of the changes that occurred in total proved reserves, for the year ended December 31, 2021, also appears to indicate that a portion of the total proved reserves you added as extensions and discoveries are associated with infill wells.</font></div><div style="padding-left:36pt;text-align:justify"><font><br></font></div><div style="height:72pt;position:relative;width:100%"><div style="bottom:0;position:absolute;width:100%"><div><font><br></font></div></div></div><hr style="page-break-after:always"><div style="min-height:87.84pt;width:100%"><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">United States Securities and Exchange Commission<br>September 14, 2022<br>Page 2</font></div></div><div style="padding-left:36pt;text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">Please note the staff believes that changes in reserves associated with infill drilling should be categorized as revisions of previous estimates, rather than extensions and discoveries, based on the guidance in Rule 4-10(a)(14) of Regulation S-X and subparagraphs (a) and (d) of FASB ASC 932-235-50-5. Under this guidance, an extension well is a well drilled to extend the limits of a known reservoir and results in an extension of the proved acreage.</font></div><div style="padding-left:36pt;text-align:justify"><font><br></font></div><div style="padding-left:36pt;text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">However, infill drilling locations are already located within the previously determined proved area and result in the recovery of known proved reserves. As a result, changes in reserves relating to such wells should be classified as revisions of previous estimates pursuant to the guidance in subparagraph (a) of FASB ASC 932-235-50-5. Please revise the classifications within your reserves reconciliations and the associated narratives accordingly.</font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font><br></font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt;text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">Response&#58;</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt;text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">In future filings, beginning with our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, changes in reserves associated with infill drilling will be categorized as revisions of previous estimates rather than additions from extensions and discoveries pursuant to FASB ASC 932-235-50-5.  In our Supplemental Oil and Gas Information disclosures, infill reserves in an existing proved field will no longer be presented separately&#59; rather, such reserves will be included in the revisions of previous estimates line item.  All years presented will be conformed to reflect this change in presentation.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt;text-align:justify"><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%;text-decoration:underline">Form 8-K Filed February 24, 2022</font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%;text-decoration:underline">Exhibit 99.1</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt;padding-left:36pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%;text-decoration:underline">Adjusted Operating Margin Reconciliation, page 20</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt;padding-left:36pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-18pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">2.</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%;padding-left:9pt">We have reviewed your response to prior comment 1. Please address the following&#58;</font></div><div style="padding-left:72pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">&#8226;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Disclose how adjusted operating margin before the effects of derivative settlements is used by management and is useful to investors&#59;</font></div><div style="padding-left:72pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">&#8226;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Disclose how adjusted operating margin including the effects of derivative settlements is used by management and is useful to investors&#59;</font></div><div style="padding-left:72pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">&#8226;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%;padding-left:31.8pt">Disclose why you reconcile to an adjusted operating margin before the effects of derivative settlements and to adjusted operating margin including the effects of derivative settlements&#59; and</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt;padding-left:72pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">&#8226;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%;padding-left:31.8pt">Reconcile from your GAAP measure to your non-GAAP measures of adjusted operating margin. Your current presentation places greater prominence on the non-GAAP measure and is inconsistent with Question 102.10 of the C&#38;DI's on Non-GAAP Financial Measures.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt;text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">Response&#58;</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt;text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">In the future, beginning with our 3</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:7.8pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%;position:relative;top:-4.2pt;vertical-align:baseline">rd</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%"> quarter 2022 earnings press release and related Form 8-K, we do not plan to present adjusted operating margin before the effects of derivative settlements or adjusted operating margin including the effects of derivative settlements.  </font></div><div style="height:72pt;position:relative;width:100%"><div style="bottom:0;position:absolute;width:100%"><div style="text-align:center"><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div></div></div><hr style="page-break-after:always"><div style="min-height:87.84pt;width:100%"><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">United States Securities and Exchange Commission<br>September 14, 2022<br>Page 3</font></div></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt;text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">However, to the extent such measures are included in future disclosures, we will revise our presentation to reconcile from income (loss) from operations (GAAP) to the non-GAAP measures of adjusted operating margin, in order to place greater prominence on the most directly comparable GAAP measure and expand our disclosure as substantially reflected as follows&#58;</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt;text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">&#8220;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">We present adjusted operating margin before the effect of derivative settlements because including the effects of derivative settlements reflects a measure that is most directly comparable to a traditional gross margin calculation, and we believe this measure provides management and the investment community an understanding of the Company&#8217;s recurring financial results of operations.  We present adjusted operating margin including the effects of derivative settlements because we believe this is useful to management and the investment community in understanding how commodity derivative settlements impact our average net price realized from recurring operations</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">.&#8221;</font></div><div style="padding-left:36pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-18pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">3.</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%;padding-left:9pt">Adjusted operating margin before the effects of derivative settlements and including the effects of derivative settlements appears to be a performance measure. Please tell us the following&#58;</font></div><div style="padding-left:72pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">&#8226;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%;padding-left:31.8pt">How you view an adjusted operating margin that excludes operating expenses, such as, DD&#38;A and asset retirement obligation accretions&#59; and</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:10pt;padding-left:72pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">&#8226;</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%;padding-left:31.8pt">Why you exclude exploration costs and other operating expense, net from your non-GAAP measures of adjusted operating margin.</font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">Response&#58;</font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">In the future, beginning with our 3</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:7.8pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%;position:relative;top:-4.2pt;vertical-align:baseline">rd</font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%"> quarter 2022 earnings press release and related Form 8-K, we do not plan to present adjusted operating margin before the effects of derivative settlements or adjusted operating margin including the effects of derivative settlements.</font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">When we have provided these measures historically, it&#8217;s because our industry does not report a gross margin calculation similar to other industries, due to the fact that our industry does not record &#8220;Cost of Goods Sold&#8221; in our Consolidated Statement of Operations.  Accordingly, our intent in disclosing an adjusted operating margin is to align as closely as possible to &#8220;gross margin&#8221; as defined in the accounting standards codification. The term &#8220;gross margin&#8221; is defined in the master glossary of the accounting standards codification as, &#34;&#91;T&#93;he excess of sales over cost of goods sold.  Gross&#160;margin&#160;does not consider all operating expenses.&#34; DD&#38;A and asset retirement obligation accretions are expense estimates included within the calculation of income (loss) from operations which can, at times, be unpredictable.  These line items are excluded from the traditional gross margin calculation.  We believe that providing an adjusted operating margin that excludes these estimates is helpful to both management and investors as it increases comparability of our recurring operating results period-over-period and with peers.</font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">We exclude exploration costs and other operating expense, net, from our non-GAAP measures of adjusted operating margin with the intent of aligning closely to gross margin because these expenses are not directly related to production volumes, are inherently unpredictable, and can impact comparability of our operating results period-over-period and with peers.</font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font><br></font></div><div style="text-align:center"><font><br></font></div><div style="height:72pt;position:relative;width:100%"><div style="bottom:0;position:absolute;width:100%"><div style="text-align:center"><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div></div></div><hr style="page-break-after:always"><div style="min-height:87.84pt;width:100%"><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">United States Securities and Exchange Commission<br>September 14, 2022<br>Page 4</font></div></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt;text-align:center"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">*&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;*&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;*&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;*&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;*&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;*</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:36pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">Please contact Herbert S. Vogel, President and Chief Executive Officer, who can be reached at (303) 837-2447, A. Wade Pursell, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer who can be reached at (303) 864-2555, or David W. Copeland, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, who can be reached at (432) 848-4912, if you should have any questions regarding the responses contained herein.</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:12pt"><font><br></font></div><div style="margin-bottom:24pt;padding-left:175.5pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">Very truly yours,</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:6pt;padding-left:175.5pt"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">SM Energy Company</font></div><div style="margin-bottom:0.12pt;text-indent:175.5pt"><table style="border-collapse:collapse;display:inline-table;margin-bottom:5pt;vertical-align:text-bottom;width:55.034%"><tr><td style="width:1.0%"></td><td style="width:19.404%"></td><td style="width:0.1%"></td><td style="width:1.0%"></td><td style="width:78.396%"></td><td style="width:0.1%"></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">By&#58;</font></td><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">&#47;s&#47; HERBERT S. VOGEL</font></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">Name&#58;</font></td><td colspan="3" style="border-top:1pt solid #000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">Herbert S. Vogel</font></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">Its&#58;</font></td><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">President and Chief Executive Officer</font></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:top"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">At&#58;</font></td><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom"><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">1700 Lincoln Street, Suite 3200<br>Denver, CO 80203</font></td></tr></table><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%"><br></font><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%"><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">cc&#58; Sandra Wall, Petroleum Engineer</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">      John Hodgin, Petroleum Engineer</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">      Sondra Snyder, Senior Staff Accountant</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">      Gus Rodriguez, Accounting Branch Chief</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">      David W. Copeland, SM Energy Company</font></div><div><font style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">      Lucy Stark, Holland &#38; Hart LLP</font></div><div style="height:72pt;position:relative;width:100%"><div style="bottom:0;position:absolute;width:100%"><div style="text-align:center"><font><br></font></div><div><font><br></font></div></div></div></body></html>
</TEXT>
</DOCUMENT>
</SEC-DOCUMENT>
