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Related Party Transactions | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2015
Related Party Transactions [Abstract] |
Related Party Transactions | 3. Related Party Transactions On September 17, 2007, the Company entered into a drilling program with Hoactzin Partners, L.P. (“Hoactzin”) for ten wells consisting of approximately three wildcat wells and seven developmental wells to be drilled on the Company’s Kansas Properties (the “Ten Well Program”). Peter E. Salas, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company, is the controlling person of Hoactzin. He was also at the time the sole shareholder and controlling person of Dolphin Management, Inc., the general partner of Dolphin Offshore Partners, L.P., which was the Company’s largest shareholder at that time. Under the terms of the Ten Well Program, Hoactzin paid the Company $0.4 million for each well drilled in the Ten Well Program completed as a producing well and $0.25 million for each well that was non-productive. The terms of the Ten Well Program also provided that Hoactzin would receive all the working interest in the ten wells in the Program, but would pay an initial fee to the Company of 25% of its working interest revenues net of operating expenses. This is referred to as a management fee but, as defined, is in the nature of a net profits interest. The fee paid to the Company by Hoactzin would increase to 85% if net revenues received by Hoactzin reached an agreed payout point of approximately 1.35 times Hoactzin’s purchase price (the “Payout Point”) for its interest in the Ten Well Program. In March 2008, the Company drilled and completed the final well in the Ten Well Program. Hoactzin paid a total of $3.85 million (the “Purchase Price”) for its interest in the Ten Well Program resulting in the Payout Point being determined as $5.2 million. On September 17, 2007, Hoactzin, simultaneously with subscribing to participate in the Ten Well Program, was conveyed a 75% net profits interest in the methane extraction project developed by MMC at the Carter Valley landfill owned by Republic Services in Church Hill, Tennessee (the "Methane Project"). Net profits, if any, from the Methane Project received by Hoactzin would have been applied towards the determination of the Payout Point for the Ten Well Program. However, through December 31, 2015, no payments were made to Hoactzin for its net profits interest in the Methane Project, because no net profits were generated. The method of calculation of the net profits interest takes into account specific costs and expenses as well as gross gas revenues for the Methane Project. As a result of the startup costs and ongoing operating expenses, no net profits, as defined in the agreement, have been generated from startup in April, 2009 through December 31, 2015 for payment to Hoactzin under the net profits interest conveyed. In February 2014, net revenues earned by Hoactzin from the Ten Well Program had exceeded $5.2 million and thereby reached the Payout Point which increased the management fee due to the Company by Hoactzin from 25% to 85% and reduced the net profits interest in the Methane Project from 75% to 7.5%. On December 18, 2007, the Company entered into a Management Agreement with Hoactzin to manage on behalf of Hoactzin all of its working interest in certain oil and gas properties owned by Hoactzin and located in the onshore Texas Gulf Coast, offshore Texas, and offshore Louisiana (the “Management Agreement”). As part of the consideration for the Company’s agreement to enter into the Management Agreement, Hoactzin granted to the Company an option to participate in up to a 15% working interest on a dollar for dollar cost basis in any new drilling or workover activities undertaken on Hoactzin’s managed properties during the term of the Management Agreement. The Management Agreement terminated by its own terms on December 18, 2012. The Company is assisting Hoactzin with becoming operator of record of these wells. The Company has entered into a transition agreement with Hoactzin whereby Hoactzin and its controlling member indemnify the Company for any costs or liabilities incurred by the Company resulting from such assistance, or the fact that the Company is the operator of record on certain of these wells. During the course of the Management Agreement, the Company became the operator of certain properties owned by Hoactzin. The Company obtained from IndemCo, over time, bonds in the face amount of approximately $10.7 million for the purpose of covering plugging and abandonment obligations for Hoactzin’s operated properties located in federal offshore waters in favor of the BSEE, as well as certain private parties. In connection with the issuance of these bonds the Company signed a Payment and Indemnity Agreement with IndemCo whereby the Company guaranteed payment of any bonding liabilities incurred by IndemCo. Dolphin Direct Equity Partners, LP also signed the Payment and Indemnity Agreement, thereby becoming jointly and severally liable with the Company for the obligations to IndemCo. Dolphin Direct Equity Partners, L.P. is a private equity fund controlled by Peter E. Salas that has a significant economic interest in Hoactzin. Hoactzin had provided $6.6 million in cash to IndemCo as collateral for these potential obligations. As of May 15, 2014, all bonds issued by IndemCo and subject to the Payment and Indemnity Agreement have been released by the BSEE and have been cancelled by IndemCo. Accordingly, the exposure to the Company under any of the now cancelled IndemCo bonds or the indemnity agreement relating to those now cancelled bonds has decreased to zero. As part of the transition process, Hoactzin secured new bonds from Argonaut Insurance Company to replace the IndemCo bonds. As noted above, all of the IndemCo bonds were replaced, and all IndemCo bonds were cancelled. Also as part of the transition to Hoactzin becoming operator of its own properties, right-of-use and easement (“RUE”) bonds in the amount of $1.55 million were required by the regulatory process to be issued by Argonaut in the Company’s name as current operator. Hoactzin is in the process of transferring these RUE bonds from the Company to Hoactzin. Hoactzin and Dolphin Direct signed an indemnity agreement with Argonaut as well as provided the required collateral for the new Argonaut bonds, including 100% cash collateral for the RUE bonds issued in the Company’s name. The Company is not party to the indemnity agreement with Argonaut and has not provided any collateral for any of the Argonaut bonds issued. When the transfer of the RUE’s and associated bonds is approved, the transfer of operations to Hoactzin would be complete and the Company’s involvement in the Hoactzin properties will be ended. As operator, the Company routinely contracted in its name for goods and services with vendors in connection with its operation of the Hoactzin properties. In practice, Hoactzin directly paid these invoices for goods and services that were contracted in the Company’s name. During late 2009 and early 2010, Hoactzin undertook several significant operations, for which the Company contracted in the ordinary course. As a result of the operations performed in late 2009 and early 2010, Hoactzin had significant past due balances to several vendors, a portion of which were included on the Company’s balance sheet. Payables related to these past due and ongoing operations remained outstanding at December 31, 2015 and 2014 in the amount of $159,000. The decrease in payables was due to payment by Hoactzin of invoices received by the Company from IndemCo related to bond premiums, which invoices have been paid by Hoactzin in full and the IndemCo bonds cancelled. The Company has recorded the Hoactzin-related payables and the corresponding receivable from Hoactzin as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 in its Consolidated Balance Sheets under “Accounts payable – other” and “Accounts receivable – related party”. However, Hoactzin has not made payments to reduce the $159,000 of past due balances from 2009 and 2010 since the second quarter of 2012. Based on these circumstances, the Company has elected to establish an allowance in the amount of $159,000 for the balances outstanding at December 31, 2015 and 2014. This allowance was recorded in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets under “Accounts receivable – related party”. The resulting balances recorded in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets under “Accounts receivable – related party, less allowance for doubtful accounts of $159” are $0 at December 31, 2015 and 2014. The Company has entered into an agreement with Hoactzin whereby Hoactzin and Dolphin Direct are indemnifying the Company for any costs or liabilities incurred by the Company resulting from such assistance, or the fact that the Company is still the operator of record on certain of these wells. Until such time as Hoactzin becomes operator of record on these wells and the corresponding bonding liability is transferred from the Company to Hoactzin, per the transition agreement, the Company is suspending drilling payments to Hoactzin. As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company has suspended approximately $634,000 and $590,000 in payments, respectively. This balance of these suspended payments is recorded in the Consolidated Balance Sheet under “Accounts payable – related party”. In January 2016, the Company paid these held funds to Hoactzin. The Company has not advanced any funds to pay any obligations of Hoactzin and no borrowing capability of the Company has been used in connection with its obligations under the Management Agreement, except for those funds used to collateralize the appeal bond with RLI Insurance Company and to pay the civil penalty and interest thereon.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for related party transactions. Examples of related party transactions include transactions between (a) a parent company and its subsidiary; (b) subsidiaries of a common parent; (c) and entity and its principal owners; and (d) affiliates. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 850 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6457730&loc=d3e39603-107864 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 850 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6457730&loc=d3e39622-107864 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 850 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6457730&loc=d3e39549-107864 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 850 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 5 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6457730&loc=d3e39678-107864 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 850 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 6 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6457730&loc=d3e39691-107864 Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 235 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08.(k)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26873400&loc=d3e23780-122690 Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher SEC -Name Regulation S-X (SX) -Number 210 -Section 04 -Paragraph b -Article 3A Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher SEC -Name Regulation S-X (SX) -Number 210 -Section 08 -Paragraph k -Article 4 + Details
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