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Oil and Gas Producing Activities
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2018
Oil and Gas Property [Abstract]  
Oil and Gas Producing Activities

6. OIL AND GAS PRODUCING ACTIVITIES

 

Divestitures

 

On October 3, 2017, the Company, Energy One and Statoil Oil and Gas LP (“Statoil”) entered into a purchase and sale agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company assigned, sold, and conveyed certain non-operated assets in the Williston Basin, North Dakota in consideration for the elimination of $4.0 million in outstanding liabilities to Statoil and payment by Statoil to the Company of $2.0 million in cash. U.S. Energy has historically accounted for the eliminated liabilities on the Company’s balance sheet under “Payable to major operator” and “Contingent ownership interests.” The Purchase Agreement was unanimously approved by the board of directors of the Company and closed on October 5, 2017, with an effective date of August 1, 2017.

 

Ceiling Test and Impairment

 

The reserves used in the Company’s full cost ceiling test incorporate assumptions regarding pricing and discount rates in the determination of present value. In the calculation of the ceiling test as of September 30, 2018, the Company used a price of $59.78 per barrel of oil and $2.83 per MMbtu of natural gas (in each case adjusted for transportation, quality, and basis differentials applicable to our properties on a weighted average basis) to compute the future cash flows of the Company’s producing properties. These prices compare to $47.01 per barrel of oil and $2.98 per MMbtu of natural gas used in the calculation of the ceiling test as of December 31, 2017. The discount factor used was 10%.

 

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, the Company recorded no impairment charges.