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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
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ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
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For the Fiscal Year ended: December 31, 2004 |
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TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
Commission File No. 0-17204
INFINITY, INC.
(Exact Name of Small Business Issuer as Specified in its
Charter)
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Colorado |
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84-1070066 |
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(State or of Incorporation) |
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(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
1401 West Main Street, Suite C, Chanute, Kansas 66720
(Address of Principal Executive Offices, Including Zip
Code)
(620) 431-6200
(Registrants telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the
Act: None
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the
Act: Common Stock
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed
all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding
12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant
was required to file such reports), and (2) has been
subject to such filing requirements for the past
90 days. Yes þ No o
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers
pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K, is not
contained herein and will not be contained, to the best of
Registrants knowledge, in definitive proxy or information
statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this
Form 10-K or any amendment to this
Form 10-K. o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated
filer (as defined in Rule 12B-2 of the
Act). Yes o No þ
The aggregate market value of voting and non-voting common
equity held by non-affiliates as of June 30, 2004 was
approximately $31,600,000 based upon a closing price of
$3.87 per share as reported on the NASDAQ National Market.
As of March 23, 2005, 12,632,927 of the Registrants
$0.0001 par value Common Stock were outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the Registrants Definitive Proxy Statement to
be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to
Regulation 14A in connection with the 2005 Annual Meeting
of Shareholders are incorporated by reference in Part III
of this Report on Form 10-K.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This report on Form 10-K, including information
incorporated by reference, contains forward-looking statements
as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. The use of any statements containing the words
anticipate, intend, believe,
estimate, project, expect,
plan, should or similar expressions are
intended to identify such statement. Forward-looking statements
include, among other items:
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Infinitys business strategy and anticipated trends in
Infinitys business and its future results of operations; |
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the ability of Infinity to make and integrate acquisitions and
the completion of the Comanche and Nicaragua acquisitions; |
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commencement and progress of exploration, drilling and
completion activities in the Barnett Shale, Niobrara Shale,
Caribbean shelf, Lower Marble Falls formation and the Forth
Worth and Greater Green River Basins; |
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availability of drilling rigs and other support equipment; |
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the connection of Infinitys wells to third party pipeline
systems; |
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the costs and results of dewatering operations, including
drilling water disposal wells; |
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the closure of wells and the costs associated therewith; |
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demand for oilfield services; |
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the availability of financing on acceptable terms; |
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the impact of governmental regulation; and |
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the timing of engineering and environmental impact studies and
permitting, |
Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that
could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are
not limited to the following and the risks described in
Risk Factors:
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fluctuations in oil and natural gas prices and production, |
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incorrect estimations of required capital expenditures, |
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uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities of oil and gas
reserves and projecting future rates of production and timing of
development activities, |
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an increase in the cost of oil and gas drilling, completion and
production and in materials, fuel and labor costs, |
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the availability, conditions and timing of required government
approvals and third party financing, |
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a decline in demand for Infinitys oil and gas production
or oilfield services, and |
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changes in general economic conditions. |
2
PART I
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BUSINESS AND PROPERTIES |
GENERAL
Infinity, Inc. (Infinity, or the
Company) is an independent energy company engaged in
the acquisition, exploration, development and production of
natural gas and oil in the United States through our
wholly-owned subsidiaries, Infinity Oil and Gas of Texas, Inc.
(Infinity-Texas) and Infinity Oil & Gas of
Wyoming, Inc. (Infinity-Wyoming). Our current
operations are focused in the Fort Worth Basin of North
Central Texas and in the Rocky Mountain region in the Greater
Green River Basin in Southwest Wyoming and the Sand Wash and
Piceance Basins in Northwest Colorado. Infinity is also pursuing
an oil and gas exploration opportunity offshore Nicaragua in the
Caribbean Sea. In addition, we provide oilfield services in
Eastern Kansas, Northeast Oklahoma and Northeast Wyoming through
our wholly-owned subsidiary, Consolidated Oil Well Services,
Inc. (Consolidated).
From January 1, 2002 through December 31, 2004, we
grew our production through exploration and development drilling
exclusively in the Rocky Mountain region. During this period, we
completed the drilling of 36 oil and gas wells with a success
rate of 75% at our two projects in the Greater Green River
Basin. Exploratory wells accounted for 25 wells, or 69%, of
the total wells we drilled. Our total proved reserves as of
December 31, 2004 were an estimated 9.2 billion cubic
feet of gas equivalent (Bcfe) with a PV-10 Value (as
defined below) of $24.0 million (after-tax PV-10 Value of
$23.7 million). During 2004, we added approximately
2.8 Bcfe to proved reserves, produced approximately
1.2 Bcfe, and experienced negative revisions of
approximately 1.1 Bcfe for a net increase of approximately
0.5 Bcfe.
Subsequent to December 31, 2004 and through March 23,
2005, we have completed the drilling of an additional six wells
(four in the Fort Worth basin, and one each in the Sand
Wash and Greater Green River basin). Activities subsequent to
December 31, 2004 in the Fort Worth, Sand Wash and
Greater Green River Basins were not taken into account in the
proved reserve estimate as of December 31, 2004, but may be
reflected in future estimates.
In accordance with our business strategy which is discussed
below, we operate 100% of our projects with working interests
that range between 50% and 100%.
Our corporate office is located at 1401 West Main Street,
Suite C, Chanute, Kansas 66720. Our telephone number
is (620) 431-6200. Our website is
http://www.infinity-res.com. The information on the
website does not constitute part of this Annual Report on
Form 10-K.
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Senior Secured Notes Facility |
On January 13, 2005, we entered into a securities purchase
agreement (the Senior Secured Notes Facility)
with affiliates of Promethean Asset Management, LLC and Angelo,
Gordon & Co., L.P. (collectively, the
Buyers), pursuant to which Infinity sold, and the
Buyers purchased, $30 million aggregate principal amount of
senior secured notes (the Notes) due
January 13, 2009 and five-year warrants to
purchase 924,194 shares of common stock at an exercise
price of $9.09 per share and 732,046 shares of common
stock at an exercise price of $11.06 per share
(collectively, the Warrants). The Notes have an
initial maturity of 48 months subject to extension for an
additional twelve months upon the mutual agreement of Infinity
and the Buyers. The Notes bear interest at 3-month LIBOR (London
Interbank Offered Rate) plus 675 basis points, adjusted the
first business day of each calendar quarter. The Notes are
secured by essentially all of the assets of Infinity and its
subsidiaries and are guaranteed by each of Infinitys
active subsidiaries. The Notes are redeemable by Infinity for
cash at any time during the first year at 105% of par value,
declining by 1% per year thereafter (101% during any
extended maturity period), together with any accrued and unpaid
interest. Under certain circumstances, Infinity has the option
to repay the Notes with direct issuances of shares of registered
common stock in lieu of cash.
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At quarterly intervals and over a three-year period, commencing
in the third quarter of 2005, Infinity has the option to sell
additional notes (the Additional Notes), along with
additional warrants, in amounts of up to $15 million in any
rolling twelve-month period and up to a maximum of
$45 million. The Additional Notes would have an initial
maturity of 42 months (54 months if the maturity of
the Initial Notes is extended). The issuance of Additional Notes
is subject to Infinitys future satisfaction of various
closing conditions. The ability to issue Additional Notes or the
requirement to prepay Notes prior to maturity will depend upon a
maximum Notes balance calculated quarterly based generally upon
a combination of the financial performance of Consolidated and
the SEC after-tax PV-10% value of our proved reserves.
In connection with the issuance of the Notes and Warrants,
Infinity also entered into a registrations rights agreement with
the Buyers pursuant to which Infinity agreed to file a shelf
registration statement covering resales of the ordinary shares
issuable upon exercise of the Warrants.
Infinity used approximately $9.2 million of the proceeds
from the sale of the Notes and Warrants to repay all amounts
outstanding pursuant to a Loan and Security Agreement between
LaSalle Bank N.A. and Consolidated, a Credit Agreement between
U.S. Bank National Association and Infinity-Wyoming, and
certain other secured lending agreements, and those credit
agreements have been terminated. Infinity is using the remainder
of the proceeds to pay costs and expenses related to the sale of
the Notes and Warrants and to fund its oil and gas exploration
and development activities.
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Acquisition of Additional Acreage in the Fort Worth
Basin |
In February 2005, we entered into a definitive agreement for the
acquisition of approximately 24,500 gross and net acres in
Comanche County in the Fort Worth Basin of Texas, subject
to customary closing conditions. The agreement, as amended, also
provides for a right of first refusal on all acres acquired by
the seller in Comanche County. We expect to close the Comanche
transaction on or before April 19, 2005. Upon closing,
including acreage previously owned, Infinity-Texas will own and
operate approximately 67,500 gross acres (approximately
56,300 acres net to Infinitys interest) of leasehold
in Erath, Hamilton and Comanche Counties, Texas. We believe the
Comanche County acreage offers prospective vertical and
horizontal drilling and production opportunities, targeting the
Barnett Shale and Lower Marble Falls formations. The leased
properties are located approximately 30 miles southwest of
Infinity-Texas existing acreage in Erath and Hamilton
Counties, Texas. Infinity-Texas agreed to drill at least one
test well on the Comanche acreage during the next
twelve months.
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Redemption of All Subordinated Convertible Debt |
Pursuant to requirements of the Senior Secured
Notes Facility, on January 13, 2005, Infinity called
for redemption the remaining $2.5 million of
8% Subordinated Convertible Notes due 2006 outstanding on
February 28, 2005. During January and February 2005, the
holders of all of the 8% subordinated convertible notes
converted the debt and accrued interest into 517,296 shares
of the Companys common stock.
Based on the volume weighted average stock price for
Infinitys common stock from February 18, 2005 to
February 24, 2005 and pursuant to requirements of the
Senior Secured Notes Facility, on February 25, 2005,
Infinity called for redemption the remaining $8.2 million
of 7% Subordinated Convertible Notes due 2007 outstanding
on April 22, 2005 at a redemption price of 102.8% plus
accrued and unpaid interest. During 2005, through March 23,
the holders of $5,950,538 of 7% subordinated convertible
notes have converted the debt and accrued interest into
783,779 shares of the Companys common stock.
Approximately $5.6 million of principal amount remains
outstanding as of March 23, 2005. The Company has cash
available to redeem the remaining 7% notes should they not
be presented for conversion prior to the redemption date.
Infinity-Texas is engaged in the acquisition, exploration,
development and production of natural gas in the Fort Worth
Basin of north central Texas. This subsidiary is a Delaware
corporation with its headquarters located in Denver, Colorado.
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Infinity-Texas was formed in June 2004 to acquire, explore,
develop and produce natural gas from the Barnett Shale formation
and other producing formations in the Fort Worth Basin. The
Barnett Shale is a marine shale formation that is natural gas
bearing at depths believed to range from 1,000 to
8,500 feet and is believed to be ubiquitous across the
Fort Worth Basin. Though this area has been well known for
natural gas production for many years, improvements in fracture
techniques and the employment of horizontal drilling in recent
years have generally improved the economics of producing this
reservoir. The reserve profile from productive wells drilled in
the Barnett Shale region is shorter-lived compared to the
typical reserve profile from wells drilled by Infinity-Wyoming
in the Rocky Mountain region. In addition, the predominance of
leases in the region relate to fee acreage and therefore have
relatively few operating restrictions and regulations, as
compared to the typically federally-owned leases in the Rocky
Mountain region that involve a higher degree of operating
restrictions and regulations.
At December 31, 2004, Infinity-Texas had no proved reserves
or production since no wells had been drilled, completed and
hooked up for production at that point. During the three months
ended December 31, 2004, Infinity-Texas drilled three gross
(2.7 net) wells and completed one gross (0.9 net)
well. Subsequent to December 31, 2004, Infinity-Texas has
drilled an additional 2 wells (1.9 net) and completed
four wells (3.7 net). It is anticipated that the initial
wells will be connected to an existing third-party pipeline
system during May 2005. Infinity-Texas operates all drilled
wells and expects to operate future wells. Operating the oil and
gas properties in which it owns an interest allows
Infinity-Texas to exercise greater control over operating costs,
capital expenditures and the timing of exploration, development
and exploitation activities.
Infinity-Wyoming is engaged in the acquisition, exploration,
development and production of natural gas, condensate and crude
oil in the Rocky Mountain region in Wyoming and Colorado. This
subsidiary is a Wyoming corporation with its headquarters
located in Denver, Colorado.
Infinity-Wyoming was incorporated in January 2000 for the
purpose of acquiring properties with the intent of exploring,
developing and producing natural gas and coal bed methane. To
date, we have developed our proven oil and gas reserves and
increased production primarily through acquiring additional oil
and gas leaseholds and drilling wells to exploit and develop
tight sand properties.
At December 31, 2004, Infinity-Wyoming had total estimated
proved reserves of 9.2 Bcfe with a PV-10 Value of
$24.0 million (after-tax PV-10 Value of
$23.7 million). This valuation reflected average wellhead
prices of $6.07 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf)
of natural gas and $40.25 per barrel of crude oil at
year-end.
Approximately 97% of our proved oil and gas reserves were
associated with tight sand properties on the Wamsutter Arch
Pipeline Field in the Greater Green River Basin in Southwest
Wyoming (the Pipeline Field). The balance of our
proved reserves related to one proved undeveloped well location
in the Sand Wash Basin in Colorado (the Sand Wash
Prospect). The proved undeveloped location at the Sand
Wash Prospect was drilling at December 31, 2004, was
subsequently completed in early 2005, and had an initial flow
rate of approximately 150 barrels of oil per day net to the
companys interest. Proved reserves at December 31,
2004 reflect only those quantities associated with a vertical
wellbore.
At December 31, 2004, Infinity-Wyoming operated all of the
proved developed oil and gas locations. During the year ended
December 31, 2004, Infinity-Wyoming drilled five gross
(4.0 net) wells and completed three gross (2.0 net) of
such wells. Infinity-Wyoming also completed an additional eight
gross (and net) wells drilled during 2003 and prior. Subsequent
to December 31, 2004, Infinity-Wyoming finished the
drilling of three gross (and net) wells and completion of two of
those wells, one each in the Sand Wash and Greater Green River
Basins. Operating the oil and gas properties in which it owns an
interest allows Infinity-Wyoming to exercise greater control
over operating costs, capital expenditures and the timing of
exploration, development and exploitation activities.
During 2004, Infinity-Wyoming produced 1.2 Bcfe of gas,
comprised of 1.0 Bcf of natural gas and 34,000 barrels
of crude oil. Approximately 98% of this production was from the
Pipeline Field and 2% of this production was from the Labarge
Field in Big Piney area of the Greater Green River Basin in
Wyoming (the Labarge Field). Total revenue from
product sales totaled $6.3 million, comprised of natural
gas sales of $4.9 million, or $5.12 per Mcf, and crude
oil sales of $1.4 million, or $41.15 per barrel.
5
Since 1999, Infinity has pursued an oil and gas exploration
opportunity offshore Nicaragua in the Caribbean Sea. Over such
time period, the relationships which have been built with the
Instituto Nicaraguense de Energia (INE) and the
geological and geophysical research that was done allowed
Infinity to become one of only six companies qualified to bid on
offshore blocks in the first international bidding round held by
INE in January 2003. Infinity was awarded the bid on
24 blocks of acreage, comprising approximately
1.4 million acres, in May 2003, and entered into
negotiations with INE to finalize the initial exploration and
production contract for the two underlying prospects (Tyra and
Perlas). Infinity anticipates the completion of the negotiations
and execution of the contract during 2005.
Consolidated acquired assets necessary to provide oilfield
services in Eastern Kansas and Northeast Oklahoma in January
1994. Consolidated expanded its operations into Northeast
Wyoming during September 1999. Consolidated provides services
associated with drilling and completion of oil and gas wells,
including cementing, acidizing, fracturing, nitrogen pumping and
water hauling. In April 2004, Consolidated expanded its presence
in the Mid-Continent region with the acquisition of
substantially all of the assets and liabilities of Blue Star
Acid Services, Inc., a provider of acid and cementing services
in Eastern and Central Kansas and North Central Oklahoma, for
$1.2 million in cash and the assumption of
$0.2 million in liabilities. In September 2004,
Consolidated sold selected assets in Eastern Kansas, including
real property and facilities in Chanute, Kansas, to an
exploration and production company and customer for
$4.1 million in cash. A wholly-owned subsidiary of
Infinity, CIS Oklahoma, Inc. (CIS), owns the real
property and facilities that we occupy in Ottawa and Thayer,
Kansas; Bartlesville, Oklahoma; and Gillette, Wyoming and leases
its Eureka facility.
BUSINESS STRATEGY
Our principal objective is to create shareholder value through
the execution of a business strategy, the key elements of which
include:
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Exploration and Production. We will seek to:
(i) consummate acquisitions of early-stage oil and gas
properties, acreage leaseholds and prospects; (ii) explore
such properties or prospects to discover underlying,
commercially-viable hydrocarbon resource bases;
(iii) develop such hydrocarbon resource bases into proved
and producing reserves; (iv) operate and produce
hydrocarbons from such reserve bases; and (v) sell or
otherwise monetize such reserve bases at attractive valuations.
We will usually seek to operate our exploration and production
projects with a maximum working interest and net revenue
interest, with exceptions or adjustments being made in
situations in which the risk or capital requirements to explore,
develop and produce from a given project are deemed high enough
to warrant a partner, which may bring to the given project
greater financial and technical resources than we have or are
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Oilfield Services. We will seek to grow Consolidated
through: (i) selected acquisitions in our existing
operating areas and (ii) selected acquisitions in new
geographical operating areas. We will seek to improve and
increase our product and service offerings and increase our
operating margins, utilizing increasing efficiencies of scale as
they present themselves. Ultimately, as the proved and producing
reserve base in our exploration and production operations
reaches a point at which we believe no longer require cash flow
contributions from our oilfield services operations, dependent
upon industry conditions, we may explore potential opportunities
to monetize our investment in Consolidated, which monetization
may include: (i) a sale to an industry acquiror;
(ii) a sale to a financial buyer or investor; or
(iii) spin-off, split-off or other such corporate
transaction with the intended consequence of Consolidated
standing on its own as a separate publicly-traded entity. |
We intend to finance our business strategies through employment
of cash on hand, free cash flow from our operations, net
proceeds from the sales of assets, and through external debt and
equity capital raised in public and private offerings.
Essentially all of our assets serve as collateral under the
Senior Secured Notes Facility, and as such, any disposition
of material assets would require the approval of the Buyers.
6
RISK FACTORS
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We have a history of operating losses and we may be unable
to achieve long-term profitability. |
We incurred a net loss in our fiscal years ended
December 31, 2004, 2003 and 2002 of approximately
$4.6 million, $9.9 million and $1.6 million,
respectively. Our history of losses may impair our ability to
obtain financing for drilling and other business activities at
all or on favorable terms. It may also impair our ability to
attract investors if we attempt to raise additional capital, to
grow our business or for other business purposes, by selling
additional debt or equity securities in a private or public
offering.
Our ability to achieve a profit from operations on a long-term
basis will largely depend on whether we are successful in
exploring for and producing oil and gas from our existing
properties. We face the following potential risks in developing
our oil and gas properties:
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prices for oil and gas we produce may be lower than expected; |
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the capital, equipment, personnel or services required to
develop the leases for production may not be available; |
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we may not find oil and gas reserves in the quantities
anticipated; |
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the reserves we find may not produce oil and gas at the rate
anticipated; |
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the costs of producing oil and gas may be higher than
expected; and |
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we may encounter one or more of many operating risks associated
with drilling for and producing oil and gas. |
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Oil and gas prices are volatile, and declines in prices
would hurt our ability to achieve profitable operations. |
Our future oil and gas revenue, operating results,
profitability, future rate of growth and the carrying value of
oil and gas properties will depend heavily on prevailing market
prices for oil and gas. We expect the market for oil and gas to
continue to be volatile for the foreseeable future. For the
period from January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2004
we received revenue per barrel of oil as low as $33.35 in
January 2004 and as high as $52.58 in October 2004. During that
period, the Inside FERC, first of the month CIG Index, the
pricing index on which our gas sales are based, fluctuated from
a low of $4.17 per MMBtu or approximately $4.59 per
Mcf in April 2004 to a high of $6.98 per MMBtu or
approximately $7.68 per Mcf during November 2004. Based on
fourth quarter 2004 production levels, each $1.00 decrease in
the price of crude oil would reduce Infinitys oil revenue
by approximately $2,500 per month and if none of the gas
produced were being sold under fixed price contracts, each $0.10
decrease in natural gas price would reduce Infinitys gas
revenue by approximately $7,500 per month.
Revenue generated from oilfield services provided by
Consolidated is indirectly affected by the price of oil and gas.
Consolidated has historically experienced higher revenue in
periods of high oil and gas prices and lower revenue in periods
of low oil and gas prices.
Most of our proved reserves are natural gas. Therefore, the
volatility in the price of natural gas will have the greatest
impact on our operations. Various factors beyond our control
affect prices of oil and gas, including:
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worldwide and domestic supplies of oil and gas; |
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political instability or armed conflict in oil or gas producing
regions; |
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the ability of the members of the Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries to agree to and maintain oil prices; |
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production controls; |
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the price and level of foreign imports; |
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worldwide economic conditions; |
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marketability of production; |
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the level of consumer demand; |
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the price, availability and acceptance of alternative fuels; |
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the price, availability and capacity of commodity processing and
gathering facilities, and pipeline transportation; |
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weather conditions; and |
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actions of federal, state, local and foreign authorities. |
These external factors and the volatile nature of the energy
markets generally make it difficult to estimate future prices of
oil and gas. Significant declines in oil and natural gas prices
for an extended period may cause various negative effects on our
business, including:
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impairing our financial condition, cash flows and liquidity; |
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limiting our ability to finance planned capital expenditures; |
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reducing our revenue, operating income and profitability; |
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reducing the carrying value of our oil and natural gas
properties; and |
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reducing demand for our oilfield service business. |
A charge to earnings and book value would occur if there is a
further ceiling write-down of the carrying value of
Infinitys oil and gas properties. Impairments can occur
when oil and gas prices are depressed or unusually volatile.
Once incurred, a ceiling write-down of oil and gas properties is
not reversible at a later date when better industry conditions
may exist. We review, on a quarterly basis, the carrying value
of our oil and gas properties under the full cost accounting
rules of the SEC. Under these rules, costs of proved oil and gas
properties may not exceed the present value of estimated future
net revenue adjusted for future cash flows related to asset
retirement obligations from proved reserves, after giving effect
to cash flow from hedges, discounted at 10%, net of taxes.
Application of the ceiling test generally requires pricing
future revenue at the unescalated prices in effect as of the end
of each fiscal quarter, after giving effect to Infinitys
cash flow hedge positions, if any, and requires a write-down for
accounting purposes if the ceiling is exceeded, even if prices
were depressed for only a short period of time.
At December 31, 2004, the carrying amount of oil and gas
properties subject to amortization exceeded the full cost
ceiling limitation by approximately $8,900,000 based upon a
natural gas price of approximately $6.07 per Mcf and an oil
price of approximately $40.25 per barrel in effect at that
date. However, due to significant subsequent price increases to
approximately $6.53 per Mcf of gas and $54.55 per
barrel of oil at the March 15, 2005 measurement date, the
Company was only required to record a ceiling writedown of
$4,100,000 in the quarter and year ended December 31, 2004.
In 2003, the Company recorded a ceiling writedown of $2,975,000.
A decrease in oil or gas prices, which continue to remain
volatile, an increase in production costs, a decrease in
estimated gas production in future periods, or the
reclassification of development costs to properties subject to
depletion without an increase in associated proved reserves
could result in a ceiling write-down during future periods.
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Prices may be affected by regional factors. |
The prices to be received for the natural gas production from
our Wyoming, Colorado and Texas properties will be determined
mainly by factors affecting the regional supply of and demand
for natural gas, which include the degree to which pipeline and
processing infrastructure exists in the region. Based on recent
experience, regional differences could cause a negative basis
differential of between $0.30 per Mcf and $1.50 per
Mcf in Wyoming between the published indices generally used to
establish the price received for regional natural gas production
and the actual price received by us for our natural gas
production.
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Forward sales transactions may limit our potential gains
or expose us to loss. |
To manage our exposure to price risks in the marketing of our
natural gas, we enter into natural gas fixed price physical
delivery contracts from time to time with respect to a portion
of our current or future production. These transactions could
limit our potential gains if natural gas prices were to rise
substantially over the price established by the contracts. In
addition, such transactions may expose us to the risk of
financial loss in certain circumstances, including instances in
which:
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our production is less than expected; |
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the counterparties to our futures contracts fail to perform
under the contracts; or |
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our production costs on the hedged production significantly
increase. |
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Exploration and development of our oil and gas projects
will require large amounts of capital which we may not be able
to obtain. |
Full exploration and development of Infinitys properties
could require drilling in excess of 1,000 production wells,
100 disposal wells to handle produced water, and the
construction of 100 production facilities. This could
require capital expenditures over time of in excess of
$1 billion. Currently, our potential sources of financing
for these activities are cash generated by operations, future
sales of equity securities or subordinated debt securities,
obtaining additional subordinated debt financing or the sale of
additional senior secured debt securities under the terms of an
existing securities purchase agreement. Under that agreement, we
can borrow up to $15 million per twelve-month period for
the next three years, commencing in the third quarter
of 2005, depending on our satisfaction of certain closing
conditions and on our maximum balance of notes outstanding,
based generally on a combination of performance of
Infinitys oilfield service business and the after-tax
PV-10 Value of Infinitys proved reserves.
Future cash flows and the availability of financing are subject
to a number of variables, such as:
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our oil and gas projects in the Fort Worth Basin of Texas,
Greater Green River Basin of Wyoming, and Sand Wash and Piceance
Basins of Colorado achieving a level of production that provides
sufficient cash flow to support additional borrowings and to
attract other forms of debt and equity capital; |
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our success in locating and producing new reserves; |
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prices of crude oil and natural gas; |
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the level of production from existing wells; and |
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amounts of necessary working capital and expenses. |
Issuing equity securities to satisfy our financing or
refinancing requirements could cause substantial dilution to
existing shareholders. Debt financing could lead to:
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all or a substantial portion of our operating cash flow being
dedicated to the payment of principal and interest; |
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an increase in interest expense as the amount of debt
outstanding increases or as variable interest rates increase; |
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increased vulnerability to competitive pressures and economic
downturns; and |
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restrictions on our operations that may be contained in any
contract entered into with lenders. |
In order to reduce our capital needs, while continuing
development of our oil and gas projects, we could enter into
partnerships with another oil and gas company or companies in
which we would maintain a carried or reduced working interest in
the oil and gas properties. However, this would reduce our
ownership and control over the projects and could significantly
reduce our future revenue generated from gas production.
9
If projected revenue were to decrease due to lower oil and
natural gas prices, decreased production or other reasons, and
if we were not able to obtain the necessary capital, our ability
to execute development plans or maintain production levels could
be limited.
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The covenants and debt service obligations of our Senior
Secured Note Facility may adversely affect our cash flow and our
ability to raise additional capital. |
Our Senior Secured Notes Facility is secured by a pledge of
substantially all of our natural gas and oil properties and
oilfield services business assets, is guaranteed by our
subsidiaries and contains covenants that limit additional
borrowings, dividends to shareholders, the incurrence of liens,
investments, sales or pledges of assets, changes in control and
other matters. The Senior Secured Notes Facility also requires
that specified financial ratios be maintained. The restrictions
of our Senior Secured Notes Facility may have adverse
consequences on our operations and financial results including:
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it may be more difficult for us to satisfy our debt repayment
obligations; |
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covenant violations, if any, could result in accelerated payment
terms on existing debt; |
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the amount of our interest expense may increase because our
borrowings are at a variable rate of interest, which, if
interest rates increase, would result in higher interest expense; |
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we will need to use a portion of our revenue to pay principal
and interest on our debt which will reduce the amount of money
we have to finance our operations and other business
activities; and |
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substantially all of our properties are pledged as collateral to
lenders and failure to pay could result in foreclosure and loss
of assets. |
As of March 23, 2005, we had total long-term debt of
approximately $37.8 million. Our level of debt could have
important negative consequences to our business.
We may not be able to refinance our debt or obtain additional
financing, particularly in view of the restrictions imposed by
our Senior Secured Notes Facility on our ability to incur other
debt and the fact that substantially all of our assets are
currently pledged to secure obligations under that facility. Our
overall level of long-term debt and our difficulty in obtaining
additional debt financing may have adverse consequences on our
operations and financial results including:
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any additional financing we obtain may be on unfavorable terms; |
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we may have a higher level of debt than many of our competitors,
which may place us at a competitive disadvantage; |
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we may issue equity securities at an undesired or unanticipated
point in time to repay indebtedness, causing additional dilution
to our shareholders; |
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we may be more vulnerable to economic downturns and adverse
developments in our industry; and |
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our debt level could limit our flexibility in planning for, or
reacting to, changes in our business and the industries in which
we operate. |
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Information concerning our reserves, future net cash flow
estimates, and potential future ceiling write-downs is
uncertain. |
There are numerous uncertainties inherent in estimating
quantities of proved oil and natural gas reserves and their
values. Actual production, revenue and reserve expenditures will
likely vary from estimates.
Estimates of oil and natural gas reserves are projections based
on available geologic, geophysical, production and engineering
data. There are uncertainties inherent in the manner of
producing and the interpretation of this data as well as the
projection of future rates of production and the timing of
development
10
expenditures. Estimates of economically recoverable oil and
natural gas reserves and future net cash flows necessarily
depend upon a number of factors including:
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the quality and quantity of available data; |
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the interpretation of that data; |
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the accuracy of various mandated economic assumptions; and |
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the judgment of the persons preparing the estimate. |
The most accurate method of determining proved reserve estimates
is based upon a decline analysis method, which consists of
extrapolating future reservoir pressure and production from
historical pressure decline and production data. The accuracy of
the decline analysis method generally increases with the length
of the production history. Since our wells in Texas will begin
producing this year, other (generally less accurate) methods
such as volumetric analysis and analogy to the production
history of wells of other operators in the same reservoir will
be used, in conjunction with the decline analysis method to
determine our estimates of proved reserves. As our wells are
produced over time and more data is available, the estimated
proved reserves will be redetermined on an annual basis and may
be adjusted based on that data.
Actual future production, gas and oil prices, revenues, taxes,
development expenditures, operating expenses and quantities of
recoverable gas and oil reserves most likely will vary from our
estimates. Any significant variance could materially affect the
quantities and present value of our reserves. In addition, we
may adjust estimates of proved reserves to reflect production
history, results of exploration and development and prevailing
gas and oil prices. Our reserves may also be susceptible to
drainage by operators on adjacent properties.
In addition, investors should not construe the present value of
future net cash flows as the current market value of the
estimated oil and natural gas reserves attributable to our
properties. The estimated discounted future net cash flows from
proved reserves are based on prices and costs as of the date of
the estimate, in accordance with applicable regulations, whereas
actual future prices and costs may be materially higher or
lower. Factors that will affect actual future net cash flows
include:
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the amount and timing of actual production; |
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the price for which that oil and gas production can be sold; |
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supply and demand for oil and natural gas; |
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curtailments or increases in consumption by natural gas and oil
purchasers; and |
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changes in government regulations or taxation. |
As a result of these and other factors, we will be required to
periodically reassess the amount of our reserves, which may
require us to recognize a ceiling write-down of our oil and gas
properties. Such factors could cause us to write down the value
of our properties in future periods.
As of December 31, 2004, Infinity-Wyoming had approximately
$6.9 million invested in unproved oil and gas properties
not subject to amortization on its Labarge Field. During 2004,
Infinity-Wyoming performed completion or recompletion operations
on five wells in the Labarge Field.
For the period ended December 31, 2005, or during 2006, a
portion of the investment in unproved oil and gas properties may
be reclassified to the full cost pool subject to depletion and
the ceiling test, following our required periodic evaluation of
the fair value of our unproved properties. The amount of any
such reclassification could be significant. We could be required
to write down a portion of the full cost pool of oil and gas
properties subject to amortization upon reclassification of the
unproved oil and gas property costs.
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The oil and gas exploration business involves a high
degree of business and financial risk. |
The business of exploring for and developing oil and gas
properties is an activity that involves a high degree of
business and financial risk. Property acquisition decisions
generally are based on assumptions about the quantity, quality,
production costs, marketability, and sales price for the acreage
or reserves being
11
acquired. Although available geological and geophysical
information can provide information about the potential of a
property, it is impossible to predict accurately the ultimate
production potential, if any, of a particular property or well.
Any decision to acquire a property is also influenced by our
subjective judgment as to whether we will be able to locate the
reserves, drill and equip the wells to produce the reserves,
operate the wells economically, and market the production from
the wells.
Our operations are dependent upon the availability of certain
resources, including drilling rigs, steel casing, water,
chemicals, and other materials necessary to support our
development plans and maintenance requirements. The lack of
availability of one or more of these resources at an acceptable
price could have a material adverse affect on our business.
The successful completion of an oil or gas well does not ensure
a profit on investment. A variety of factors may negatively
affect the commercial viability of any particular well,
including:
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defects in title; |
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the absence of producible quantities of oil and gas; |
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insufficient formation attributes, such as porosity, to allow
production; |
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water production requiring disposal; and |
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improperly pressured reservoirs from which to produce the
reserves. |
In addition, market-related factors may cause a well to become
uneconomic or only marginally economic, such as:
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availability and cost of equipment and transportation for the
production; |
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demand for the oil and gas produced; and |
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price for the oil and gas produced. |
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Our business is subject to operating hazards that could
result in substantial losses against which we may not be
insured. |
The oil and natural gas business involves operating hazards, any
of which could cause substantial losses, such as:
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well blowouts; |
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craterings; |
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explosions; |
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uncontrollable flows of oil, natural gas or well fluids; |
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fires; |
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formations with abnormal pressures; |
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pipeline ruptures or spills; and |
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releases of toxic gas and other environmental hazards and
pollution. |
As protection against operating hazards, we maintain insurance
coverage against some, but not all, potential losses. This
insurance has deductibles or self-insured retentions and
contains certain coverage exclusions. Our insurance premiums can
be increased or decreased based on the claims made by us under
insurance policies. The insurance does not cover damages from
breach of contract by us or based on alleged fraud or deceptive
trade practices. Whenever possible, we obtain agreements from
customers that limit our liability; however, insurance and
customer agreements do not provide complete protection against
losses and risks and losses could occur for uninsurable or
uninsured risks, or in amounts in excess of existing insurance
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coverage. The occurrence of an event that is not fully covered
by insurance could harm our financial condition and results of
operations.
In addition, we may be liable for environmental damage caused by
previous owners of property we own or lease. As a result, we may
face substantial potential liabilities to third parties or
governmental entities that could reduce or eliminate funds
available for exploration, development or acquisitions or cause
us to incur losses. An event that is not fully covered by
insurance for instance, losses resulting from
pollution and environmental risks that are not fully
insured could cause us to incur material losses.
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We depend on successful exploration, development and
acquisitions to maintain reserves and revenue in the
future. |
In general, the volume of production from natural gas and oil
properties declines as reserves are depleted, with the rate of
decline depending on reservoir characteristics. Except to the
extent we conduct successful exploration and development
activities or acquire properties containing proved reserves, or
both, our proved reserves will decline as reserves are produced.
Our future natural gas and oil production is, therefore, highly
dependent on our level of success in finding or acquiring
additional reserves. The business of exploring for, developing
or acquiring reserves is capital intensive. Recovery of our
reserves, particularly undeveloped reserves, will require
significant additional capital expenditures and successful
drilling operations. To the extent cash flow from operations is
reduced and external sources of capital become limited or
unavailable, our ability to make the necessary capital
investment to maintain or expand our asset base of natural gas
and oil reserves would be impaired.
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Exploratory drilling is an uncertain process with many
risks. |
Exploratory drilling involves numerous risks, including the risk
that we will not find commercially productive natural gas or oil
reservoirs. The cost of drilling, completing and operating wells
is often uncertain, and a number of factors can delay or prevent
drilling operations, including:
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unexpected drilling conditions; |
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pressure or irregularities in formations; |
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equipment failures or accidents; |
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adverse weather conditions; |
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defects in title; |
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compliance with governmental requirements, rules and
regulations; and |
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shortages or delays in the availability of drilling rigs, the
delivery of equipment and adequate trained personnel. |
Our future drilling activities may not be successful, and we
cannot be sure of our overall drilling success rate.
Unsuccessful drilling activities would result in significant
expenses being incurred without any financial gain.
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Our business will depend on transportation facilities
owned by others. |
The marketability of gas production will depend in part on the
availability, proximity and capacity of pipeline systems owned
by third parties. We generally deliver natural gas through gas
gathering systems and gas pipelines that we do not own under
interruptible or short-term transportation agreements. The
transportation of our gas may be interrupted due to capacity
constraints on the applicable system, for maintenance or repair
of the system. Our ability to produce and market natural gas on
a commercial basis could be harmed by any significant change in
the cost or availability of markets, systems or pipelines.
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The oil and gas industry is heavily regulated and we must
comply with complex governmental regulations. |
Federal, state and local authorities extensively regulate the
oil and gas industry and the drilling and completion of oil and
gas wells. Legislation and regulations affecting the industry
are under constant review for amendment or expansion, raising
the possibility of changes that may adversely affect, among
other things, the pricing, production or marketing of oil and
gas and oilfield services. Noncompliance with statutes and
regulations may lead to substantial penalties and the overall
regulatory burden on the industry increases the cost of doing
business and, in turn, decreases profitability. Federal, state
and local authorities regulate various aspects of oil and gas
drilling, service and production activities, including the
drilling of wells through permit and bonding requirements, the
spacing of wells, the unitization or pooling of oil and gas
properties, environmental matters, safety standards, the sharing
of markets, production limitations, plugging and abandonment,
and restoration.
Our operations are subject to complex and constantly changing
environmental laws and regulations adopted by federal, state and
local government authorities. Infinity estimates it will spend
approximately $1.0 million to drill and equip one water
disposal well to handle water produced from gas wells in 2005.
It costs Infinity approximately $50,000 per year to operate
each disposal well. In addition to the environmental costs that
will be incurred by our oil and gas production operations,
Consolidated will incur an estimated $50,000 in costs associated
with operating within current environmental regulations this
fiscal year. New laws or regulations, or changes to current
requirements, could result in our incurring significant
additional costs. We could face significant liabilities to
government and third parties for discharges of oil, natural gas
or other pollutants into the air, soil or water, and we could
have to spend substantial amounts on investigations, litigation
and remediation.
Although we believe that we are in substantial compliance with
all applicable laws and regulations, we cannot be certain that
existing laws or regulations, as currently interpreted or
reinterpreted in the future, or future laws or regulations, will
not harm our business, results of operations and financial
condition. Laws and regulations applicable to us include those
relating to:
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land use restrictions; |
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drilling bonds and other financial responsibility requirements; |
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spacing of wells; |
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emissions into the air; |
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unitization and pooling of properties; |
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habitat and endangered species protection, reclamation and
remediation; |
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the containment and disposal of hazardous substances, oil field
waste and other waste materials; |
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the use of underground storage tanks; |
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the use of underground injection wells, which affects the
disposal of water from our wells; |
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safety precautions; |
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the prevention of oil spills; |
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the closure of production facilities; |
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operational reporting; and |
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taxation. |
Under these laws and regulations, we could be liable for:
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personal injuries; |
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property and natural resource damages; |
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releases or discharges of hazardous materials; |
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well reclamation costs; |
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oil spill clean-up costs; |
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other remediation and clean-up costs; |
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plugging and abandonment costs, which may be particularly high
in the case of offshore facilities; |
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governmental sanctions, such as fines and penalties; and |
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other environmental damages. |
Any noncompliance with these laws and regulations could subject
us to material administrative, civil or criminal penalties or
other liabilities.
Our oilfield service operations routinely involve the handling
of significant amounts of waste materials, some of which are
classified as hazardous substances. Our operations and
facilities are subject to numerous environmental laws, rules and
regulations, including laws concerning:
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the containment and disposal of hazardous substances, oilfield
waste and other waste materials; |
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the use of underground storage tanks; and |
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the use of underground injection wells. |
Compliance with and violations of laws protecting the
environment may become more costly. Sanctions for failure to
comply with these laws, rules and regulations, many of which may
be applied retroactively, may include:
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administrative, civil and criminal penalties; |
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revocation of permits; and |
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corrective action orders. |
In the United States, environmental laws and regulations
typically impose strict liability. Strict liability means that
in some situations we could be exposed to liability for cleanup
costs and other damages as a result of our conduct, even if such
conduct was lawful at the time it occurred, or as a result of
the conduct of prior operators or other third parties. Cleanup
costs, natural resource damages and other damages arising as a
result of environmental laws and regulations, and costs
associated with changes in environmental laws and regulations,
could be substantial. From time to time, claims have been made
against us under environmental laws. Changes in environmental
laws and regulations may also negatively impact other oil and
natural gas exploration and production companies, which in turn
could reduce the demand for our oilfield services.
Large volumes of water produced from coalbed methane wells and
discharged onto the surface in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming
have drawn the attention of government agencies, gas producers,
citizens and environmental groups which may result in new
regulations for the disposal of produced water. Infinity intends
to use injection wells to dispose of water into underground rock
formations at certain of its fields and intends to discharge
onto the surface where permissible. If our wells produce water
of lesser quality than allowed under Colorado, Texas or Wyoming
state law for surface discharge or injection into underground
rock formations, Infinity could incur costs of up to
$7.50 per barrel of water to dispose of the produced water.
At December 2004 production rates, this would cost us an
additional $100,000 per month in average water disposal
costs. If our wells produce water in excess of the limits of its
disposal facilities, we may have to drill additional disposal
wells. Each additional disposal well could cost us up to
$1.0 million.
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The oil and gas industry is highly competitive. |
We operate in the highly competitive areas of oil and natural
gas exploration, exploitation, acquisition, production and
oilfield services with many other companies. We face intense
competition from a large number of independent companies as well
as major oil and natural gas companies in a number of areas such
as:
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acquisition of desirable producing properties or new leases for
future exploration; |
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marketing our oil and natural gas production; |
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arranging for growth capital on attractive terms; and |
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seeking to acquire or secure the equipment, service, labor,
other personnel and materials necessary to operate and develop
those properties. |
Many of our competitors have financial and technological
resources substantially exceeding those available to us. Many
oil and gas properties are sold in a competitive bidding process
in which we may lack technological information or expertise or
financial resources available to other bidders. We cannot be
sure that we will be successful in acquiring and developing
profitable properties in the face of this competition.
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We may have difficulty managing growth in our
business. |
Because of our small size, growth in accordance with our
business plans, if achieved, will place a significant strain on
our financial, technical, operational and management resources.
As we expand our activities and increase the number of projects
we are evaluating or in which we participate, there will be
additional demands on our financial, technical and management
resources. The failure to continue to upgrade our technical,
administrative, operating and financial control systems or the
occurrence of unexpected expansion difficulties, including the
recruitment and retention of experienced managers, geoscientists
and engineers, could have a material adverse effect on our
business, financial condition and results of operations and our
ability to timely execute our business plan.
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We depend on key personnel. |
The loss of key members of our management team, or difficulty
attracting and retaining experienced technical personnel, could
reduce our competitiveness and prospects for future success. Our
success depends on the continued services of our executive
officers and a limited number of other senior management and
technical personnel. Loss of the services of any of these people
could have a material adverse effect on our operations. We
current