Back to GetFilings.com



CONFORMED COPY

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

[X] ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 or 15 (d) OF

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004


   Commission File Number  033-63635-04

 

[] Transition Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the transaction period from         to            


PDC 1996-D LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

West Virginia

55-0751154

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)


103 East Main Street, Bridgeport, West Virginia 26330

Address of principal executive offices) (zip code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code (304) 842-3597


SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OF THE ACT: NONE

SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(g) OF THE ACT:

General and Limited Partnership Interests

(Title of class)

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 and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.   Yes  X    No     

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will be contained, to the best of registrant's 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. [ ]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as definition in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes   No X 

There is no trading market for the registrant's securities.


PART I

 

ITEM 1. BUSINESS.


General


     PDC 1996-D Limited Partnership ("the Partnership") is a limited partnership formed on December 31, 1996 pursuant to the West Virginia Uniform Limited Partnership Act. Petroleum Development Corporation ("PDC") serves as Managing General Partner of the Partnership.


     Since the commencement of operations on December 31, 1996, the Partnership has been engaged in onshore, domestic gas exploration exclusively in the Northern Appalachian and Michigan Basins. A total of 9 limited partners contributed initial capital of $324,250; a total of 921 additional general partners contributed initial capital of $14,977,476; and PDC (Managing General Partner) contributed $3,328,126 in capital as a participant in accordance with contribution provisions of the Limited Partnership Agreement (the Agreement). During 1997 in accordance with Partnership Agreement all additional general partners were converted to limited partners.

     Under the terms of the Agreement, the allocation of revenues is as follows:

Allocation

of Revenues

Additional General and

Limited Partners


80

Managing General Partner

20

     Operating and direct costs are allocated and charged to the additional general and limited partners and the Managing General Partner in the same percentages as revenues are allocated. Leasehold, drilling and completion costs, and equipment costs are borne 80% by the Additional General and Limited Partners and 20% by the Managing General Partner. See Footnote 4 of financial statements for a complete description of the allocation of Partnership revenue and costs.

Employees


     The Partnership has no employees; however, PDC has approximately 120 employees, including 17 in finance and data processing, 8 in administration, 12 in exploration and development, 78 in production and 5 in natural gas marketing.

 

Plan of Operations

     The Partnership participated in the drilling of 85 gross wells and will continue to operate and produce its 80 gross productive wells. The Partnership does not have unexpended initial capital and no additional drilling activity is planned.

     See Item 2 herein for information concerning the Partnership's gas wells.

Markets for Oil and Gas

 

     The availability of a market for any oil and gas produced from the operations of the Partnership will depend upon a number of factors beyond the control of the Partnership which cannot be accurately predicted. These factors include the proximity of the Partnership wells to and the capacity of natural gas pipelines, the availability and price of competitive fuels, fluctuations in seasonal supply and demand, and government regulation of supply and demand created by its pricing and allocation restrictions. Oversupplies of gas can be expected to occur from time to time and may result in the Partnership's wells being shut-in or curtailed. Increased imports of oil and natural gas have occurred and are expected to continue. The effects of such imports could adversely impact the market for domestic oil and natural gas.  All oil and gas is sold under contracts based on market sensitive indexes that vary from month to month. No fixed price contracts are in place. The Partnership sold oil and natural gas to two customers which accounted for 90.53% and 9.04% of the Partnership's total oil and natural gas sales for the year ended December 31, 2004 and 89.57% and 10.43% for the year ended December 31, 2003.

2


Derivatives and Hedging Activities

     The Managing General Partner, through its subsidiary Riley Natural Gas, has been in the gas marketing business since 1986. During that time period, the Managing General Partner has utilized and continues to utilize commodity based derivative instruments as hedges to manage a portion of the Partnership's exposure to price volatility stemming from natural gas production.  These instruments consist of NYMEX-traded natural gas futures and option contracts for eastern Colorado production, and CIG (Colorado Interstate Gas Index)-based contracts for other Colorado production and NYMEX traded oil futures and option contracts for Colorado oil production.  The contracts hedge committed and anticipated natural gas sales, generally forecasted to occur within the next 2 year period. The Managing General Partner does not hold or issue derivatives for trading or speculative purposes and permits utilization of hedges only if there is an underlying physical position.  See "Commodity Price Risk" under Item 7A.

     Notwithstanding the measure taken by the Managing General Partner to attempt to control price risk, the Partnership remains subject to price fluctuations for natural gas and oil sold in the spot market.  The Managing General Partner continues to evaluate the potential for reducing these risks by entering into hedge transactions.  In addition, the Managing General Partner may also close out any portion of hedges that may exist from time to time.

 

Competition

     The Partnership competes in marketing its gas with numerous companies and individuals, many of which have financial resources, staffs and facilities substantially greater than those of the Partnership or Petroleum Development Corporation.

State Regulations

 

     State regulatory authorities have established rules and regulations requiring permits for well operations, reclamation bonds and reports concerning operations. States also have statutes and regulations concerning the spacing of wells, environmental matters and conservation, and have established regulations concerning the unitization and pooling of oil and gas properties and maximum rates of production from oil and gas wells. The Partnership believes it has complied in all material respects with applicable state regulations. The Partnership estimates it has spent approximately $0, $1,050, and $650 in 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively to comply with federal and state regulations.

Federal Regulations

 

     Regulation of Liquid Hydrocarbons. Liquid hydrocarbons (including crude oil and natural gas liquids) were subject to federal price and allocation controls until January 1981 when controls were effectively eliminated by executive order of the President. As a result, to the extent the Partnership sells oil produced from its properties, those sales are at unregulated market prices.

     Although it appears unlikely under present circumstances that controls will be reimposed upon liquid hydrocarbons, it is possible Congress may enact such legislation at a future date.

     Natural Gas Regulation. Sale of natural gas by the Partnership is subject to regulation of production, transportation and pricing by governmental regulatory agencies. Generally, the regulatory agency in the state where a producing well is located regulates production activities and, in addition, the transportation of gas sold intrastate. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regulates the operation and cost of interstate pipeline operators who transport gas. Currently the price of gas to be sold by the Partnership is not regulated by any state or federal agency.

     Proposed Regulation. Numerous proposals concerning energy are being considered by the United States Congress, various state legislatures and regulatory agencies. The possible outcome and effect of these proposals cannot be accurately predicted.

3


     Environmental and Safety Regulation. The Partnership believes that it complies, in all material respects, with all legislation and regulations affecting its operations in the drilling and production of oil and gas wells and the discharge of wastes. To date, compliance with such provisions and regulations has not had a material effect upon the Partnership's expenditures for capital equipment, its operations or its competitive position. The cost of such compliance is not anticipated to be material in the future.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES.

 

Drilling Activity

 

     The following table sets forth the results of drilling activity of the Partnership which was conducted in the Continental United States.

                  Development Wells                  

 

    Gross Wells    

 

      Net Wells      

 

 

Productive

Dry

Total

Productive

Dry

Total

 

80

5

85

 

62.474

4.912

67.386

     The Partnership has not participated in any exploratory wells. No additional drilling activity is planned.

Production

See "Management's Discussion and Analysis" on page 5 for Partnership production.

Reserves

See "Footnote 8" to the Partnership's financial statements for information related to the Partnership's oil and gas reserves.

 

Summary of Productive Wells

 

     During 2002 the Partnership plugged 12 wells in the Angel Unite in Michigan. The table below shows the number of the Partnership's gross and net wells by state as of December 31, 2004.

Natural Gas Wells

Location

Gross

Net

Michigan

 9

3.622

Pennsylvania

47

41.955

West Virginia

12

11.910

____

______

Total

68

57.487

     A "productive well" is a well producing, or capable of producing, oil and gas in commercial quantities. For purposes of the above table, a "gross well" is one in which the Partnership has a working interest and a "net well" is a gross well multiplied by the Partnership's working interest to which it is entitled under its drilling agreement.

 

Title to Properties

     The Partnership's interests in producing acreage are in the form of assigned direct interests in leases. Such properties are subject to customary royalty interests generally contracted for in connection with the acquisition of properties and could be subject to liens incident to operating agreements, liens for current taxes and other burdens. The Partnership believes that none of these burdens materially interfere with the use of such properties in the operation of the Partnership's business.

     As is customary in the oil and gas industry, little or no investigation of title is made at the time of acquisition of undeveloped properties (other than a preliminary review of local mineral records). Investigations are generally made, including in most cases receiving a title opinion of legal counsel, before commencement of drilling operations. A thorough examination of title has been made with respect to all of the Partnership's producing properties and the Partnership believes that it has generally satisfactory title to such properties.

4


ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

     The Managing General partner as driller/operator is not party to any legal action that it believes would have a materially adverse affect on the Managing General Partner's or Partnership's business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

ITEM 4. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS.

     Not Applicable.

PART II

 

ITEM 5.  MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS.

     At December 31, 2004, PDC 1996-D Limited Partnership had one Managing General Partner, 9 Limited Partners who fully paid for 16.2125 units at $20,000 per unit of limited partnership interests and a total of 1049 Additional General Partners who fully paid for 748.8738 units at $20,000 per unit of additional general partnership interests. During 1997 in accordance with the Partnership Agreement all Additional General Partners were converted to Limited Partners. No established public trading market exists for the interests.

     Limited and additional general partnership interests are transferable, however no assignee of an interest in the Partnership can become a substituted partner without the written consent of the transferor and the Managing General Partner. There is no established trading market for the securities of the Partnership.

ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA.

     The selected financial data presented below has been derived from audited financial statements of the Partnership appearing elsewhere herein.

Years Ended December 31,

2004

2003

2002

Oil and Gas Sales

$1,389,859 

$1,278,115 

829,395 

Costs and Expenses

705,293 

743,370 

753,955 

Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle

-    

(21,123)

-    

Net Income

685,084 

514,129 

76,247 

Allocation of Net Income:

     Managing General Partner

137,017 

102,826 

15,249 

     Limited and Additional General Partners

548,067 

411,303 

60,998 

     Per Limited and Additional General Partner Unit

716 

538 

80 

Total Assets

2,724,130 

2,781,746 

2,975,356 

Distributions:

Managing General Partner

78,489 

86,518 

22,316 

Limited and Additional General Partners

675,121 

651,527 

284,275 

 

ITEM 7.  MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

     The Partnership was funded with initial Limited and Additional General Partner contributions of $15,301,726 and the Managing General Partner contributed $3,328,126 in accordance with the Agreement. Syndication and management fee costs of $1,989,224 were incurred leaving available cash of $16,640,628 for Partnership activities.

     The Partnership began exploration and development activities subsequent to the funding of the Partnership and completed these activities by December 31, 1997. Eighty-five wells have been drilled, 80 of which have been completed as producers.  Currently the Partnership has 68 producing wells. No additional wells will be drilled.

5


     The Partnership had working capital at December 31, 2004 of $196,488.

     Operations are expected to be conducted with available funds and revenues generated from oil and gas activities. No bank borrowings are anticipated.

Results of Operations

 

2004 Results Compared to 2003

     Oil and gas sales for the year ended December 31, 2004 were $1,389,859 compared to $1,278,115 for the year ended December 31, 2003.  The volume of natural gas sold for the year ended December 31, 2004, was 241,010 Mcf at an average sales price of $6.04 per Mcf compared to 260,912 Mcf at an average sales price of $4.90 per Mcf for the year ended December 31, 2003. The lifting costs for the year ended December 31, 2004 was $2.13 per Mcfe compared to $1.95 per Mcfe for the year ended December 31, 2003.  Depreciation, depletion and amortization decreased from $207,905 for the year ended December 31, 2003 to $167,834 for the year ended December 31, 2004 as a result of lower volumes of natural gas and oil sold.  Cash distributions to the partners amounted to $753,610 in 2004.

 

2003 Compared to 2002

 

     Oil and gas sales for the year ended December 31, 2003 were $1,278,115 compared to $829,395 for the year ended December 31, 2002. The volume of natural gas sold for the year ended December 31, 2003, was 260,912 Mcf at an average sales price of $4.90 per Mcf compared to 279,201 Mcf at an average sales price of $2.97 per Mcf for the year ended December 31, 2002. The lifting costs for the year ended December 31, 2003 was $1.95 per Mcfe compared to $1.82 per Mcfe for the year ended December 31, 2002.  This increase is partially attributed to the increase in severance and property taxes. The fixed costs of operations and well maintenance are allocated to lower production volumes, therefore increasing the lifting cost per Mcfe. Cash distributions to the partners amounted to $738,045 in 2003.

     The Partnership's revenues from oil and gas will be affected by changes in prices. As a result of changes in federal regulations, gas prices are highly dependent on the balance between supply and demand. The Partnership's gas sales prices are subject to increase and decrease based on various market sensitive indices.

 

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

     Certain accounting policies are very important to the portrayal of the Partnership's financial condition and results of operations and require management's most subjective or complex judgments. In applying those policies, our management uses its judgment to determine the appropriate assumptions to be used in the determination of certain estimates. Those estimates are based on our historical experience, our observance of trends in the industry, and information available from other outside sources, as appropriate. For a more detailed discussion on the application of these and other accounting policies, see "Note 1 - Summary of significant accounting policies" in our financial statements and related notes. The Partnership's critical accounting policies and estimates are as follows:

Revenue Recognition

      Sales of natural gas are recognized when natural gas has been delivered to a custody transfer point, persuasive evidence of a sales arrangement exists, the rights and responsibility of ownership pass to the purchaser upon delivery, collection of revenue from the sale is reasonably assured and the sales price is fixed or determinable.  Natural gas is sold by the Managing General Partner under contracts with terms ranging from one month to three years.  Virtually all of the Managing General Partner's contracts pricing provisions are tied to a market index, with certain adjustments based on, among other factors, whether a well delivers to a gathering or transmission line, quality of natural gas and prevailing supply and demand conditions, so that the price of the natural gas fluctuates to remain competitive with other available natural gas supplies.  As a result, the Partnership's revenues from the sale of natural gas will suffer if market prices decline and benefit if they increase.  The Partnership believes that the pricing provisions of its natural gas contracts are customary in the industry.

The Managing General Partner currently uses the "Net-Back" method of accounting for transportation arrangements of natural gas sales.  The Managing General Partner sells gas at the wellhead and collects a price and recognizes revenues based on the wellhead sales price since transportation costs downstream of the wellhead are incurred by the Managing General Partner's customers and reflected in the wellhead price.

                                                                                          6

Sales of oil are recognized when persuasive evidence of a sales arrangement exists, the oil is verified as produced and is delivered in a stock tank, collection of revenue from the sale is reasonably assured and the sales price is determinable.  The Partnership is currently able to sell all the oil that it can produce under existing sales contracts with petroleum refiners and marketers.  The Partnership does not refine any of its oil production.  The Partnership's crude oil production is sold to purchasers at or near the Partnership's wells under short-term purchase contracts at prices and in accordance with arrangements that are customary in the oil industry.

                                 

Accounting for Derivatives Contracts at Fair Value

     The Partnership uses derivative instruments to manage its commodity and financial market risks. Accounting requirements for derivatives and hedging activities are complex; interpretation of these requirements by standard-setting bodies is ongoing.

     Derivatives are reported on the Balance Sheets at fair value. Changes in fair value of derivatives that are not designated as accounting hedges are recorded in earnings.

    The measurement of fair value is based on actively quoted market prices, if available. Otherwise, the Partnership seeks indicative price information from external sources, including broker quotes and industry publications. If pricing information from external sources is not available, measurement involves judgment and estimates. These estimates are based on valuation methodologies considered appropriate by the Partnership's management.

     For individual contracts, the use of different assumptions could have a material effect on the contract's estimated fair value. In addition, for hedges of forecasted transactions, the Partnership must estimate the expected future cash flows of the forecasted transactions, as well as evaluate the probability of the occurrence and timing of such transactions. Changes in conditions or the occurrence of unforeseen events could affect the timing of recognition in earnings for changes in fair value of certain hedging derivatives.

Use of Estimates in Long-Lived Asset Impairment Testing

Impairment testing for long-lived assets and intangible assets with definite lives is required when circumstances indicate those assets may be impaired.  In performing the impairment test, the Partnership would estimate the future cash flows associated with individual assets or groups of assets.  Impairment must be recognized when the undiscounted estimated future cash flows are less than the related asset's carrying amount.  In those circumstances, the asset must be written down to its fair value, which, in the absence of market price information, may be estimated as the present value of its expected future net cash flows, using an appropriate discount rate.  Although cash flow estimates used by the Partnership are based on the relevant information available at the time the estimates are made, estimates of future cash flows are, by nature, highly uncertain and may vary significantly from actual results.

Oil and Gas Properties

     Exploration and development costs are accounted for by the successful efforts method.

       

     The Partnership assesses impairment of capitalized costs of proved oil and gas properties by comparing net capitalized costs to estimated undiscounted future net cash flows on a field-by-field basis using expected prices. Prices utilized in each year's calculation for measurement purposes and expected costs are held constant throughout the estimated life of the properties. If net capitalized costs exceed undiscounted future net cash flows, the measurement of impairment is based on estimated fair value which would consider future discounted cash flows.

Property acquisition costs are capitalized when incurred.  Geological and geophysical costs and delay rentals are expensed as incurred.  The costs of drilling exploratory wells are capitalized pending determination of whether the wells have discovered economically producible reserves.  If reserves are not discovered, such costs are expensed as dry holes.  Development costs, including equipment and intangible drilling costs related to both producing wells and developmental dry holes, are capitalized.

Unproved properties or leases are written-off to expense when it is determined that they will expire or be abandoned.

Costs of proved properties, including leasehold acquisition, exploration and development costs and equipment, are depreciated or depleted by the unit-of-production method based on estimated proved developed oil and gas reserves.

                                                                                           

                                                                                           

                                                                                                7

Upon sale or retirement of complete fields of depreciable or depletable property, the book value thereof, less proceeds or salvage value, is credited or charged to income.  Upon sale of a partial unit of property, the proceeds are credited to accumulated depreciation and depletion.

New Accounting Standards

 

     In June 2001, the Financial Accounting Standard Board issued FASB No. 143, "Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations" that requires entities to record the fair value of a liability for an asset retirement obligation in the period in which it is incurred and a corresponding increase in the carrying amount of the related long-lived asset. This statement is effective for fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2002. The Partnership adopted FASB No. 143 on January 1, 2003 and recorded a net asset of $8,526 and a related liability of $29,649 (using a 6% discount rate) and a cumulative effect of change in accounting principle on prior years of $21,123.

Item 7A.  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk.

Market-Sensitive Instruments and Risk Management

     The Partnership's primary market risk exposure is commodity price risk.  This exposure is discussed in detail below:

Commodity Price Risk

         The Managing General Partner utilizes commodity-based derivative instruments as hedges to manage a portion of its exposure to price risk from its oil and natural gas sales.  These instruments consist of NYMEX-traded natural gas futures contracts and option contracts for Appalachian and Michigan production.  These hedging arrangements have the effect of locking in for specified periods (at predetermined prices or ranges of prices) the prices the Managing General Partner will receive for the volume to which the hedge relates.  As a result, while these hedging arrangements are structured to reduce the Partnership's exposure to changes in price associated with the hedged commodity, they also limit the benefit the Partnership might otherwise have received from price changes associated with the hedged commodity.  The Partnership's policy prohibits the use of natural gas future and option contracts for speculative purposes.

     

The following tables summarize the open futures and options contracts for the Partnership as of December 31, 2004 and 2003.

Commodity

Type

Quantity

Weighted

Total

Fair

Gas-Mmbtu

Average

Contract

Market

 

 

Oil-Barrels

Price

Amount

Value

Total Contracts as of December 31, 2004

 Natural Gas

Purchase

2,389

6.63

15,849

(909)

Natural Gas

Floors

65,692

4.79

-    

7,528 

Natural Gas

Ceilings

32,846

5.73

-    

(29,933)

Contracts maturing in 12 months following December 31, 2004

 Natural Gas

Purchase

2,389

6.63

15,849

(909)

Natural Gas

Floors

65,692

4.79

-    

7,528 

Natural Gas

Ceilings

32,846

5.73

-    

(29,933)

Prior Year Total Contracts as of December 31, 2003

Natural Gas

Sale

3,793

5.40

20,480

(2,840)

Natural Gas

Purchase

3,251

4.77

15,506

2,158 

Natural Gas

Floors

60,682

4.12

-    

652 

Natural Gas

Ceilings

49,304

5.55

-    

(8,770)

The maximum term over which the Partnership is hedging exposure to the variability of cash flows for commodity price risk is 12 months.

8

The average NYMEX closing price for natural gas for the years 2004, 2003 and 2002 was $6.14 per Mmbtu, $5.39 per Mmbtu, and $3.22 per Mmbtu. The average NYMEX closing price for oil for the years 2004, 2003 and 2002, was $41.44 per bbl, $30.98 per bbl, and $26.98 per bbl. Future near-term gas prices will be affected by various supply and demand factors such as weather, government and environmental regulations and new drilling activities within the industry.

Disclosure of Limitations

     As the information above incorporates only those exposures that exist at December 31, 2004, it does not consider those exposures or positions which could arise after that date. As a result, the Partnership's ultimate realized gain or loss with respect to commodity price fluctuations will depend on the exposures that arise during the period, the Partnership's hedging strategies at the time and commodity prices at the time.

PART III

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA:

 

     The response to this Item is set forth herein in a separate section of this Report, beginning on Page F-1.

ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND

        FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE.

      NONE.

 

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

     Under the supervision and with the participation of the Managing General Partner's management, including the Managing General Partner's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, the Managing General Partner has evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of its disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-14(c)) as of the end of the period covered by this annual report on Form 10-K, and, based on their evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that these disclosure controls and procedures are effective in all material respects, including those to ensure that information required to be disclosed in reports filed or submitted under the Securities Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission's rules and forms, and is accumulated and communicated to management, including the Managing General Partner's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow for timely disclosure. There have been no significant changes in our internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect these controls in the fourth quarter and subsequent to the date of their evaluation.

ITEM 9B.  OTHER INFORMATION

 

NONE

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT.

     The Partnership has no directors or executive officers.  The partnership is managed by Petroleum Development Corporation (the Managing General Partner).  Petroleum Development Corporation's common stock is traded in the NASDAQ National Market and Form 10-K for 2004 has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

Although the Partnership has no Code of Ethics, Petroleum Development Corporation, the Managing General Partner of the Partnership, has a Code of Ethics that applies to its senior executive officers.  The Code of Ethics is posted on the website of Petroleum Development Corporation at www.petd.com.

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION.

 

      NON-APPLICABLE.

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS.

      NON-APPLICABLE.

 

9

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS.

     Pursuant to the authorization contained in the Limited Partnership Agreement, PDC receives fees for services rendered and reimbursement of certain expenses from the Partnership. See respective drilling prospectus for further information regarding the Limited Partnership Agreement. The following table presents compensation or reimbursements by the Partnership to PDC or other related parties during the years listed below:

Years Ended December 31,

    2004

    2003

    2002

Lifting costs

$512,525 

510,013 

509,166 

Tax return preparation

7,932 

7,932 

7,933 

Direct administrative cost

3,505 

4,089 

4,255 

ITEM 14.  PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

     For the years ended December 31, 2004 and 2003, the Partnership paid KPMG LLP $8,140 and $8,133, respectively, for the professional services for the audit of the Partnership's financial statements in its Form 10K and review of financial statements included in the Partnership's form 10-Qs.

Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures

 

     The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires that all services provided to the Partnership by its independent accountants be subject to pre-approval by the Audit Committee or authorized members of the Committee. Since the Partnership does not have an Audit Committee, the Managing General Partner's Audit Committee also serves for the Partnership.  The Audit Committee has adopted policies and procedures for pre-approval of all audit services and non-audit services to be provided by the Partnership's independent accountants. Services necessary to conduct the annual audit must be pre-approved by the Audit Committee or by the authorized Audit Committee member.

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS and FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.

                                (1)   Financial Statements

                                        See Index to Financial Statements on F-2

                                (2)   Financial Statement Schedules

                                        See Index to Financial Statements on page F-2. All financial statement schedules are omitted because they are not required, inapplicable, or the information is included in the Financial Statements or Notes thereto.

             (3)         Exhibits

 4.1

Form of Limited Partnership Agreement (incorporated by reference to Appendix A to Form S-1, SEC File No. 033-63635, and Rule 424 final prospectus, dated June 14, 1996, of PDC 1996-1997 Drilling Program, filed with the SEC on June 14, 1996).

 14

Code of Ethics of Petroleum Development Corporation (incorporated by reference to the posted code on the web site of Petroleum Development Corporation at www.petd.com).

 31.1

Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(c) Certification of Chief Executive Officer of Petroleum Development Corporation, the managing general partner of the Limited Partnership.

 31.2

Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(c) Certification of Chief Financial Officer of Petroleum Development Corporation, the managing general partner of the Limited Partnership.

 32.1

Title 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 (Section 906 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002) Certifications by Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Petroleum Development Corporation, the managing general partner of the Limited Partnership.

10

CONFORMED COPY

SIGNATURES

      Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

PDC 1996-D Limited Partnership

By its Managing General Partner

Petroleum Development Corporation

 

By /s/ Steven R. Williams     

   Steven R. Williams, Chairman

April 14, 2005

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated:

Signature

Title

Date

/s/ Steven R. Williams

    Steven R. Williams

Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and

 Director

April 14, 2005

/s/ Darwin L. Stump

    Darwin L. Stump

Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

(principal financial and accounting officer)

April 14, 2005

 

/s/ Thomas E. Riley

    Thomas E. Riley

President and Director

April 14, 2005

/s/ Donald B. Nestor

    Donald B. Nestor

Director

April 14, 2005

/s/ Vincent F. D'Annunzio

    Vincent F. D'Annunzio

Director

April 14, 2005

11


PDC 1996-D LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

(A West Virginia Limited Partnership)

Financial Statements for Annual Report

on Form 10-K to Securities and Exchange

Commission

Years Ended December 31, 2004, 2003 and 2002

(With Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm's Report Thereon)

F-1


PDC 1996-D LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

(A West Virginia Limited Partnership)

Index to Financial Statements

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

F-3

Balance Sheets - December 31, 2004 and 2003

F-4

Statements of Operations -  Years Ended December 31, 2004, 2003 and 2002

F-5

Statements of Partners' Equity and Comprehensive Income-

 Years Ended December 31, 2004, 2003 and 2002

F-6

Statements of Cash Flows -  Years Ended December 31, 2004, 2003 and 2002

F-7

Notes to Financial Statements

F-8

All financial statement schedules have been omitted because they are not applicable or not required or the required information is shown in the financial statements or notes thereto.

F-2


Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Partners

PDC 1996-D Limited Partnership:

We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of PDC 1996-D Limited Partnership (a West Virginia limited partnership) as of December 31, 2004 and 2003, and the related statements of operations, partners' equity and comprehensive income (loss), and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2004. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Partnership's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement.  An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements.  An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.  We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of PDC 1996-D Limited Partnership as of December 31, 2004 and 2003, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2004, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

As discussed in note 1 to the financial statements, the Partnership adopted the provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 143, "Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations", in 2003.

                                                                                                  KPMG LLP

                                                                                                                                                                                        

                                                                                                                                                                    KPMG LLP

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

April 15, 2005

F-3


PDC 1996-D LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

(A West Virginia Limited Partnership)

Balance Sheets

December 31, 2004 and 2003

     Assets

2004

2003

Cash

$        705 

     3,789 

Accounts receivable -

  oil and gas revenues


   263,407 


   150,105 

          Total current assets

264,112 

153,894 

Oil and gas properties, successful

  efforts method (notes 3 and 6):


6,952,955 


6,952,955 

       Less accumulated depreciation,

        depletion, and amortization


4,492,937
 


4,325,103
 

2,460,018 

2,627,852 

$2,724,130 

2,781,746 

     Liabilities and Partners' Equity

Current liabilities:

     Accrued expenses

$   67,624 

   44,086 

          Total current liabilities

67,624 

44,086 

Asset retirement obligation

33,314 

31,428 

Partners' equity

2,623,192 

2,706,232 

$2,724,130 

2,781,746 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

F-4


PDC 1996-D LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

(A West Virginia Limited Partnership)

Statements of Operations

Years Ended December 31, 2004, 2003 and 2002

2004

2003

2002

2002

2001

Revenues:

     Sales of oil and gas

$1,389,859 

1,278,115 

 829,395 

 829,395 

 1,265,406 

     Interest income

       518 

       507 

       807 

       807 

     4,276 

1,390,377 

1,278,622 

830,202 

830,202 

1,269,682 

Expenses (note 3):

     Lifting cost

512,525 

510,013 

509,166