QUARTERNORTH ENERGY INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Income Taxes. We use the liability method of accounting for income taxes in accordance with the Income Taxes Topic of the Accounting Standards Codification. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined by applying tax rates in effect at the end of a reporting period to the cumulative temporary differences between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the financial statements.
The effects of changes in tax rates and laws on deferred tax balances are recognized in the period in which the new legislation is enacted. In assessing the need for a valuation allowance on our deferred tax assets, we consider whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of them will not be realized.
We recognize uncertain tax positions in our financial statements when it is more likely than not that we will sustain the benefit taken or expected to be taken. We classify interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in income tax expense. See Note 19—Income Taxes for additional information.
Lease Operating Expense. Lease operating expense includes labor, materials and supplies, repairs, maintenance, transportation, allocated overhead costs, ad valorem taxes and other costs incidental to production net to our ownership interests.
Materials and Supplies. We maintain inventories which include costs of materials, supplies, and production equipment to be used in drilling and abandonment operations, carried at the lower of cost or net realizable value. During the year ended 2022, we incurred a write-down related to materials and supplies of $3.3 million. No write-down was required for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Oil and Natural Gas Properties. We follow the full cost method of accounting for oil and natural gas properties. Under this method, all costs related to the acquisition, exploration, and development of oil and natural gas reserves are capitalized and accumulated in a single cost center representing our activities. Such costs include lease acquisition costs, geological and geophysical expenditures, lease rentals on undeveloped properties, costs of drilling both productive and nonproductive wells, and general and administrative expenses directly related to acquisition, exploration, and development activities, and do not include any costs related to production, general corporate overhead or similar activities.
Under full cost accounting, we may exclude certain unevaluated costs from the amortization base pending determination of whether proved reserves can be assigned to such properties. The costs classified as unevaluated are transferred to the amortization base as the properties are developed, tested and evaluated. At least annually, we test these assets for impairment based on an evaluation of management’s expectations of future pricing, evaluation of lease expiration terms, and planned project development activities. During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we transferred unevaluated costs of $1.4 million and $0.3 million, respectively, to the amortization base.
Oil and natural gas properties included in the amortization base are amortized using the units-of-production method based on production and estimates of proved reserves quantities. In addition to costs associated with evaluated properties and capitalized Asset Retirement Obligations, the amortization base includes estimated future development costs to be incurred in developing proved reserves as well as estimated plugging and abandonment costs, net of salvage value, related to developing proved reserves. Future development costs related to proved reserves are not recorded as liabilities on the balance sheet, but are part of the calculation of depletion expense.
Our capitalized costs are limited to a ceiling based on the present value of future net revenues from proved reserves, computed using a discount factor of 10 percent, plus the lower of cost or estimated fair value of unproved oil and natural gas properties not being amortized less the related tax effects. Any costs over the ceiling are recognized as a non-cash impairment expense in our consolidated statement of operations and an increase to accumulated depreciation, depletion, and amortization on our consolidated balance sheet. The expense may not be reversed in future periods, even though higher crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids prices may subsequently increase the ceiling. We perform this ceiling test calculation each quarter.
We utilize SEC pricing when performing the ceiling test. We also hold prices and costs constant over the life of the reserves, even though actual prices and costs of oil and natural gas are often volatile and may change from period to period. We did not record a ceiling test impairment during the years presented herein.
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