The following discussion includes forward-looking statements about our business, financial condition and results of operations, including discussions about management's expectations for our business. These statements represent projections, beliefs and expectations based on current circumstances and conditions, and you should not construe these statements either as assurances of performance or as promises of a given course of action. Instead, various known and unknown factors may cause our actual performance and management's actions to vary, and the results of these variances may be both material and adverse. A description of material factors known to us that may cause our results to vary or may cause management to deviate from its current plans and expectations, is set forth under "Risk Factors." The following discussion should be read in conjunction with "Forward-Looking Statements," "Risk Factors" and our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, including the notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and the information included or incorporated by reference in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 (the "2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K").





General Overview



Carbon Energy Corporation, a Delaware corporation formed in 2007, is an independent oil and natural gas company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and production of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids ("NGLs") properties. We currently develop and operate oil and gas properties in the Ventura Basin in California through our majority-owned subsidiary, Carbon California. We own 53.92% of Carbon California which we consolidate for financial reporting purposes as a majority-owned subsidiary.

At June 30, 2020, our proved developed reserves were comprised of 84% oil and NGLs and 16% natural gas. Our current capital expenditure program is focused on the acquisition and development of oil and natural gas properties in areas where we currently operate. We believe that our asset and lease position, combined with our low operating expense structure and technical expertise, provides us with a portfolio of opportunities for the development of our oil and natural gas properties. Our growth plan is centered on the following activities:





    ?   Acquire and develop oil and gas producing properties that deliver
        attractive risk adjusted rates of return, provide for field development
        projects, and complement our existing asset base; and

    ?   Develop, optimize and maintain a portfolio of low risk, long-lived oil and
        natural gas properties that provide stable cash flows and attractive risk
        adjusted rates of return.




Reverse Stock Split



As more fully described in proxy materials filed with the SEC, the Board of Directors is proposing to amend the Company's amended and restated certificate of incorporation to effect a reverse stock split at a ratio of 4-for-1 (the "Reverse Stock Split"). If the Reverse Stock Split is approved, the Company will file with the Delaware Secretary of State a certificate of amendment to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, at which date (the "effective time") a stockholder owning fewer than four shares immediately prior to the effective time would only be entitled to a fraction of a share of common stock and will be paid cash in lieu of such fraction of a share, on the basis of $1.00 (the "Cash Payment"), for each share of common stock held by the stockholder (the "Cashed Out Stockholder") immediately prior to effective time and the Cashed Out Stockholders will no longer be a stockholder of the Company. As of July 16, 2020, 90 shareholders that collectively owned 191 shares of the Company's common stock owned less than four shares of common stock. If the Reverse Stock Split is approved, the Company would pay $191.00 to these Cashed Out Shareholders. The Company will use its own funds to pay the Cashed Out Stockholders.





                                       17




The purpose of the Reverse Stock Split is to enable the Company to reduce the number of record holders of its common stock below 300, which is the level below which the Company can suspend its duty to file periodic and current reports and other information with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). The Board of Directors has determined that the costs of being a public reporting company outweigh the benefits of being a public company. After giving effect to the Reverse Stock Split and other actions required to suspend reporting obligations under the Exchange Act, the Company will no longer be subject to the reporting requirements under the Exchange Act or other requirements applicable to a public company, including requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the "Sarbanes Oxley Act").

The Company anticipates that after the Reverse Stock Split its common stock will trade on the Pink Non-Current platform of the OTC Markets Group.

Factors That Significantly Affect Our Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Our revenue, profitability and future growth rate depend on many factors which are beyond our control, including but not limited to, economic, political and regulatory developments and competition from other industry participants. Our financial results are sensitive to fluctuations in oil and natural gas prices. Oil and gas prices historically have been volatile and may fluctuate widely in the future due to a variety of factors, including but not limited to, prevailing economic conditions, supply and demand of hydrocarbons in the marketplace, actions by speculators, and geopolitical events such as wars or natural disasters.





COVID-19


Like other oil and gas companies, our business is being adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and measures being taken to mitigate its impact. The pandemic has resulted in widespread adverse impacts on the global economy and on our employees, customers, suppliers and other parties with whom we have business relations. As the coronavirus pandemic and government responses are rapidly evolving, the extent of the impact on domestic exploration and production companies remains unknown. Further, the impact of the pandemic, including the resulting significant reduction in global demand for oil and gas, coupled with the sharp decline in oil prices following the announcement of price reductions and production increases in March 2020 by members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries ("OPEC") and other foreign, oil-exporting countries is expected to continue to lead to significant global economic contraction generally and in our industry in particular. We have modified certain business and workforce practices (including those related to employee travel, employee work locations, and cancellation of physical participation in meetings, events and conferences) to conform to government restrictions and best practices encouraged by governmental and regulatory authorities. However, the quarantine of personnel or the inability to access our facilities or customer sites could adversely affect our operations. Additionally, currently many of our employees are working remotely. We anticipate that our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely impacted as a result of these developments.

Given the dynamic nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and related market conditions, we cannot reasonably estimate the period of time these events will persist or the full impact that COVID-19 or the significant disruption and volatility currently being experienced in the oil and natural gas markets will have on our business, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations at this time, due to numerous uncertainties. The ultimate impacts will depend on future developments, including, among others, the consequences of countermeasures taken by governments, businesses and individuals to slow the spread of the pandemic, the ability of pharmaceutical companies to develop effective and safe vaccines and therapeutic drugs, the duration of the outbreak, actions taken by customers, suppliers and other third parties, workforce availability, and the timing and extent to which normal economic and operating conditions resume.





                                       18





Oil Pricing Environment



In the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, oil prices declined significantly due to potential increases in supply emanating from the disagreement on production cuts among members of OPEC and certain non-OPEC, oil-producing countries. The resulting supply and demand imbalance is having disruptive impacts on the oil and natural gas exploration and production industry and on other industries that serve exploration and production companies. These industry conditions, coupled with those resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, could lead to significant global economic contraction generally and in our industry in particular. Although OPEC agreed in April to cut production, there is no assurance that the agreement will continue to be observed by its parties and the responses of oil and gas producers to the lower demand for, and price of, oil, natural gas and NGLs are constantly evolving and remain uncertain. In addition, the dramatic decrease in oil and gas prices could have substantial negative implications for our revenue sources that are related to or underpinned by commodity prices. As a result, these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, future results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

For example, in March 2020, the OPEC price war, together with the decline in demand due to slowed economic conditions attributable to COVID-19, contributed to a decline in the price of crude oil from $61.14 per barrel on December 31, 2019 to $20.48 per Bbl on March 31, 2020. The price of crude oil has since partially recovered to $41.70 on August 4, 2020. The following table highlights the quarterly average of NYMEX oil and natural gas prices for the last six calendar quarters:





                             2020                                2019
                        Q1          Q2          Q1          Q2          Q3          Q4

Oil (Bbl)             $ 45.78     $ 28.00     $ 54.90     $ 59.96     $ 56.43     $ 56.87
Natural Gas (MMBtu)   $  1.90     $  1.89     $  3.00     $  2.57     $  2.38     $  2.40

Low oil, NGL and natural gas prices may decrease our revenues, may reduce the amount of oil, NGL and natural gas that we can produce economically and potentially lower our oil and natural gas reserves. Our estimated proved reserves may decrease if the economic life of underlying producing wells is shortened as a result of lower oil, NGL and natural gas prices. A substantial or extended decline in oil, NGL or natural gas prices may result in future impairments of our proved reserves and may materially and adversely affect our future business, financial condition, cash flows, results of operations or liquidity. Lower oil, NGL and natural gas prices may also reduce the amount of borrowing base under our bank credit facilities, which are determined at the discretion of our lenders and may make it more difficult to comply with the covenants and other restrictions under our bank credit facilities.





                                       19




We use the full cost method of accounting for our oil and gas properties and perform a ceiling test quarterly. The ceiling calculation utilizes a rolling 12-month average commodity price. We did not recognize an impairment for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019.

Future write downs or impairments, if any, are difficult to predict and will depend not only on commodity prices, but also other factors that include, but are not limited to, incremental proved reserves that may be added each period, revisions to previous reserve estimates, capital expenditures and operating costs. There are numerous uncertainties inherent in the estimation of proved reserves and accounting for oil and natural gas properties in subsequent periods.

Impairment charges do not affect cash flows from operating activities but do adversely affect net income and stockholders' equity. An extended decline in oil or natural gas prices may materially and adversely affect our future business, financial condition, cash flows and liquidity.

We use commodity derivative instruments, such as swaps and costless collars, to manage and reduce price volatility and other market risks associated with our production. These arrangements are structured to reduce our exposure to commodity price decreases, but they can also limit the benefit we might otherwise receive from commodity price increases.

Future property acquisitions or dispositions could have a material impact on our financial condition and results of operations by increasing or decreasing our reserves, production and revenues as well as expenses and future capital expenditures. We currently anticipate that we would finance any future acquisitions with available borrowings under our credit facilities, sales of properties or the issuance of additional equity or debt.





Operational Highlights


During 2020, we concentrated our efforts on the acquisition and development of producing properties through the prior acquisitions consummated by Carbon California. Our field development activities have consisted principally of oil-related drilling, remediation and return to production and recompletion projects in California. We have focused on operating efficiencies and reduction of operating expenses, optimization of natural gas gathering and compression facilities, greater flexibility in transporting our production to markets with more favorable pricing, and the identification of development project opportunities to provide more efficient and lower-cost operations. During the second half of 2019, we executed a two-well drilling program in California, and as a result of such drilling program, one well was completed in the fourth quarter of 2019 and the other was completed during the first quarter of 2020. We also completed one well in June 2020. As a result of the recent volatility and historically low oil prices, our remaining 2020 drilling program in California is under review.

As of June 30, 2020, we owned working interests in approximately 570 gross wells (520 net), royalty interests located in California and held leasehold positions in approximately 5,200 net developed acres and approximately 11,500 net undeveloped acres. 100% of the undeveloped acreage is held by production or fee owned.

Our oil and natural gas assets contain an inventory of field development projects which may provide growth opportunities when oil and natural gas commodity prices warrant capital investment to develop the properties.

We are continually evaluating producing property and land acquisition opportunities in our operating areas which would expand our operations and provide attractive risk adjusted rates of return on invested capital. The drilling of additional oil and natural gas wells is contingent on our expectation of future oil and natural gas prices.





                                       20




Principal Components of Our Cost Structure





  ? Lease operating expenses. Lease operating expenses are costs incurred to bring
    oil and natural gas out of the ground, together with the costs incurred to
    maintain our producing properties. Such costs include maintenance, repairs and
    workover expenses related to our oil and natural gas properties.




  ? Pipeline operating expenses. Pipeline operating expenses are costs incurred to
    accept, transport and deliver gas across our midstream assets.




  ? Transportation and gathering costs. Transportation and gathering costs are
    incurred to bring oil and natural gas to market. Gathering refers to the
    utilization of low-pressure pipelines to move the oil and natural gas from the
    wellhead into a transportation pipeline or natural gas processing facility, or
    in case of oil, into a tank battery or pipeline from which sales of oil are
    made.




  ? Production and property taxes. Production and property taxes consist of
    severance, property and ad valorem taxes. Production and severance taxes are
    paid on oil and natural gas produced based on a percentage of market prices or
    at fixed rates established by federal, state or local taxing authorities. Ad
    valorem tax rates, which can fluctuate by year, are determined by individual
    counties where we have production and are assessed on our sales one or two
    years in arrears depending on the location of the production.




  ? Marketing gas purchases. Marketing gas purchases consist of third-party
    purchases of gas associated with our midstream operations.




  ? Depreciation, amortization and impairment. We use the full cost method of
    accounting for oil and gas properties. All costs incidental to the
    acquisition, exploration and development of oil and gas properties, including
    costs of undeveloped leasehold, dry holes and leasehold equipment, are
    capitalized. We perform a quarterly ceiling test based on average
    first-of-the-month prices during the twelve-month period prior to the
    reporting date. The full cost ceiling test is a limitation on capitalized
    costs prescribed by the SEC. The ceiling test is not a fair value-based
    measurement; rather, it is a standardized mathematical calculation that
    compares the net capitalized costs of our full cost pool to estimated
    discounted cash flows. Should the net capitalized cost exceed the sum of the
    estimated discounted cash flows, a ceiling test write-down would be recognized
    to the extent of the excess.




  ? Depletion. Depletion is calculated using capitalized costs in the full cost
    pool, including estimated asset retirement costs and estimated future
    expenditures to be incurred in developing proved reserves, net of estimated
    salvage values and depleted based on a unit-of-production method.




  ? General and administrative expense. General and administrative expense
    includes payroll and benefits for our corporate staff, non-cash stock-based
    compensation, costs of maintaining our offices, costs of managing our
    production, marketing, development and acquisition operations, franchise
    taxes, audit, tax, legal and other professional fees and legal compliance.




  ? Interest expense. We finance a portion of our working capital requirements for
    drilling and completion activities and acquisitions with borrowings under our
    bank credit facilities. As a result, we incur interest expense that is
    affected by both fluctuations in interest rates and our financing decisions.
    Interest expense, net is net of interest income.




  ? Income tax expense. We are subject to state and federal income taxes but
    typically have not been in a tax paying position for regular federal income
    taxes, primarily due to the current deductibility of intangible drilling costs
    ("IDC") and until 2023 tangible drilling costs and net operating loss ("NOL")
    carryforwards. We pay alternative minimum tax, state income or franchise taxes
    where IDC or NOL deductions do not exceed taxable income or where state income
    or franchise taxes are determined on another basis.




Results of Operations



The results of operations are inclusive of the Appalachia Divestiture.





                                       21




The following discussion and analysis relates to items that have affected our results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019. The following tables set forth, for the periods presented, selected historical unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations and production data. The information contained in the table below should be read in conjunction with the Company's unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto and the information under "Forward Looking Statements" below.





Three Months Ended June 30, 2020 Compared to the Three Months Ended June 30,
2019



                                                          Three Months Ended
                                                               June 30,                Percent
(in thousands, except production and per unit data)      2020            2019           Change
Revenue:
Natural gas sales                                     $     4,138     $    14,216            (71 %)
Natural gas liquids sales                                      49             195            (75 %)
Oil sales                                                   3,767           9,902            (62 %)
Transportation and handling                                   274             322            (15 %)
Marketing gas sales                                         2,380           3,221            (26 %)
Commodity derivative gain (loss)                           (5,647 )         8,680              *
Other income                                                    2             305              *
Total revenues                                              4,963          36,841            (87 %)

Expenses:
Lease operating expenses                                    5,086           7,480            (32 %)
Pipeline operating expenses                                 1,432           2,950            (51 %)
Transportation costs                                        1,475           1,130             31 %
Production and property taxes                               1,136           1,666            (32 %)
Marketing gas purchases                                     1,329           4,795            (72 %)
General and administrative                                  5,402           3,947             37 %
Depreciation, depletion and amortization                    2,149           3,881            (45 %)
Accretion of asset retirement obligations                     299             405            (26 %)
Loss on Appalachia Divestiture                             34,463               -              *
Total expenses                                             52,771          26,254            101 %

Operating income                                      $   (47,808 )   $    10,587              *

Other income and (expense):
Interest expense                                           (2,774 )        (3,445 )            *
Investments in affiliates                                       -              21              *
Other expense                                                 104               -              *
Total other expense                                   $    (2,670 )   $    (3,424 )            *

Production data:
Natural gas (Mcf)                                       2,927,911       5,299,644            (45 %)
Oil (Bbl)                                                 128,647         150,274            (14 %)
Natural gas liquids (Bbl)                                  11,671          11,780             (1 %)
Combined (Mcfe)                                         3,769,817       6,271,968            (40 %)

Average prices before effects of hedges:
Natural gas (per Mcf)                                 $      1.41     $      2.68            (47 %)
Oil (per Bbl)                                         $     29.28     $     65.89            (56 %)
Natural gas liquids (per Bbl)                         $      4.22     $     16.53            (74 %)
Combined (per Mcfe)                                   $      2.11     $      3.88            (46 %)

Average prices after effects of hedges**:
Natural gas (per Mcf)                                 $      2.25     $      2.72            (17 %)
Oil (per Bbl)                                         $     51.86     $     60.01            (14 %)
Natural gas liquids (per Bbl)                         $      4.22     $     16.53            (74 %)
Combined (per Mcfe)                                   $      3.53     $      3.77             (6 %)

Average costs (per Mcfe):
Lease operating expenses                              $      1.35     $      1.19             13 %
Transportation costs                                  $      0.39     $      0.18            117 %
Production and property taxes                         $      0.30     $      0.27             11 %
Cash-based general and administrative expenses        $      0.60     $      0.59              0 %
Depreciation, depletion and amortization              $      0.57     $      0.62             (8 %)




*  Not meaningful or applicable
** Includes effect of settled commodity derivative gains and losses


                                       22




Natural gas sales, natural gas liquids sales, and oil sales - Sales of natural gas, natural gas liquids and oil decreased approximately $16.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, primarily due to a 46% decrease in combined product pricing, a 40% decrease in natural gas, natural gas liquids and oil sales volumes and the impact from the Appalachia Divestiture.

Transportation and handling- Revenue from transportation and handling correlates to the price of natural gas, which decreased 15% compared to the same period in 2019.

Marketing gas sales - Sales from marketing gas decreased $842,000 primarily due to the sale of storage facilities and related contracts to DGOC with the Appalachia Divestiture.

Commodity derivative gain (loss) - We do not designate our commodity derivatives as cash flow hedges; therefore, they do not receive hedge accounting treatment and all mark-to-market gains or losses, as well as settlement gains or losses on the derivative instruments, are currently recognized in our results of operations. The unrealized gains and losses represent the changes in the fair value of these contracts as oil and natural gas futures prices fluctuate relative to the fixed price we will receive from these contracts. For the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, we had hedging losses of approximately $5.6 million and hedging gains of approximately $8.7 million, respectively. Our derivative gain or loss is primarily due to fair market value adjustments caused by market prices being lower or higher than our contracted hedged prices.

Lease operating expenses and pipeline operating expenses - Lease operating expenses and pipeline operating expenses decreased $2.4 million and $1.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020, respectively, primarily due to the impact from the Appalachia Divestiture.

Transportation costs - Transportation costs increased $345,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2020 primarily due to a one-time benefit in 2019 associated with revisions to prior estimates.

Production and property taxes - Production and property taxes decreased $530,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2020 due to decreased ad valorem estimated tax rates and decreases in commodity prices. The decrease was also attributable to a reduction in production tax rates in West Virginia in 2020. Production taxes averaged approximately 7.8% and 3.9% of product sales for the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Production taxes associated with oil production are generally lower on a per Mcfe basis versus gas production. Oil production accounted for approximately 20% and 14% of our production mix for the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Marketing gas purchases- Marketing gas purchases decreased $3.5 million primarily due to the decrease in natural gas pricing and the Appalachia Divestiture.

Depreciation, depletion and amortization ("DD&A") - DD&A decreased $1.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020 primarily due to decreases in our depletable cost base as a result of the Appalachia Divestiture.

General and administrative expenses - General and administrative expenses increased $1.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020 primarily due to an increase in stock-based compensation of $3.2 million, offset by $1.7 million due to company-wide focus on cost reductions and efficiencies, reduced headcount and decreased reliance on consultants. Cash-based general and administrative expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 are summarized in the following table:





                                                  Three Months Ended
General and administrative expenses                    June 30,
(in thousands)                                     2020          2019

General and administrative expenses             $     5,402     $ 3,947

Adjustments:


Stock-based compensation                             (3,151 )      (224 )

Cash-based general and administrative expense $ 2,251 $ 3,723

Interest expense - Interest expense, net decreased $670,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2020, primarily due to lower outstanding debt balances and the repayment of debt with proceeds from the Appalachia Divestiture.





                                       23




Six Months Ended June 30, 2020 Compared to Six Months Ended June 30, 2019





                                                            Six Months Ended
                                                                June 30,                Percent
(in thousands, except production and per unit data)      2020             2019           Change
Revenue:
Natural gas sales                                     $    12,572     $     33,532            (63 %)
Natural gas liquids sales                                     201              441            (54 %)
Oil sales                                                  10,982           18,891            (42 %)
Transportation and handling                                   908            1,056            (14 %)
Marketing gas sales                                         8,698            8,165              7 %
Commodity derivative gain (loss)                           14,067             (627 )            *
Other income                                                    -              697              *
Total revenues                                             47,428           62,155            (24 %)

Expenses:
Lease operating expenses                                   12,458           14,095            (12 %)
Pipeline operating expenses                                 4,125            6,035            (32 %)
Transportation costs                                        4,052            2,799             45 %
Production and property taxes                               1,146            3,676            (69 %)
Marketing gas purchases                                     4,801           11,097            (57 %)
General and administrative                                  8,702            8,636             (1 %)
Depreciation, depletion and amortization                    5,960            7,860            (24 %)
Accretion of asset retirement obligations                     777              799             (3 %)
Loss on Appalachia Divestiture                             34,463                -              *
Total expenses                                             76,484           54,997             39 %

Operating (loss) income                               $   (29,056 )   $      7,158              *

Other income and (expense):
Interest expense                                           (5,647 )         (6,725 )            *
Investments in affiliates                                    (421 )             40              *
Other income                                                  104                -              *
Total other expense                                   $    (5,964 )   $     (6,685 )            *

Production data:
Natural gas (Mcf)                                       8,174,941       10,843,696            (25 %)
Oil (Bbl)                                                 275,172          297,766             (8 %)
Natural gas liquids (Bbl)                                  24,034           24,990             (4 %)
Combined (Mcfe)                                         9,970,175       12,780,232            (22 %)

Average prices before effects of hedges:
Natural gas (per Mcf)                                 $      1.54     $       3.09            (50 %)
Oil (per Bbl)                                         $     39.91     $      63.44            (37 %)
Natural gas liquids (per Bbl)                         $      8.38     $      17.66            (53 %)
Combined (per Mcfe)                                   $      2.38     $       4.14            (43 %)

Average prices after effects of hedges**:
Natural gas (per Mcf)                                 $      2.20     $       3.09            (29 %)
Oil (per Bbl)                                         $     50.79     $      62.85            (19 %)
Natural gas liquids (per Bbl)                         $      8.38     $      17.66            (53 %)
Combined (per Mcfe)                                   $      3.23     $       4.12            (22 %)

Average costs (per Mcfe):
Lease operating expenses                              $      1.25     $       1.10             14 %
Transportation costs                                  $      0.41     $       0.22             86 %
Production and property taxes                         $      0.11     $       0.29            (62 %)
Cash-based general and administrative expenses        $      0.54     $       0.64            (16 %)
Depreciation, depletion and amortization              $      0.60     $       0.62             (3 %)




*  Not meaningful or applicable
** Includes effect of settled commodity derivative gains and losses




Natural gas sales, natural gas liquids sales, and oil sales - Sales of natural gas, natural gas liquids and oil decreased approximately $29.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, primarily due to a 43% decrease in combined product pricing, a 22% decrease in natural gas, natural gas liquids and oil sales volumes and the impact from the Appalachia Divestiture.





                                       24




Transportation and handling- Revenue from transportation and handling correlates to the price of natural gas, which decreased 14% compared to the same period in 2019.

Marketing gas sales - Sales from marketing gas increased $533,000 primarily due to the sale of storage facilities and related contracts to DGOC with the Appalachia Divestiture.

Commodity derivative gain (loss) - We do not designate our commodity derivatives as cash flow hedges; therefore, they do not receive hedge accounting treatment and all mark-to-market gains or losses, as well as settlement gains or losses on the derivative instruments, are currently recognized in our results of operations. The unrealized gains and losses represent the changes in the fair value of these contracts as oil and natural gas futures prices fluctuate relative to the fixed price we will receive from these contracts. For the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, we had hedging gains of approximately $14.1 million and hedging losses of approximately $627,000, respectively. Our derivative gain or loss is primarily due to fair market value adjustments caused by market prices being lower or higher than our contracted hedged prices.

Lease operating expenses and pipeline operating expenses - Lease operating expenses and pipeline operating expenses decreased $1.6 million and $1.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020, respectively, primarily due to the impact from the Appalachia Divestiture.

Transportation costs - Transportation costs increased $1.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 primarily due to a one-time benefit in 2019 associated with revisions to prior estimates.

Production and property taxes- Production and property taxes decreased $2.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 due to decreased ad valorem estimated tax rates and decreases in commodity prices. The decrease was also attributable to a reduction in production tax rates in West Virginia in 2020. Production taxes averaged approximately 1.8% and 3.7% of product sales for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Production taxes associated with oil production are generally lower on a per Mcfe basis versus gas production. Oil production accounted for approximately 17% and 14% of our production mix for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Marketing gas purchases- Marketing gas purchases decreased $6.3 million primarily due to the decrease in natural gas pricing and the Appalachia Divestiture.

Depreciation, depletion and amortization ("DD&A") - DD&A decreased $1.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 primarily due to decreases in our depletable cost base as a result of the Appalachia Divestiture.

General and administrative expenses - General and administrative expenses increased $67,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2020 primarily due to an increase in stock-based compensation of $3.4 million, offset by a company-wide focus on cost reductions and efficiencies, reduced headcount and decreased reliance on consultants. Cash-based general and administrative expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 are summarized in the following table:





                                                  Six Months Ended
General and administrative expenses                   June 30,
(in thousands)                                    2020         2019

General and administrative expenses             $   8,702     $ 8,636

Adjustments:


Stock-based compensation                           (3,355 )      (446 )

Cash-based general and administrative expense $ 5,347 $ 8,190

Interest expense - Interest expense, net decreased $1.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020, primarily due to lower outstanding debt balances and the repayment of debt with proceeds from the Appalachia Divestiture.





                                       25




Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our primary sources of liquidity and capital resources are cash flows from operations and borrowings under Carbon California's Senior Secured Revolving Notes which mature on February 15, 2022 (the "Senior Revolving Notes"), and on occasion, the sale of non-core assets. Borrowings under the Senior Revolving Notes may be used to fund field development projects and to fund future complementary acquisitions and for general working capital purposes. We may use other sources of capital, including the issuance of debt or equity securities, to fund acquisitions or maintain financial flexibility.

As of June 30, 2020, our liquidity was $1.3 million, consisting of cash on hand, excluding restricted cash. On April 1, 2020, the borrowing base on the Senior Revolving Notes was redetermined and reduced to $40.0 million, and as of June 30, 2020 $37.2 million was outstanding. Effective June 30, 2020, and through December 31, 2020, Prudential is no longer obligated to make advances under the Senior Revolving Notes.

Paycheck Protection Program Loan

In May 2020, the Company received the PPP Loan under the PPP. The PPP, established as part of the CARES Act, provides for loans to qualifying businesses for amounts up to 2.5 times the average monthly payroll expenses of the qualifying business. The PPP Loan and accrued interest are forgivable after 24 weeks as long as the borrower uses the loan proceeds for documented eligible purposes, including payroll, benefits, rent and utilities, and maintains its payroll levels. For purposes of the PPP Loan, payroll costs exclude cash compensation of an individual employee in excess of $100,000, prorated annually. Not more than 40% of the forgiven amount may be for non-payroll costs. The amount of loan forgiveness will be reduced if the borrower terminates full-time employees or reduces salaries and wages for employees with salaries of $100,000 or less annually by more than 25% during the 24-week period.

The PPP Loan is evidenced by the PPP Note, which contains customary events of default relating to, among other things, payment defaults and breaches of representations and warranties, and bears interest at 1.0% per annum. No payments of principal or interest are due during the Deferral Period.

The Company intends to use the proceeds for purposes consistent with the PPP. In order to obtain full or partial forgiveness of the PPP Loan, the Company must request forgiveness and must provide satisfactory documentation in accordance with applicable SBA guidelines. Interest payable on the PPP Note may be forgiven only if the SBA agrees to pay such interest on the forgiven principal amount of the PPP Note. The Company will be obligated to repay any portion of the principal amount of the PPP Note that is not forgiven, together with interest accrued and accruing thereon at the rate set forth above, until such unforgiven portion is paid in full.

Beginning one month following expiration of the Deferral Period, and continuing monthly until the Maturity Date, the Company is obligated to make monthly payments of principal and interest to the Lender with respect to any unforgiven portion of the PPP Note, in such equal amounts required to fully amortize the principal amount outstanding on the PPP Note as of the last day of the Deferral Period by the Maturity Date. The Company is permitted to prepay the PPP Note at any time without payment of any prepayment premium or penalty.





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The CARES Act also provides for deferred payment of the employer portion of Social Security taxes through the end of 2020, with 50% of the deferred amount due December 31, 2021 and the remaining 50% due December 31, 2022.

Appalachia Divestiture and 2018 Credit Facility and Old Ironsides Notes

On April 7, 2020, Carbon Energy Corporation, together with Nytis USA (the "Sellers") and certain of the Company's other direct and wholly owned subsidiaries, entered into a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement ("MIPA") to sell all of the issued and outstanding membership interests of Carbon Appalachia and Nytis LLC to Diversified Gas & Oil Corporation (the "Purchaser" or "DGOC") for $110.0 million, subject to customary purchase price adjustments, and a contingent payment of up to $15.0 million (the "Appalachia Divestiture"). The transaction closed on May 26, 2020. The assets comprised substantially all of the Company's assets in the Appalachian and Illinois basin.

The Appalachia Divestiture constitutes a sale of substantially all of the Company's assets under the Delaware General Corporation Law. The Company continues to own its membership interests in Carbon California and continues to conduct operations in the Ventura Basin in California. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company's Board of Directors is continuously evaluating strategic alternatives for the Company's business in light of current market and industry conditions.

Upon closing of the Appalachia Divestiture, we received net cash proceeds of $98.1 million. We used these proceeds to repay in full the amounts outstanding, including interest, under the 2018 Credit Facility of approximately $72.3 million and we repaid $10.5 million under the Old Ironsides Notes. The 2018 Credit Facility was terminated on May 26, 2020.

Yorktown, as the holder of all of the Series B convertible preferred stock, has waived its right to be paid a liquidating distribution of approximately $5.6 million in connection with the closing of the Appalachia Divestiture until the payment in full of the Old Ironsides Notes or the earlier termination or cancellation of the Old Ironsides Notes, at which point the liquidating distribution will become immediately due and payable by the Company out of Company's assets legally available for distribution to its stockholders. Ongoing general and corporate operations will be funded by management fees paid to the Company by Carbon California of approximately $1.2 million annually as well as any proceeds received from the contingent payment associated with the Appalachia Divestiture. The contingent payment of up to $15.0 million in the aggregate will be calculated and paid yearly by January 5 of each of 2021, 2022 and 2023 based on the contingent payment calculation for calendar years 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Access to additional capital within the current commodity price environment is limited and the terms of any available capital may not be acceptable to the Company.





Commodity Derivatives



Our exploration, development and acquisition activities may require us to make significant operating and capital expenditures. Changes in the market prices for oil and natural gas directly impact our level of cash flow generated from operations. The prices we receive for our production are determined by prevailing market conditions and greatly influence our revenue, cash flow, profitability, access to capital and future rate of growth. We employ a commodity hedging strategy to moderate the effects of commodity price fluctuations on our cash flow.

This hedge program mitigates uncertainty regarding cash flow that we will receive with respect to a portion of our expected production through 2022. Future hedging activities may result in reduced income or even financial losses to us. See "Risk Factors-The use of derivative instruments used in hedging arrangements could result in financial losses or reduce income," in our 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K for further details of the risks associated with our hedging activities. In the future, we may determine to increase or decrease our hedging positions. See Note 13 - Commodity Derivatives in the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in Item 1 for more information, including our outstanding derivatives.





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Sources and Uses of Cash


The following table presents net cash provided by or used in operating, investing and financing activities:





                                                         Six Months Ended
                                                             June 30,
(in thousands)                                          2020          2019

Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities $ (8,592 ) $ 9,795 Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities $ 95,714 $ (1,637 ) Net cash used in financing activities

$ (80,003 )   $ (9,243 )




Operating Activities


Net cash from operating activities is primarily affected by production volumes and commodity prices, net of the effects of settlements of our derivative contracts, and changes in working capital. The negative operating cash flows for the six months ended June 30, 2020 was primarily due to the impact of the Appalachia Divestiture.





Investment Activities


Net cash used in investing activities is primarily comprised of the acquisition, exploration and development of oil and natural gas properties, net of dispositions of oil and natural gas properties. Net cash provided by investing activities increased approximately $97.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 as compared to the same period in 2019 primarily due to the cash proceeds received from the Appalachia Divestiture of $98.1 million and $746,000 in proceeds from the sale of non-core assets, offset by development costs of $1.6 million.





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Financing Activities



Net cash provided by or used in financing activities is primarily comprised of activities associated with our credit facilities. During the six months ended June 30, 2020, the Company increased borrowings under the 2018 Credit Facility by approximately $2.0 million and increased borrowings under the Senior Revolving Notes by $5.5 million. The Company also received proceeds from a PPP loan in the amount of $1.3 million. These advances were partially offset by payments of $10.5 million in principal associated with the Old Ironsides Notes, payments of approximately $77.0 million in principal associated with the 2018 Credit Facility, and payments of approximately $1.3 million in principal associated with the Senior Revolving Notes. During the six months ended June 30, 2019, the Company paid $2.0 million in principal associated with the Old Ironsides Notes, paid approximately $6.2 million in principal associated with the 2018 Credit Facility, and paid approximately $5.0 million in principal associated with the Senior Revolving Notes. The payments were partially offset by an increase in borrowings under the 2018 Credit Facility by approximately $4.0 million.





Capital Expenditures



Capital expenditures incurred are summarized in the following table:





                               Six Months Ended
                                   June 30,
(in thousands)                 2020         2019

Drilling and development     $   3,236     $ 1,792
Other                              224          71
Total capital expenditures   $   3,460     $ 1,863

Capital expenditures presented in the table above represent cash used for capital expenditures.

Factors impacting the level of our capital expenditures include the cost and availability of oil field services, general economic and market conditions, and weather disruptions.

Credit Facilities and Notes Payable

For a discussion of our long-term debt, see Note 7 - Credit Facilities and Notes Payable in the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in Item 1.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as of June 30, 2020.

Critical Accounting Policies, Estimates, Judgments, and Assumptions

Our critical accounting policies and estimates are set forth in "Part II. Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations- Critical Accounting Policies, Estimates, Judgments, and Assumptions" in our 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K. As of June 30, 2020, there have been no significant changes to our critical accounting policies and estimates since our 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K was filed.





Forward Looking Statements


The information in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Forward-looking statements are statements other than statements of historical or present facts, that address activities, events, outcomes, and other matters that the Company plans, expects, intends, assumes, believes, budgets, predicts, forecasts, projects, estimates, or anticipates (and other similar expressions) will, should, or may occur in the future. Generally, the words "expects," "anticipates," "targets," "goals," "projects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "may," "will," "could," "should," "future," "potential," "continue," variations of such words, and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions about future events and are based on currently available information as to the outcome and timing of future events.





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These forward-looking statements appear in several places in this report and include statements with respect to, among other things:





  ? estimates of our oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas reserves;

  ? effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and the OPEC price war on our business
    results;




  ? the timing and effectiveness of the Reverse Stock Split and the deregistration
    of our common stock;




  ? estimates of our future oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas production,
    including estimates of any increases or decreases in our production;




  ? our future financial condition and results of operations;




  ? our future revenues, cash flows, and expenses;




  ? our access to capital and our anticipated liquidity;




  ? our future business strategy and other plans and objectives for future
    operations and acquisitions;




  ? our outlook on oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas prices;




  ? the amount, nature, and timing of future capital expenditures, including
    future development costs;




  ? our ability to access the capital markets to fund capital and other
    expenditures;




  ? our assessment of our counterparty risk and the ability of our counterparties
    to perform their future obligations; and




    ?   the impact of federal, state and local political, regulatory, and
        environmental developments in the United States of America

We believe the expectations and forecasts reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, but we can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. We caution you that these forward-looking statements can be affected by inaccurate assumptions and are subject to all the risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control, incident to the exploration for and development, production, and sale of oil, natural gas liquids and natural gas. When considering forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements described under the heading "Risk Factors" included in our 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2020 (the "First Quarter Quarterly Report").

Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties described above or elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q occur, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results and plans could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements.

We caution you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this report, and we undertake no obligation to update this information to reflect events or circumstances after the filing of this report with the SEC, except as required by law. All forward-looking statements, expressed or implied, included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and attributable to us are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. This cautionary statement should also be considered in connection with any subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements that we may make or persons acting on our behalf may issue.





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