FLMN Falcon Minerals Corporation

The following risk factors apply to our business and operations. These risk factors are not exhaustive and investors are encouraged to perform their own investigation with respect to our business, financial condition and prospects. You should carefully consider the following risk factors in addition to the other information included in this annual report, including matters addressed in the section entitled “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” We may face additional risks and uncertainties that are not presently known to us, or that we currently deem immaterial, which may also impair our business or financial condition. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and notes to the financial statements included herein.

Risks Related to Our Business

A majority of our revenues are derived from royalty payments that are based on the price at which oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids produced from the underlying acreage is sold. The volatility of these prices due to factors beyond our control greatly affects our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our revenues, operating results and the carrying value of our oil and natural gas properties depend significantly upon the prevailing prices for oil and natural gas. Oil and natural gas are commodities, and, therefore, their prices are subject to wide fluctuations in response to relatively minor changes in supply and demand. Historically, oil and natural gas prices have been volatile and they are likely to remain volatile due to a variety of additional factors that are beyond our control, including: 

These factors and the volatility of the energy markets make it extremely difficult to predict future oil and natural gas price movements with any certainty. Any substantial decline in the price of oil and natural gas will likely have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. 

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In addition, lower oil and natural gas prices may also reduce the amount of oil and natural gas that can be produced economically by our operators. This may result in having to make substantial downward adjustments to our estimated proved reserves. Our operators could also determine during periods of low commodity prices to shut in or curtail production from wells on the properties underlying its royalties. In addition, they could determine during periods of low commodity prices to plug and abandon marginal wells that otherwise may have been allowed to continue to produce for a longer period under conditions of higher prices. Specifically, they may abandon any well if they reasonably believe that the well can no longer produce oil or natural gas in commercially paying quantities thereby potentially causing some or all of the underlying oil and gas lease to expire along with our royalties therein.

The ability or willingness of OPEC and other oil exporting nations to set and maintain production levels has a significant impact on oil and natural gas commodity prices.

OPEC is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to manage the price and supply of oil on the global energy market. Actions taken by OPEC members, including those taken alongside other oil exporting nations, have a significant impact on global oil supply and pricing. For example, OPEC and certain other oil exporting nations have previously agreed to take measures, including production cuts, to support crude oil prices. In March 2020, members of OPEC and Russia considered extending and potentially increasing these oil production cuts. However, these negotiations were unsuccessful. As a result, Saudi Arabia announced an immediate reduction in export prices and Russia announced that all previously agreed oil production cuts will expire on April 1, 2020. These actions led to an immediate and steep decrease in oil prices. There can be no assurance that OPEC members and other oil exporting nations will agree to future production cuts or other actions to support and stabilize oil prices, nor can there be any assurance that they will not further reduce oil prices or increase production. Uncertainty regarding future actions to be taken by OPEC members or other oil exporting countries could lead to increased volatility in the price of oil, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We depend on four third-party operators for substantially all of the exploration and production on the properties underlying our royalties. Substantially all of our revenue is derived from royalty payments made by these operators. Therefore, any reduction in production from the wells drilled on our acreage by these operators or the failure of our operators to adequately and efficiently develop and operate our acreage could have a material adverse effect on our revenues, financial condition and results of operations. None of the operators of the properties underlying our royalties are contractually obligated to undertake any development activities, so any development and production activities will be subject to their discretion.

Because we depend on third-party operators for all of the exploration, development and production on our properties, we have no control over the operations related to our properties. For the year ended December 31, 2019, we received approximately 33%, 29%, 18% and 3% of our revenue from ConocoPhillips Company (“ConocoPhillips”), EOG Resources, Inc. (“EOG”), Devon Energy Corporation (“Devon”), and BP Plc (“BP”), respectively. The failure of the aforementioned operators to adequately or efficiently perform operations or an operator’s failure to act in ways that are in our best interests could reduce production and revenues. Further, none of the operators of the properties underlying our royalties are contractually obligated to undertake any development activities, so any development and production activities will be subject to their reasonable discretion. The success and timing of drilling and development activities on the properties underlying our royalties, therefore, depends on a number of factors that will be largely outside of our control, including:

The third-party operators may elect not to undertake development activities, or may undertake such activities in an unanticipated fashion, which may result in significant fluctuations in our revenues, financial condition and results of operations. If reductions in production by the operators are implemented on the properties underlying our royalties and sustained, our revenues may also be substantially affected. Additionally, if an operator were to experience financial difficulty, the operator might not be able to pay its royalty payments or continue its operations, which could have a material adverse impact on us.

The development of our proved undeveloped reserves may take longer and may require higher levels of capital expenditures from our operators than we or they currently anticipate.

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As of December 31, 2019, 64.7% of our total estimated proved reserves were proved undeveloped reserves and may not be ultimately developed or produced by our operators. Recovery of proved undeveloped reserves requires significant capital expenditures and successful drilling operations by our operators. The reserve data included in the reserve report of our independent petroleum engineer assume that substantial capital expenditures by our operators are required to develop such reserves. We cannot be certain that the estimated costs of the development of these reserves are accurate, that our operators will develop the properties underlying our royalties as scheduled or that the results of such development will be as estimated. Delays in the development of our reserves, increases in costs to drill and develop such reserves or decreases in commodity prices will reduce the future net revenues of our estimated proved undeveloped reserves and may result in some projects becoming uneconomical for our operators. In addition, delays in the development of reserves could force us to reclassify certain of our proved reserves as unproved reserves.

Our producing properties are located predominantly in the Eagle Ford Shale region of South Texas, making us vulnerable to risks associated with operating in a single geographic area. In addition, we have a large amount of proved reserves attributable to a single producing horizon within this area.

The majority of our properties are geographically concentrated in Karnes, DeWitt, and Gonzales Counties in the Eagle Ford Shale region of South Texas. As a result of this concentration, we may be disproportionately exposed to the impact of regional supply and demand factors, delays or interruptions of production from wells in this area caused by governmental regulation, processing or transportation capacity constraints, availability of equipment, facilities, personnel or services market limitations or interruption of the processing or transportation of crude oil, natural gas or natural gas liquids. In addition, the effect of fluctuations on supply and demand may become more pronounced within specific geographic oil and natural gas producing areas such as the Eagle Ford Shale region, which may cause these conditions to occur with greater frequency or magnify the effects of these conditions. Due to the concentrated nature of our properties, they could experience any of the same conditions at the same time, resulting in a relatively greater impact on our results of operations than they might have on other companies that have a more diversified portfolio of properties. Such delays or interruptions could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our success depends on finding or acquiring additional reserves, and our operators developing those additional reserves.

Our future success depends upon our ability to acquire additional oil and natural gas reserves that are economically recoverable. Our proved reserves will generally decline as reserves are depleted, except to the extent that successful exploration or development activities are conducted on the properties underlying our royalties by our operators or we acquire properties containing proved reserves, or both. Aside from acquisitions, we have no control over the exploration and development of our properties. To increase reserves and production, we would need our operators to undertake replacement activities or use third parties to accomplish these activities. Substantial capital expenditures will be necessary for the acquisition of oil and natural gas reserves. Neither we nor our third-party operators may have sufficient resources to acquire additional reserves or to undertake exploration, development, production or other replacement activities, such activities may not result in significant additional reserves and efforts to drill productive wells at low finding and development costs may be unsuccessful. Furthermore, although our revenues may increase if prevailing oil and natural gas prices increase significantly, finding costs for additional reserves could also increase.

Our failure to successfully identify, complete and integrate acquisitions of properties or businesses could slow our growth and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

There is intense competition for acquisition opportunities in our industry. The successful acquisition of producing properties requires an assessment of several factors, including:

The accuracy of these assessments is inherently uncertain, and we may not be able to identify attractive acquisition opportunities. In connection with these assessments, we perform a review of the subject properties that we believe to be generally consistent with industry practices. Our review will not reveal all existing or potential problems nor will it permit us to become sufficiently familiar with the properties to assess fully their deficiencies and capabilities. Inspections may not always be performed on every well, and environmental problems, such as groundwater contamination, are not necessarily observable even when an inspection is undertaken. Even when problems are identified, the seller may be unwilling or unable to provide effective contractual protection against all or part of the problems. Even if we do identify attractive acquisition opportunities, we may not be able to complete the acquisition or do so on commercially acceptable terms. Unless our operators further develop our existing properties, we will depend on acquisitions to grow our reserves, production, and cash flow.

 Competition for acquisitions may increase the cost of, or cause us to refrain from, completing acquisitions. Our ability to complete acquisitions is dependent upon, among other things, our ability to obtain debt and equity financing and, in some cases, regulatory approvals. Further, these acquisitions may be in geographic regions in which we do not currently hold properties, which could result in unforeseen operating difficulties. In addition, if we enter into new geographic markets, we may be subject to additional and unfamiliar legal and regulatory requirements. Compliance with regulatory requirements may impose substantial additional

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obligations on us and our management, cause us to expend additional time and resources in compliance activities and increase our exposure to penalties or fines for non-compliance with such additional legal requirements. Further, the success of any completed acquisition will depend on our ability to integrate effectively the acquired business into our existing operations. The process of integrating acquired businesses may involve unforeseen difficulties and may require a disproportionate amount of our managerial and financial resources. In addition, possible future acquisitions may be larger and for purchase prices significantly higher than those paid for earlier acquisitions.

No assurance can be given that we will be able to identify suitable acquisition opportunities, negotiate acceptable terms, obtain financing for acquisitions on acceptable terms or successfully acquire identified targets. Our failure to achieve consolidation savings, to integrate the acquired businesses and assets into our existing operations successfully or to minimize any unforeseen operational difficulties could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. The inability to effectively manage the integration of acquisitions could reduce our focus on subsequent acquisitions and current operations, which, in turn, could negatively impact our growth and results of operations.

We may acquire properties that do not produce as projected, and we may be unable to determine reserve potential, identify liabilities associated with such properties or obtain protection from sellers against such liabilities.

Acquiring oil and natural gas properties requires us to assess reservoir and infrastructure characteristics, including recoverable reserves, development and operating costs and potential environmental and other liabilities. Such assessments are inexact and inherently uncertain. In connection with the assessments, we perform a review of the subject properties, but such a review will not necessarily reveal all existing or potential problems. In the course of our due diligence, we may not inspect every well or pipeline. We cannot necessarily observe structural and environmental problems, such as pipe corrosion, when an inspection is made. We may not be able to obtain contractual indemnities from the seller for liabilities created prior to our purchase of the property. We may be required to assume the risk of the physical condition of the properties in addition to the risk that the properties may not perform in accordance with our expectations.

Identified drilling locations, which are scheduled out over many years, are susceptible to uncertainties that could materially alter the occurrence or timing of their drilling.

Proved undeveloped drilling locations represent a significant part of our growth strategy, however, we do not control the development of these locations. Our operators’ ability to drill and develop identified potential drilling locations will depend on a number of factors, including the availability of capital, seasonal conditions, regulatory changes and approvals, negotiation of agreements with third-parties, commodity prices, costs, the generation of additional seismic or geological information, the availability of drilling rigs, drilling results, construction of infrastructure, inclement weather, and lease expirations.

Further, identified potential drilling locations are in various stages of evaluation, ranging from locations that are ready to drill to locations that will require substantial additional analysis of data. We will not be able to predict in advance of drilling and testing whether any particular drilling location will yield production in sufficient quantities for operators to recover drilling or completion costs or to be economically viable. Even if sufficient amounts of oil or natural gas reserves exist, the potentially productive hydrocarbon bearing formation may be damaged or mechanical difficulties may develop while drilling or completing the well, possibly resulting in a reduction in production from the well or abandonment of the well. If our operators drill dry holes in our current and future drilling locations, our business may be materially harmed. We will not be able to assure you that the analogies drawn from available data from other wells, more fully explored locations or producing fields will be applicable to our drilling locations. Further, initial production rates reported by us or our operators in our areas of operations may not be indicative of future or long-term production rates.

Because of these uncertainties, we do not know if the potential drilling locations identified on our acreage will ever be drilled or if oil or natural gas reserves will be able to be produced from these or any other potential drilling locations. As such, actual drilling activities with respect to our acreage may materially differ from those presently identified, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our estimated reserves are based on many assumptions that may turn out to be inaccurate. Any material inaccuracies in these reserve estimates or underlying assumptions could materially affect the quantities and present value of our reserves.

Oil and natural gas reserve engineering is not an exact science and requires subjective estimates of underground accumulations of oil and natural gas and assumptions concerning future oil and natural gas prices, production levels, ultimate recoveries and operating and development costs. As a result, estimated quantities of proved reserves, projections of future production rates and the timing of development expenditures may be incorrect.

Our historical estimates of proved reserves and related valuations as of December 31, 2019, were prepared by Ryder Scott, an independent petroleum engineering firm, which conducted a well-by-well review of all of our properties for the period covered by its reserve report using information provided by us. Over time, we may make material changes to reserve estimates taking into account

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the results of actual drilling, testing and production. Also, certain assumptions regarding future oil and natural gas prices, production levels and operating and development costs may prove incorrect. Any significant variance from these assumptions to actual figures could greatly affect our estimates of reserves, the economically recoverable quantities of oil and natural gas attributable to any particular group of properties, the classifications of reserves based on risk of recovery and estimates of future net cash flows. In addition, none of the operators of the properties underlying our royalties are contractually obligated to provide us with information regarding drilling activities or historical production data with respect to the properties underlying our interests, which may affect our estimates of reserves. A substantial portion of our reserve estimates are made without the benefit of a lengthy production history, which are less reliable than estimates based on a lengthy production history. Numerous changes over time to the assumptions on which our reserve estimates are based, as described above, often result in the actual quantities of oil and natural gas that are ultimately recovered being different from our reserve estimates.

You should not assume that the present value of future net revenues from our reserves is the current market value of our estimated reserves. We generally base the estimated discounted future net cash flows from reserves on prices and costs on the date of the estimate. Actual future prices and costs may differ materially from those used in the present value estimate.

The estimates of reserves as of December 31, 2019 were prepared using an average price equal to the unweighted arithmetic average of hydrocarbon prices received on a field-by-field basis on the first day of each month within the year ended December 31, 2019, in accordance with the revised SEC rules and regulations applicable to reserve estimates for such period.

SEC rules and regulations could limit our ability to book additional proved undeveloped reserves in the future.

SEC rules and regulations require that, subject to limited exceptions, proved undeveloped reserves may only be booked if they relate to wells scheduled to be drilled within five years after the date of booking. This requirement has limited and may continue to limit our ability to book additional proved undeveloped reserves as our operators pursue their drilling programs. Moreover, we may be required to write down our proved undeveloped reserves if those wells are not drilled within the required five-year time frame.

The PV-10 of our estimated proved reserves is not necessarily the same as the current market value of our estimated proved oil and natural gas reserves.

The present value of future net cash flows from our proved reserves shown in this report, or PV-10, may not be the current market value of our estimated natural gas and oil reserves. In accordance with rules established by the SEC and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), we base the estimated discounted future net cash flows from our proved reserves on the historical 12-month average oil and gas index prices, calculated as the unweighted arithmetic average for the first-day-of-the-month price for each month and costs in effect on the date of the estimate, holding the prices and costs constant throughout the life of the properties. Actual future prices and costs may differ materially from those used in the net present value estimate, and future net present value estimates using then current prices and costs may be significantly less than the current estimate. In addition, the 10% discount factor we use when calculating discounted future net cash flows may not be the most appropriate discount factor based on interest rates in effect from time to time and risks associated with us or the natural gas and oil industry in general.

Unless we replace our reserves with new reserves that our operators develop, our reserves royalty payments will decline, which would adversely affect our future cash flows and results of operations.

Producing oil and natural gas reservoirs generally are characterized by declining production rates that vary depending upon reservoir characteristics and other factors. Unless our operators conduct successful ongoing development and exploration activities or we continually acquire properties containing proved reserves, our proved reserves will decline as those reserves are produced. Our future natural gas reserves and production, and therefore our future cash flow and results of operations, are highly dependent on our operators’ success in efficiently developing and exploiting our current reserves and we economically finding or acquiring additional recoverable reserves. We may not be able to find or acquire sufficient additional reserves to replace our current and future production. If we are unable to replace our current and future production, the value of our reserves will decrease, and our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

Declining general economic, business or industry conditions could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Declines in general economic, business or industry conditions, including expectations of future declines or uncertainty with respect to such conditions, could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Volatility in prices of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids, as well as concerns about global economic growth, could also impact the price at which oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids from the properties underlying our royalties are sold, affect the ability of vendors, suppliers and customers associated with the properties underlying our royalties to continue operations and ultimately adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.

Outbreaks of communicable diseases could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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Global or national health concerns, including the outbreak of pandemic or contagious disease, can negatively impact the global economy and, therefore, demand and pricing for oil and natural gas products. For example, there have been recent outbreaks in several countries, including the United States, of a highly transmissible and pathogenic coronavirus (“COVID-19”). The outbreak of communicable diseases, or the perception that such an outbreak could occur, could result in a widespread public health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets of many countries, resulting in an economic downturn that would negatively impact the demand for oil and natural gas products. Furthermore, uncertainty regarding the impact of any outbreak of pandemic or contagious disease, including COVID-19, could lead to increased volatility in oil and natural gas prices. The occurrence or continuation of any of these events could lead to decreased revenues and limit our ability to execute on our business plan, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Conservation measures and technological advances could reduce demand for oil and natural gas.

Fuel conservation measures, alternative fuel requirements, increasing consumer demand for alternatives to oil and natural gas, technological advances in fuel economy and energy generation devices could reduce demand for oil and natural gas. The impact of the changing demand for oil and natural gas services and products may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Competition in the oil and natural gas industry is intense, which may adversely affect our third-party operators’ ability to succeed.

The oil and natural gas industry is intensely competitive, and our third-party operators compete with other companies that may have greater resources. Many of these companies explore for and produce oil and natural gas, carry on midstream and refining operations, and market petroleum and other products on a regional, national or worldwide basis. In addition, these companies may have a greater ability to continue exploration activities during periods of low oil and natural gas market prices. Our operators’ larger competitors may be able to absorb the burden of present and future federal, state, local and other laws and regulations more easily than our operators can, which would adversely affect our operators’ competitive position. Our operators may have fewer financial and human resources than many companies in our operators’ industry and may be at a disadvantage in bidding for exploratory prospects and producing oil and natural gas properties.

Increased costs of capital could adversely affect our business.

Our business and ability to make acquisitions could be harmed by factors such as the availability, terms and cost of capital, increases in interest rates or a reduction in our credit rating. Changes in any one or more of these factors could cause our cost of doing business to increase, limit our access to capital, limit our ability to pursue acquisition opportunities, and place us at a competitive disadvantage. A significant reduction in the availability of capital could materially and adversely affect our ability to achieve our planned growth and operating results.

The oil and gas operations on the acreage underlying our royalties are subject to environmental, health and safety laws and regulations that could adversely affect the cost, manner or feasibility of conducting operations on them or result in significant costs and liabilities, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

The oil and natural gas exploration and production operations on the acreage underlying our royalties are subject to stringent and comprehensive federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the discharge of materials into the environment or otherwise relating to environmental protection or the health and safety of workers and other affected individuals. These laws and regulations may impose numerous obligations that apply to the operations on the acreage underlying our royalties, including the requirement to obtain a permit before conducting drilling, waste disposal or other regulated activities; the restriction of types, quantities and concentrations of materials that can be released into the environment; restrictions on water withdrawal and use; the incurrence of significant development expenses to install pollution or safety-related controls at the operated facilities; the limitation or prohibition of drilling activities on certain lands lying within wilderness, wetlands and other protected areas; the protection of threatened or endangered species; and the imposition of substantial liabilities for pollution resulting from operations.

There is an inherent risk of incurring significant environmental costs and liabilities in the operations on the acreage underlying our royalties as a result of the handling of petroleum hydrocarbons and wastes, air emissions and wastewater discharges related to operations, and historical industry operations and waste disposal practices. Under certain environmental laws and regulations, the operators could be subject to joint and several strict liability for the removal or remediation of previously released materials or property contamination regardless of whether such operators were responsible for the release or contamination or whether the operations were in compliance with all applicable laws at the time those actions were taken. Private parties, including the owners of properties on or adjacent to well sites and facilities where petroleum hydrocarbons or wastes are taken for reclamation or disposal, may also have the right to pursue legal actions to enforce compliance as well as to seek damages for non-compliance with environmental laws and regulations or for personal injury or property damage. In addition, the risk of accidental spills or releases could expose the operators of the acreage underlying our royalties to significant liabilities that could have a material adverse effect on the operators’ businesses, financial condition and results of operations.

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Changes in environmental laws and regulations occur frequently, and any changes that result in delays or restrictions in permitting or development of projects, more stringent or costly operational control requirements, or waste handling, storage, transport, disposal or cleanup requirements could require the operators of the acreage underlying our royalties to make significant expenditures to attain and maintain compliance and may otherwise have a material adverse effect on their results of operations, competitive position or financial condition.

Climate change laws and regulations restricting emissions of greenhouse gases could result in increased operating costs and reduced demand for the oil and natural gas produced from the acreage underlying our royalties, while potential physical effects of climate change could disrupt production and cause operators to incur significant costs in preparing for or responding to those effects.

In response to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) findings that emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases (“GHGs”) present an endangerment to public health and the environment, the EPA has adopted regulations to restrict emissions of GHGs under existing provisions of the federal Clean Air Act. In May 2016, the EPA finalized rules that set additional emissions limits for volatile organic compounds and established new controls for emissions of methane from new, modified or reconstructed sources in the oil and natural gas source category, including production, processing, transmission and storage activities. The rule includes first-time standards to address emissions of methane from equipment and processes across the source category, including hydraulically fractured oil and natural gas well completions. In June 2017, the EPA issued a proposal to stay certain of these requirements for two years and reconsider the entirety of the 2016 rules; however, the rules currently remain in effect. In addition, in April 2018, a coalition of states filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia aiming to force the EPA to establish guidelines for limiting methane emissions from existing sources in the oil and natural gas sector; that lawsuit is pending. These rules may require operators on the acreage underlying our royalties to incur additional expenses to control air emissions by installing emissions control technologies and adhering to a variety of work practice and other requirements. These requirements could increase the costs of development and production, reducing the profits available to us and potentially impairing our operator’s ability to economically develop acreage underlying our royalties. The EPA has also adopted rules requiring the monitoring and reporting of GHG emissions from specified onshore and offshore oil and natural gas production sources in the United States on an annual basis, which include certain of the operations conducted on the acreage underlying our royalties.

In addition, in 2015, the United States participated in the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which led to the creation of the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement requires member countries to review and “represent a progression” in their intended nationally determined contributions, which set GHG emission reduction goals every five years beginning in 2020. In June 2017, the United States announced its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, although the earliest possible effective date of withdrawal is November 2020. Despite the planned withdrawal, certain U.S. city and state governments have announced their intention to satisfy their proportionate obligations under the Paris Agreement. While Congress has from time to time considered legislation to reduce emissions of GHGs, there has not been significant activity in the form of adopted legislation to reduce GHG emissions at the federal level in recent years. In the absence of such federal climate legislation, a number of state and regional efforts have emerged that are aimed at tracking and/or reducing GHG emissions by means of cap and trade programs. These programs typically require major sources of GHG emissions to acquire and surrender emission allowances in return for emitting those GHGs. Any such future laws and regulations imposing reporting obligations on, or limiting emissions of, GHGs could require operators of the acreage underlying our royalties to incur costs to reduce emissions of GHGs. Substantial limitations on GHG emissions could adversely affect demand for oil and natural gas.

Finally, some scientists have concluded that increasing concentrations of GHGs in the Earth’s atmosphere may produce climate changes that have significant physical effects, such as increased frequency and severity of storms, floods and other climatic events; if any such effects were to occur, they could have a material adverse effect on the operations conducted on the acreage underlying our royalties.

Federal, state and local legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to hydraulic fracturing, including with respect to seismic activity allegedly related to hydraulic fracturing, could result in increased costs and additional operating restrictions or delays in the completion of oil and natural gas wells and adversely affect production on the acreage underlying our royalties.

Hydraulic fracturing is an important and common practice that is used to stimulate production of oil and/or natural gas from dense subsurface rock formations. The hydraulic fracturing process involves the injection of water, sand and chemicals under pressure into targeted subsurface formations to fracture the surrounding rock and stimulate production. Hydraulic fracturing is typically regulated by state oil and natural gas commissions. However, in February 2014, the EPA published permitting guidance under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (“SDWA”) addressing the use of diesel fuels in certain hydraulic fracturing activities, and in May 2014, the EPA issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on the development of regulations under the Toxic Substances Control Act to require companies to disclose information regarding the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing. Further, in March 2015, the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) of the U.S. Department of the Interior published a final rule imposing requirements for hydraulic fracturing activities on federal and Indian lands, including new requirements relating to public

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disclosure, wellbore integrity and handling of flowback water. Following years of litigation, the BLM rescinded the rule in December 2017. However, in January 2018, California and several environmental groups filed lawsuits challenging BLM’s rescission of the rule; those lawsuits are pending. In addition, Congress has from time to time considered legislation to provide for federal regulation of hydraulic fracturing under the SDWA and to require disclosure of the chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process. If enacted, these or similar laws could result in additional permitting requirements for hydraulic fracturing operations as well as various restrictions on those operations. These permitting requirements and restrictions could result in delays in operations and increased costs on the acreage underlying our royalties. 

There may be other attempts to further regulate hydraulic fracturing under the SDWA, TSCA and/or other statutory or regulatory mechanisms. In December 2016, the EPA released its final report on the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources, concluding that “water cycle” activities associated with hydraulic fracturing may impact drinking water resources under certain circumstances. At the state level, several states have adopted or are considering legal requirements that could impose more stringent permitting, disclosure and well construction requirements on hydraulic fracturing activities. Local governments also may seek to adopt ordinances within their jurisdictions regulating the time, place and manner of drilling activities in general or hydraulic fracturing activities in particular or prohibit the performance of well drilling in general or hydraulic fracturing in particular. If new or more stringent federal, state or local legal restrictions relating to the hydraulic fracturing process are adopted in areas where we hold royalties, the operators of the acreage underlying our royalties could incur potentially significant added costs to comply with such requirements, experience delays or curtailment in the pursuit of development activities, and perhaps even be precluded from drilling wells. 

In some instances, the operation of underground injection wells has been alleged to cause earthquakes. Such issues have sometimes led to orders prohibiting continued injection or the suspension of drilling in certain wells identified as possible sources of seismic activity. Such concerns also have resulted in stricter regulatory requirements in some jurisdictions relating to the location and operation of underground injection wells. Future orders or regulations addressing concerns about seismic activity from well injection could affect operations on the acreage underlying our royalties.

New environmental initiatives and regulations could include restrictions on the ability to conduct certain operations such as hydraulic fracturing or disposal of waste, including, but not limited to, produced water, drilling fluids and other wastes associated with the development or production of natural gas.  Also, the threat of climate change has resulted in increasing political risks in the United States, including climate-related pledges to ban hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells being made by certain candidates seeking the office of President of the United States in 2020. Additionally, Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT), who is one of the presidential candidates that has pledged to ban hydraulic fracturing, introduced Senate Bill 3247 on January 28, 2020 that, if enacted as proposed, would ban hydraulic fracturing nationwide by 2025.  Any of these environmental initiatives and regulations, including the proposed ban, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to cyber security risks. A cyber incident could occur and result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.

The oil and natural gas industry has become increasingly dependent on digital technologies to conduct certain exploration, development, production, and processing activities. For example, the oil and natural gas industry depends on digital technologies to interpret seismic data, manage drilling rigs, production equipment and gathering systems, conduct reservoir modeling and reserves estimation, and process and record financial and operating data. At the same time, cyber incidents, including deliberate attacks or unintentional events, have increased. The U.S. government has issued public warnings that indicate that energy assets might be specific targets of cyber security threats. Our technologies, systems, networks, and those of our vendors, suppliers and other business partners, may become the target of cyberattacks or information security breaches that could result in the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss or destruction of proprietary and other information, or other disruption of our business operations. In addition, certain cyber incidents, such as surveillance, may remain undetected for an extended period. Our systems and insurance coverage for protecting against cyber security risks may not be sufficient. As cyber incidents continue to evolve, we may be required to expend additional resources to continue to modify or enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to cyber incidents. We do not maintain specialized insurance for possible liability resulting from a cyberattack on our assets that may shut down all or part of our business.

Our only significant assets are the ownership of the general partner interest and its limited partner interest in OpCo, and such ownership may not be sufficient to enable us to pay any dividends on our Class A common stock or satisfy our other financial obligations.

We have no direct operations and no significant assets other than the ownership of the general partner interest and a 53% limited partner interest in OpCo. We depend on OpCo and its subsidiaries for distributions, loans and other payments to generate the funds necessary to meet our financial obligations or to pay any dividends with respect to our Class A common stock. Subject to certain restrictions, OpCo generally will be required to (i) as discussed below, make quarterly pro rata tax distributions to its partners, including us, in an amount equal to 50% of the total federal taxable income allocated by OpCo to the limited partners and (ii) reimburse us for certain corporate and other overhead expenses. However, legal and contractual restrictions in agreements

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governing future indebtedness of OpCo and its subsidiaries, as well as the financial condition and operating requirements of OpCo and its subsidiaries, may limit our ability to obtain cash from OpCo. The earnings from, or other available assets of, OpCo and its subsidiaries, may not be sufficient to enable us to pay any dividends on our Class A common stock or satisfy our other financial obligations. OpCo is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, is not subject to any entity-level U.S. federal income tax. Instead, taxable income is allocated to holders of its common units, including us. As a result, we generally will incur income taxes on our allocable share of any net taxable income of OpCo. Under the terms of the OpCo Limited Partnership Agreement, OpCo will be obligated to make tax distributions to holders of its common units, including us, equal to 50% of the total federal taxable income allocated by OpCo to the limited partners, except to the extent such distributions would render OpCo insolvent or are otherwise prohibited by law or any of our current or future debt agreements. In addition to tax expenses, we will also incur expenses related to our operations, our interests in OpCo and related party agreements, and expenses and costs of being a public company, all of which could be significant. To the extent that we need funds and OpCo or its subsidiaries is restricted from making such distributions under applicable law or regulation or under the terms of their financing arrangements, or are otherwise unable to provide such funds, it could materially adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition, including our ability to pay our income taxes when due.

We may change our dividend policy at any time and there is no guarantee that we will pay dividends in the future.

Although we currently plan to pay out substantially all of our free cash flow in the form of a regular quarterly dividend, there is no guarantee or requirement that we pay dividends in the future. Our organizational documents, including the Second Amended & Restated Charter, only require our Board of Directors or us to make any dividends or distributions to the holders of Class A common stock in certain limited circumstances that are generally within the control of our Board of Directors. Our dividend policy may change at any time without notice to our stockholders. The declaration and amount of any future dividends to holders of our Class A common stock will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors in accordance with applicable law and after taking into account various factors, including our financial condition, results of operations, current and anticipated cash needs, cash flows, impact on our effective tax rate, indebtedness, contractual obligations, legal requirements and other factors that our Board of Directors deems relevant. As a result, we cannot assure you that we will pay dividends at any rate or at all.

The Contributors own an amount of Class C common stock that provides them with effective control over us.

At the closing of the Business Combination, the Contributors received $400 million of cash and 40 million Opco common units (together with 40 million shares of Class C common stock). As a result, the Contributors hold approximately 47% of the voting power over us. This voting percentage may provide the Contributors with effective control over us. In addition, we have agreed to provide Blackstone with a right to nominate six out of 11 of the directors on our Board of Directors so long as Blackstone, together with its affiliates, holds at least 40% of the voting power over our common stock. Blackstone and the Contributors may exercise their control in a way that favors its respective interests to the detriment of the other stockholders of us.

Restrictions in the Revolving Credit Facility and future debt agreements of us and Opco could limit its growth and its ability to engage in certain activities.

At the closing of the Business Combination, Opco entered into a revolving credit facility in the aggregate principal amount of up to $500 million. The Revolving Credit Facility, or other future debt agreements of us and Opco, will contain a number of restrictive covenants that may limit their ability to, among other things, incur additional indebtedness, make loans and advances, make capital expenditures, incur liens and sell assets. These restrictions may also limit the ability of us and Opco to pursue business opportunities that may arise in the future.

There is no guarantee that the public warrants will be in the money at the time they become exercisable, and they may expire worthless.

The exercise price for our warrants is $11.34 per share of Class A common stock. Pursuant to the Contribution Agreement, to the extent that any common stock dividend paid by the Company, when combined with other common stock dividends paid in the prior 365 days, exceeds 50 cents, it is categorized as an Extraordinary Dividend.  Extraordinary Dividends reduce, penny for penny, the exercise price of the Company’s warrants. There is no guarantee that the public warrants will be in the money following the time they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, and as such, the warrants may expire worthless.

We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.

Our warrants were issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision but requires the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders. Accordingly, we may

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amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.

We may redeem unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to warrant holders, thereby making their warrants worthless.

We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force the warrant holders (i) to exercise their warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for them to do so, (ii) to sell their warrants at the then-current market price when they might otherwise wish to hold their warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of their warrants. None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our Sponsor or its permitted transferees.

Warrants will become exercisable for our Class A common stock, which would increase the number of shares eligible for future resale in the public market and result in dilution to our stockholders. 

We issued warrants to purchase 13,749,999 shares of Class A common stock as part of our IPO and concurrent with our IPO, we issued an aggregate of 7,500,000 private placement warrants to our Sponsor. Each warrant issued is exercisable to purchase one whole share of Class A common stock at $11.34 per whole share. Pursuant to the Contribution Agreement, to the extent that any common stock dividend paid by the Company, when combined with other common stock dividends paid in the prior 365 days, exceeds 50 cents, it is categorized as an Extraordinary Dividend.  Extraordinary Dividends reduce, penny for penny, the exercise price of the Company’s warrants. To the extent such warrants are exercised, additional shares of our Class A common stock will be issued, which will result in dilution to the then existing holders of our Class A common stock and increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market. Sales of substantial numbers of such shares in the public market could adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock. 

The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the units issued in our IPO, except that, so long as they are held by our Sponsor or its permitted transferees, (i) they will not be redeemable by us and (ii) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis.

If additional stock consideration is issued to Royal pursuant to the earn-out provided for in the Contribution Agreement, it would increase the number of shares eligible for future resale in the public market and result in dilution to our stockholders.

Pursuant to the Contribution Agreement, Royal is entitled to receive earn-out consideration to be paid in the form of OpCo Common Units (and a corresponding number of shares of Class C common stock) if the 30-day volume-weighted average price (“30-Day VWAP”) of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds certain hurdles set forth in the Contribution Agreement. Royal can potentially receive up to an additional 20.0 million OpCo Common Units as a part of the earn-out consideration. Royal is also entitled to the earn-out consideration described above in connection with certain liquidity events of the Company, including a merger or sale of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets, if the consideration paid to holders of the Class A common stock in connection with such liquidity event is greater than any of the 30-Day VWAP hurdles. Because any OpCo Common Units issued pursuant to the earn-out are redeemable on a one-for-one basis for shares of Class A common stock at the option of the Contributors, the issuance of additional stock consideration pursuant to the earn-out will result in dilution to the then existing holders of our Class A common stock and increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market. Sales of substantial numbers of such shares in the public market could adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.

A significant portion of our total outstanding shares may be sold into the market in the near future. This could cause the market price of our Class A common stock to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well. 

Sales of a substantial number of shares of Class A common stock in the public market could occur at any time. These sales, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares intend to sell shares, could reduce the market price of our Class A common stock. After the Business Combination, our Sponsor owned approximately 8.0% of our Class A common stock. Pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into at the time of the IPO, the founder shares (which converted into shares of Class A common stock at the closing of the Business Combination) held by our Sponsor became freely tradable one year after the closing of the Business Combination. 

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Additionally, the Contributors have the ability to redeem or exchange their common units for shares of Class A common stock on a one-to-one basis, provided that the ratio of the limited partner’s redeemed common units to the number of common units beneficially held by such limited partner remains equal to that of the Blackstone Funds. If the Contributors redeem or exchange all of their common units for shares of Class A common stock, and assuming no earn-out consideration is paid prior to such time and we do not otherwise issue shares of Class A common stock, the Contributors will own approximately 47% of our Class A common stock.

In connection with the closing of our IPO, we entered into a registration rights agreement with our Sponsor providing for registration rights to it. In addition, in connection with the closing of the Business Combination, we entered into a registration rights agreement with Royal LP and the Contributors, pursuant to which we filed a registration statement registering the shares of Class A common stock held by them for resale within 30 days following the closing of the Business Combination.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about us, our business, or our market, or if they change their recommendations regarding our Class A common stock adversely, the price and trading volume of our Class A common stock could decline.

The trading market for our Class A common stock is influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts may publish about us, our business, our market, or our competitors. If any of the analysts who cover us change their recommendation regarding our stock adversely, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about our competitors, the price of our Class A common stock could potentially decline. If any analyst who may cover us were to cease their coverage or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

Blackstone, Royal and the Contributors have significant influence over us.

Blackstone, Royal and the Contributors beneficially own common stock representing approximately 47% of our outstanding voting power. As long as our Sponsor and the Contributors own or control a significant percentage of our outstanding voting power, subject to the terms of the Shareholders’ Agreement, they will have the ability to influence certain corporate actions requiring stockholder approval. In certain circumstances, Royal and the Contributors may transfer their equity interests in us and/or OpCo without the consent of the public stockholders or our Board of Directors, and the transferee would have significant influence over us.

In addition, under the Shareholders’ Agreement, Blackstone is entitled to designate six directors for nomination by our Board of Directors for election as directors by our stockholders, representing a majority of our Board of Directors, and has certain other rights with respect to our Board of Directors composition, including consent rights with respect to individuals nominated by our Board of Directors for election as independent directors, and our governance.

Provisions in the Second A&R Charter may prevent or delay an acquisition of us, which could decrease the trading price of our common stock, or otherwise may make it more difficult for certain provisions of the Second A&R Charter to be amended.

The Second A&R Charter contains provisions that are intended to deter coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids and to encourage prospective acquirers to negotiate with our Board of Directors rather than to attempt a hostile takeover. These provisions include:

These provisions apply even if the offer may be considered beneficial by some stockholders and could delay or prevent an acquisition that our Board of Directors determines is not in our and our stockholders’ best interests.

In addition, the Second A&R Charter requires the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 75% of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of Falcon to amend, repeal or adopt certain provisions of the Second A&R Charter relating to the Board of Directors, the bylaws, meetings of stockholders, indemnification of officers and directors, waiver of corporate opportunities, exclusive forum, amendments to the Second A&R Charter and Delaware’s business combinations statute. This requirement will make it more difficult for these provisions of the Second A&R Charter, which include the provisions intended to deter coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids, to be amended.

The Second A&R Charter designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware does not have jurisdiction, any state or the federal court sitting in the State of Delaware with jurisdiction over the matter) as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit the ability of our stockholders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or with directors, officers or employees of us and may discourage stockholders from bringing such claims.

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The Second A&R Charter designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware does not have jurisdiction, any state or the federal court sitting in the State of Delaware with jurisdiction over the matter) as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit the ability of our stockholders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or with directors, officers or employees of us and may discourage stockholders from bringing such claims. Alternatively, if a court were to find these provisions of the Second A&R Charter inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, investments and results of operations.

We are subject to laws, regulations and rules enacted by national, regional and local governments and NASDAQ. In particular, we are required to comply with certain SEC, NASDAQ, and other legal or regulatory requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws, regulations and rules may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws, regulations and rules and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws, regulations and rules, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

The 2017 tax law could adversely affect our business and financial condition.

On December 22, 2017, President Trump signed into law the final version of the tax reform bill commonly known as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” (the “TCJA”), that significantly amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The TCJA, among other things, contains significant changes to corporate taxation, including a reduction of the corporate income tax rate, a partial limitation on the deductibility of business interest expense, a limitation of the deduction for net operating loss carryforwards to 80% of current year taxable income, an indefinite net operating loss carryforward, immediate deductions for certain new investments instead of deductions for depreciation expense over time, and the modification or repeal of many business deductions and credits. We continue to examine the impact this legislation may have on our business. Notwithstanding the reduction in the corporate income tax rate, the overall impact of the TCJA is uncertain and our business and financial condition could be adversely affected. The impact of this law on holders of our Class A common stock is also uncertain and could be adverse.

The JOBS Act permits “emerging growth companies” like us to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies.

We qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). As such, we take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies for as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, including (i) the exemption from the auditor attestation requirements with respect to internal control over financial reporting under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (ii) the exemptions from say-on-pay, say-on-frequency and say-on-golden parachute voting requirements and (iii) reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they deem important. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (i) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following July 26, 2022, the fifth anniversary of our IPO, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as measured on the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter, or (ii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. 

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the exemption from complying with new or revised accounting standards provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act as long as we are an emerging growth company. An emerging growth company can, therefore, delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies, but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

We cannot predict if investors will find our Class A common stock less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our Class A common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our Class A common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.

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If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud. As a result, current and potential shareholders could lose confidence in our financial reporting, which would harm our business and the trading price of our units.

Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports, prevent fraud and operate successfully as a publicly traded company. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our reputation and operating results would be harmed. We cannot be certain that our efforts to maintain our internal controls will be successful, that we will be able to maintain adequate controls over our financial processes and reporting in the future or that we will be able to comply with our obligations under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. For example, Section 404 requires us, among other things, to annually review and report on, and would require our independent registered public accounting firm to attest to, the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting once we are no longer exempt under the JOBS Act. Any failure to maintain effective internal controls, or difficulties encountered in implementing or improving our internal controls, could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. Ineffective internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which would likely have a negative effect on the trading price of our Class A common stock.

Non-U.S. holders may be subject to U.S. federal income tax with respect to gain on disposition of their Class A common stock and warrants.

We believe that we are a U.S. real property holding corporation (“USRPHC”), following our Business Combination. As a result, Non-U.S. holders that own (or are treated as owning under constructive ownership rules) more than a specified amount of our Class A common stock or warrants during a specified time period may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a sale, exchange, or other disposition of such Class A common stock or warrants and may be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return. If you are a Non-U.S. holder, we urge you to consult your tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of such treatment.

Risks Related to Our Operators

The unavailability, high cost or shortages of rigs, equipment, raw materials, supplies, oilfield services or personnel may restrict the operations of our operators.

The oil and natural gas industry is cyclical, which can result in shortages of drilling rigs, equipment, raw materials (particularly sand and other proppants), supplies and personnel. When shortages occur, the costs and delivery times of rigs, equipment and supplies increase and demand for, and wage rates of, qualified drilling rig crews also rise with increases in demand. We cannot predict whether these conditions will exist in the future and, if so, what their timing and duration will be. In accordance with customary industry practice, our operators will rely on independent third-party service providers to provide most of the services necessary to drill new wells. If they are unable to secure a sufficient number of drilling rigs at reasonable costs, our financial condition and results of operations could suffer. In addition, they may not have long-term contracts securing the use of their rigs, and the operator of those rigs may choose to cease providing services to them. Shortages of drilling rigs, equipment, raw materials (particularly sand and other proppants), supplies, personnel, trucking services, frac crews, tubulars, fracking and completion services and production equipment could delay or restrict our operators’ exploration and development operations, which in turn could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Restrictions on our operators’ ability to obtain water may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Water is an essential component of deep shale oil and natural gas production during both the drilling and hydraulic fracturing processes. During the last several years, Texas has experienced extreme drought conditions. As a result of this severe drought, some local water districts have begun restricting the use of water subject to their jurisdiction for hydraulic fracturing to protect local water supply. If our operators are unable to obtain water to use in their operations from local sources, or our operators are unable to effectively utilize flowback water, they may be unable to economically drill for or produce oil and natural gas, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

The results of our operators’ exploratory drilling in shale plays will be subject to risks associated with drilling and completion techniques and drilling results may not meet our expectations for reserves or production.

The drilling by our operators involves a number of risks, including the risk of landing their well bore in the desired drilling zone, staying in the desired drilling zone while drilling horizontally through the formation, running their casing the entire length of the well bore and being able to run tools and other equipment consistently through the horizontal well bore. Risks that they will face while completing wells include, but are not limited to, being able to fracture stimulate the planned number of stages, being able to run tools the entire length of the well bore during completion operations and successfully cleaning out the well bore after completion of the final fracture stimulation stage. Furthermore, certain of the new techniques our operators may adopt, such as infill drilling and multi-well pad drilling, may cause irregularities or interruptions in production due to, in the case of infill drilling, offset wells being shut in and, in the case of multi-well pad drilling, the time required to drill and complete multiple wells before any such wells begin producing. The results of drilling in new or emerging formations are more uncertain initially than drilling results in areas that are more

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developed and have a longer history of established production. Newer or emerging formations and areas often have limited or no production history and consequently we will be less able to predict future drilling results in these areas.

Ultimately, the success of these drilling and completion techniques can only be evaluated over time as more wells are drilled and production profiles are established over a sufficiently long time period. If our operators’ drilling results are less than anticipated or they are unable to execute their drilling program because of capital constraints, lease expirations, access to gathering systems, and/or declines in natural gas and oil prices, the return on our investment in these areas may not be as attractive as we anticipate.

The marketability of oil and natural gas production is dependent upon transportation and other facilities, certain of which neither we nor our operators’ control. If these facilities are unavailable, our operators’ operations could be interrupted and our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

The marketability of our operators’ oil and natural gas production will depend in part upon the availability, proximity and capacity of transportation facilities, including gathering systems, trucks and pipelines, owned by third parties. Neither we nor our operators control these third-party transportation facilities and our operators’ access to them may be limited or denied. Insufficient production from the wells on the acreage underlying our royalties to support the construction of pipeline facilities by our purchasers or a significant disruption in the availability of third-party transportation facilities or other production facilities could adversely impact our operators’ ability to deliver to market or produce oil and natural gas and thereby cause a significant interruption in our operators’ operations. If they are unable, for any sustained period, to implement acceptable delivery or transportation arrangements or encounter production related difficulties, they may be required to shut in or curtail production. In addition, the amount of oil and natural gas that can be produced and sold may be subject to curtailment in certain other circumstances outside of our control, such as pipeline interruptions due to maintenance, excessive pressure, ability of downstream processing facilities to accept unprocessed gas, physical damage to the gathering or transportation system or lack of contracted capacity on such systems. The curtailments arising from these and similar circumstances may last from a few days to several months, and in many cases, we and our operators are provided with limited, if any, notice as to when these circumstances will arise and their duration. Any such shut in or curtailment, or an inability to obtain favorable terms for delivery of the oil and natural gas produced from the acreage underlying our royalty fields, could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Drilling for and producing oil and natural gas are high-risk activities with many uncertainties that may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our operators’ drilling activities will be subject to many risks. For example, we will not be able to assure you that wells drilled by our operators will be productive. Drilling for oil and natural gas often involves unprofitable efforts, not only from dry wells but also from wells that are productive but do not produce sufficient oil or natural gas to return a profit at then realized prices after deducting drilling, operating and other costs. The seismic data and other technologies used do not provide conclusive knowledge prior to drilling a well that oil or natural gas is present or that it can be produced economically. The costs of exploration, exploitation and development activities are subject to numerous uncertainties beyond our control and increases in those costs can adversely affect the economics of a project. Further, our operators’ drilling and producing operations may be curtailed, delayed, canceled or otherwise negatively impacted as a result of other factors, including:

Any of these risks can cause substantial losses, including personal injury or loss of life, damage to or destruction of property, natural resources and equipment, pollution, environmental contamination or loss of wells and other regulatory penalties. In the event that planned operations, including the drilling of development wells, are delayed or cancelled, or existing wells or development wells have lower than anticipated production due to one or more of the factors above or for any other reason, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.