Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Leased Properties and Leases

v3.20.1
Leased Properties and Leases
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2020
Leases [Abstract]  
LEASED PROPERTIES AND LEASES
LEASED PROPERTIES AND LEASES
The Company primarily acquires mid-stream and downstream assets in the U.S. energy sector such as pipelines, storage terminals, and gas and electric distribution systems and leases these assets to operators under triple-net leases. These leases typically include a contracted base rent with escalation clauses and participating rents that are tied to contract-specific criteria. Base rents under the Company's leases are structured on an estimated fair market value rent structure over the initial term, which includes assumptions related to the terminal value of the assets and expectations of tenant renewals. At the conclusion of the initial lease term, the Company's leases may contain fair market value repurchase options or fair market rent renewal terms. These clauses also act as safeguards against the Company's tenants pursuing activities which would undermine or degrade the value of the assets faster than the underlying reserves are depleted. Participating rents are structured to provide exposure to the successful commercial activity of the tenant, and as such, also provide protection in the event that the economic life of the assets is reduced based on accelerated production by the Company's tenants. While the Company is primarily a lessor, certain of its operating subsidiaries are lessees and have entered into lease agreements as discussed further below.
LESSOR - LEASED PROPERTIES
The Company's current leased properties are classified as operating leases and are recorded as leased property in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Base rent related to the Company's leased property is recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease when collectibility is probable. Participating rent is recognized when it is earned, based on the achievement of specified performance criteria. Base and participating rent are recorded as lease revenue in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The Company regularly evaluates the collectibility of its deferred rent receivable on a lease by lease basis. The evaluation primarily includes assessing the financial condition and credit quality of the Company's tenants, changes in tenant's payment history and current economic factors. When the collectibility of the deferred rent receivable or future lease payments are no longer probable, the Company will recognize a write-off of the deferred rent receivable as a reduction of revenue in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
As of March 31, 2020, the Company had two significant properties located in Wyoming, Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico, which are leased on a triple-net basis to major tenants, described in the table below. These major tenants are responsible for the payment of all taxes, maintenance, repairs, insurance, and other operating expenses relating to the leased properties. The long-term, triple-net leases generally have an initial term of 11 to 15 years with options for renewals. Lease payments are scheduled to increase at varying intervals during the initial term of the leases. The following table summarizes the significant leased properties, major tenants and lease terms:
Summary of Leased Properties, Major Tenants and Lease Terms
Property
Grand Isle Gathering System
Pinedale LGS
Location
Gulf of Mexico/Louisiana
Pinedale, WY
Tenant
Energy XXI GIGS Services, LLC
Ultra Wyoming LGS, LLC
Asset Description
Approximately 137 miles of offshore pipeline with total capacity of 120 thousand Bbls/d,
including a 16-acre onshore terminal and saltwater disposal system.
Approximately 150 miles of pipelines and
four central storage facilities.
Date Acquired
June 2015
December 2012
Initial Lease Term
11 years
15 years
Renewal Option
Equal to the lesser of 9-years or 75 percent
of the remaining useful life
5-year terms
Current Monthly Rent Payments
7/1/2019 - 6/30/2020: $3,223,917
7/1/2020 - 6/30/2021: $4,033,583
$1,844,748
Initial Estimated Useful Life(1)
27 years
26 years
(1) In conjunction with the impairment of the Grand Isle Gathering System discussed below, the remaining estimated useful life of the GIGS asset will be adjusted to approximately 15 years beginning in the second quarter of 2020. Additionally, the Company updated the useful life of its asset retirement obligation ("ARO") segments resulting in a change to the timing of the undiscounted cash flows. The timing change resulted in an increase to the ARO asset and liability of approximately $290 thousand.

LEASED PROPERITES AND TENANT INFORMATION
Substantially all of the lease tenants' financial results are driven by exploiting naturally occurring oil and natural gas hydrocarbon deposits beneath the Earth's surface. As a result, the tenants' financial results are highly dependent on the performance of the oil and natural gas industry, which is highly competitive and subject to volatility. During the terms of the leases, management monitors the credit quality of its tenants by reviewing their published credit ratings, if available, reviewing publicly available financial statements, or reviewing financial or other operating statements, monitoring news reports regarding the tenants and their respective businesses, and monitoring the timeliness of lease payments and the performance of other financial covenants under their leases.
The COVID-19 pandemic-related reduction in energy demand and the sharp decline in commodity prices related to the combined impact of falling demand and recent increases in production from OPEC members and other international suppliers caused significant disruptions and volatility in the global oil marketplace during the first quarter of 2020. In response to COVID-19, governments around the world have implemented increasingly stringent measures to help reduce the spread of the virus, including stay-at-home and shelter-in-place orders, travel restrictions and other measures. These measures have adversely affected the economies and financial markets of the U.S. and many other countries, resulting in an economic downturn that has negatively impacted global demand and prices for the products handled by the Company's pipelines, terminals and other facilities.
The events and conditions described above adversely impacted the Gulf of Mexico operations of the EGC Tenant, the tenant of the GIGS asset, under the Grand Isle Gathering Lease as discussed under "Energy Gulf Coast/Cox Oil" and "Grand Isle Gathering System" below. Further, UPL and Ultra Wyoming, the guarantor and tenant under the Pinedale Lease Agreement, respectively, continued to experience significant indebtedness and extremely challenging market conditions, which impacted its financial condition as discussed under "Ultra Petroleum" and "Pinedale Liquids Gathering System" below.
Energy Gulf Coast/Cox Oil
Prior to October 29, 2018, EGC was subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and was required to file with the SEC annual reports containing audited financial statements and quarterly reports containing unaudited financial statements. So long as EGC remained a public reporting company, the Grand Isle Lease Agreement provided this requirement was fulfilled by EGC making its financial statements and reports publicly available through the SEC’s EDGAR system, in lieu of delivering such information directly to the Company. On October 18, 2018, EGC was acquired by an affiliate of privately-held Cox Oil. Upon the filing by EGC of a Form 15 with the SEC on October 29, 2018, EGC's SEC reporting obligations were suspended and it ceased to file such reports.
EGC's SEC filings prior to October 29, 2018 can be found at www.sec.gov. The Company makes no representation as to the accuracy or completeness of the audited and unaudited financial statements of EGC but has no reason to doubt the accuracy or completeness of such information. In addition, EGC has no duty, contractual or otherwise, to advise the Company of any events that might have occurred subsequent to the date of such financial statements which could affect the significance or accuracy of such information. None of the information in the public reports of EGC that are filed with the SEC is incorporated by reference into, or in any way form, a part of this filing.
The Company believes the terms of the Grand Isle Lease Agreement require copies of certain financial statement information be provided that the Company is required to file pursuant to SEC Regulation S-X, as described in Section 2340 of the SEC Financial Reporting Manual. When EGC's financial information ceased to be publicly available, the Company encouraged officials of EGC and Cox Oil and, through Company counsel, the legal counsel to such entities, to satisfy their obligations under the Grand Isle Lease Agreement to provide the required information to the Company for inclusion in its SEC reports. To date, EGC and Cox Oil have refused to fulfill these obligations. The Company sought to enforce the obligations of EGC and Cox Oil and obtained a temporary restraining order ("TRO") from a Texas state court, mandating that they deliver the required EGC financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2018. The TRO was stayed pending an appeal by EGC and Cox Oil and, pursuant to its own terms, had lapsed by the time that appeal was denied on January 6, 2020. The case was remanded to the trial court for further proceedings. In May 2020, the trial court granted the Company's motion for summary judgment mandating the tenant deliver the required financial statements. The Company believes that it is entitled to such relief and will continue to pursue this litigation and all viable options to obtain and file the necessary financial statements. The Company expects to file the financial statement information that is required by Regulation S-X by amendment to its Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, once such information is made available in accordance with the terms of the lease.
On April 1, 2020, the EGC Tenant, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Cox Oil, elected to cease paying rent due for April of 2020. EGC Tenant is contractually obligated to pay rent and rent continues to accrue whether or not oil is being shipped. EGC Tenant is a special purpose entity engaged solely in activities related to the lease, and it does not own or operate any wells. EGC, parent of the EGC Tenant, owns and operates wells, including those connected to GIGS, and is the guarantor of the EGC Tenant's obligations under the lease. Following EGC Tenant's failure to pay rent due for April of 2020, and following discussions with Cox Oil management concerning its various operations, the Company sent EGC Tenant and EGC a notice of non-payment. After the required two-day cure period, a default has now occurred under the lease.
The EGC Tenant also failed to make required rent payments for May and June of 2020. As a result, the Company has filed litigation for lien judgment in the State Court of Texas to recover the unpaid rent, plus interest, for April, May and June of 2020 from the EGC Tenant. Further, EGC filed an action to attempt to set aside the guarantee obligations of EGC under the lease. The Company intends to enforce its rights under the lease and expects to be able to enforce the guaranty.
Grand Isle Gathering System
The Company identified the EGC Tenant's nonpayment of rent discussed above along with the significant decline in the global oil market as indicators of impairment for the GIGS asset. As a result, the Company assessed the GIGS asset for impairment as of March 31, 2020. The Company performed a step 1 impairment assessment on the GIGS asset by estimating the undiscounted contractual cash flows relating to the lease using probability-weighted scenarios, which indicated that the GIGS asset's carrying value was not recoverable. As a result, the fair value of the GIGS asset was estimated through the use of probability-weighted discounted estimated cash flow scenarios to measure the impairment loss. The probability-weighted cash flows used to assess recoverability of the GIGS asset and measure its fair value were developed using assumptions related to the Grand Isle Lease Agreement and near-term crude oil and water price and volume projections reflective of the current environment and management's projections for long-term average prices and volumes. In addition to near and long-term price assumptions, other key assumptions include the timing and collectibility of lease payments, operating costs, timing of incurring such costs and the use of an appropriate discount rate. The Company believes our estimates and models used to determine fair value are similar to what a market participant would use.
The Company engaged specialists and other third-parties to assist with the valuation methodology and analysis of certain underlying assumptions. The fair value measurement of the GIGS asset was based, in part, on significant inputs not observable in the market (as discussed above) and thus represents a Level 3 measurement. The significant unobservable input used includes a discount rate based on an estimated weighted average cost of capital of a theoretical market participant. We utilized a weighted average discount rate of 10.0 percent when deriving the fair value of the GIGS asset impaired during the quarter. The weighted average discount rate reflects management's best estimate of inputs a market participant would utilize. For the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company recognized a $140.3 million loss on impairment of leased property related to the GIGS asset in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. As of March 31, 2020, the carrying value of the GIGS asset is $67.2 million, which is included in leased properties on the Consolidated Balance Sheet.
The Company has previously recognized a deferred rent receivable for the Grand Isle Gathering Lease, which primarily represents timing differences between the straight-line revenue recognition and contractual lease receipts over the lease term. Given the EGC's Tenant's nonpayment of rent in the second quarter of 2020 and the Company's expectations surrounding the collectibility of the contractual lease payments under the lease, the Company does not currently expect the deferred rent receivable to be recoverable. Accordingly, the Company recognized a non-cash write-off of the deferred rent receivable of $30.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020. The non-cash write-off was recognized as a reduction of revenue in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Ultra Petroleum
On April 14, 2020, UPL, the parent and guarantor of the lease obligations of the tenant and operator of the Company's Pinedale LGS, announced that its significant indebtedness and extremely challenging current market conditions raise a substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. The going concern qualification in UPL's financial statements filed in its 2019 10-K resulted in defaults under UPL's credit and term loan agreement. UPL also disclosed that it elected not to make interest payments on certain outstanding indebtedness, triggering a 30-day grace period. If such interest payments were not made by the end of the grace period, an event of default would occur, potentially causing its outstanding indebtedness to become immediately due and payable. UPL further disclosed that if it was unable to obtain sufficient additional capital to repay the outstanding indebtedness and sufficient liquidity to meet its operating needs, it may be necessary for UPL to seek protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
On May 14, 2020, UPL filed a voluntary petition to reorganize under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The filing includes Ultra Wyoming, the operator of the Pinedale LGS and tenant under the Pinedale Lease Agreement with the Company’s indirect wholly owned subsidiary Pinedale LP. The bankruptcy filing of both the guarantor, UPL, and the tenant constitute defaults under the terms of the Pinedale Lease Agreement. The bankruptcy filing imposes a stay of CorEnergy’s ability to exercise remedies for the foregoing defaults. Ultra Wyoming also filed a motion to reject the Pinedale Lease Agreement, with a request that such motion be effective June 30, 2020. Pending the effective date of the rejection, Section 365 of the Bankruptcy Code generally requires Ultra Wyoming to comply on a timely basis with the provisions of the Pinedale Lease Agreement, including the payment provisions. Accordingly, the Company received the rent payments due on the first day of April, May and June 2020.
Pinedale LP, along with Prudential, the lender under the Amended Pinedale Term Credit Facility discussed in Note 10 ("Debt"), commenced discussions with UPL, which resulted in UPL presenting an initial offer to purchase the Pinedale LGS. As of June 25, 2020, Pinedale LP, has $32.2 million outstanding under the Amended Pinedale Term Credit Facility, which is secured by the Pinedale LGS, the only asset at Pinedale LP. The Amended Pinedale Term Credit Facility is not secured by any assets of CorEnergy or its other subsidiaries. Refer to Note 10 ("Debt") for further discussion of the terms of the Amended Pinedale Term Credit Facility, including a discussion of "Debt Covenant Considerations."
On June 5, 2020, Pinedale LP filed a motion with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court objecting to Ultra Wyoming's motion to reject the Pinedale Lease Agreement while continuing its negotiations with UPL. Pinedale LP and the Company agreed in principle to terms with Ultra Wyoming to sell the Pinedale LGS for $18.0 million cash as set forth in a non-binding term sheet that was filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in UPL’s Chapter 11 case along with a motion for approval of the transaction on June 22, 2020. A copy of the draft definitive purchase and sale agreement was also filed with the motion. The closing of the sale will be subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions, including but not limited to (i) a release of all liens under the Amended Pinedale Term Credit Facility, (ii) a release by Pinedale LP of all claims against UPL and Ultra Wyoming arising from the rejection or termination of the Pinedale Lease Agreement, (iii) the release by Ultra Wyoming of all claims against Pinedale LP and the Company and (iv) approval of the definitive purchase and sale agreement and the closing of the transaction by the bankruptcy court in UPL’s Chapter 11 case. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court scheduled a hearing on the motion for June 25, 2020. Assuming the definitive agreement is signed, the transaction is expected to close on or before June 30, 2020 and may be terminated by either party if not closed by July 30, 2020. If the transaction closes after June 30, 2020, the Company does not expect Ultra Wyoming to make any further rent payments under the Pinedale Lease Agreement.
In conjunction with the expected sale of the Pinedale LGS described above, Pinedale LP and the Company expect to enter into a compromise and release agreement with Prudential related to the Amended Pinedale Term Credit Facility. Pursuant to such agreement, it is anticipated that at closing of the Pinedale LGS sale transaction with Ultra Wyoming, the Company will provide all cash related to the sale of the Pinedale LGS along with cash available at Pinedale LP on the closing date, estimated to be approximately $3.0 million, to Prudential in exchange for the release of all liens on the Pinedale LGS, release of the Company and Pinedale LP from the obligations of the Amended Pinedale Term Credit Facility, and the note under the Amended Pinedale Term Credit Facility will be deemed satisfied.
UPL is currently subject to the reporting requirements under the Exchange Act and is required to file with the SEC annual reports containing audited financial statements and quarterly reports containing unaudited financial statements. Its SEC filings can be found at www.sec.gov. Its common stock is traded on the OTCQX marketplace under the symbol UPLC. The Company makes no representation as to the accuracy or completeness of the audited and unaudited financial statements of UPL but has no reason to doubt the accuracy or completeness of such information. In addition, UPL has no duty, contractual or otherwise, to advise the Company of any events that might have occurred subsequent to the date of such financial statements which could affect the significance or accuracy of such information. None of the information in the public reports of UPL that are filed with the SEC is incorporated by reference into, or in any way form, a part of this filing.
Pinedale Liquids Gathering System
As a result of the events described above, including the anticipated sale of the Pinedale LGS to Ultra Wyoming on or before June 30, 2020, the Company expects to recognize an estimated charge in the Consolidated Statement of Operations of approximately $147.0 million in the second quarter of 2020. The estimated charge could be partially offset by any reduction of the debt owed under the Amended Pinedale Term Credit Facility.
The table below displays the Company's individually significant leases as a percentage of total leased properties and total lease revenues for the periods presented:
 
As a Percentage of (1)
 
Leased Properties
 
Lease Revenues
 
As of
 
For the Three Months Ended
 
March 31, 2020
 
December 31, 2019
 
March 31, 2020
 
March 31, 2019
Pinedale LGS(2)
70.8
%
 
44.4
%
 
35.3
%
 
39.1
%
Grand Isle Gathering System(3) 
28.7
%
 
55.3
%
 
64.6
%
 
60.8
%
(1) Insignificant leases are not presented; thus, percentages may not sum to 100%.
(2) Pinedale LGS lease revenues include variable rent of $28 thousand and $1.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
(3) As of March 31, 2020, the Grand Isle Gathering System's percentage of leased properties decreased as a result of the long-lived asset impairment discussed above. The Company expects the leased properties percentage to increase in subsequent quarters as a result of the expected sale of the Pinedale LGS on June 30, 2020 or shortly thereafter. For the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Grand Isle Gathering System's percentage of lease revenues is exclusive of the deferred rent receivable write-off discussed above.

The following table reflects the depreciation and amortization included in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations associated with the Company's leases and leased properties:
 
For the Three Months Ended
 
March 31, 2020
 
March 31, 2019
Depreciation Expense
 
 
 
GIGS
$
2,440,588

 
$
2,440,791

Pinedale
2,217,360

 
2,217,360

United Property Systems
9,831

 
9,624

Total Depreciation Expense
$
4,667,779

 
$
4,667,775

Amortization Expense - Deferred Lease Costs
 
 
 
GIGS
$
7,641

 
$
7,641

Pinedale
15,342

 
15,342

Total Amortization Expense - Deferred Lease Costs
$
22,983

 
$
22,983

ARO Accretion Expense
 
 
 
GIGS
$
112,171

 
$
110,992

Total ARO Accretion Expense
$
112,171

 
$
110,992


The following table reflects the deferred costs that are included in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets associated with the Company's leased properties:
 
March 31, 2020
 
December 31, 2019
Net Deferred Lease Costs
 
 
 
GIGS
$
191,114

 
$
198,755

Pinedale
473,639

 
488,981

Total Deferred Lease Costs, net
$
664,753

 
$
687,736


LESSEE - LEASED PROPERTIES
The Company's operating subsidiaries currently lease single-use office space and equipment with remaining lease terms of approximately two years, some of which may include renewal options. These leases are classified as operating leases and immaterial to the consolidated financial statements. The Company recognizes lease expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations on a straight-line basis over the remaining lease term.
LEASED PROPERTIES AND LEASES
LEASED PROPERTIES AND LEASES
The Company primarily acquires mid-stream and downstream assets in the U.S. energy sector such as pipelines, storage terminals, and gas and electric distribution systems and leases these assets to operators under triple-net leases. These leases typically include a contracted base rent with escalation clauses and participating rents that are tied to contract-specific criteria. Base rents under the Company's leases are structured on an estimated fair market value rent structure over the initial term, which includes assumptions related to the terminal value of the assets and expectations of tenant renewals. At the conclusion of the initial lease term, the Company's leases may contain fair market value repurchase options or fair market rent renewal terms. These clauses also act as safeguards against the Company's tenants pursuing activities which would undermine or degrade the value of the assets faster than the underlying reserves are depleted. Participating rents are structured to provide exposure to the successful commercial activity of the tenant, and as such, also provide protection in the event that the economic life of the assets is reduced based on accelerated production by the Company's tenants. While the Company is primarily a lessor, certain of its operating subsidiaries are lessees and have entered into lease agreements as discussed further below.
LESSOR - LEASED PROPERTIES
The Company's current leased properties are classified as operating leases and are recorded as leased property in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Base rent related to the Company's leased property is recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease when collectibility is probable. Participating rent is recognized when it is earned, based on the achievement of specified performance criteria. Base and participating rent are recorded as lease revenue in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The Company regularly evaluates the collectibility of its deferred rent receivable on a lease by lease basis. The evaluation primarily includes assessing the financial condition and credit quality of the Company's tenants, changes in tenant's payment history and current economic factors. When the collectibility of the deferred rent receivable or future lease payments are no longer probable, the Company will recognize a write-off of the deferred rent receivable as a reduction of revenue in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
As of March 31, 2020, the Company had two significant properties located in Wyoming, Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico, which are leased on a triple-net basis to major tenants, described in the table below. These major tenants are responsible for the payment of all taxes, maintenance, repairs, insurance, and other operating expenses relating to the leased properties. The long-term, triple-net leases generally have an initial term of 11 to 15 years with options for renewals. Lease payments are scheduled to increase at varying intervals during the initial term of the leases. The following table summarizes the significant leased properties, major tenants and lease terms:
Summary of Leased Properties, Major Tenants and Lease Terms
Property
Grand Isle Gathering System
Pinedale LGS
Location
Gulf of Mexico/Louisiana
Pinedale, WY
Tenant
Energy XXI GIGS Services, LLC
Ultra Wyoming LGS, LLC
Asset Description
Approximately 137 miles of offshore pipeline with total capacity of 120 thousand Bbls/d,
including a 16-acre onshore terminal and saltwater disposal system.
Approximately 150 miles of pipelines and
four central storage facilities.
Date Acquired
June 2015
December 2012
Initial Lease Term
11 years
15 years
Renewal Option
Equal to the lesser of 9-years or 75 percent
of the remaining useful life
5-year terms
Current Monthly Rent Payments
7/1/2019 - 6/30/2020: $3,223,917
7/1/2020 - 6/30/2021: $4,033,583
$1,844,748
Initial Estimated Useful Life(1)
27 years
26 years
(1) In conjunction with the impairment of the Grand Isle Gathering System discussed below, the remaining estimated useful life of the GIGS asset will be adjusted to approximately 15 years beginning in the second quarter of 2020. Additionally, the Company updated the useful life of its asset retirement obligation ("ARO") segments resulting in a change to the timing of the undiscounted cash flows. The timing change resulted in an increase to the ARO asset and liability of approximately $290 thousand.

LEASED PROPERITES AND TENANT INFORMATION
Substantially all of the lease tenants' financial results are driven by exploiting naturally occurring oil and natural gas hydrocarbon deposits beneath the Earth's surface. As a result, the tenants' financial results are highly dependent on the performance of the oil and natural gas industry, which is highly competitive and subject to volatility. During the terms of the leases, management monitors the credit quality of its tenants by reviewing their published credit ratings, if available, reviewing publicly available financial statements, or reviewing financial or other operating statements, monitoring news reports regarding the tenants and their respective businesses, and monitoring the timeliness of lease payments and the performance of other financial covenants under their leases.
The COVID-19 pandemic-related reduction in energy demand and the sharp decline in commodity prices related to the combined impact of falling demand and recent increases in production from OPEC members and other international suppliers caused significant disruptions and volatility in the global oil marketplace during the first quarter of 2020. In response to COVID-19, governments around the world have implemented increasingly stringent measures to help reduce the spread of the virus, including stay-at-home and shelter-in-place orders, travel restrictions and other measures. These measures have adversely affected the economies and financial markets of the U.S. and many other countries, resulting in an economic downturn that has negatively impacted global demand and prices for the products handled by the Company's pipelines, terminals and other facilities.
The events and conditions described above adversely impacted the Gulf of Mexico operations of the EGC Tenant, the tenant of the GIGS asset, under the Grand Isle Gathering Lease as discussed under "Energy Gulf Coast/Cox Oil" and "Grand Isle Gathering System" below. Further, UPL and Ultra Wyoming, the guarantor and tenant under the Pinedale Lease Agreement, respectively, continued to experience significant indebtedness and extremely challenging market conditions, which impacted its financial condition as discussed under "Ultra Petroleum" and "Pinedale Liquids Gathering System" below.
Energy Gulf Coast/Cox Oil
Prior to October 29, 2018, EGC was subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and was required to file with the SEC annual reports containing audited financial statements and quarterly reports containing unaudited financial statements. So long as EGC remained a public reporting company, the Grand Isle Lease Agreement provided this requirement was fulfilled by EGC making its financial statements and reports publicly available through the SEC’s EDGAR system, in lieu of delivering such information directly to the Company. On October 18, 2018, EGC was acquired by an affiliate of privately-held Cox Oil. Upon the filing by EGC of a Form 15 with the SEC on October 29, 2018, EGC's SEC reporting obligations were suspended and it ceased to file such reports.
EGC's SEC filings prior to October 29, 2018 can be found at www.sec.gov. The Company makes no representation as to the accuracy or completeness of the audited and unaudited financial statements of EGC but has no reason to doubt the accuracy or completeness of such information. In addition, EGC has no duty, contractual or otherwise, to advise the Company of any events that might have occurred subsequent to the date of such financial statements which could affect the significance or accuracy of such information. None of the information in the public reports of EGC that are filed with the SEC is incorporated by reference into, or in any way form, a part of this filing.
The Company believes the terms of the Grand Isle Lease Agreement require copies of certain financial statement information be provided that the Company is required to file pursuant to SEC Regulation S-X, as described in Section 2340 of the SEC Financial Reporting Manual. When EGC's financial information ceased to be publicly available, the Company encouraged officials of EGC and Cox Oil and, through Company counsel, the legal counsel to such entities, to satisfy their obligations under the Grand Isle Lease Agreement to provide the required information to the Company for inclusion in its SEC reports. To date, EGC and Cox Oil have refused to fulfill these obligations. The Company sought to enforce the obligations of EGC and Cox Oil and obtained a temporary restraining order ("TRO") from a Texas state court, mandating that they deliver the required EGC financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2018. The TRO was stayed pending an appeal by EGC and Cox Oil and, pursuant to its own terms, had lapsed by the time that appeal was denied on January 6, 2020. The case was remanded to the trial court for further proceedings. In May 2020, the trial court granted the Company's motion for summary judgment mandating the tenant deliver the required financial statements. The Company believes that it is entitled to such relief and will continue to pursue this litigation and all viable options to obtain and file the necessary financial statements. The Company expects to file the financial statement information that is required by Regulation S-X by amendment to its Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, once such information is made available in accordance with the terms of the lease.
On April 1, 2020, the EGC Tenant, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Cox Oil, elected to cease paying rent due for April of 2020. EGC Tenant is contractually obligated to pay rent and rent continues to accrue whether or not oil is being shipped. EGC Tenant is a special purpose entity engaged solely in activities related to the lease, and it does not own or operate any wells. EGC, parent of the EGC Tenant, owns and operates wells, including those connected to GIGS, and is the guarantor of the EGC Tenant's obligations under the lease. Following EGC Tenant's failure to pay rent due for April of 2020, and following discussions with Cox Oil management concerning its various operations, the Company sent EGC Tenant and EGC a notice of non-payment. After the required two-day cure period, a default has now occurred under the lease.
The EGC Tenant also failed to make required rent payments for May and June of 2020. As a result, the Company has filed litigation for lien judgment in the State Court of Texas to recover the unpaid rent, plus interest, for April, May and June of 2020 from the EGC Tenant. Further, EGC filed an action to attempt to set aside the guarantee obligations of EGC under the lease. The Company intends to enforce its rights under the lease and expects to be able to enforce the guaranty.
Grand Isle Gathering System
The Company identified the EGC Tenant's nonpayment of rent discussed above along with the significant decline in the global oil market as indicators of impairment for the GIGS asset. As a result, the Company assessed the GIGS asset for impairment as of March 31, 2020. The Company performed a step 1 impairment assessment on the GIGS asset by estimating the undiscounted contractual cash flows relating to the lease using probability-weighted scenarios, which indicated that the GIGS asset's carrying value was not recoverable. As a result, the fair value of the GIGS asset was estimated through the use of probability-weighted discounted estimated cash flow scenarios to measure the impairment loss. The probability-weighted cash flows used to assess recoverability of the GIGS asset and measure its fair value were developed using assumptions related to the Grand Isle Lease Agreement and near-term crude oil and water price and volume projections reflective of the current environment and management's projections for long-term average prices and volumes. In addition to near and long-term price assumptions, other key assumptions include the timing and collectibility of lease payments, operating costs, timing of incurring such costs and the use of an appropriate discount rate. The Company believes our estimates and models used to determine fair value are similar to what a market participant would use.
The Company engaged specialists and other third-parties to assist with the valuation methodology and analysis of certain underlying assumptions. The fair value measurement of the GIGS asset was based, in part, on significant inputs not observable in the market (as discussed above) and thus represents a Level 3 measurement. The significant unobservable input used includes a discount rate based on an estimated weighted average cost of capital of a theoretical market participant. We utilized a weighted average discount rate of 10.0 percent when deriving the fair value of the GIGS asset impaired during the quarter. The weighted average discount rate reflects management's best estimate of inputs a market participant would utilize. For the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company recognized a $140.3 million loss on impairment of leased property related to the GIGS asset in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. As of March 31, 2020, the carrying value of the GIGS asset is $67.2 million, which is included in leased properties on the Consolidated Balance Sheet.
The Company has previously recognized a deferred rent receivable for the Grand Isle Gathering Lease, which primarily represents timing differences between the straight-line revenue recognition and contractual lease receipts over the lease term. Given the EGC's Tenant's nonpayment of rent in the second quarter of 2020 and the Company's expectations surrounding the collectibility of the contractual lease payments under the lease, the Company does not currently expect the deferred rent receivable to be recoverable. Accordingly, the Company recognized a non-cash write-off of the deferred rent receivable of $30.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020. The non-cash write-off was recognized as a reduction of revenue in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Ultra Petroleum
On April 14, 2020, UPL, the parent and guarantor of the lease obligations of the tenant and operator of the Company's Pinedale LGS, announced that its significant indebtedness and extremely challenging current market conditions raise a substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. The going concern qualification in UPL's financial statements filed in its 2019 10-K resulted in defaults under UPL's credit and term loan agreement. UPL also disclosed that it elected not to make interest payments on certain outstanding indebtedness, triggering a 30-day grace period. If such interest payments were not made by the end of the grace period, an event of default would occur, potentially causing its outstanding indebtedness to become immediately due and payable. UPL further disclosed that if it was unable to obtain sufficient additional capital to repay the outstanding indebtedness and sufficient liquidity to meet its operating needs, it may be necessary for UPL to seek protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
On May 14, 2020, UPL filed a voluntary petition to reorganize under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The filing includes Ultra Wyoming, the operator of the Pinedale LGS and tenant under the Pinedale Lease Agreement with the Company’s indirect wholly owned subsidiary Pinedale LP. The bankruptcy filing of both the guarantor, UPL, and the tenant constitute defaults under the terms of the Pinedale Lease Agreement. The bankruptcy filing imposes a stay of CorEnergy’s ability to exercise remedies for the foregoing defaults. Ultra Wyoming also filed a motion to reject the Pinedale Lease Agreement, with a request that such motion be effective June 30, 2020. Pending the effective date of the rejection, Section 365 of the Bankruptcy Code generally requires Ultra Wyoming to comply on a timely basis with the provisions of the Pinedale Lease Agreement, including the payment provisions. Accordingly, the Company received the rent payments due on the first day of April, May and June 2020.
Pinedale LP, along with Prudential, the lender under the Amended Pinedale Term Credit Facility discussed in Note 10 ("Debt"), commenced discussions with UPL, which resulted in UPL presenting an initial offer to purchase the Pinedale LGS. As of June 25, 2020, Pinedale LP, has $32.2 million outstanding under the Amended Pinedale Term Credit Facility, which is secured by the Pinedale LGS, the only asset at Pinedale LP. The Amended Pinedale Term Credit Facility is not secured by any assets of CorEnergy or its other subsidiaries. Refer to Note 10 ("Debt") for further discussion of the terms of the Amended Pinedale Term Credit Facility, including a discussion of "Debt Covenant Considerations."
On June 5, 2020, Pinedale LP filed a motion with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court objecting to Ultra Wyoming's motion to reject the Pinedale Lease Agreement while continuing its negotiations with UPL. Pinedale LP and the Company agreed in principle to terms with Ultra Wyoming to sell the Pinedale LGS for $18.0 million cash as set forth in a non-binding term sheet that was filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in UPL’s Chapter 11 case along with a motion for approval of the transaction on June 22, 2020. A copy of the draft definitive purchase and sale agreement was also filed with the motion. The closing of the sale will be subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions, including but not limited to (i) a release of all liens under the Amended Pinedale Term Credit Facility, (ii) a release by Pinedale LP of all claims against UPL and Ultra Wyoming arising from the rejection or termination of the Pinedale Lease Agreement, (iii) the release by Ultra Wyoming of all claims against Pinedale LP and the Company and (iv) approval of the definitive purchase and sale agreement and the closing of the transaction by the bankruptcy court in UPL’s Chapter 11 case. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court scheduled a hearing on the motion for June 25, 2020. Assuming the definitive agreement is signed, the transaction is expected to close on or before June 30, 2020 and may be terminated by either party if not closed by July 30, 2020. If the transaction closes after June 30, 2020, the Company does not expect Ultra Wyoming to make any further rent payments under the Pinedale Lease Agreement.
In conjunction with the expected sale of the Pinedale LGS described above, Pinedale LP and the Company expect to enter into a compromise and release agreement with Prudential related to the Amended Pinedale Term Credit Facility. Pursuant to such agreement, it is anticipated that at closing of the Pinedale LGS sale transaction with Ultra Wyoming, the Company will provide all cash related to the sale of the Pinedale LGS along with cash available at Pinedale LP on the closing date, estimated to be approximately $3.0 million, to Prudential in exchange for the release of all liens on the Pinedale LGS, release of the Company and Pinedale LP from the obligations of the Amended Pinedale Term Credit Facility, and the note under the Amended Pinedale Term Credit Facility will be deemed satisfied.
UPL is currently subject to the reporting requirements under the Exchange Act and is required to file with the SEC annual reports containing audited financial statements and quarterly reports containing unaudited financial statements. Its SEC filings can be found at www.sec.gov. Its common stock is traded on the OTCQX marketplace under the symbol UPLC. The Company makes no representation as to the accuracy or completeness of the audited and unaudited financial statements of UPL but has no reason to doubt the accuracy or completeness of such information. In addition, UPL has no duty, contractual or otherwise, to advise the Company of any events that might have occurred subsequent to the date of such financial statements which could affect the significance or accuracy of such information. None of the information in the public reports of UPL that are filed with the SEC is incorporated by reference into, or in any way form, a part of this filing.
Pinedale Liquids Gathering System
As a result of the events described above, including the anticipated sale of the Pinedale LGS to Ultra Wyoming on or before June 30, 2020, the Company expects to recognize an estimated charge in the Consolidated Statement of Operations of approximately $147.0 million in the second quarter of 2020. The estimated charge could be partially offset by any reduction of the debt owed under the Amended Pinedale Term Credit Facility.
The table below displays the Company's individually significant leases as a percentage of total leased properties and total lease revenues for the periods presented:
 
As a Percentage of (1)
 
Leased Properties
 
Lease Revenues
 
As of
 
For the Three Months Ended
 
March 31, 2020
 
December 31, 2019
 
March 31, 2020
 
March 31, 2019
Pinedale LGS(2)
70.8
%
 
44.4
%
 
35.3
%
 
39.1
%
Grand Isle Gathering System(3) 
28.7
%
 
55.3
%
 
64.6
%
 
60.8
%
(1) Insignificant leases are not presented; thus, percentages may not sum to 100%.
(2) Pinedale LGS lease revenues include variable rent of $28 thousand and $1.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
(3) As of March 31, 2020, the Grand Isle Gathering System's percentage of leased properties decreased as a result of the long-lived asset impairment discussed above. The Company expects the leased properties percentage to increase in subsequent quarters as a result of the expected sale of the Pinedale LGS on June 30, 2020 or shortly thereafter. For the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Grand Isle Gathering System's percentage of lease revenues is exclusive of the deferred rent receivable write-off discussed above.

The following table reflects the depreciation and amortization included in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations associated with the Company's leases and leased properties:
 
For the Three Months Ended
 
March 31, 2020
 
March 31, 2019
Depreciation Expense
 
 
 
GIGS
$
2,440,588

 
$
2,440,791

Pinedale
2,217,360

 
2,217,360

United Property Systems
9,831

 
9,624

Total Depreciation Expense
$
4,667,779

 
$
4,667,775

Amortization Expense - Deferred Lease Costs
 
 
 
GIGS
$
7,641

 
$
7,641

Pinedale
15,342

 
15,342

Total Amortization Expense - Deferred Lease Costs
$
22,983

 
$
22,983

ARO Accretion Expense
 
 
 
GIGS
$
112,171

 
$
110,992

Total ARO Accretion Expense
$
112,171

 
$
110,992


The following table reflects the deferred costs that are included in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets associated with the Company's leased properties:
 
March 31, 2020
 
December 31, 2019
Net Deferred Lease Costs
 
 
 
GIGS
$
191,114

 
$
198,755

Pinedale
473,639

 
488,981

Total Deferred Lease Costs, net
$
664,753

 
$
687,736


LESSEE - LEASED PROPERTIES
The Company's operating subsidiaries currently lease single-use office space and equipment with remaining lease terms of approximately two years, some of which may include renewal options. These leases are classified as operating leases and immaterial to the consolidated financial statements. The Company recognizes lease expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations on a straight-line basis over the remaining lease term.