Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

INTRODUCTION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

v3.22.0.1
INTRODUCTION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2021
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
INTRODUCTION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION INTRODUCTION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION
Introduction
CorEnergy Infrastructure Trust, Inc. (referred to as "CorEnergy" or "the Company"), was organized as a Maryland corporation and commenced operations on December 8, 2005. The Company's common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") under the symbol "CORR" and its depositary shares representing Series A Preferred Stock are listed on the NYSE under the symbol "CORR PrA".
The Company owns and operates critical energy midstream infrastructure connecting the upstream and downstream sectors within the industry. The Company currently generates revenue from the transportation, via pipeline, of crude oil and natural gas for its customers in California and Missouri, respectively. The pipelines are located in areas where it would be difficult to replicate rights of way or transport natural gas or crude oil via non-pipeline alternatives resulting in the Company's assets providing utility-like criticality in the midstream supply chain for its customers. Prior to 2021, the Company focused primarily on entering into long-term triple-net participating leases with energy companies, and also has provided other types of capital, including loans secured by energy infrastructure assets. Over the last twelve months, the Company's asset portfolio has undergone significant changes. The Company divested all of its leased assets, including the Grand Isle Gathering System ("GIGS") and Pinedale Liquids Gathering System ("Pinedale LGS"), which are described in this Report.
CorEnergy's Private Letter Rulings ("PLRs") enable the Company to invest in a broader set of revenue contracts within its REIT structure, including the opportunity to not only own but also operate infrastructure assets. CorEnergy considers its investments in these energy infrastructure assets to be a single business segment and reports them accordingly in its financial statements.
Crimson Acquisition
On February 4, 2021 (effective February 1, 2021), the Company leveraged its PLRs and acquired a 49.50 percent interest in Crimson Midstream Holdings, LLC ("Crimson"), a California Public Utilities Commission ("CPUC") regulated crude oil pipeline owner and operator. The acquired assets include four critical infrastructure pipeline systems spanning approximately 2,000 miles (including approximately 1,100 active miles) across northern, central and southern California, connecting desirable native California crude production to in-state refineries producing state-mandated specialized fuel blends, among other products. This interest was acquired effective as of February 1, 2021 and is referred to throughout this Report as the "Crimson Transaction."
Management Internalization
On February 4, 2021, the Company entered into a Contribution Agreement with Richard C. Green, Rick Kreul, Rebecca M. Sandring, Sean DeGon, Jeff Teeven, Jeffrey E. Fulmer, David J. Schulte (as Trustee of the DJS Trust under Trust Agreement dated July 18, 2016), and Campbell Hamilton, Inc., which is an entity controlled by David J. Schulte (collectively, the "Contributors"), and Corridor InfraTrust Management, LLC ("Corridor" or the "Manager"), the Company's external manager, pursuant to which the Company agreed to acquire Corridor, its external manager (subject to stockholder approval as required by NYSE rules).
The required stockholder approval was received at the Company’s Annual Meeting on June 29, 2021, and the Internalization and all related transactions closed on July 6, 2021 for a total consideration of approximately $14.6 million in equity of the Company. Pursuant to the Contribution Agreement, the Company issued (i) 1,153,846 shares of Common Stock, (ii) 683,761 shares of Class B Common Stock, and (iii) 170,213 depositary shares representing our Series A Preferred Stock.

Following the Internalization, our senior management team continues to oversee, manage and operate the Company, and the Company is no longer externally managed by our former Manager. As an internally managed company, the Company no longer pay the former Manager any fees or expense reimbursements arising from the Management Agreement but rather incurs the former Manager's direct employee compensation and office related expenses.

The principal executive office of our Company is located at 1100 Walnut, Suite 3350, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. Our telephone number is (816) 875-3705.
Basis of Presentation and Consolidation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include CorEnergy accounts and the accounts of its wholly-owned subsidiaries and have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") set forth in the Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC"), as published by the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB"), and with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") instructions to Form 10-K. The accompanying consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the Company's financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. There were no adjustments that, in the opinion of management, were not of a normal and recurring nature. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation, and the Company's net earnings have been reduced by the portion of net earnings attributable to non-controlling interests, when applicable.
The Company consolidates a VIE when it is the primary beneficiary, which is the party that has both (i) the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the VIE's economic performance and (ii) through its interests in the VIE, the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE. In order to determine whether it has a variable interest in a VIE, the Company performs a qualitative analysis of the entity's design, primary decision makers, key agreements governing the VIE, voting interests and significant activities impacting the VIE's economic performance. The Company continually monitors VIEs to determine if any events have occurred that could cause the primary beneficiary to change.

As described above, the Company acquired a 49.50 percent interest in Crimson, which is a legal entity that meets the VIE criteria. As a result of its consolidation analysis more fully described in Note 18 ("Variable Interest Entity"), the Company determined it is the primary beneficiary of Crimson due to its related party relationship with Crimson's 50.50 percent interest holder. Therefore, beginning February 1, 2021, Crimson is consolidated in the Company's consolidated financial statements and the non-controlling interest is presented as a component of equity. Refer to Note 16 ("Stockholders' Equity") for further discussion of the non-controlling interest in Crimson. The consolidated financial statements also include the accounts of any limited partnerships where the Company represents the general partner and, based on all facts and circumstances, controls such limited partnerships, unless the limited partner has substantive participating rights or substantive kick-out rights. Refer to Note 18 ("Variable Interest Entity"), for further discussion of the Company's consolidated VIEs.
The FASB issued ASU 2015-02 Consolidations (Topic 810) - Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis ("ASU 2015-02"), which amended previous consolidation guidance, including introducing a separate consolidation analysis specific to limited partnerships and other similar entities. Under this analysis, limited partnerships and other similar entities are considered a variable interest entity ("VIE") unless the limited partners hold substantive kick-out rights or participating rights. Management determined that Crimson Midstream Holdings, Pinedale LP, and Grand Isle Corridor LP are VIEs under the amended guidance because the limited partners of both partnerships lack both substantive kick-out rights and participating rights. As such, management evaluated the qualitative criteria under FASB ASC Topic 810 in conjunction with ASU 2015-02 to make a determination whether these partnerships should be consolidated in the Company's financial statements. ASC Topic 810-10 requires the primary beneficiary of a variable interest entity's activities to consolidate the VIE. The primary beneficiary is identified as the enterprise that has a) the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance and b) the obligation to absorb losses of the entity that could potentially be significant to the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the entity that could potentially be significant to the VIE. The standard requires an ongoing analysis to determine whether the variable interest gives rise to a controlling financial interest in the VIE. Based on the general partners' roles and rights as afforded by the partnership agreements and its exposure to losses and benefits of each of the partnerships through its significant limited partner interests, management determined that CorEnergy is the primary beneficiary of Crimson Midstream Holdings, Pinedale LP, and Grand Isle Corridor LP. Based upon this evaluation and the Company's 100 percent ownership interest in Pinedale LP and Grand Isle Corridor LP, the consolidated financial statements presented include full consolidation with respect to these partnerships
Crimson is managed by the Crimson Board, which is made up of four managers of which the Company and the Grier Members are each represented by two managers. The Crimson Board is responsible for governing the significant activities that impact Crimson's economic performance, including a number of activities which are managed by an approved budget that requires super-majority approval or joint approval. In assessing the primary beneficiary, the Company determined that power is shared; however, the Company and the Grier Members as a related party group have characteristics of a primary beneficiary. The Company performed the "most closely associated" test and determined that CorEnergy is the entity in the related party group most closely associated with the VIE. In performing this assessment, the Company considered (i) its influence over the tax structure of Crimson so its operations could be included in the Company's REIT structure under its PLR, which allows fees received for the usage of storage and pipeline capacity to qualify as rents from real property; (ii) the activities of the Company are substantially similar in nature to the activities of Crimson as the Company owns existing transportation and distribution assets at MoGas and Omega; (iii) Crimson's assets represent a substantial portion of the Company's total assets; and (iv) the Grier Members' interest in Crimson in Class A-1, Class A-2 and Class A-3 Units will earn distributions if the CorEnergy Board of Directors declares a
common or preferred dividend for Series C Preferred, Series B Preferred and Class B Common Stock; among other factors. Therefore, CorEnergy is the primary beneficiary and consolidates the Crimson VIE and the Grier Members' equity ownership interest 50.62 percent (after the working capital adjustment and paid-in-kind dividends) is reflected as a non-controlling interest in the consolidated financial statements.
.