Company: BSM
Filing Date: 2025-02-25
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001628280-25-007730
Chunk: 208

Company: Black Stone Minerals, L.P.
Filing Date: 2025-02-25
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 7
Chunk 208
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 primarily driven by changes in the forward commodity price curves for natural gas.

Lease bonus and other income. When we lease our mineral interests, we generally receive an upfront cash payment, or a lease bonus. Lease bonus income can vary substantively between periods because it is derived from individual transactions with operators, some of which may be significant. Lease bonus and other income was slightly lower for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to 2023. Leasing activity in the Wolfcamp, Bakken/Three Forks, and Austin Chalk plays made up the majority of lease bonus and other income for 2024, while the majority of our 2023 lease bonus and other income came from leasing activity in the Haynesville/Bossier and Wolfcamp plays.

Operating Expenses

Lease operating expense. Lease operating expense includes recurring expenses associated with our non-operated working interests necessary to produce hydrocarbons from our oil and natural gas wells, as well as certain nonrecurring expenses, such as well repairs. Lease operating expense decreased in 2024 as compared to 2023, due to a reduction in variable costs as a result of lower production from our non-operated working interest properties and lower nonrecurring service-related expenses, including workovers.

Production costs and ad valorem taxes. Production taxes include statutory amounts deducted from our production revenues by various state taxing entities. Depending on the regulations of the states where the production originates, these taxes may be based on a percentage of the realized value or a fixed amount per production unit. This category also includes the costs to process and transport our production to applicable sales points. Ad valorem taxes are jurisdictional taxes levied on the value of oil and natural gas minerals and reserves. Rates, methods of calculating property values, and timing of payments vary between taxing authorities. For the year ended December 31, 2024, production and ad valorem taxes decreased as compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to a decrease in production taxes and processing and transportation costs stemming from lower commodity prices and decreased production volumes.

Exploration expense. Exploration expense typically consists of dry-hole expenses, payments for delay rentals where we are the lessee, and geological and geophysical costs, including seismic costs, and is expensed as incurred under the successful efforts method of accounting. Exploration expense was higher in 2024 as compared to 2023, primarily due to an increase in seismic costs and delay rentals.

Depreciation, depletion, and amortization. De