Company: ACTG
Filing Date: 2025-03-17
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000934549-25-000004
Chunk: 40

Company: ACACIA RESEARCH CORP
Filing Date: 2025-03-17
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 40
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 personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by the hazardous substances released into the environment. In the course of business, Benchmark has used materials and generated wastes and will continue to use materials and generate wastes that may fall within CERCLA’s hazardous substances definition. Benchmark may also be an owner or operator of sites on which hazardous substances have been released. As a result, Benchmark may be responsible under CERCLA for all or part of the costs to clean up sites where such substances have been released.

Oil Pollution Act.   The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (the “OPA”) and implementing regulations impose a variety of obligations on responsible parties related to the prevention of oil spills and liability for damages resulting from such spills in waters of the U.S. The term “waters of the U.S.” has been broadly defined to include some inland water bodies, including wetlands and intermittent streams. The OPA assigns joint and several strict liability to each responsible party for oil removal costs and a variety of public and private damages. The OPA also imposes ongoing requirements on operators, including the preparation of oil spill response plans and proof of financial responsibility to cover environmental cleanup and restoration costs that could be incurred in connection with an oil spill. We believe that we are in substantial compliance with the OPA and related federal regulations to the extent applicable to our operations.

Endangered Species Act.   The Endangered Species Act (the “ESA”) was established to protect endangered and threatened species. Pursuant to the ESA, if a species is listed as threatened or endangered, restrictions may be imposed on activities adversely affecting that species’ habitat. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the “FWS”) may designate critical habitat and suitable habitat areas it believes are necessary for survival of a threatened or endangered species. A critical habitat or suitable habitat designation could result in further material restrictions to federal land use and may materially delay or prohibit land access for oil and gas development. Similar protections are offered to migratory birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, to bald and golden eagles under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, and to certain species under state law. We conduct operations in areas where certain species are currently listed as threatened or endangered, or could be listed as such, under the ESA. Operations in areas where threatened or endangered species or their habitat are known to exist may require us to incur increased costs to implement mitigation or protective measures and also may restrict or preclude our drilling activities in those areas or during certain seasons, such as breeding and nesting seasons.

New listing petitions continue