Item 1. Business
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
General
We are a diversified mineral company that delivers potassium, magnesium, sulfur, salt, and water products essential for customer success in agriculture, animal feed and the oil and gas industry. We are the only U.S. producer of muriate of potash (sometimes referred to as potassium chloride or potash), which is applied as an essential nutrient for healthy crop development, utilized in several industrial applications, and used as an ingredient in animal feed. In addition, we produce a specialty fertilizer, Trio ® , which delivers three key nutrients, potassium, magnesium, and sulfate, in a single particle. We also provide water, magnesium chloride, brine and various oilfield products and services.
Our extraction and production operations are conducted entirely in the continental United States. We produce potash from three solution mining facilities: our HB solution mine in Carlsbad, New Mexico, our solution mine in Moab, Utah and our brine recovery mine in Wendover, Utah. We also operate our North compaction facility in Carlsbad, New Mexico, which compacts and granulates product from the HB mine. We produce Trio ® from our conventional underground East mine in Carlsbad, New Mexico.
We have water rights in New Mexico under which we sell water primarily to support oil and gas development in the Permian Basin near our Carlsbad facilities. We continue to work to expand our sales of water. In May 2019, we acquired certain land, water rights, state grazing leases for cattle, and other related assets from Dinwiddie Cattle Company. We refer to these assets and operations as "Intrepid South." Due to the strategic location of Intrepid South, part of our long-term operating strategy is selling small parcels of land, including restricted use agreements of surface or subsurface rights to customers, where such sales provide a solution to a customer's operations in the oil and gas industry.
Our principal offices are located at 1001 17 th Street, Suite 1050, Denver, Colorado 80202, and our telephone number is (303) 296-3006. Intrepid was incorporated in Delaware in 2007.
Our Products and Services
Our three primary products are potash, Trio ® , and water. We also sell salt, magnesium chloride, metal recovery salts, brines, and water that are derived as part of our mining processes. Product sales as a percentage of total sales for the last three years were as follows:
Year Ended December 31,
2020 2019 2018
Potash 47 % 47 % 52 %
Trio ®
33 % 29 % 31 %
Water 10 % 12 % 10 %
Salt 4 % 6 % 2 %
Magnesium Chloride 2 % 2 % 3 %
Brines 1 % 1 % 1 %
Other 3 % 3 % 1 %
Total 100 % 100 % 100 %
Potash
We sell potash into three primary markets: the agricultural market as a fertilizer input, the industrial market as a component in drilling and fracturing fluids for oil and gas wells and an input to other industrial processes, and the animal feed market as a nutrient supplement. Potash is sold in different product sizes, such as granular, standard, and fine standard. The agricultural market predominately uses granular-sized potash, while the industrial and animal feed markets mostly use standard- and fine standard-sized product. We have the flexibility to produce all of our product in a granular form, which decreases our dependence on sales of any one particular size of potash and any particular market.
We manage sales and marketing operations centrally. This allows us to evaluate the product needs of our customers and then centrally determine which of our production facilities is best suited, typically based on geographic location, to use to fill customer orders in a manner designed to realize the highest average net realized sales price per ton. Average net realized sales price per ton is a non-GAAP measure that we calculate as sales less byproduct sales and freight costs and then divided by product sales tons. We also monitor product inventory levels and overall production costs centrally.
During 2020, we supplied 0.5% of annual world potassium consumption and 3.7% of annual U.S. potassium consumption.
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Substantially all of our potash is sold in the United States, and many of our potash sales are geographically concentrated in the central and western United States. Fertilizer sales are affected by weather and planting conditions in these regions, as well as farmer economics. For more information, please see "Seasonality." A significant portion of our industrial sales are derived from oil and gas customers and vary based on the price of potash, the availability and price of substitute products, and changes in industry preferences.
Trio ®
Trio ® is our specialty fertilizer that delivers potassium, sulfate, and magnesium in a single particle and has the added benefit of being low in chloride. This unique combination of nutrients makes Trio ® an attractive fertilizer across diverse crops and geographies. We produce Trio ® in premium, granular, standard, and fine standard sizes for sale both domestically and internationally.
Oilfield Solutions
We have water rights in New Mexico under which we sell water primarily for industrial uses in the oil and gas services industry. We also offer potassium chloride ("KCl") real-time mixing services on location for hydraulic fracturing operations and trucking services. In May 2019, we acquired certain land, water rights, state grazing leases for cattle, and other related assets from Dinwiddie Cattle Company that support oil and gas development in the Permian Basin in southeast New Mexico. Our other oilfield related products and service offerings include, but are not limited to, caliche, right-of-way agreements, surface damages and easements, and a produced water royalty. We refer to these assets and operations as "Intrepid South." Due to the strategic location of Intrepid South, part of our long-term operating strategy is selling small parcels of land, including restricted use agreements of surface or subsurface rights, to customers, where such sales provide a solution to a customer's operations in the oil and gas industry. We sell water on Intrepid South under a joint marketing agreement with NGL Energy Partners, a land and water rights owner adjacent to our South property. Under this agreement, we are responsible for the marketing, sale, and delivery of water to various customers across our combined acreage. Demand for water and other oilfield related products and services is due to oil and gas activity and development in southeast New Mexico. During 2020, oil prices declined due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and oil and gas drilling operations also declined in 2020 compared to 2019. However, oil and gas drilling activities have increased from the lowest levels reported early in the third quarter of 2020.
Byproducts
We also sell salt, magnesium chloride, metal recovery salts, brines, and water that are derived as part of our mining processes. Our salt is used in a variety of markets including animal feed, industrial applications, pool salt, and the treatment of roads and walkways for ice melting or to manage road conditions. Magnesium chloride is typically used as a road treatment agent for both deicing and dedusting. Our brines contain salt and potassium and are used primarily by the oil and gas industry to support well workover and completion activities. When the water that we sell was previously used in the production process for potash or Trio ® , it is considered a byproduct of the underlying product. We continue to work to expand sales of byproducts, particularly to serve the oil and gas markets near our operating facilities. Sales of byproducts are accounted for within the segment that produced the byproduct. In each of the last three years, the majority of our byproduct sales were accounted for in the potash segment.
Production Facilities
We produce potash from three solar evaporation solution mining facilities: our HB solution mine in Carlsbad, New Mexico, a solution mine in Moab, Utah, and a brine recovery mine in Wendover, Utah. We also operate our North compaction facility in Carlsbad, New Mexico, which compacts and granulates product from the HB mine. Solution mining is a process by which potash is extracted from mineralized beds by injecting a salt-saturated brine into a potash ore body and recovering a brine that contains potash and other minerals. The brine is brought to the surface for mineral recovery through solar evaporation. For solar evaporation, the brine is placed in ponds and solar energy is used to evaporate water thus crystallizing out the potash and minerals contained in the brine. The resulting mineral evaporates are then processed to separate the minerals for sale. Solution mining does not require employees or machines to be underground.
We produce Trio ® from our conventional underground East mine in Carlsbad, New Mexico. A conventional underground mine uses a mechanical method of extracting minerals from underground. Underground mining consists of multiple shafts or entry points and a network of tunnels to provide access to minerals and conveyance systems to transport materials to the surface. Underground mining machines are used to remove the ore and a series of pillars are left behind to provide the appropriate level of ground support to ensure safe access and mining.
We have a current estimated annual designed productive capacity of approximately 390,000 tons of potash from our solar evaporation solution mines. We also have an estimated annual designed productive capacity of 400,000 tons of Trio ® .
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Our annual production rates for potash and Trio ® are less than our estimated productive capacity. Actual production is affected by operating rates, the grade of ore mined, recoveries, mining rates, evaporation rates, product pricing, product demand, and the amount of development work that we perform. Therefore, as with other producers in our industry, our production results tend to be lower than reported productive capacity.
We also have pipelines and ponds that we use to deliver water to customers. As mentioned above, we acquired Intrepid South in May 2019 which increased our water rights and water delivery infrastructure.
Industry Overview
Fertilizer serves a fundamental role in global agriculture by providing essential crop nutrients that help sustain both the yield and the quality of crops. The three primary nutrients required for plant growth are nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium. There are no known substitutes for these nutrients. A proper balance of each of the three nutrients is necessary to maximize their effectiveness. Potassium helps regulate plants' physiological functions and improves plant durability, providing crops with protection from drought, disease, parasites, and cold weather. Unlike nitrogen and phosphate, the potassium contained in naturally occurring potash does not require additional chemical conversion to be used as a plant nutrient.
In addition to the primary nutrients, which are required in the greatest quantities in crop nutrition, important secondary nutrients such as sulfur and magnesium are also essential in crop nutrition. Intrepid's Trio ® product contains the primary nutrient potassium and two secondary nutrients, sulfur and magnesium.
Long-term global fertilizer demand has historically been driven primarily by population growth and global economic conditions with annual demand variations based on planted acreage, agricultural commodity yields and prices, inventories of grains and oilseeds, application rates of fertilizer, weather patterns, and farm sector income. We expect these key variables to continue to have an impact on global fertilizer demand for the foreseeable future. Sustained per capita income growth and agricultural policies in the developing world also affect global demand for fertilizer. Fertilizer demand is affected by other geopolitical factors such as temporary disruptions in fertilizer trade related to government intervention and changes in the buying patterns of key consuming countries. Volatility in agricultural commodity prices also may impact farmer fertilizer buying decisions.
The world potash market has long been characterized by nameplate production capacities that exceed demand. A significant portion of this capacity is controlled by a few companies and this concentration increased in early 2018 with the merger of two Canadian producers. Historically, these larger producers have managed production levels to approximate world demand. Several international brownfield and greenfield expansions have also begun production, with increases in production rates expected over the next few years. Due to the increased production, near-term potash pricing will likely depend on the larger producers' ability to continue to manage this supply and demand balance through decreased utilization rates. Increases in world fertilizer demand, due mainly to population growth and limitations on arable land, are expected to eventually lessen the burden on producers, although recent increases in productive capacities and the continued progress of key expansion projects across the globe make this unlikely for at least the next few years.
The United States potash market is also impacted by the volume of imports. A change in the volume of imports could result in a material change to potash prices in the United States.
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Virtually all of the world's potash is currently extracted from 19 commercial deposits. According to the International Fertilizer Industry Association and data published by potash mining companies, six countries accounted for approximately 90% of the world's aggregate potash production during 2019. During this time period, the top nine potash producers supplied approximately 96% of world production. Two major Canadian producers participate in the Canpotex marketing group that supplied approximately 28% of the global potash production in 2019, one producer in Russia supplied approximately 16% of global potash production in 2019 and one producer in Belarus supplied approximately 16% of the global potash production in 2019. Another Russian producer is currently undertaking a significant increase in potash production. If this producer achieves its goals, it could grow from approximately 1% of global potash production in 2019 to approximately 6% in the next few years.
Hydraulically fractured horizontal wells account for the majority of oil and gas wells drilled in the United States today and are responsible for the record amount of fossil fuels produced in the United States in recent years. The use of horizontal drilling in oil and gas production allows a well to remain in contact with the targeted formation, increasing production compared to a vertically drilled well. This process has resulted in longer wells, with some horizontal drilling sections reaching several miles long. The increase in horizontal drilling has also increased the use of fresh water, with a single frac potentially using millions of gallons. In the frac process, water and sand are used to move proppant and other frac additives into the targeted rock formation. Fresh water is important in the fracking process, as impurities in the water can impact the overall effectiveness of the frac. The majority of water used in fracking is transported by pipeline to the frac site, where it is stored in ponds or storage tanks.
The most productive region in the United States for oil production is the Permian Basin, which spans from west Texas to southeastern New Mexico. As of January 2021, the Permian Basin produced approximately 4.3 million barrels of oil per day. For comparison, the next most productive region in the United States produced approximately 1.2 million barrels of oil per day. In addition to producing wells, the Permian Basin also had approximately 3,500 drilled but uncompleted wells as of December 2020.
Competition and Competitive Strategy
We sell into commodity markets and compete based on delivered price, our ability to deliver product in a timely manner, and product quality. We also compete based on the durability, particle size, and potassium oxide content of our potash and Trio ® products. For potash, we compete primarily with much larger potash producers, principally Canadian producers and, to a lesser extent, producers located in Russia, Belarus, Chile, Germany, and Israel. For Trio ® , we compete with one other producer of langbeinite as well as producers of other specialty nutrients and blended products. For water, we compete primarily with water-specialty companies, farmers, and ranchers operating in or near the Permian Basin in New Mexico. Some of our competitors and potential competitors may have significant advantages over us, including greater name recognition, longer operating histories, pre-existing relationships with current or potential customers, significantly greater financial, marketing and other resources, ownership of more diverse assets and products, geographically and/or access to less expensive mining assets, any of which could allow them to respond more quickly to new or changing opportunities.
Our competitive strategy is focused on the following:
• Maximize potash gross margin and optimize potash production. All of our potash production comes from solar solution mines, which carry fewer fixed costs than our conventional potash mines. Our per-ton costs are lower for solution mining than conventional mining as solar solution mining requires less labor, energy, and equipment. In addition, we have the advantage of being located close to the markets we serve, and the North American market is significantly larger than our production capacity. As a result, we are able to selectively participate in the markets that we believe will provide the highest average net realized sales price per ton. We also attempt to maximize our gross margin by leveraging our freight advantage to key geographies, our diverse customer and market base, and our flexible marketing approach. Long-term, we have optimization and expansion opportunities at our solution mining facilities, that, over time, could further reduce our per-ton costs and increase our potash production.
• Expand Trio ® sales and maximize gross margin. We plan to continue to expand our sales and marketing efforts for Trio ® in domestic markets and select international markets. Our efforts include continued crop nutrition education and increased marketing efforts targeting organic agriculture and high-value specialty crop markets. In order to maximize gross margin, we are working to optimize our production process to recover more of the langbeinite we mine and to produce more granular-sized product, which is preferred by most markets. Given the current pricing and demand environment, we intend to continue to operate our Trio ® facility at reduced production levels and expect to continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
• Expand offerings of oilfield solutions. We intend to continue working to expand sales of water, particularly to service the oil and gas markets near our operating plants in New Mexico. We have a meaningful amount of water
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rights under which we sell water primarily for industrial uses such as in the oil and gas services industry. In addition, as described above, in May 2019, we acquired certain land, water rights, state grazing leases for cattle, and other related assets from Dinwiddie Cattle Company in the Permian Basin which we operate as Intrepid South. We expect to increase the amount of water available for sale on the Intrepid South property over the next few years through additional infrastructure investments and permitting. Our other oilfield related products and service offerings include, but are not limited to, caliche, right-of-way agreements, surface damages and easements, and a produced water royalty. In 2020, we sold approximately 320 acres of our fee land on Intrepid South to an oil and gas operator, which only allows the buyer to drill Acid Gas Injection ("AGI") wells on the property to dispose of natural gas with high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide ("H 2 S"). Due to the strategic location of Intrepid South, part of our long-term operating strategy is selling small parcels of land, including restricted use agreements of surface or subsurface rights, to customers, where such sales provide a solution to a customer's operations in the oil and gas industry.
• Continue diversification of products and services. We recover magnesium chloride, salt, brines, and water during the production of potash and Trio ® . These byproducts offer additional diversity to our portfolio of product and service offerings. As we continue to look for opportunities to diversify our revenue sources, we may enter into new or complementary businesses that expand our product and service offerings. As an example, we added a brine station at Intrepid South in February 2020 and we are reviewing opportunities to develop a produced water facility near Intrepid South although the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has made the timing of this development uncertain. We may also expand into oil and natural gas exploration and production, or into new products or services in our current industry or other industries.
Competitive Strengths
• U.S.-based producer. We are the only producer of potash in the United States. We are located in a market that consumes significantly more potash than we can currently produce on an annual basis. Our geographic location provides us with a transportation advantage over our competitors for shipping our product to our customers. In general, this allows us to obtain a higher average net realized sales price per ton than our competitors, who must ship their products across longer distances to consuming markets, which increases their costs and reduces their gross margin. Our location allows us to target sales to the markets in which we have the greatest transportation advantage, maximizing our average net realized sales price per ton. Our access to strategic rail destination points and our location along major agricultural trucking routes also support this advantage.
As a U.S. producer, we enjoy a significantly lower total production tax and royalty burden than our principal competitors, which operate primarily in Saskatchewan, Canada. The Saskatchewan tax system for potash producers includes a capital tax and several potash mineral taxes, none of which are imposed on us as a U.S. producer. We currently pay an average royalty rate of approximately 5.0% of our potash and Trio ® sales less their related freight costs, which compares favorably to that of our competitors in Canada. The relative tax and royalty advantage for U.S. producers becomes more pronounced when profits per ton increase due primarily to the profit tax component of the Saskatchewan potash mineral tax.
• Solar evaporation operations. All of our potash production comes from solar solution mines. Solar evaporation is a cost-efficient production method because it significantly reduces labor and energy consumption, which are two of the largest costs of production. Our understanding and application of low-cost solution mining, combined with our reserves being located where a favorable climate for evaporation exists, make solar solution mining difficult for other producers to replicate. We also have significant reserves for future expansion of our solution mining operations.
• Participation in specialty markets. Given the greater scarcity of langbeinite relative to potash and its agronomic suitability for certain soils and crops, we believe there is a market for Trio ® outside of our core potash markets. We also believe that there is a market for Trio ® beyond the United States, although freight expense and competition from substitute products have made this a difficult market to penetrate. We also offer Organic Materials Review Institute ("OMRI") certified organic potash and Trio ® products for sale to customers in the growing organic segment of the fertilizer market. Thr ough our existing operations and assets, we also have the potential to grow our offerings of salt, water, and brine with low capital investments.
• Water rights. We have water rights in New Mexico under which we sell water primarily for industrial uses such as in the oil and gas services industry. We continue to work to expand sales of water, especially to support oil and gas development in the Permian Basin near our Carlsbad facilities. The Intrepid South property increased our total water rights available for sale and our footprint in and around the Delaware Basin, a sub-basin of the Permian Basin. We continue working to permit additional water rights on the Intrepid South property. This has expanded
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our relationships with oil and gas producers, which we may be able to use to expand sales of our industrial potash products, byproducts, and services.
• Diversity of potash markets. We sell potash into three different markets—the agricultural, industrial, and feed markets. During 2020, these markets represented approximately 79%, 3%, and 18% of our potash sales, respectively. The agricultural market supplies farmers producing a wide range of crops in different geographies. Because of our geographic proximity to areas that have seen recent increases in oil and gas drilling activity, we believe that we have an opportunity promote the benefits of potash in drilling activities and to increase our industrial sales volumes.
• Marketing flexibility. We have the ability to convert all of our standard-sized potash product into granular-sized product as market conditions warrant. We also produce Trio ® in premium, granular, standard and fine standard sizes. This provides us with increased marketing flexibility as well as decreased dependence on any one particular market.
• Significant reserve life. Our potash and langbeinite reserves each have substantial years of reserve life, with remaining reserve lives for our actively mined areas ranging from approximately 24 years to more than 100 years, based on proven and probable reserve estimates. In addition to our reserves, we have water rights and access to additional mineralized areas of potash for potential future exploitation.
• Existing facilities and infrastructure. Constructing a new potash production facility requires substantial time and extensive capital investment in mining, milling, and infrastructure to extract, process, store, and ship product. Our operations already have significant facilities and infrastructure in place. We also have the ability to expand our business using existing installed infrastructure, in less time and with lower expenditures than would be required to construct entirely new mines.
Seasonality
The sales pattern for potash sold into the agricultural market is seasonal. Over the last three years, our monthly potash sales volume has been highest in March through May and September through November when purchasers are looking to have product on hand in advance of the spring and fall application seasons in the United States. In turn, our monthly potash sales volume has been the lowest in July and December. The specific timing of when farmers apply potash remains highly weather dependent and varies across the numerous growing regions within the U.S. The timing of potash sales is significantly influenced by the marketing programs of potash producers, as well as storage volumes closer to the farm gate.
The sales pattern for Trio ® sold into the domestic agricultural market is also seasonal. Over the last three years, our domestic Trio ® sales volume has been highest in March and April, as Trio ® products are typically applied to crops in the United States during the spring planting season. Demand for the spring planting season generally runs from December to May, during which we have sold approximately 60% of our domestic Trio ® volumes over the past three years. As we expand our Trio ® sales efforts outside of the United States, we expect the overall seasonality of our Trio ® sales to be impacted by the timing of deliveries to warehouses as we generally ship in larger volumes to minimize per ton transportation costs.
The month-to-month seasonality of our agricultural sales is somewhat moderated due to the variety of crops, industries, distribution strategies, and geographies that we serve. Because all of our potash production comes from our solar solution mines, our potash production is also seasonal. Our solar solution mines suspend potash production activities from early spring through late summer, the peak solar evaporation period. Accordingly, we manage our inventories during the low demand periods of the year in order to ensure timely product availability during the peak sales seasons, as well as during the summer evaporation period when we have no potash being produced. The seasonality of fertilizer demand results in our sales volumes and revenue being the highest during the spring and our working capital requirements being the highest just before the start of the spring season. We have observed fertilizer dealers in North America instituting practices that are designed to reduce their risk of changes in the price of fertilizer products through consignment-type programs. These programs tend to make the timing of the spring and fall seasonal demand profile less predictable within the season. Further, through technological advances, the farmers in the United States have gained efficiencies in planting and harvesting their crops, which has compressed the application seasons.
Our quarterly financial results can also vary from one year to the next due to weather‑related shifts in planting schedules and purchasing patterns.
Demand for our oilfield products and services is highly correlated to oil and gas exploration activities and can vary from quarter to quarter.
Major Customers
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Within the agricultural market, we supply a diversified customer base of distributors, cooperatives, retailers, and dealers, which in turn supply farmers producing a wide range of crops in different geographies. We sell into the industrial and feed markets through sales to distributors and directly to end users. For water, we have entered into multiple long-term supply agreements with a diverse set of customers aimed at generating a long-term recurring revenue stream from water sales.
In each of 2020, 2019 and 2018, no customer accounted for more than 10% of our total sales.
Environmental, Safety, and Health Matters
We are subject to an evolving set of federal, state, and local environmental, safety, and health laws that regulate, among other things; (1) soil, air, and water quality standards for our facilities; (2) disposal, storage, and management of hazardous and solid wastes; (3) post-mining land reclamation and closure; (4) conditions of mining and production operations; (5) employee and contractor safety and occupational health; and (6) product content and labeling. We employ and consult with professionals who assist in monitoring our compliance with these laws and who work with management to ensure that appropriate strategies and processes are in place to promote a culture that prioritizes safety and environmental responsibility.
In 2020, we had approximately $0.7 million of capital investments, and $0.8 million in other expenses, relating to environmental compliance, environmental studies, and remediation efforts. We expect to spend $1.0 million to $3.0 million for environmental related capital projects in both 2021 and 2022. Future capital expenditures are subject to a number of uncertainties, including changes to environmental regulations and interpretations, and enforcement initiatives. If potential negative effects to the environment are discovered, or if the potential negative effects are of a greater magnitude than currently estimated, material expenditures could be required in the future to remediate the identified effects. We expect that continued emphasis on environmental issues will result in increased future investments for environmental controls at our operations. See Item 1A. Risk Factors “Risks Related to Our Business - Environmental laws and regulations could subject us to significant liability and require us to incur additional costs.”
Product Registration Requirements
We are required to register fertilizer products with each U.S. state and foreign country where products are sold. Each brand and grade of commercial fertilizer must be registered with the appropriate state agency before being offered for sale, sold, or distributed in that jurisdiction. In most cases, these product registrations impose specific requirements relating to guaranteed analysis, product labeling, and regular reporting of sales.
Some states require similar registration and reporting for feed grade products. Industrial-grade products typically do not require registration or reporting.
Operating Requirements and Government Regulations
Permits
We are subject to numerous environmental laws and regulations, including laws and regulations regarding land use and reclamation; release of emissions to the atmosphere or water; plant and animal life; and the generation, treatment, storage, disposal, and handling of hazardous substances and wastes. These laws include the Clean Air Act; the Clean Water Act; the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act ("CERCLA"); the Toxic Substances Control Act; and various other federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Violations can result in substantial penalties, court orders to install pollution‑control equipment, civil and criminal sanctions, permit revocations, and facility shutdowns. In addition, environmental laws and regulations may impose joint and several liability, without regard to fault, for cleanup costs on potentially responsible parties who have released, disposed of, or arranged for release or disposal of hazardous substances in the environment.
We hold numerous environmental, mining, and other permits or approvals authorizing operations at each of our facilities. Our operations are subject to permits for, among other things, extraction of salt and brine, discharges of process materials and waste to air and surface water, and injection of brine. Some of our proposed activities may require waste storage permits. A decision by a government agency to deny or delay issuing a new or renewed permit or approval, or to revoke or substantially modify an existing permit or approval, could limit or prevent us from mining at these properties. In addition, changes to environmental and mining regulations or permit requirements could limit our ability to continue operations at the affected facility. In many cases, environmental permits and approvals are also required for an expansion of, or changes to, our operations. As a condition to procuring the necessary permits and approvals, we may be required to comply with financial assurance regulatory requirements. The purpose of these requirements is to assure the government that sufficient company funds will be available for the ultimate reclamation, closure, and post-closure care at our facilities. We obtain bonds as financial assurance for these obligations. These bonds require annual payment and renewal.
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We believe we are in compliance with existing regulatory programs, permits, and approvals where non-compliance could have a material adverse effect on our operating results or financial condition. In 2016, the New Mexico Office of State Engineer ("OSE") determined that our East tailing impoundment embankments are considered jurisdictional dams. We continue to work with the OSE to determine required dam modifications associated with this determination. We may be required to spend a significant amount of capital to bring the impoundments into compliance with requirements for jurisdictional dams or modify our operations to no longer use impoundments that may qualify as jurisdictional dams.
From time to time, we have received notices from governmental agencies that we are not in compliance with certain environmental laws, regulations, permits, or approvals. For example, although designated as zero discharge facilities under the applicable water quality laws and regulations, our East, North, and Moab facilities at times may experience some water and brine discharges during periods of significant rainfall or due to other circumstances. We have implemented several initiatives to address discharge issues, including the reconstruction or modification of certain impoundments, increasing evaporation, and reducing process water usage and discharges and improved management systems. State and federal officials are aware of these issues and have visited the sites to review our corrective efforts and action plans.
Air and Drinking Water
In the ordinary course of our business, from time to time, we receive notices from the New Mexico Environment Department of alleged air or drinking water quality control violations. Upon receipt of these notices, we evaluate the matter and take any required corrective actions. In some cases, we may be required to pay civil penalties for these notices of violation.
Safety and Health Regulation and Programs
Certain of our facilities are subject to the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, related state statutes and regulations, or a combination of these laws.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration ("MSHA") is the governing agency for our conventional underground mines and related surface facilities in New Mexico. As required by MSHA, these operations are regularly inspected by MSHA personnel. Item 4 and Exhibit 95.1 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K provide information concerning certain mine safety violations.
Our New Mexico facilities participate in MSHA's Region 8 "Partnership Program." There is a formally signed document and plan, pursuant to which each party commits to specific actions and behaviors. Examples of principles include working for an open, cooperative environment; agreeing to citation and conflict processes; and improving training. Our New Mexico facilities are serviced by a trained mine rescue team, which is ready to respond to on-site incidents or assist in local incidents, if needed. The team practices and participates at state and federal events and competitions. In addition, our New Mexico facilities participate in a basin agreement with other natural resource and hazardous waste facilities to provide mine rescue support.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration ("OSHA") is the governing agency relating to the safety standards at our Utah facilities, as well as our HB mine and plant. Training and other certifications are provided to employees as needed based upon their work duties.
Remediation at Intrepid Facilities
Many of our current facilities have been in operation for a number of years. Operations by us and our predecessors have involved the historical use and handling of potash, salt, related potash and salt byproducts, process tailings, hydrocarbons and other regulated substances. Some of these operations resulted, or may have resulted, in soil, surface water, or groundwater contamination. At some locations, there are areas where process waste, building materials (including asbestos‑containing transite), and ordinary trash may have been disposed or buried, and have since been closed and covered with soil and other materials.
At many of these facilities, spills or other releases of regulated substances may have occurred previously and potentially could occur at any of our facilities in the future, possibly requiring us to undertake or fund cleanup efforts under CERCLA or state laws governing cleanup or disposal of hazardous and solid waste substances.
We work closely with governmental authorities to obtain the appropriate permits to address identified site conditions. For example, buildings located at our facilities in both Utah and New Mexico have a type of siding that contains asbestos. We have adopted programs to encapsulate and stabilize portions of the siding through use of an adhesive spray and to remove the siding, replacing it with an asbestos-free material. Also, we have trained asbestos abatement crews that handle and dispose of the asbestos‑containing siding and related materials. We have a permitted asbestos landfill in Utah and have worked closely with Utah officials to address asbestos‑related issues at our Moab mine.
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Reclamation Obligations
Mining and processing of potash generates residual materials that must be managed both during the operation of the facility and upon facility reclamation and closure. Potash tailings, consisting primarily of salt and fine sediments that remain after potash is removed from ore during processing, are stored in surface disposal sites. Some of these tailing materials may also include other contaminants, such as lead, that were introduced as reagents during historic processing methods that may require additional management and could cause additional disposal and reclamation requirements to be imposed. For example, at least one of our New Mexico mining facilities may have legacy issues regarding lead in the tailings pile resulting from production methods utilized prior to our acquisition of these assets. During the life of the tailings management areas, we have incurred, and will continue to incur, significant costs to manage potash residual materials in accordance with environmental laws and regulations and with permit requirements. Additional legal and permit requirements will take effect when these facilities are closed.
Our surface permits require us to reclaim property disturbed by operations at our facilities. Our operations in Utah and New Mexico have specific obligations related to reclamation of the land after mining and processing operations are concluded. The discounted present value of our estimated reclamation costs for our facilities as of December 31, 2020, is approximately $23.9 million, which is reflected in our audited financial statements found elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Various permits and authorization documents negotiated with or issued by the appropriate governmental authorities include these estimated reclamation costs on an undiscounted basis.
It is difficult to estimate and predict the potential actual costs and liabilities associated with remediation and reclamation, and there is no guarantee that we will not be identified in the future as potentially responsible for additional remediation and reclamation costs, either as a result of changes in existing laws and regulations or as a result of the identification of additional matters subject to remediation and/or reclamation obligations or liabilities.
Royalties
The potash, langbeinite, water, and byproducts we produce and sell from leased land may be subject to royalty payments. We produce and sell from leased land owned by the U.S. government, the States of New Mexico and Utah, and private landowners. The terms of the royalty payments are determined at the time of the issuance or renewal of the leases. Some royalties are determined as a fixed percentage of revenue and others vary based upon ore grade. Additionally, some of our leases are subject to overriding royalty interest payments paid to various owners. In 2020, we paid $7.6 million in royalties and other taxes. The royalty rates on our state and federal leases in New Mexico are currently set at various rates from 2.0% to 5.0%. The royalty rates on our state and federal leases in Utah are currently set at rates from 3.0% to 5.0%. The royalty rates for the private leaseholds are between 5.0% and 8.0%. For certain water sales we pay an $0.11 per barrel sold royalty to the State of New Mexico.
Human Capital Resources
Headcount
We believe that our employees and contractors are significant contributors to our success and the future success of our Company, which depends on our ability to attract, retain, and motivate qualified personnel. The skills, experience and industry knowledge of key employees significantly benefit our operations and performance. As of December 31, 2020, we had 440 employees distributed across our four main locations. Our workforce is well-tenured providing invaluable experience and insight into our operations.
Location Number of Employees Average Tenure
(in years)
Denver 38 6
Moab 58 12
New Mexico 282 10
Wendover 62 14
We have a collective bargaining agreement with a labor organization representing our hourly employees in Wendover, Utah, which expires on May 31, 2023. This is the eighth agreement negotiated between us and the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, Local 867. We consider our relationships with our employees to be good.
Employee Development and Training
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We believe in providing opportunities for employees to continue to develop and grow their careers. We offer a tuition reimbursement program and ongoing support of continuing education for professional certifications and other credentials. We also prove a comprehensive Career Path program for our hourly employees that clearly outlines the proficiencies necessary for each job level as well as the development steps to progress through various job levels.
Competitive Pay and Benefits
We have structured our compensation programs to balance incentive earnings for both short-term and long-term performance. We provide employee wages that are competitive and consistent with employee positions, skill levels, experience, knowledge, and geographic location. We align our executives' long-term equity compensation with our shareholders' interests by linking realizable pay with stock performance.
We are also committed to providing comprehensive benefit options and it is our intention to offer benefits that will allow our employees and their families to live healthier and more secure lives. Some examples of our wide ranging benefits offered are: health insurance, telemedicine, an employee assistance program, paid and unpaid leaves, life insurance, short-term disability insurance and a retirement savings plan with a company match. We also offer a variety of voluntary benefits that allow employees to select the options that meet their needs, including flexible time-off, adoption assistance, prescription savings solutions, and a wellness program.
Diversity and Inclusion
We are committed to building a culture where diversity and inclusion are core philosophies across our operations, including, but not limited to, our decisions around recruitment, promotion, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, opportunities for career support and advancement, job performance and other relevant job-related criteria. We embrace an approach to hiring and advancement that considers the value of diversity, and we are also committed to making opportunities for development and progress available to all employees so their talents can be fully developed to maximize our and their success. We believe that creating an environment that cultivates a sense of belonging requires encouraging employees to continue to educate themselves about each other’s experiences, and we strive to promote the respect and dignity of all persons. We also believe it is important that we foster education, communication and understanding about diversity, inclusion and belonging. Finally, in line with our commitments to equal employment opportunity and diversity and inclusion, we expect recruiters operating on our behalf to provide us with a diverse pool of candidates.
Health and Safety
The health and safety of our employees is our highest priority, and this is consistent with our operating philosophy. We are committed to providing a safe, functional, and effective work environment for anyone who comes on our properties. We have implemented several safety policies and protocols at each of our locations.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have implemented significant changes that we believe to be in the best interest of our employees, as well as the communities in which we operate, and that comply with government orders. These include having our office employees work from home to the extent they are able and implementing additional safety measures, including increased cleaning protocols and social distancing procedures at all facilities, and other recommended public health measures for our field and other employees (including on-site contract workers) continuing critical on-site work.
Available Information
We file or furnish with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") reports, including our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements, and any amendments to these reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. These reports are available free of charge on our website at www.intrepidpotash.com as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. These reports also can be obtained at www.sec.gov.
We routinely post important information about us and our business, including information about upcoming investor presentations, on our website, www.intrepidpotash.com, under the Investor Relations tab. We encourage investors and other interested parties to enroll on our website to receive automatic email alerts or Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds regarding new postings. The information found on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of this or any other report we file with, or furnish to, the SEC.
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Executive Officers
The following section includes biographical information for our executive officers:
Name Age Position
Robert P. Jornayvaz III 62 Executive Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer
Robert E. Baldridge 59 Senior Vice President - New Mexico
Matthew D. Preston 36 Vice President, Finance
Kyle R. Smith 47 Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
E. Brian Stone 58 Chief Operating Officer
Erica K. Wyatt 48 Chief Human Resources Officer
Robert P. Jornayvaz III has served as our Executive Chairman of the Board since 2010 and as our President and Chief Executive Officer since August 2014. Mr. Jornayvaz served as our Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer from our formation in 2007 until 2010. Mr. Jornayvaz served, directly or indirectly, as a manager of our predecessor, Intrepid Mining LLC, from 2000 until its dissolution at the time of our initial public offering in 2008. Mr. Jornayvaz is the sole owner of Intrepid Production Corporation. Mr. Jornayvaz and Intrepid Production Corporation together beneficially own 15.2% of our common stock, as of January 31, 2021.
Robert E. Baldridge has served as our Senior Vice President - New Mexico since December 2019. Mr. Baldridge served as General Manager of our New Mexico operations from July 2010 to December 2019 and Manager of Mines since our formation in 2007. Previously Mr. Baldridge served as Mine Manager of Intrepid Mining from 2003 until its dissolution at the time of our IPO in 2008. Prior to joining Intrepid, Mr. Baldridge held various positions with Mississippi Potash, Inc. from 1988 to 2003. Mr. Baldridge has over 30 years of experience in the potash mining industry.
Matthew D. Preston has served as our Vice President of Finance since November 2019. Mr. Preston also serves as our principal financial officer and principal accounting officer. Mr. Preston served as our Director of Budget and Forecast from April 2016 to November 2019. Previously, Mr. Preston served in successively more senior finance roles since joining Intrepid in 2008, including Senior Manager of Budget and Forecast, Manager of Budget and Forecast, and Financial Analyst.
Kyle R. Smith has served as our Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary since December 2019. Before joining Intrepid, Mr. Smith served as General Counsel for an Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act Regional Corporation. Prior to that, Mr. Smith was in private practice from July 2017 to January 2019, served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Echo Energy, a start-up pure-play oil and gas operator from December 2016 to June 2017, and as Assistant General Counsel for Operations for Continental Resources, a large independent upstream producer, from June 2014 to June 2016.
E. Brian Stone has served as our Chief Operating Officer since December 2019. Prior to joining Intrepid, Mr. Stone was the Chief Operating Officer for Hupecol Operating Co. LLC, an international oil and gas company focused on South America and Europe, from 2005 to 2019.
Erica K. Wyatt has served as our Chief Human Resources Officer since December 2018. Ms. Wyatt previously served as Vice President of Human Resources from June 2015 to December 2018, Senior Director of Human Resources from 2013 to June 2015, and Director of Human Resources from 2007 to 2013. Prior to joining Intrepid, Ms. Wyatt held various positions at DISH Network Corporation, a pay-TV provider, from 1999 to 2007, including most recently Director of Human Resources supporting the field services division.
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