Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP - Annual Report: 2017 (Form 10-K)

WTI

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10‑K

Commission file number: 001‑38005

Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

777 Taylor Street, Suite 810

Fort Worth, Texas 76102

(817) 945‑9700

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act:

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well‑known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐  No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐    No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒  No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S‑T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ☒  No ☐

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S‑K (§ 229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10‑K or any amendment to this Form 10‑K. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non‑accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b‑2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b‑2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐  No ☒

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s common units held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2017, was $212.2 million, based on the closing price of such common units of $16.83 as reported on the New York Stock Exchange on such date. The registrant had 16,836,453 common units outstanding as of March 2, 2018.

 

 

 

Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

The following are definitions of certain terms used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Annual Report”).

Available cash. For any quarter ending prior to liquidation:

(a)          the sum of:

(1)          all cash and cash equivalents of Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP and its subsidiaries on hand at the end of that quarter; and

(2)          as determined by the general partner of Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP, all cash or cash equivalents of Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP and its subsidiaries on hand on the date of determination of available cash for that quarter resulting from working capital borrowings made after the end of that quarter;

(b)          less the amount of cash reserves established by the general partner of Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP to:

(1)          provide for the proper conduct of the business of Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP and its subsidiaries (including reserves for future capital expenditures and for future credit needs of Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP and its subsidiaries) after that quarter;

(2)          comply with applicable law or any debt instrument or other agreement or obligation to which Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP or any of its subsidiaries is a party or its assets are subject; and

(3)          provide funds for distributions for any one or more of the next four quarters; provided, however, that disbursements made by Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP or any of its subsidiaries or cash reserves established, increased or reduced after the end of that quarter but on or before the date of determination of available cash for that quarter shall be deemed to have been made, established, increased or reduced, for purposes of determining available cash, within that quarter if the general partner of Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP so determines.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, “available cash” with respect to the quarter in which the liquidation date occurs and any subsequent quarter shall equal zero.

Basin. A large depression on the earth’s surface in which sediments accumulate.

Bbl. One stock tank barrel, or 42 U.S. gallons liquid volume.

Boe. Barrels of oil equivalent, with six thousand cubic feet of natural gas being equivalent to one barrel of oil.

Boe/d. Boe per day.

British Thermal Unit (Btu). The quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit.

Completion. The process of treating a drilling well followed by the installation of permanent equipment for the production of natural gas or oil, or in the case of a dry hole, the reporting of abandonment to the appropriate agency.

Condensate. Liquid hydrocarbons associated with the production of a primarily natural gas reserve.

Crude oil. Liquid hydrocarbons retrieved from geological structures underground to be refined into fuel sources.

Deterministic method. The method of estimating reserves or resources under which a single value for each parameter (from the geoscience, engineering, or economic data) in the reserves calculation is used in the reserves estimation procedure.

Developed acreage. The number of acres that are allocated or assignable to productive wells or wells capable of production.

Development costs. Capital costs incurred in the acquisition, exploitation and exploration of proved oil and natural gas reserves divided by proved reserve additions and revisions to proved reserves.

Development well. A well drilled within the proved area of an oil and natural gas reservoir to the depth of a stratigraphic horizon known to be productive.

Differential. An adjustment to the price of oil or natural gas from an established spot market price to reflect differences in the quality and/or location of oil or natural gas.

Dry hole or dry well. A well found to be incapable of producing hydrocarbons in sufficient quantities such that proceeds from the sale of such production exceed production expenses and taxes.

Economically producible. A resource that generates revenue that exceeds, or is reasonably expected to exceed, the costs of the operation.

Electrical log. Provide information on porosity, hydraulic conductivity, and fluid content of formations drilled in fluid-filled boreholes.

Exploration. A drilling or other project which may target proven or unproven reserves (such as probable or possible reserves).

Extension well. A well drilled to extend the limits of a known reservoir.

Field. An area consisting of either a single reservoir or multiple reservoirs, all grouped on or related to the same individual geological structural feature and/or stratigraphic condition.

Formation. A layer of rock which has distinct characteristics that differs from nearby rock.

Fracturing. The process of creating and preserving a fracture or system of fractures in a reservoir rock typically by injecting a fluid under pressure through a wellbore and into the targeted formation.

Gross acres or gross wells. The total acres or wells, as the case may be, in which a working interest is owned.

Horizontal drilling. A drilling technique used in certain formations where a well is drilled vertically to a certain depth and then drilled at a right angle within a specified interval.

Hydraulic fracturing. A process used to stimulate production of hydrocarbons. The process involves the injection of water, sand, and chemicals under pressure into the formation to fracture the surrounding rock and stimulate production.

Lease bonus. Usually a one-time payment made to a mineral owner as consideration for the execution of an oil and natural gas lease.

Lease operating expense. All direct and allocated indirect costs of lifting hydrocarbons from a producing formation to the surface constituting part of the current operating expenses of a working interest. Such costs include labor, superintendence, supplies, repairs, maintenance, allocated overhead charges, workover, insurance, and other expenses incidental to production, but exclude lease acquisition or drilling or completion expenses.

MBbl/d. MBbl per day.

MBbls. One thousand barrels of oil or other liquid hydrocarbons.

MBoe. One thousand barrels of oil equivalent, determined using a ratio of six Mcf of natural gas to one Bbl of oil.

Mcf. One thousand cubic feet of natural gas.

Mineral interests. Real-property interests that grant ownership of the oil and natural gas under a tract of land and the rights to explore for, drill for, and produce oil and natural gas on that land or to lease those exploration and development rights to a third party.

MMBtu. One million British Thermal Units.

MMcf. One million cubic feet of natural gas.

Net acres. The sum of the fractional working interest owned in gross acres.

Net revenue interest. An owner’s interest in the revenues of a well after deducting proceeds allocated to royalty, overriding royalty and other non-cost-bearing interests.

Natural gas. A combination of light hydrocarbons that, in average pressure and temperature conditions, is found in a gaseous state. In nature, it is found in underground accumulations, and may potentially be dissolved in oil or may also be found in its gaseous state.

Natural gas liquids or NGL. Hydrocarbons found in natural gas which may be extracted as liquefied petroleum gas and natural gasoline.

Nonparticipating royalty interest. A type of non-cost-bearing royalty interest, which is carved out of the mineral interest and represents the right, which is typically perpetual, to receive a fixed cost-free percentage of production or revenue from production, without an associated right to lease.

Oil. Crude oil and condensate.

Oil and natural gas properties. Tracts of land consisting of properties to be developed for oil and natural gas resource extraction.

Operator. The individual or company responsible for the exploration and/or production of an oil or natural gas well or lease. Refers to the operator of record and any lessor or working interest holder for which the operator is acting.

Overriding royalty interest or ORRI. A fractional, undivided interest or right of participation in the oil or natural gas, or in the proceeds from the sale of the oil or gas, produced from a specified tract or tracts, which are limited in duration to the terms of an existing lease and which are not subject to any portion of the expense of development, operation or maintenance.

Pad drilling. The practice of drilling multiple wellbores from a single surface location.

PDP. Proved developed producing.

Play. A set of discovered or prospective oil and/or natural gas accumulations sharing similar geologic, geographic and temporal properties, such as source rock, reservoir structure, timing, trapping mechanism and hydrocarbon type.

Plugging and abandonment. Refers to the sealing off of fluids in the strata penetrated by a well so that the fluids from one stratum will not escape into another or to the surface. Regulations of all states require plugging of abandoned wells.

Pooling. The majority of our producing acreage is pooled with third-party acreage. Pooling refers to an operator’s consolidation of multiple adjacent leased tracts, which may be covered by multiple leases with multiple lessors, in order to maximize drilling efficiency or to comply with state mandated well spacing requirements. Pooling dilutes our royalty in a given well or unit, but it also increases both the acreage footprint and the number of wells in which we have an economic interest. To estimate our total potential drilling locations in a given play, we include third-party acreage that is pooled with our acreage.

Production costs. The production or operational costs incurred while extracting and producing, storing, and transporting oil and/or natural gas. Typical of these costs are wages for workers, facilities lease costs, equipment maintenance, logistical support, applicable taxes and insurance.

PUD. Proved undeveloped.

Productive well. A well that is found to be capable of producing hydrocarbons in sufficient quantities such that proceeds from the sale of the production exceed production expenses and taxes.

Prospect. A specific geographic area which, based on supporting geological, geophysical or other data and also preliminary economic analysis using reasonably anticipated prices and costs, is deemed to have potential for the discovery of commercial hydrocarbons.

Proved developed reserves. Reserves that can be expected to be recovered through existing wells with existing equipment and operating methods.

Proved developed producing reserves. Reserves expected to be recovered from existing completion intervals in existing wells.

Proved reserves. The estimated quantities of oil, natural gas and NGLs which geological and engineering data demonstrate with reasonable certainty to be commercially recoverable in future years from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating conditions.

Proved undeveloped reserves. Proved reserves that are expected to be recovered from new wells on undrilled acreage or from existing wells where a relatively major expenditure is required for recompletion.

Recompletion. The process of re-entering an existing wellbore that is either producing or not producing and completing new reservoirs in an attempt to establish or increase existing production.

Reserves. Reserves are estimated remaining quantities of oil and natural gas and related substances anticipated to be economically producible, as of a given date, by application of development projects to known accumulations. In addition, there must exist, or there must be a reasonable expectation that there will exist, the legal right to produce or a revenue interest in the production, installed means of delivering oil and natural gas or related substances to the market and all permits and financing required to implement the project. Reserves should not be assigned to adjacent reservoirs isolated by major, potentially sealing, faults until those reservoirs are penetrated and evaluated as economically producible. Reserves should not be assigned to areas that are clearly separated from a known accumulation by a non-productive reservoir (i.e., absence of reservoir, structurally low reservoir or negative test results). Such areas may contain prospective resources (i.e., potentially recoverable resources from undiscovered accumulations).

Reservoir. A porous and permeable underground formation containing a natural accumulation of producible natural gas and/or oil that is confined by impermeable rock or water barriers and is separate from other reservoirs.

Resource play. A set of discovered or prospective oil and/or natural gas accumulations sharing similar geologic, geographic and temporal properties, such as source rock, reservoir structure, timing, trapping mechanism and hydrocarbon type.

Royalty interest. An interest that gives an owner the right to receive a portion of the resources or revenues without having to carry any costs of development.

SCOOP. South Central Oklahoma Oil Province.

Seismic data. Seismic data is used by scientists to interpret the composition, fluid content, extent, and geometry of rocks in the subsurface. Seismic data is acquired by transmitting a signal from an energy source, such as dynamite or water, into the earth. The energy so transmitted is subsequently reflected beneath the earth’s surface and a receiver is used to collect and record these reflections.

Shale. A fine grained sedimentary rock formed by consolidation of clay- and silt-sized particles into thin, relatively impermeable layers. Shale can include relatively large amounts of organic material compared with other rock types and thus has the potential to become rich hydrocarbon source rock. Its fine grain size and lack of permeability can allow shale to form a good cap rock for hydrocarbon traps.

Spacing. The distance between wells producing from the same reservoir. Spacing is often expressed in terms of acres, e.g., 40‑acre spacing, and is often established by regulatory agencies.

STACK. Sooner Trend, Anadarko Basin, Canadian and Kingfisher counties, Oklahoma.

Standardized measure. The present value of estimated future net revenue to be generated from the production of proved reserves, determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (using prices and costs in effect as of the date of estimation), less future development, production and income tax expenses, and discounted at 10% per annum to reflect the timing of future net revenue. Because we are a limited partnership, we are generally not subject to federal or state income taxes and thus make no provision for federal or state income taxes in the calculation of our standardized measure. Standardized measure does not give effect to derivative transactions.

Tight formation. A formation with low permeability that produces natural gas with low flow rates for long periods of time.

Undeveloped acreage. Lease acreage on which wells have not been drilled or completed to a point that would permit the production of commercial quantities of oil and natural gas regardless of whether such acreage contains proved reserves.

Wellbore. The hole drilled by the bit that is equipped for oil or natural gas production on a completed well.

Working interest. An operating interest that gives the owner the right to drill, produce and conduct operating activities on the property and receive a share of production and requires the owner to pay a share of the costs of drilling and production operations.

WTI. West Texas Intermediate oil, which is a light, sweet crude oil, characterized by an American Petroleum Institute gravity, of API gravity, between 39 and 41 and a sulfur content of approximately 0.4 weight percent that is used as a benchmark for the other crude oils.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward‑Looking Statements

Certain statements and information in this Annual Report may constitute forward‑looking statements. Forward‑looking statements give our current expectations, contain projections of results of operations or of financial condition, or forecasts of future events. Words such as “may,” “assume,” “forecast,” “position,” “predict,” “strategy,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “project,” “budget,” “potential,” or “continue,” and similar expressions are used to identify forward‑looking statements. They can be affected by assumptions used or by known or unknown risks or uncertainties. Consequently, no forward‑looking statements can be guaranteed. When considering these forward‑looking statements, you should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements in this Annual Report. Actual results may vary materially. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward‑looking statements. You should also understand that it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors and should not consider the following list to be a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the results contemplated by such forward‑looking statements include:

All forward‑looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements.

PART 1

Unless the context otherwise requires, references to “Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP,” “our Partnership,” “we,” “our,” “us” or like terms refer to Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP and its subsidiaries. References to “our General Partner” refer to Kimbell Royalty GP, LLC. References to “our Sponsors” refer to affiliates of our founders, Ben J. Fortson, Robert D. Ravnaas, Brett G. Taylor and Mitch S. Wynne, respectively. References to “Kimbell Holdings” refer to Kimbell GP Holdings, LLC, a jointly owned subsidiary of our Sponsors and the parent of our General Partner. References to the “Contributing Parties” refer to all entities and individuals, including affiliates of our Sponsors, that contributed, directly or indirectly, certain mineral and royalty interests to us. References to “our Predecessor” refer to Rivercrest Royalties, LLC, our predecessor for accounting and financial reporting purposes. References to “Kimbell Operating” refer to Kimbell Operating Company, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of our General Partner, which entered into separate services agreements with certain entities controlled by affiliates of our Sponsors and Benny D. Duncan as described herein.

 

Item 1. Business

Overview

We are a Delaware limited partnership formed in 2015 to own and acquire mineral and royalty interests in oil and natural gas properties throughout the United States of America (“United States”). As an owner of mineral and royalty interests, we are entitled to a portion of the revenues received from the production of oil, natural gas and associated NGLs from the acreage underlying our interests, net of post-production expenses and taxes. We are not obligated to fund drilling and completion costs, lease operating expenses or plugging and abandonment costs at the end of a well’s productive life. Our primary business objective is to provide increasing cash distributions to unitholders resulting from acquisitions from our Sponsors, the Contributing Parties and third parties and from organic growth through the continued development by working interest owners of the properties in which we own an interest.

On February 8, 2017, we completed our initial public offering (“IPO”) of 5,750,000 common units representing limited partner interests, which included 750,000 common units pursuant to the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units. The mineral and royalty interests making up the Partnership’s initial assets were contributed to the Partnership by the Contributing Parties at the closing of the IPO. As a result, as of December 31, 2016, the Partnership had not yet acquired any of such assets. Unless otherwise indicated, the financial information presented for periods on or after February 8, 2017 refers to the Partnership as a whole. The financial information presented for the periods on or prior to February 7, 2017, is solely that of the Predecessor, Rivercrest Royalties, LLC, and does not include the results of the Partnership as a whole. However, unless otherwise indicated, the reserve data presented in this report is with the respect to all the assets that were contributed to us by the Contributing Parties in connection with our IPO. The mineral and royalty interests underlying the oil, natural gas and NGL production revenues of the Predecessor represented approximately 11% of the Partnership’s total future undiscounted cash flows, based on the reserve report prepared by Ryder Scott Company, L.P. (“Ryder Scott”) as of December 31, 2016.

As of December 31, 2017, we owned mineral and royalty interests in approximately 3.7 million gross acres and overriding royalty interests in approximately 2 million gross acres, with approximately 35% of our aggregate acres located in the Permian Basin. We refer to these non-cost-bearing interests collectively as our “mineral and royalty interests.” As of December 31, 2017, over 98% of the acreage subject to our mineral and royalty interests was leased to working interest owners (including 100% of our overriding royalty interests), and substantially all of those leases were held by production. Our mineral and royalty interests are located in 20 states and in nearly every major onshore basin across the continental United States and include ownership in over 50,000 gross producing wells, including over 30,000 wells in the Permian Basin. The geographic breadth of our assets gives us exposure to potential production and reserves from new and existing plays. Over the long term, we expect working interest owners will continue to develop our acreage through infill drilling, horizontal drilling, hydraulic fracturing, recompletions and secondary and tertiary recovery methods. As an owner of mineral and royalty interests, we benefit from the continued development of the properties in which we own an interest without the need for investment of additional capital by us.

As of December 31, 2017, the estimated proved oil, natural gas and NGL reserves attributable to our interests in our underlying acreage were 20,954 MBoe (49.2% liquids, consisting of 72.4% oil and 27.6% NGLs) based on the reserve report prepared by Ryder Scott. Of these reserves, 73.1% were classified as PDP reserves, 0.4% were classified as PDNP reserves and 26.5% were classified as PUD reserves. The properties underlying our mineral and royalty interests typically have low estimated decline rates. Our PDP reserves have an average estimated yearly decline rate of 8.8% during the initial five-years. PUD reserves included in this estimate are from 750 gross proved undeveloped locations.

As of December 31, 2016, the estimated proved oil, natural gas and NGL reserves attributable solely to our Predecessor’s interests in its underlying acreage were 2,311 MBoe (48.5% liquids, consisting of 79.0% oil and 21.0% NGLs) based on the reserve report prepared by Ryder Scott. Of these reserves, 58.9% were classified as PDP reserves, 1.5% were classified as PDNP reserves and 39.6% were classified as PUD reserves. The properties underlying our Predecessor’s mineral and royalty interests typically had low estimated decline rates. Our Predecessor’s PDP reserves had an average estimated yearly decline rate of 9.6% during the initial five-years. PUD reserves included in this estimate were from 355 gross proved undeveloped locations.

Our revenues are derived from royalty payments we receive from the operators of our properties based on the sale of oil and natural gas production, as well as the sale of NGLs that are extracted from natural gas during processing. As of December 31, 2017, there were over 700 operators actively producing on our acreage, with our top ten operators (Occidental Permian Ltd., XTO Energy, Inc., Aera Energy LLC (a joint venture of Royal Dutch Shell plc and ExxonMobil Corporation), Devon Energy Production Company, LP, Hess Corporation, Chesapeake Operating, Inc., Protégé Energy III LLC, Jonah Energy LLC, Energen Resources Corporation and SEM Operating) together accounting for approximately 45.03% of our combined net income. As of December 31, 2017, there were 19 rigs operating on our acreage compared to 15 rigs on our acreage as of December 29, 2016. Our revenues may vary significantly from period to period as a result of changes in volumes of production sold or changes in commodity prices.

For the period from February 8, 2017 to December 31, 2017, our revenues were generated 58% from oil sales, 28% from natural gas sales, 11% from NGL sales and 3% from other sales. For the period from January 1, 2017 to February 7, 2017 (the “Predecessor 2017 Period”), our Predecessor’s revenues were generated 55% from oil sales, 36% from natural gas sales and 9% from NGL sales. For the combined year ended December 31, 2017, the revenues were generated 58% from oil sales, 28% from natural gas sales, 11% from NGL sales and 3% from other sales. For the year ended December 31, 2016, our Predecessor’s revenues were derived 60% from oil sales, 30% from natural gas sales and 10% from NGL sales.

Our Assets

We categorize our assets into two groups: mineral interests and overriding royalty interests.

Mineral Interests

Mineral interests are real property interests that are typically perpetual and grant ownership to all the oil and natural gas lying below the surface of the property, as well as the right to explore, drill and produce oil and natural gas on that property or to lease such rights to a third party. Mineral owners typically grant oil and gas leases to operators for an initial three‑year term with an upfront cash payment to the mineral owners known as a lease bonus. Under the lease, the mineral owner retains a royalty interest entitling it to a cost‑free percentage (usually ranging from 20‑25%) of production or revenue from production. The lease can be extended beyond the initial term with continuous drilling, production or other operating activities. When production or drilling ceases on the leased property, the lease is typically terminated, subject to certain exceptions, and all mineral rights revert back to the mineral owner who can then lease the exploration and development rights to another party. We also own royalty interests that have been carved out of mineral interests and are known as nonparticipating royalty interests. Nonparticipating royalty interests are typically perpetual and have rights similar to mineral interests, including the right to a cost‑free percentage of production revenues for minerals extracted from the acreage, without the associated executive right to lease and the right to receive lease bonuses.

We combine our mineral and nonparticipating royalty assets into one category because they share many of the same characteristics due to the nature of the underlying interest. For example, we receive similar royalties from operators with respect to our mineral interests or nonparticipating royalty interests as long as such interests are subject to an oil and gas lease. As of December 31, 2017, over 98% of the acreage subject to our mineral and nonparticipating royalty interests

was leased. When evaluating our business, our management team does not distinguish between mineral and nonparticipating royalty interests on leased acreage due to the similarity of the royalties received by the interests.

Overriding Royalty Interests

In addition to mineral interests, we also own overriding royalty interests, which are royalty interests that burden the working interests of a lease and represent the right to receive a fixed, cost‑free percentage of production or revenue from production from a lease. Overriding royalty interests typically remain in effect until the associated lease expires, and because substantially all the underlying leases are perpetual so long as production in paying quantities perpetuates the leasehold, substantially all of our overriding royalty interests are likewise perpetual.

Business Strategies

Our primary business objective is to provide increasing cash distributions to unitholders resulting from acquisitions from our Sponsors, the Contributing Parties and third parties and from organic growth through the continued development by working interest owners of the properties in which we own an interest. We intend to accomplish this objective by executing the following strategies:

Our Sponsors and their affiliates have extensive experience in identifying, evaluating and completing strategic acquisitions of mineral and royalty interests. In connection with the closing of our IPO, we entered into a management services agreement with Kimbell Operating, which entered into separate services agreements with certain entities controlled by affiliates of our Sponsors, pursuant to which they will identify, evaluate and recommend to us acquisition opportunities and negotiate the terms of such acquisitions. We believe that these individuals’ knowledge of the oil and natural gas industry, relationships within the industry and experience in identifying, evaluating and completing acquisitions will provide us opportunities to grow through strategic and accretive acquisitions that complement or expand our asset portfolio.

We also may have opportunities to acquire mineral or royalty interests from third parties jointly with our Sponsors and the Contributing Parties. In connection with our IPO and pursuant to the contribution agreement that we entered into with our Sponsors and the Contributing Parties, we have a right to participate, at our option and on substantially the same or better terms, in up to 50% of any acquisitions, other than de minimis acquisitions, for which Messrs. R. Ravnaas, Taylor and Wynne provide, directly or indirectly, any oil and gas diligence, reserve engineering or other business services. We believe this arrangement will give us access

to third‑party acquisition opportunities we might not otherwise be in a position to pursue. Please read “Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions, and Director Independence—Agreements and Transactions with Affiliates in Connection with our Initial Public Offering—Contribution Agreement.”

Competitive Strengths

We believe that the following competitive strengths will allow us to successfully execute our business strategies and achieve our primary business objective:

Our Properties

Material Basins and Producing Regions

The following is an overview of the U.S. basins and producing regions we consider most material to our current and future business.

The following tables present information about our and our Predecessor’s mineral and royalty interest acreage, production, and well count by basin. We may own more than one type of interest in the same tract of land. Consequently, some of the acreage shown for one type of interest below may also be included in the acreage shown for another type of interest.

Mineral Interests

The following table sets forth information about our mineral and nonparticipating royalty interests. We combine our mineral and nonparticipating royalty assets into one category because they share many of the same characteristics due to the nature of the underlying interest.

ORRIs

The following table sets forth information about our ORRIs:

Wells

The following table sets forth the well count in which the we had mineral or royalty interest:

 

Oil and Natural Gas Data

Proved Reserves

Evaluation and Review of Estimated Proved Reserves

Our and our Predecessor’s historical reserve estimates as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 were prepared by Ryder Scott, an independent petroleum engineering firm. Ryder Scott is a third-party engineering firm and does not own an interest in any of our properties and is not employed by us on a contingent basis.

Within Ryder Scott, the technical person primarily responsible for preparing the reserve estimates set forth in the reserve report incorporated herein is Mr. Scott Wilson, who has been practicing petroleum-engineering consulting at Ryder Scott since 2000. Mr. Wilson is a registered Professional Engineer in the States of Alaska, Colorado, Texas and Wyoming.

He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines in 1983 and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Colorado in 1985. As technical principal, Mr. Wilson meets or exceeds the education, training, and experience requirements set forth in the Standards Pertaining to the Estimating and Auditing of Oil and Gas Reserves Information promulgated by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and is proficient in applying industry standard practices to engineering evaluations as well as in applying U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and other industry reserves definitions and guidelines. A copy of Ryder Scott’s estimated proved reserve report as of December 31, 2017 is attached as an exhibit to this Annual Report.

Our Chief Executive Officer, Robert D. Ravnaas, has agreed to provide us with reserve engineering services. Mr. R. Ravnaas is a petroleum engineer with over 30 years of reservoir and operations experience. Mr. R. Ravnaas and certain engineers and geoscience professionals under his supervision worked closely with our independent reserve engineers to ensure the integrity, accuracy and timeliness of the data used to calculate our proved reserves relating to our mineral and royalty interests. Mr. R. Ravnaas met with our independent reserve engineers periodically during the period covered by the reserve report to discuss the assumptions and methods used in the proved reserve estimation process. We provide historical information to the independent reserve engineers for our properties such as ownership interest, oil and gas production, well test data, commodity prices and operating and development costs. Operating and development costs are not realized to our interest but are used to calculate the economic limit life of the wells. These costs are estimated and checked by our independent reserve engineers.

Mr. R. Ravnaas is primarily responsible for the preparation of our reserves. In addition, the preparation of our proved reserve estimates is completed in accordance with internal control procedures, including the following:

Under SEC rules, proved reserves are those quantities of oil and natural gas, which, by analysis of geoscience and engineering data, can be estimated with reasonable certainty to be economically producible—from a given date forward, from known reservoirs and under existing economic conditions, operating methods and government regulations—prior to the time at which contracts providing the right to operate expire, unless evidence indicates that renewal is reasonably certain, regardless of whether deterministic or probabilistic methods are used for the estimation. If deterministic methods are used, the SEC has defined reasonable certainty for proved reserves as a “high degree of confidence that the quantities will be recovered.” All of our proved reserves as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 were estimated using a deterministic method. The estimation of reserves involves two distinct determinations. The first determination results in the estimation of the quantities of recoverable oil and gas and the second determination results in the estimation of the uncertainty associated with those estimated quantities in accordance with the definitions established under SEC rules. The process of estimating the quantities of recoverable oil and gas reserves relies on the use of certain generally accepted analytical procedures. These analytical procedures fall into three broad categories or methods: (1) performance‑based methods, (2) volumetric‑based methods and (3) analogy. These methods may be used singularly or in combination by the reserve evaluator in the process of estimating the quantities of reserves. The proved reserves for our properties were estimated by performance methods, analogy or a combination of both methods. All proved producing reserves attributable to producing wells were estimated by performance methods. These performance methods include, but may not be limited to, decline curve analysis, which utilized extrapolations of available historical production and pressure data. All proved developed non‑producing and undeveloped reserves were estimated by the analogy method.

To estimate economically recoverable proved reserves and related future net cash flows, Ryder Scott considered many factors and assumptions, including the use of reservoir parameters derived from geological, geophysical and

engineering data which cannot be measured directly, economic criteria based on current costs and the SEC pricing requirements and forecasts of future production rates. To establish reasonable certainty with respect to our estimated proved reserves, the technologies and economic data used in the estimation of our proved reserves included production and well test data, downhole completion information, geologic data, electrical logs, radioactivity logs, core analyses, available seismic data and historical well cost and production cost data.

Summary of Estimated Proved Reserves

Estimates of reserves as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 were prepared using an average price equal to the unweighted arithmetic average of hydrocarbon prices received on a field-by-field basis on the first day of each month within the year ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, in accordance with SEC guidelines applicable to reserve estimates as of the end of such period. The unweighted arithmetic average first day of the month prices were $51.34 and $42.75 per Bbl for oil and $2.98 and $2.49 per MMBtu for natural gas at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. The price per Bbl for NGLs was modeled as a percentage of oil price, which was derived from historical accounting data. Reserve estimates do not include any value for probable or possible reserves that may exist, nor do they include any value for undeveloped acreage. The reserve estimates represent our net revenue interest in our properties. Although we believe these estimates are reasonable, actual future production, cash flows, taxes, development expenditures, production costs and quantities of recoverable oil and natural gas reserves may vary substantially from these estimates.

The following table presents our and our Predecessor’s estimated proved oil and natural gas reserves:

The foregoing reserves are all located within the continental United States. Reserve engineering is and must be recognized as a subjective process of estimating volumes of economically recoverable oil and natural gas that cannot be measured in an exact manner. The accuracy of any reserve estimate is a function of the quality of available data and of engineering and geological interpretation. As a result, the estimates of different engineers often vary. In addition, the results of drilling, testing, and production may justify revisions of such estimates. Accordingly, reserve estimates often differ from the quantities of oil and natural gas that are ultimately recovered. Estimates of economically recoverable oil and natural gas and of future net revenues are based on several variables and assumptions, all of which may vary from actual results, including geologic interpretation, prices, and future production rates and costs. Please read “Risk Factors.”

Additional information regarding our estimated proved reserves can be found in the reserve report as of December 31, 2017, which is included as an exhibit to this report.

Estimated Proved Undeveloped Reserves

As of December 31, 2017, our PUD reserves totaled 2,179 MBbls of oil, 16,416 MMcf of natural gas and 636 MBbls of NGLs, for a total of 5,552 MBoe. As of December 31, 2016, our PUD reserves totaled 2,331 MBbls of oil, 15,219 MMcf of natural gas and 566 MBbls of NGLs, for a total of 5,434 MBoe. PUD reserves will be converted from undeveloped to developed as the applicable wells begin production.

As of December 31, 2016, our Predecessor’s PUD reserves totaled 404 MBbls of oil, 2,554 MMcf of natural gas and 85 MBbls of NGLs, for a total of 915 MBoe. PUD reserves were converted from undeveloped to developed as the applicable wells began production.

The following tables summarize our changes in PUD reserves (in MBoe):

 

 

Our PUD reserves as of December 31, 2017 were from 402 vertical wells and 348 horizontal wells. As of December 31, 2017, all of our PUD drilling locations are scheduled to be drilled prior to December 31, 2022. As of December 31, 2017, approximately 0.4% of our total proved reserves were classified as proved developed non-producing.

Changes in PUDs that occurred from December 31, 2016 through December 31, 2017 were primarily due to:

 

Of the 349 locations that were drilled in 2017, 109 locations were specifically identified by management in its 2016 reserve estimates. The remaining 240 locations were not specifically identified in managements proved undeveloped forecast, but were included in its reserve estimates as being scheduled to be drilled in 2017. These locations include infill drilling in multi‑well units and in some cases, waterflood response, CO₂ response, well stimulations, flood conformance improvements and pump upgrades. Management’s forecasts for its multi‑well units are based on a multi‑factor analysis that includes reviewing information from state regulatory agencies and other third‑party sources, including publicly disclosed data by the operators, as well as management’s experience with the units.

Oil, Natural Gas and NGL Production and Pricing

Production and Price History

The following table sets forth information regarding our and our Predecessor’s production of oil and natural gas and certain price and cost information for each of the periods indicated:

Productive Wells

Productive wells consist of producing wells, wells capable of production, and exploratory, development, or extension wells that are not dry wells. As of December 31, 2017, the Partnership owned mineral or royalty interests in

over 50,000 productive wells, which consisted of over 40,000 oil wells and over 10,000 natural gas wells. As of December 31, 2016, the Contributing Parties owned mineral or royalty interests in over 48,000 productive wells, which consisted of over 39,000 oil wells and over 8,000 natural gas wells. As of December 31, 2016, our Predecessor owned mineral or royalty interests in over 13,000 productive wells which consisted of over 10,000 oil wells and over 2,000 natural gas wells.

Acreage

Mineral and Royalty Interests

The following table sets forth information relating to the acreage underlying our mineral and nonparticipating royalty interests at December 31, 2017:

The following table sets forth information relating to our acreage for our ORRIs at December 31, 2017:

Drilling Results

As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the operators of our properties had over 50,000 and 48,000 gross productive development wells, respectively, on the acreage underlying our mineral and royalty interests. As of December 31, 2016, our Predecessor owned mineral or royalty interests in over 13,000 productive wells. As a holder of mineral and royalty interests, we generally are not provided information as to whether any wells drilled on the properties underlying our acreage are classified as exploratory. We are not aware of any dry holes drilled on the acreage underlying our mineral and royalty interests during the relevant period.

Competition

The oil and natural gas industry is intensely competitive; we primarily compete with companies for the acquisition of oil and natural gas properties some of whom have greater resources than we do. These companies may be able to pay more for productive oil and natural gas properties and exploratory prospects or to define, evaluate, bid for and purchase a greater number of properties and prospects than our financial or human resources permit. Additionally, many of our competitors are, or are affiliated with, operators that engage in the exploration and production of their oil and gas properties, which allows them to acquire larger assets that include operated properties. Our larger or more integrated competitors may be able to absorb the burden of existing, and any changes to, federal, state and local laws and regulations more easily than we can, which would adversely affect our competitive position. These companies may also have a greater ability to continue exploration activities during periods of low oil and natural gas market prices. Our ability to acquire additional properties in the future will be dependent upon our ability to evaluate and select suitable properties and to consummate transactions in a highly competitive environment. In addition, because we have fewer financial and human resources than many companies in our industry, we may be at a disadvantage in bidding for exploratory prospects and producing oil and natural gas properties.

Seasonal Nature of Business

Generally, demand for oil and natural gas decreases during the summer months and increases during the winter months. Seasonal weather conditions and lease stipulations can limit drilling and producing activities and other oil and natural gas operations in a portion of our operating areas. These seasonal anomalies can pose challenges for the operators of our properties in meeting well drilling objectives and can increase competition for equipment, supplies and personnel during the spring and summer months, which could lead to shortages and increase costs or delay operations.

Regulation

The following disclosure describes regulation directly associated with operators of oil and natural gas properties, including our current operators, and other owners of working interests in oil and natural gas properties.

Oil and natural gas operations are subject to various types of legislation, regulation and other legal requirements enacted by governmental authorities. This legislation and regulation affecting the oil and natural gas industry is under constant review for amendment or expansion. Some of these requirements carry substantial penalties for failure to comply. The regulatory burden on the oil and natural gas industry increases the cost of doing business.

Environmental Matters

Oil and natural gas exploration, development and production operations are subject to stringent laws and regulations governing the discharge of materials into the environment or otherwise relating to protection of the environment or occupational health and safety. These laws and regulations have the potential to impact production on our properties, which could materially adversely affect our business and our prospects. Numerous federal, state and local governmental agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), issue regulations that often require difficult and costly compliance measures that carry substantial administrative, civil and criminal penalties and may result in injunctive obligations for non‑compliance. These laws and regulations may require the acquisition of a permit before drilling commences, restrict the types, quantities and concentrations of various substances that can be released into the environment in connection with drilling and production activities, limit or prohibit construction or drilling activities on certain lands lying within wilderness, wetlands, ecologically sensitive and other protected areas, require action to prevent or remediate pollution from current or former operations, such as plugging abandoned wells or closing earthen pits, result in the suspension or revocation of necessary permits, licenses and authorizations, require that additional pollution controls be installed and impose substantial liabilities for pollution resulting from operations. The strict, joint and several liability nature of such laws and regulations could impose liability upon the operators of our properties regardless of fault. Moreover, it is not uncommon for neighboring landowners and other third parties to file claims for personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by the release of hazardous substances, hydrocarbons or other waste products into the environment. Changes in environmental laws and regulations occur frequently, and any changes that result in more stringent and costly pollution control or waste handling, storage, transport, disposal or cleanup requirements could materially adversely affect our business and prospects.

Non‑Hazardous and Hazardous Waste

The federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as amended (“RCRA”), and comparable state statutes and regulations promulgated thereunder, affect oil and natural gas exploration, development, and production activities by imposing requirements regarding the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, disposal and cleanup of hazardous and non‑hazardous wastes. With federal approval, the individual states administer some or all of the provisions of RCRA, sometimes in conjunction with their own, more stringent requirements. Administrative, civil and criminal penalties can be imposed for failure to comply with waste handling requirements. Although most wastes associated with the exploration, development and production of oil and natural gas are exempt from regulation as hazardous wastes under RCRA, these wastes typically constitute nonhazardous solid wastes that are subject to less stringent requirements. From time to time, the EPA and state regulatory agencies have considered the adoption of stricter disposal standards for nonhazardous wastes, including crude oil and natural gas wastes. Moreover, it is possible that some wastes generated in connection with exploration and production of oil and gas that are currently classified as nonhazardous may, in the future, be designated as “hazardous wastes,” resulting in the wastes being subject to more rigorous and costly management and disposal requirements. Pursuant to a Consent Decree with a coalition of environmental group that filed suit in May2016, EPA must review regulations governing the disposal of certain oil and natural gas drilling wastes under RCRA by March 2019 and either determine revisions to the exemption are not necessary or undertake rulemaking to be completed by July 2021. Any changes in the laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on the operators of our properties’ capital expenditures and operating expenses, which in turn could affect production from the acreage underlying our mineral and royalty interests and adversely affect our business and prospects.

Remediation

The federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, as amended (“CERCLA”) and analogous state laws, generally impose strict, joint and several liability, without regard to fault or legality of the original conduct, on classes of persons who are considered to be responsible for the release of a “hazardous substance” into the environment. These persons include the current owner or operator of a contaminated facility, a former owner or operator of the facility at the time of contamination, and those persons that disposed or arranged for the disposal of the hazardous substance at the facility. Under CERCLA and comparable state statutes, persons deemed “responsible parties” may be subject to strict, joint and several liability for the costs of removing or remediating previously disposed wastes (including wastes disposed of or released by prior owners or operators) or property contamination (including groundwater contamination), for damages to natural resources and for the costs of certain health studies. In addition, it is not uncommon for neighboring landowners and other third parties to file claims for personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by the hazardous substances released into the environment. In addition, the risk of accidental spills or releases could expose the operators of the acreage underlying our mineral interests to significant liabilities that could have a material adverse effect on the operators’ businesses, financial condition and results of operations. Liability for any contamination under these laws could require the operators of the acreage underlying our mineral interests to make significant expenditures to investigate and remediate such contamination or attain and maintain compliance with such laws and may otherwise have a material adverse effect on their results of operations, competitive position or financial condition.

Water Discharges

The federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972 (“Clean Water Act”), the Safe Drinking Water Act (“SDWA”), the Oil Pollution Act (“OPA”), and analogous state laws and regulations promulgated thereunder impose restrictions and strict controls regarding the unauthorized discharge of pollutants, including produced waters and other gas and oil wastes, into regulated waters. The discharge of pollutants into regulated waters is prohibited, except in accordance with the terms of a permit issued by the EPA or the state. The Clean Water Act and regulations implemented thereunder also prohibit the discharge of dredge and fill material into regulated waters, including jurisdictional wetlands, unless authorized by an appropriately issued permit. The EPA has issued a final rule outlining its position on the federal jurisdictional reach over waters of the United States, but this rule has been stayed nationwide by the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals until ongoing litigation regarding the rule is settled. In January 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision determining that only U.S. district courts have jurisdiction to hear challenges to that rule. As a result of that ruling, the Sixth Circuit stay is expected to be withdrawn, although stays issued by district courts in several states will remain in effect. Additionally, on February 28, 2017, President Trump issued an executive order directing the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to review and, consistent with applicable law, to initiate rulemaking to rescind or revise the rule. The

EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published a notice of intent to review and rescind or revise the rule on March 6, 2017. In February 2018, the agencies also published a final rule adding a February 6, 2020 applicability date to the 2015 rule. The final rule adding this applicability date is currently subject to litigation.

In addition, spill prevention, control and countermeasure plan requirements under federal law require appropriate containment berms and similar structures to help prevent the contamination of navigable waters in the event of a petroleum hydrocarbon tank spill, rupture or leak. The EPA has also adopted regulations requiring certain oil and natural gas exploration and production facilities to obtain individual permits or coverage under general permits for storm water discharges, and in June 2016, the EPA finalized effluent limitation guidelines for the discharge of wastewater from hydraulic fracturing.

The OPA is the primary federal law for oil spill liability. The OPA contains numerous requirements relating to the prevention of and response to petroleum releases into regulated waters, including the requirement that operators of offshore facilities and certain onshore facilities near or crossing waterways must develop and maintain facility response contingency plans and maintain certain significant levels of financial assurance to cover potential environmental cleanup and restoration costs. The OPA subjects owners of facilities to strict, joint and several liability for all containment and cleanup costs and certain other damages arising from a release, including, but not limited to, the costs of responding to a release of oil into surface waters.

Noncompliance with the Clean Water Act or the OPA may result in substantial administrative, civil and criminal penalties, as well as injunctive obligations, for the operators of the acreage underlying our mineral interests.

Air Emissions

The federal Clean Air Act, and comparable state laws and regulations, regulate emissions of various air pollutants through the issuance of permits and the imposition of other requirements. The EPA has developed, and continues to develop, stringent regulations governing emissions of air pollutants at specified sources. New facilities may be required to obtain permits before work can begin, and existing facilities may be required to obtain additional permits and incur capital costs in order to remain in compliance. For example, most recently in May 2016, the EPA finalized additional regulations under the federal Clean Air Act that established new emission control requirements for oil and natural gas production and processing operations, which is discussed in more detail below in “—Regulation of Hydraulic Fracturing.” These laws and regulations may increase the costs of compliance for oil and natural gas producers and impact production of the acreage underlying our mineral and royalty interests, and federal and state regulatory agencies can impose administrative, civil and criminal penalties for non‑compliance with air permits or other requirements of the federal Clean Air Act and associated state laws and regulations. Moreover, obtaining or renewing permits has the potential to delay the development of oil and natural gas projects.

Climate Change

In response to findings that emissions of greenhouse gases (“GHGs”), including carbon dioxide and methane, present an endangerment to public health and the environment, the EPA has adopted regulations under existing provisions of the federal Clean Air Act that, among other things, require preconstruction and operating permits for certain large stationary sources. In addition, the EPA has adopted rules requiring the monitoring and reporting of GHGs from certain onshore oil and natural gas production sources on an annual basis. As a result of this continued regulatory focus, future GHG regulations of the oil and gas industry remain a possibility.

Congress has from time to time considered adopting legislation to reduce emissions of GHGs and many states have already taken legal measures to reduce emissions of GHGs primarily through the planned development of GHG emission inventories and/or regional GHG cap and trade programs. Although Congress has not adopted such legislation at this time, it may do so in the future and many states continue to pursue regulations to reduce GHG emissions. Additionally, efforts have been made and continue to be made in the international community toward the adoption of international treaties or protocols that would address global climate change issues. Most recently in 2015, the United States participated in the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, which led to the creation of the Paris Climate Agreement (the “Paris Agreement”). In April 2016, the United States was one of 175 countries to sign the Paris Agreement, which requires member countries to review and “represent a progression” in their intended nationally determined contributions, which set

GHG emission reduction goals, every five years beginning in 2020. The Paris Agreement entered into force in November 2016. In June 2017, President Trump announced that the United States will withdraw from the Paris Agreement unless it is renegotiated. The State Department informed the United Nations of the United States’ withdrawal in August 2017. Under the terms of the Paris Agreement, the earliest possible effective withdrawal date is November 2020.

Restrictions on emissions of methane or carbon dioxide that may be imposed in various states could adversely affect the oil and natural gas industry, and state and local climate change initiatives and, at this time, it is not possible to accurately estimate how potential future laws or regulations addressing GHG emissions would impact our business.

In addition, one potential consequence of climate change could be increased severity of extreme weather conditions such as more intense hurricanes, thunderstorms, tornados and snow or ice storms, as well as rising sea levels. Another possible consequence of climate change is increased volatility in seasonal temperatures. Extreme weather conditions can interfere with production and increase costs and damage resulting from extreme weather may not be fully insured. However, at this time, we are unable to determine the extent to which climate change may lead to increased storm or weather hazards affecting our business.

Regulation of Hydraulic Fracturing

Hydraulic fracturing is an important and common practice that is used to stimulate production of hydrocarbons from tight formations. The process involves the injection of water, sand and chemicals under pressure into formations to fracture the surrounding rock and stimulate production. Hydraulic fracturing operations have historically been overseen by state regulators as part of their oil and natural gas regulatory programs. However, on May 9, 2014, the EPA announced an advance notice of proposed rulemaking under the Toxic Substances Control Act, relating to chemical substances and mixtures used in oil and natural gas exploration or production. Further, in March 2015, the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) adopted a rule requiring, among other things, public disclosure to the BLM of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations after fracturing operations have been completed and would strengthen standards for wellbore integrity and management of fluids that return to the surface during and after fracturing operations on federal and Indian lands. That rule was rescinded in December 2017. In addition, legislation has been introduced before Congress that would provide for federal regulation of hydraulic fracturing and would require disclosure of the chemicals used in the fracturing process. If enacted, these or similar bills could result in additional permitting requirements for hydraulic fracturing operations as well as various restrictions on those operations. These permitting requirements and restrictions could result in delays in operations at well sites and increased costs to make wells productive.

On August 16, 2012, the EPA approved final regulations under the federal Clean Air Act that establish new air emission controls for oil and natural gas production and natural gas processing operations. Specifically, the EPA’s rule package includes New Source Performance Standards to address emissions of sulfur dioxide and volatile organic compounds (“VOCs”) and a separate set of emission standards to address hazardous air pollutants frequently associated with oil and natural gas production and processing activities. The final rule seeks to achieve a 95% reduction in VOCs emitted by requiring the use of reduced emission completions or “green completions” on all hydraulically‑fractured natural gas wells constructed or refractured after January 1, 2015. The rules also establish specific new requirements regarding emissions from compressors, controllers, dehydrators, storage tanks and other production equipment. In May 2016, the EPA finalized similar rules that impose VOC emissions limits on certain oil and natural gas operations that were previously unregulated, including hydraulically fractured oil wells, as well as methane emissions limits for certain new or modified oil and natural gas emissions sources. The EPA is currently reconsidering the rules and has proposed to stay their requirements. However, the rules currently remain in effect.

In addition, governments have studied the environmental aspects of hydraulic fracturing practices. For example, in December 2016, the EPA issued its final report on a study it had conducted over several years regarding the effects of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water sources. The final report, contrary to several previously published draft reports issued by the EPA, found instances in which impacts to drinking water may occur, including situations involving large volume spills and inadequate mechanical integrity of wells. However, the report also noted significant data gaps that prevented the EPA from determining the extent or severity of these impacts. The U.S. Department of Energy has conducted an investigation into practices the agency could recommend to better protect the environment from drilling using hydraulic‑fracturing completion methods. Additionally, certain members of Congress have called upon the U.S. Government Accountability Office to investigate how hydraulic fracturing might adversely affect water resources, the

SEC to investigate the natural‑gas industry and any possible misleading of investors or the public regarding the economic feasibility of pursuing natural gas deposits in shale formations by means of hydraulic fracturing, and the EIA to provide a better understanding of that agency’s estimates regarding natural gas reserves, including reserves from shale formations, as well as uncertainties associated with those estimates. These studies, depending on their degree of pursuit and whether any meaningful results are obtained, could spur initiatives to further regulate hydraulic fracturing under the SDWA or other regulatory authorities.

Several states have adopted, or are considering adopting, regulations that could restrict or prohibit hydraulic fracturing in certain circumstances and/or require the disclosure of the composition of hydraulic fracturing fluids. For example, the Texas Legislature adopted legislation requiring oil and gas operators to publicly disclose the chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process, effective as of September 1, 2011. Further, in May 2013, the Texas Railroad Commission issued a “well integrity rule,” which updates the requirements for drilling, putting pipe down, and cementing wells. The rule also includes new testing and reporting requirements, such as: (i) the requirement to submit cementing reports after well completion or after cessation of drilling, whichever is later; and (ii) the imposition of additional testing on wells less than 1,000 feet below usable groundwater. The well integrity rule took effect in January 2014. Local governments also may seek to adopt ordinances within their jurisdictions regulating the time, place and manner of drilling activities in general or hydraulic fracturing activities in particular or prohibit the performance of well drilling in general or hydraulic fracturing in particular.

There has been increasing public controversy regarding hydraulic fracturing with regard to the use of fracturing fluids, impacts on drinking water supplies, use of water and the potential for impacts to surface water, groundwater and the environment generally. A number of lawsuits and enforcement actions have been initiated across the country implicating hydraulic fracturing practices. State and federal regulatory agencies recently have focused on a possible connection between the hydraulic fracturing related activities, particularly the disposal of produced water in underground injection wells, and the increased occurrence of seismic activity. When caused by human activity, such events are called induced seismicity. In some instances, operators of injection wells in the vicinity of seismic events have been ordered to reduce injection volumes or suspend operations. Some state regulatory agencies, including those in Colorado, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas, have modified their regulations to account for induced seismicity. For example, following earthquakes in and around Cushing, Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission announced plans on November 7, 2016, to shut down or reduce the volume of disposal at certain injection wells that discharge into the Arbuckle formation. Regulatory agencies at all levels are continuing to study the possible linkage between oil and gas activity and induced seismicity. In March 2016, the United States Geological Survey identified six states with the most significant hazards from induced seismicity, including Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, where many of our properties are located. In March 2017, the United States Geological Survey produced an updated seismic hazard survey that forecasted lower earthquake rates in regions of induced activity, but still showed significantly elevated hazards in the central and eastern United States. In addition, a number of lawsuits have been filed, most recently in Oklahoma, alleging that disposal well operations have caused damage to neighboring properties or otherwise violated state and federal rules regulating waste disposal. These developments could result in additional regulation and restrictions on the use of injection wells and hydraulic fracturing. Such regulations and restrictions could cause delays and impose additional costs and restrictions on the operators of our properties and on their waste disposal activities.

If new laws or regulations that significantly restrict hydraulic fracturing and related activities are adopted, such laws could make it more difficult or costly to perform fracturing to stimulate production from tight formations as well as make it easier for third parties opposing the hydraulic fracturing process to initiate legal proceedings based on allegations that specific chemicals used in the fracturing process could adversely affect groundwater. In addition, if hydraulic fracturing is further regulated at the federal or state level, fracturing activities could become subject to additional permitting and financial assurance requirements, more stringent construction specifications, increased monitoring, reporting and recordkeeping obligations, plugging and abandonment requirements and also to attendant permitting delays and potential increases in costs. Such legislative changes could cause operators to incur substantial compliance costs, and compliance or the consequences of any failure to comply by operators could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. At this time, it is not possible to estimate the impact on our business of newly enacted or potential federal or state legislation governing hydraulic fracturing.

Other Regulation of the Oil and Natural Gas Industry

The oil and natural gas industry is extensively regulated by numerous federal, state and local authorities. Legislation affecting the oil and natural gas industry is under constant review for amendment or expansion, frequently increasing the regulatory burden. Also, numerous departments and agencies, both federal and state, are authorized by statute to issue rules and regulations that are binding on the oil and natural gas industry and its individual members, some of which carry substantial penalties for failure to comply. Although the regulatory burden on the oil and natural gas industry increases the cost of doing business, these burdens generally do not affect us any differently or to any greater or lesser extent than they affect other companies in the industry with similar types, quantities and locations of production.

The availability, terms and cost of transportation significantly affect sales of oil and natural gas. The interstate transportation of oil and natural gas and the sale for resale of natural gas is subject to federal regulation, including regulation of the terms, conditions and rates for interstate transportation, storage and various other matters, primarily by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”). Federal and state regulations govern the price and terms for access to oil and natural gas pipeline transportation. FERC’s regulations for interstate oil and natural gas transmission in some circumstances may also affect the intrastate transportation of oil and natural gas.

Although oil and natural gas prices are currently unregulated, Congress historically has been active in the area of oil and natural gas regulation. We cannot predict whether new legislation to regulate oil and natural gas might be proposed, what proposals, if any, might be enacted by Congress or the various state legislatures, and what effect, if any, the proposals might have on our operations. Sales of crude oil, condensate and NGLs are not currently regulated and are made at market prices.

Drilling and Production

The operations of the operators of our properties are subject to various types of regulation at the federal, state and local level. These types of regulation include requiring permits for the drilling of wells, drilling bonds and reports concerning operations. The state, and some counties and municipalities, in which we operate also regulate one or more of the following:

State laws regulate the size and shape of drilling and spacing units or proration units governing the pooling of oil and natural gas properties. Some states allow forced pooling or integration of tracts to facilitate exploration while other states rely on voluntary pooling of lands and leases. In some instances, forced pooling or unitization may be implemented by third parties and may reduce our interest in the unitized properties. In addition, state conservation laws establish maximum rates of production from oil and natural gas wells, generally prohibit the venting or flaring of natural gas and impose requirements regarding the ratability of production. These laws and regulations may limit the amount of oil and natural gas that the operators of our properties can produce from our wells or limit the number of wells or the locations at which operators can drill. Moreover, each state generally imposes a production or severance tax with respect to the production and sale of oil, natural gas and NGLs within its jurisdiction. States do not regulate wellhead prices or engage in other similar direct regulation, but we cannot assure you that they will not do so in the future. The effect of such future regulations may be to limit the amounts of oil and natural gas that may be produced from our wells, negatively affect the economics of production from these wells or to limit the number of locations operators can drill.

Federal, state and local regulations provide detailed requirements for the abandonment of wells, closure or decommissioning of production facilities and pipelines and for site restoration in areas where the operators of our properties operate. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and many other state and local authorities also have regulations for plugging and abandonment, decommissioning and site restoration. Although the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers does not require bonds or other financial assurances, some state agencies and municipalities do have such requirements.

Natural Gas Sales and Transportation

FERC has jurisdiction over the transportation and sale for resale of natural gas in interstate commerce by natural gas companies under the Natural Gas Act of 1938 (“NGA”) and the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978. Since 1978, various federal laws have been enacted which have resulted in the complete removal of all price and non‑price controls for sales of domestic natural gas sold in “first sales.”

Under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, FERC has substantial enforcement authority to prohibit the manipulation of natural gas markets and enforce its rules and orders, including the ability to assess substantial civil penalties. FERC also regulates interstate natural gas transportation rates and service conditions and establishes the terms under which the operators of our properties may use interstate natural gas pipeline capacity, as well as the revenues the operators of our properties receive for sales of natural gas and release of natural gas pipeline capacity. Interstate pipeline companies are required to provide nondiscriminatory transportation services to producers, marketers and other shippers, regardless of whether such shippers are affiliated with an interstate pipeline company. FERC’s initiatives have led to the development of a competitive, open access market for natural gas purchases and sales that permits all purchasers of natural gas to buy gas directly from third party sellers other than pipelines.

Gathering service, which occurs upstream of jurisdictional transmission services, is regulated by the states onshore and in state waters. Section 1(b) of the NGA exempts natural gas gathering facilities from regulation by FERC under the NGA. Although its policy is still in flux, FERC has in the past reclassified certain jurisdictional transmission facilities as non‑jurisdictional gathering facilities, which may increase the operators’ costs of transporting gas to point‑of‑sale locations. This may, in turn, affect the costs of marketing natural gas that the operators of our properties produce.

Historically, the natural gas industry has been very heavily regulated; therefore, we cannot guarantee that the less stringent regulatory approach currently pursued by FERC and Congress will continue indefinitely into the future nor can we determine what effect, if any, future regulatory changes might have on our natural gas related activities.

Oil Sales and Transportation

Sales of crude oil, condensate and NGLs are not currently regulated and are made at negotiated prices. Nevertheless, Congress could reenact price controls in the future.

Crude oil sales are affected by the availability, terms and cost of transportation. The transportation of oil in common carrier pipelines is also subject to rate regulation. FERC regulates interstate oil pipeline transportation rates under the Interstate Commerce Act and intrastate oil pipeline transportation rates are subject to regulation by state regulatory commissions. The basis for intrastate oil pipeline regulation, and the degree of regulatory oversight and scrutiny given to intrastate oil pipeline rates, varies from state to state. Insofar as effective interstate and intrastate rates are equally applicable to all comparable shippers, we believe that the regulation of oil transportation rates will not affect our operations in any materially different way than such regulation will affect the operations of our competitors.

Further, interstate and intrastate common carrier oil pipelines must provide service on a non‑discriminatory basis. Under this open access standard, common carriers must offer service to all similarly situated shippers requesting service on the same terms and under the same rates. When oil pipelines operate at full capacity, access is governed by prorationing provisions set forth in the pipelines’ published tariffs. Accordingly, we believe that our access to oil pipeline transportation services will not materially differ from our competitors’ access to oil pipeline transportation services.

State Regulation

Texas regulates the drilling for, and the production, gathering and sale of, oil and natural gas, including imposing severance taxes and requirements for obtaining drilling permits. Texas currently imposes a 4.6% severance tax on the market value of oil production and a 7.5% severance tax on the market value of natural gas production. States also regulate the method of developing new fields, the spacing and operation of wells and the prevention of waste of oil and natural gas resources.

States may regulate rates of production and may establish maximum daily production allowables from oil and natural gas wells based on market demand or resource conservation, or both. States do not regulate wellhead prices or engage in other similar direct economic regulation, but we cannot assure you that they will not do so in the future. Should direct economic regulation or regulation of wellhead prices by the states increase, this could limit the amount of oil and natural gas that may be produced from our wells and the number of wells or locations the operators of our properties can drill.

The petroleum industry is also subject to compliance with various other federal, state and local regulations and laws. Some of those laws relate to resource conservation and equal employment opportunity. We do not believe that compliance with these laws will have a material adverse effect on our business.

Title to Properties

We believe that the title to our assets is satisfactory in all material respects. Although title to these properties is subject to encumbrances in some cases, such as customary interests generally retained in connection with the acquisition of real property, customary royalty interests and contract terms and restrictions, liens under operating agreements, liens related to environmental liabilities associated with historical operations, liens for current taxes and other burdens, easements, restrictions, and minor encumbrances customary in the oil and natural gas industry, we believe that none of these liens, restrictions, easements, burdens, and encumbrances will materially detract from the value of these properties or from our interest in these properties. Under our revolving credit facility, we have granted the lenders a lien on substantially all of the mineral and royalty interests of our wholly owned subsidiaries.

Employees

The officers of our General Partner manage our operations and activities. However, neither we, our General Partner nor our subsidiaries have employees. In connection with the closing of our IPO, we entered into a management services agreement with Kimbell Operating, which entered into separate services agreements with certain entities controlled by affiliates of our Sponsors and Mr. Duncan, pursuant to which they and Kimbell Operating provide management, administrative and operational services for us, including the operation of our properties. Please read “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance” and “Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions, and Director Independence” As of December 31, 2017, Kimbell Operating has approximately 14 employees performing services for our operations and activities.

Additional Information

We were formed on October 30, 2015 as a Delaware limited partnership. Our principal executive offices are located at 777 Taylor Street, Suite 810, Fort Worth, Texas 76102. We electronically file various reports with the SEC including annual reports on Form 10‑K, quarterly reports on Form 10‑Q, current reports on Form 8‑K and amendments to such reports. The public may read and copy any materials that we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1‑800‑SEC‑0330. The SEC also maintains an internet site that contains reports and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov. Additionally, information about us, including our reports filed with the SEC, is available through our website at www.kimbellrp.com. These reports are accessible at no charge through our website and are made available as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is filed with or furnished to the SEC. Our website and the information contained on that site, or connected to that site, are not incorporated by reference into this report.

 

Item 1A. Risk Factors

There are many factors that could have a material adverse effect on the Partnership’s operating results, financial condition and cash flows. New risks may emerge at any time and the Partnership cannot predict those risks or estimate the extent to which they may affect financial performance. Each of the risks described below could adversely impact the value of the Partnership’s common units.

Risks Related to Our Business

We may not have sufficient available cash to pay any quarterly distribution on our common units.

We may not have sufficient available cash each quarter to enable us to pay any distributions to our common unitholders. Substantially all of the cash we have to distribute each quarter depends upon the amount of oil, natural gas and NGL revenues we generate, which is dependent upon the prices that the operators of our properties realize from the sale of oil and natural gas production. In addition, the actual amount of our available cash we will have to distribute each quarter will be reduced by replacement capital expenditures we make, payments in respect of our debt instruments and other contractual obligations, general and administrative expenses and fixed charges and reserves for future operating or capital needs that the Board of Directors may determine are appropriate.

The amount of cash we have available for distribution to holders of our units depends primarily on our cash flow and not solely on profitability, which may prevent us from paying cash distributions during periods when we record net income.

The amount of cash we have available for distribution depends primarily upon our cash flow and not solely on profitability, which will be affected by non‑cash items. For example, we may have significant capital expenditures in the future. While these items may not affect our profitability in a quarter, they would reduce the amount of cash available for distribution with respect to such quarter. As a result, we may pay cash distributions during periods in which we record net losses for financial accounting purposes and may be unable to pay cash distributions during periods in which we record net income.

Our business is difficult to evaluate because we have a limited financial history.

Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP was formed in October 2015 and we completed our IPO in February 2017. Our Predecessor, Rivercrest Royalties, LLC, was formed in October 2013. We do not have historical financial statements with respect to our mineral and royalty interests for periods prior to their acquisition by the Contributing Parties. As a result, with respect to some of our assets, there is only limited historical financial information available upon which to base an evaluation of our performance.

The amount of our quarterly cash distributions, if any, may vary significantly both quarterly and annually and will be directly dependent on the performance of our business. We will not have a minimum quarterly distribution or employ structures intended to consistently maintain or increase distributions over time and could pay no distribution with respect to any particular quarter.

Investors who are looking for an investment that will pay regular and predictable quarterly distributions should not invest in our common units. Our future business performance may be volatile, and our cash flows may be unstable. Please read “—All of our revenues are derived from royalty payments that are based on the price at which oil, natural gas and NGLs produced from the acreage underlying our interests is sold. The volatility of these prices due to factors beyond our control greatly affects our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash available for distribution.” We do not have a minimum quarterly distribution or employ structures intended to consistently maintain or increase distributions over time. Because our quarterly distributions will significantly correlate to the cash we generate each quarter after payment of our fixed and variable expenses, future quarterly distributions paid to our unitholders will vary significantly from quarter to quarter and may be zero. Please read “Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Unitholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities—Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions.”

Our partnership agreement requires that we distribute all of our available cash, which could limit our ability to grow and make acquisitions.

Our partnership agreement requires that we distribute all of our available cash each quarter. As a result, we will have limited cash available to reinvest in our business or to fund acquisitions, and we will rely primarily upon external financing sources, including commercial bank borrowings and the issuance of debt and equity securities, to fund our acquisitions and growth capital expenditures. As such, to the extent we are unable to finance growth externally, our distribution policy will significantly impair our ability to grow.

To the extent we issue additional units in connection with any acquisitions or growth capital expenditures or as in‑kind distributions, the payment of distributions on those additional units may increase the risk that we will be unable to maintain or increase our per unit distribution level. There are no limitations in our partnership agreement on our ability to issue additional units, including units ranking senior in right of distributions or liquidation to our common units. The incurrence of commercial borrowings or other debt to finance our growth strategy would result in increased interest expense, which, in turn, would reduce the available cash that we have to distribute to our unitholders.

The limited liability company agreement of our General Partner contains restrictive covenants, governance and other provisions that may restrict our ability to pursue our business strategies.

The limited liability company agreement of our General Partner, which is controlled by our Sponsors, contains provisions that prohibit certain actions without a supermajority vote of at least 662/₃% of the members of the Board of Directors, including:

Please read “The Partnership Agreement—Certain Provisions of the Agreement Governing our General Partner.”

The Board of Directors is made up of nine members. Therefore, the vote of four directors would be sufficient to prevent us from undertaking the items discussed above. These restrictions may limit our ability to obtain future financings and acquire additional oil and gas properties. We may also be prevented from taking advantage of business opportunities that arise because of the limitations that these restrictions impose on us. Our inability to execute financings or acquire additional properties may materially adversely affect our results of operations and cash available for distribution.

All of our revenues are derived from royalty payments that are based on the price at which oil, natural gas and NGLs produced from the acreage underlying our interests is sold. The volatility of these prices due to factors beyond our control greatly affects our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash available for distribution.

Our revenues, operating results, cash available for distribution and the carrying value of our oil and natural gas properties depend significantly upon the prevailing prices for oil, natural gas and NGLs. Historically, oil, natural gas and NGL prices have been volatile and are subject to fluctuations in response to changes in supply and demand, market uncertainty and a variety of additional factors that are beyond our control, including:

These factors and the volatility of the energy markets make it extremely difficult to predict future oil and natural gas price movements with any certainty. For example, during the past five years, the posted price for West Texas Intermediate light sweet crude oil, which we refer to as West Texas Intermediate (“WTI”), has ranged from a low of $26.19 per Bbl in February 2016 to a high of $110.62 per Bbl in September 2013, and the Henry Hub spot market price of natural gas has ranged from a low of $1.49 per MMBtu in March 2016 to a high of $8.15 per MMBtu in February 2014. On December 29, 2017, the WTI posted price for crude oil was $60.46 per Bbl and the Henry Hub spot market price of natural gas was $3.69 per MMBtu. The reduction in prices has been caused by many factors, including increases in oil and natural gas production and reserves from unconventional (shale) reservoirs, without an offsetting increase in demand, as well as actions by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to maintain or raise production levels. The International Energy Agency forecasts continued low global demand growth in 2017. This environment could cause prices to remain at current levels or to fall to lower levels.

Any substantial decline in the price of oil, natural gas and NGLs or prolonged period of low commodity prices will materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash available for distribution. We may use various derivative instruments in connection with anticipated oil and natural gas sales to minimize the impact of commodity price fluctuations. However, we cannot always hedge the entire exposure of our operations from commodity price volatility. To the extent we do not hedge against commodity price volatility, or our hedges are not effective, our results of operations and financial position may be diminished.

In addition, lower oil and natural gas prices may reduce the amount of oil and natural gas that can be produced economically by our operators. This scenario may result in our having to make substantial downward adjustments to our

estimated proved reserves, which could negatively impact our borrowing base and our ability to fund our operations. If this occurs or if production estimates change or exploration or development results deteriorate, successful efforts method of accounting principles may require us to write down, as a non-cash charge to earnings, the carrying value of our oil and natural gas properties. Our operators could also determine during periods of low commodity prices to shut in or curtail production from wells on our properties. In addition, they could determine during periods of low commodity prices to plug and abandon marginal wells that otherwise may have been allowed to continue to produce for a longer period under conditions of higher prices. Specifically, they may abandon any well if they reasonably believe that the well can no longer produce oil or natural gas in commercially paying quantities.

Our derivative activities could result in financial losses and reduce earnings.

To achieve a more predictable cash flow and to reduce our exposure to adverse fluctuations in the prices of oil and natural gas, we currently have entered, and may in the future enter, into derivative contracts for a portion of our future oil and natural gas production, including fixed price swaps, collars and basis swaps. We have not designated and do not plan to designate any of our derivative contracts as hedges for accounting purposes and, as a result, record all derivative contracts on our balance sheet at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in current period earnings. Accordingly, our earnings may fluctuate significantly as a result of changes in the fair value of our derivative contracts. Derivative contracts also expose us to the risk of financial loss in some circumstances, including when:

In addition, these types of derivative contracts can limit the benefit we would receive from increases in the prices for oil and natural gas.

We will be required to take write‑downs of the carrying values of our properties if commodity prices decrease to a level such that our future undiscounted cash flows from our properties are less than their carrying value for a significant period of time.

Accounting rules require that we periodically review the carrying value of our properties for possible impairment. Based on specific market factors and circumstances at the time of prospective impairment reviews, and the continuing evaluation of development plans, production data, economics and other factors, we may be required to write down the carrying value of our properties. The net capitalized costs of proved oil and natural gas properties are subject to a full cost ceiling limitation for which the costs are not allowed to exceed their related estimated future net revenues discounted at 10%. To the extent capitalized costs of evaluated oil and natural gas properties, net of accumulated depreciation, depletion, amortization and impairment, exceed estimated discounted future net revenues of proved oil and natural gas reserves, the excess capitalized costs are charged to expense. The risk that we will be required to recognize impairments of our oil and natural gas properties increases during periods of low commodity prices. In addition, impairments would occur if we were to experience sufficient downward adjustments to our estimated proved reserves or the present value of estimated future net revenues. An impairment recognized in one period may not be reversed in a subsequent period even if higher oil and natural gas prices increase the cost center ceiling applicable to the subsequent period.

No impairment expense was recorded for the period from February 8, 2017 to December 31, 2017. The substantial majority of our proved oil and natural gas properties that were acquired at the time of the IPO were recorded at fair value as of the IPO. In accordance with SEC guidance., management determined that the fair value of the properties acquired at the closing of the IPO clearly exceeded the related full-cost ceiling limitation beyond a reasonable doubt and received an exemption from the SEC to exclude the properties acquired at the closing of the IPO from the ceiling test calculation. This exemption was effective beginning with the period ended March 31, 2017 and remained effective through December 31, 2017. A component of the exemption received from the SEC is that we were required to assess the fair value of these acquired assets at each reporting period through the term of the exemption to ensure that the inclusion of these acquired assets in the full-cost ceiling test would not be appropriate. As of December 31, 2017, management determined that the

exemption to exclude these acquired assets from the full-cost ceiling test was appropriate. In making this determination, management considered that the value was based on a transaction conducted in a public offering and that the common units issued by the Partnership as consideration for the properties were attributed the same value as those purchased in the Partnership’s IPO by third-party investors. Additionally, the fair value of the properties acquired at the closing of our IPO was based on forward strip oil and natural gas pricing existing at the date of the IPO and management affirmed that there has not been a material decline to the fair value of these acquired assets since the IPO. The properties acquired at the closing of our IPO have an unamortized cost at December 31, 2017 of $237.2 million. Had management not affirmed the lack of material change to the fair value, the impairment charge recorded would have been $64.3 million as of December 31, 2017. The Partnership will recognize an impairment in the first quarter of 2018 after the exemption has expired, which could materially adversely affect our results of operations for the periods in which such charges are taken.

No impairment expense was recorded by the Predecessor for the period from January 1, 2017 to February 7, 2017 (the “Predecessor 2017 Period”). During the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 our Predecessor recorded a non‑cash impairment charges of approximately $5.0 million and $28.7 million, respectively, primarily due to changes in reserve values resulting from the reduction in commodity prices and other factors.

We depend on unaffiliated operators for all of the exploration, development and production on the properties in which we own mineral and royalty interests. Substantially all of our revenue is derived from royalty payments made by these operators. A reduction in the expected number of wells to be drilled on the acreage underlying our interests by these operators or the failure of these operators to adequately and efficiently develop and operate the underlying acreage could materially adversely affect our results of operations and cash available for distribution.

Because we depend on our third-party operators for all of the exploration, development and production on our properties, we have no control over the operations related to our properties. As of December 31, 2017, we received revenue from over 700 operators. For the year ended December 31, 2017, we received approximately 45.03% of revenues from the top ten operators of our properties. For the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, our Predecessor received approximately 64.2% and 67.8% of its revenues from the top ten operators of its properties, respectively. If these operators do not adequately and efficiently perform operations or act in ways that are beneficial to us, our production and revenues could decline. The operators of our properties are often not obligated to undertake any development activities. In the absence of a specific contractual obligation, any development and production activities will be subject to their sole discretion (subject, however, to certain implied obligations to develop imposed by state law). The operators of our properties could determine to drill and complete fewer wells on our acreage than we currently expect. The success and timing of drilling and development activities on our properties, and whether the operators elect to drill any additional wells on our acreage, depends on a number of factors that will be largely outside of our control, including:

The operators may elect not to undertake development activities, or may undertake these activities in an unanticipated fashion, which may result in significant fluctuations in our oil, natural gas and NGL revenues and cash available for distribution. Additionally, if an operator were to experience financial difficulty, the operator might not be able to pay its royalty payments or continue its operations, which could have a material adverse impact on us. Sustained reductions in production by the operators of our properties may also materially adversely affect our results of operations and cash available for distribution.

The development of our proved undeveloped reserves may take longer and may require higher levels of capital expenditures from the operators of our properties than we or they currently anticipate.

As of December 31, 2017, 26.5% of our total estimated proved reserves were proved undeveloped reserves and may not be ultimately developed or produced by the operators of our properties. Recovery of proved undeveloped reserves requires significant capital expenditures and successful drilling operations by the operators of our properties. The reserve data included in the reserve report of our independent petroleum engineer assume that substantial capital expenditures by the operators of our properties are required to develop such reserves. We typically do not have access to the estimated costs of development of these reserves or the scheduled development plans of our operators. We take into consideration the estimated costs of development or the scheduled development plans from any development provisions in the relevant lease agreement and the historical drilling activity, rig locations, production data and permit trends, as well as investor presentations and other public statements of our operators. The development of such reserves may take longer and may require higher levels of capital expenditures from the operators than we anticipate. Delays in the development of our reserves, increases in costs to drill and develop such reserves or decreases or continued volatility in commodity prices will reduce the future net revenues of our estimated proved undeveloped reserves and may result in some projects becoming uneconomical for the operators of our properties. In addition, delays in the development of reserves could force us to reclassify certain of our proved reserves as unproved reserves.

We may not be able to terminate our leases if any of the operators of the properties in which we own mineral interests declare bankruptcy, and we may experience delays and be unable to replace operators that do not make royalty payments.

A failure on the part of the operators of the properties in which we own mineral interests to make royalty payments typically gives us the right to terminate the lease, repossess the property and enforce payment obligations under the lease. If we repossessed any of the properties in which we own mineral interests, we would seek a replacement operator. However, we might not be able to find a replacement operator and, if we did, we might not be able to enter into a new lease on favorable terms within a reasonable period of time. In addition, the outgoing operator could be subject to bankruptcy proceedings that could prevent the execution of a new lease or the assignment of the existing lease to another operator. In addition, if we enter into a new lease, the replacement operator may not achieve the same levels of production or sell oil, natural gas or NGLs at the same price as the operator it replaced.

Our future success depends on replacing reserves through acquisitions and the exploration and development activities of the operators of our properties.

Our future success depends upon our ability to acquire additional oil and natural gas reserves that are economically recoverable. Our proved reserves will generally decline as reserves are depleted, except to the extent that successful exploration or development activities are conducted on our properties or we acquire properties containing proved reserves, or both. Aside from acquisitions, we have no control over the exploration and development of our properties. In addition, we do not currently intend to retain cash from our operations for capital expenditures necessary to replace our existing oil and gas reserves or otherwise maintain an asset base. To increase reserves and production, we would need the operators of our properties to undertake replacement activities or use third parties to accomplish these activities.

Our failure to successfully identify, complete and integrate acquisitions of properties or businesses would slow our growth and could materially adversely affect our results of operations and cash available for distribution.

We depend in part on acquisitions to grow our reserves, production and cash generated from operations. Our decision to acquire a property will depend in part on the evaluation of data obtained from production reports and engineering studies, geophysical and geological analyses and seismic data, and other information, the results of which are often inconclusive and subject to various interpretations. The successful acquisition of properties requires an assessment of several factors, including:

The accuracy of these assessments is inherently uncertain and we may not be able to identify attractive acquisition opportunities. In connection with these assessments, we perform a review of the subject properties that we believe to be generally consistent with industry practices, given the nature of our interests. Our review will not reveal all existing or potential problems, nor will it permit us to become sufficiently familiar with the properties to assess fully their deficiencies and capabilities. Inspections are often not performed on every well, and environmental problems, such as groundwater contamination, are not necessarily observable even when an inspection is undertaken. Even when problems are identified, the seller may be unwilling or unable to provide effective contractual protection against all or part of the problems. Even if we do identify attractive acquisition opportunities, we may not be able to complete the acquisition or do so on commercially acceptable terms. Unless our operators further develop our existing properties, we will depend on acquisitions to grow our reserves, production and cash flow.

There is intense competition for acquisition opportunities in our industry. Competition for acquisitions may increase the cost of, or cause us to refrain from, completing acquisitions. Our ability to complete acquisitions is dependent upon, among other things, our ability to obtain debt and equity financing and, in some cases, regulatory approvals. Further, these acquisitions may be in geographic regions in which we do not currently hold assets, which could result in unforeseen operating difficulties. In addition, if we acquire interests in new states, we may be subject to additional and unfamiliar legal and regulatory requirements. Compliance with regulatory requirements may impose substantial additional obligations on us and our management, cause us to expend additional time and resources in compliance activities and increase our exposure to penalties or fines for non‑compliance with such additional legal requirements. Further, the success of any completed acquisition will depend on our ability to integrate effectively the acquired business into our existing business. The process of integrating acquired businesses may involve unforeseen difficulties and may require a disproportionate amount of our managerial and financial resources. In addition, potential future acquisitions may be larger and for purchase prices significantly higher than those paid for earlier acquisitions.

No assurance can be given that we will be able to identify suitable acquisition opportunities, negotiate acceptable terms, obtain financing for acquisitions on acceptable terms or successfully acquire identified targets. Our failure to minimize any unforeseen difficulties could materially adversely affect our financial condition and cash available for distribution. The inability to effectively manage these acquisitions could reduce our focus on subsequent acquisitions, which, in turn, could negatively impact our growth and cash available for distribution.

Any acquisitions of additional mineral and royalty interests that we complete will be subject to substantial risks.

Even if we do make acquisitions that we believe will increase our cash generated from operations, these acquisitions may nevertheless result in a decrease in our cash distributions per unit. Any acquisition involves potential risks, including, among other things:

If we are unable to make acquisitions on economically acceptable terms from our Sponsors, the Contributing Parties or third parties, our future growth will be limited.

Our ability to grow depends in part on our ability to make acquisitions that increase our cash generated from our mineral and royalty interests. The acquisition component of our strategy is based, in large part, on our expectation of ongoing acquisitions from industry participants, including our Sponsors and the Contributing Parties. While we believe the Contributing Parties, including affiliates of our Sponsors, will be incentivized through their direct and indirect ownership of common units to offer us the opportunity to acquire additional mineral and royalty interests, including with respect to certain assets for which certain of the Contributing Parties have granted us a right of first offer for a period of three years after the closing of our IPO, should they choose to sell such assets, there can be no assurance that any such offer will be made, and there can be no assurance we will reach agreement on the terms with respect to the assets or any other acquisition opportunities offered to us by any of our Sponsors and the Contributing Parties or be able to obtain financing for such acquisition opportunities. Furthermore, many factors could impair our access to future acquisitions, including a change in control of any of our Sponsors and the Contributing Parties. A material decrease in the sale of oil and natural gas properties by any of our Sponsors and the Contributing Parties or by third parties would limit our opportunities for future acquisitions and could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and ability to pay quarterly cash distributions to our unitholders.

Project areas on our properties, which are in various stages of development, may not yield oil or natural gas in commercially viable quantities.

Project areas on our properties are in various stages of development, ranging from project areas with current drilling or production activity to project areas that have limited drilling or production history. If the wells in the process of being completed do not produce sufficient revenues or if dry holes are drilled, our financial condition, results of operations and cash available for distribution may be materially adversely affected.

Our estimated reserves are based on many assumptions that may prove to be inaccurate. Any material inaccuracies in these reserve estimates or underlying assumptions will materially affect the quantities and present value of our reserves.

It is not possible to measure underground accumulations of oil or natural gas in an exact way. Oil and natural gas reserve engineering requires subjective estimates of underground accumulations of oil and natural gas and assumptions concerning future oil and natural gas prices, production levels, ultimate recoveries and operating and development costs. As a result, estimated quantities of proved reserves, projections of future production rates and the timing of development expenditures may prove to be incorrect.

Our and our Predecessor’s historical estimates of proved reserves and related valuations as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 were prepared by Ryder Scott, an independent petroleum engineering firm, which conducted a well‑by‑well review of all of our properties for the period covered by its reserve report using information provided by us. Over time, we may make material changes to reserve estimates taking into account the results of actual drilling, testing and production and changes in prices. Some of our reserve estimates were made without the benefit of a lengthy production history, which are less reliable than estimates based on a lengthy production history. In estimating our reserves, we and our reserve engineers make certain assumptions that may prove to be incorrect, including assumptions regarding future oil and natural gas prices, production levels and operating and development costs. Any significant variance from these assumptions to actual figures could greatly affect our estimates of reserves, the economically recoverable quantities of oil and natural gas attributable to any particular group of properties, the classifications of reserves based on risk of recovery and estimates of future net cash flows. Numerous changes over time to the assumptions on which our reserve estimates are based, as described above, often result in the actual quantities of oil and natural gas that are ultimately recovered being different from our reserve estimates.

The present value of future net cash flows from our proved reserves is not necessarily the same as the current market value of our estimated reserves. In accordance with rules established by the SEC and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”), we base the estimated discounted future net cash flows from our proved reserves on the twelve‑month average oil and gas index prices, calculated as the unweighted arithmetic average for the first‑day‑of‑the‑month price for each month, and costs in effect on the date of the estimate, holding the prices and costs constant throughout the life of the properties. Actual future prices and costs may differ materially from those used in the present value estimate, and future net present value estimates using then current prices and costs may be significantly less than the current estimate. In addition, the 10% discount factor we use when calculating discounted future net cash flows may not be the most appropriate discount factor based on interest rates in effect from time to time and risks associated with us or the oil and natural gas industry in general.

SEC rules could limit our ability to book additional proved undeveloped reserves in the future.

SEC rules require that, subject to limited exceptions, proved undeveloped reserves may only be booked if they relate to wells scheduled to be drilled within five years after the date of booking. This requirement has limited and may continue to limit our ability to book additional proved undeveloped reserves as the operators of our properties pursue their drilling programs. Moreover, we may be required to write down our proved undeveloped reserves if those wells are not drilled within the required five‑year timeframe. Furthermore, we typically do not have access to the drilling schedules of our operators and make our determinations about their estimated drilling schedules from any development provisions in the relevant lease agreement and the historical drilling activity, rig locations, production data and permit trends, as well as investor presentations and other public statements of our operators.

Restrictions in our secured revolving credit facility and future debt agreements could limit our growth and our ability to engage in certain activities, including our ability to pay distributions to our unitholders.

We entered into a $50.0 million secured revolving credit facility in connection with our IPO. The secured revolving credit facility includes an accordion feature permitting aggregate commitments under the facility to be increased up to $100.0 million (subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions and the procurement of additional commitments from new or existing lenders). Our secured revolving credit facility is secured by substantially all of our assets. Our secured revolving credit facility contains various covenants and restrictive provisions that limit our ability to, among other things:

Our secured revolving credit facility also contains covenants requiring us to maintain the following financial ratios or to reduce our indebtedness if we are unable to comply with such ratios: (i) a Debt to EBITDAX Ratio (as more fully defined in the secured revolving credit facility) of not more than 4.0 to 1.0; and (ii) a ratio of current assets to current liabilities of not less than 1.0 to 1.0. Our ability to meet those financial ratios and tests can be affected by events beyond our control. These restrictions may also limit our ability to obtain future financings to withstand a future downturn in our business or the economy in general, or to otherwise conduct necessary corporate activities. We may also be prevented from taking advantage of business opportunities that arise because of the limitations that the restrictive covenants under our secured revolving credit facility impose on us.

A failure to comply with the provisions of our secured revolving credit facility could result in an event of default, which could enable the lenders to declare, subject to the terms and conditions of our secured revolving credit facility, any outstanding principal of that debt, together with accrued and unpaid interest, to be immediately due and payable. If the payment of the debt is accelerated, cash flows from our operations may be insufficient to repay such debt in full, and our unitholders could experience a partial or total loss of their investment. Our secured revolving credit facility contains events of default customary for transactions of this nature, including the occurrence of a change of control. Please read “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Indebtedness—Revolving Credit Agreement.”

Any significant reduction in our borrowing base under our secured revolving credit facility as a result of the periodic borrowing base redeterminations or otherwise may negatively impact our ability to fund our operations.

Our secured revolving credit facility limits the amounts we can borrow up to a borrowing base amount, which the lenders, in their sole discretion, determine on a semi‑annual basis based upon projected revenues from the oil and natural gas properties securing our loan. The borrowing base is determined based on our oil and gas properties and the oil and gas properties of our wholly owned subsidiaries. We have non‑wholly owned subsidiaries whose assets are not subject to a lien and not included in borrowing base valuations. The lenders can unilaterally adjust the borrowing base and the borrowings permitted to be outstanding under our secured revolving credit facility. Any increase in the borrowing base requires the consent of the lenders holding 100% of the commitments. If the requisite number of lenders do not agree to an increase, then the borrowing base will be the lowest borrowing base acceptable to such lenders. Decreases in the available borrowing amount could result from declines in oil and natural gas prices, operating difficulties or increased costs, declines in reserves, lending requirements or regulations or certain other circumstances. Outstanding borrowings in excess of the borrowing base must be repaid, or we must pledge other oil and natural gas properties as additional collateral after applicable grace periods. We do not have substantial unpledged properties, and we may not have the financial resources in the future to make mandatory principal prepayments required under our secured revolving credit facility.

Our debt levels may limit our flexibility to obtain additional financing and pursue other business opportunities.

Our existing and future indebtedness could have important consequences to us, including:

Our ability to service our indebtedness will depend upon, among other things, our future financial and operating performance, which will be affected by prevailing economic conditions and financial, business, regulatory and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. If our operating results are not sufficient to service our current or future indebtedness, we will be forced to take actions such as reducing distributions, reducing or delaying business activities, acquisitions, investments and/or capital expenditures, selling assets, restructuring or refinancing our indebtedness, or seeking additional equity capital or bankruptcy protection. We may not be able to effect any of these remedies on satisfactory terms or at all.

We do not intend to retain cash from our operations for replacement capital expenditures. Unless we replenish our oil and natural gas reserves, our cash generated from operations and our ability to pay distributions to our unitholders could be materially adversely affected.

Producing oil and natural gas wells are characterized by declining production rates that vary depending upon reservoir characteristics and other factors. Our oil and natural gas reserves and the operators’ production thereof and our cash generated from operations and ability to pay distributions are highly dependent on the successful development and exploitation of our current reserves. As of December 31, 2017, the average estimated yearly five‑year decline rate for our existing proved developed producing reserves is 8.8%. However, the production decline rates of our properties may be significantly higher than currently estimated if the wells on our properties do not produce as expected. We may also not be able to acquire additional reserves to replace the current and future production of our properties at economically acceptable terms, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash available for distribution.

We are unlikely to be able to sustain or increase distributions without making accretive acquisitions or capital expenditures that maintain or grow our asset base. We will need to make substantial capital expenditures to maintain and grow our asset base, which will reduce our cash available for distribution. We do not intend to retain cash from our operations for replacement capital expenditures primarily due to our expectation that the continued development of our properties and completion of drilled but uncompleted wells by working interest owners will substantially offset the natural production declines from our existing wells.

Over a longer period of time, if we do not set aside sufficient cash reserves or make sufficient expenditures to maintain or grow our asset base, we would expect to reduce our distributions. With our reserves decreasing, if we do not reduce our distributions, then a portion of the distributions may be considered a return of part of the unitholders’ investment in us as opposed to a return on the unitholders’ investment.

A deterioration in general economic, business or industry conditions would materially adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and cash available for distribution.

In recent years, concerns over global economic conditions, energy costs, geopolitical issues, inflation, the availability and cost of credit, and slow economic growth in the United States have contributed to economic uncertainty and diminished expectations for the global economy. Meanwhile, continued hostilities in the Middle East and the

occurrence or threat of terrorist attacks in the United States or other countries could adversely affect the economies of the United States and other countries. Concerns about global economic growth have had a significant adverse impact on global financial markets and commodity prices. With current global economic growth slowing, demand for oil, natural gas and natural gas liquid production has, in turn, softened. An oversupply of crude oil in 2015 led to a severe decline in worldwide oil prices. If the economic climate in the United States or abroad deteriorates further, worldwide demand for petroleum products could further diminish, which could impact the price at which oil, natural gas and NGLs from our properties are sold, affect the ability of vendors, suppliers and customers associated with our properties to continue operations and ultimately materially adversely impact our results of operations, financial condition and cash available for distribution.

Conservation measures and technological advances could reduce demand for oil and natural gas.

Fuel conservation measures, alternative fuel requirements, increasing consumer demand for alternatives to oil and natural gas, technological advances in fuel economy and energy‑generation devices could reduce demand for oil and natural gas. The impact of the changing demand for oil and natural gas services and products may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash available for distribution.

Competition in the oil and natural gas industry is intense, which may adversely affect our operators’ ability to succeed.

The oil and natural gas industry is intensely competitive, and the operators of our properties compete with other companies that may have greater resources. Many of these companies explore for and produce oil and natural gas, carry on midstream and refining operations, and market petroleum and other products on a regional, national or worldwide basis. In addition, these companies may have a greater ability to continue exploration activities during periods of low oil and natural gas market prices. Our operators’ larger competitors may be able to absorb the burden of present and future federal, state, local and other laws and regulations more easily than our operators can, which would adversely affect our operators’ competitive position. Our operators may have fewer financial and human resources than many companies in our operators’ industry and may be at a disadvantage in bidding for exploratory prospects and producing oil and natural gas properties.

We rely on a few key individuals whose absence or loss could materially adversely affect our business.

Many key responsibilities within our business have been assigned to a small number of individuals. We rely on our founders for their knowledge of the oil and natural gas industry, relationships within the industry and experience in identifying, evaluating and completing acquisitions. We have entered into a management services agreement with Kimbell Operating, which has entered into separate services agreements with certain entities controlled by affiliates of our Sponsors and Benny Duncan, pursuant to which they and Kimbell Operating provide management, administrative and operational services to us. In addition, under each of their respective services agreements, affiliates of our Sponsors will identify, evaluate and recommend to us acquisition opportunities and negotiate the terms of such acquisitions. The loss of their services, or the services of one or more members of our executive team or those providing services to us pursuant to a contract, could materially adversely affect our business. Further, we do not maintain “key person” life insurance policies on any of our executive team or other key personnel. As a result, we are not insured against any losses resulting from the death of these key individuals.

Increased costs of capital could materially adversely affect our business.

Our business, ability to make acquisitions and operating results could be harmed by factors such as the availability, terms and cost of capital or increases in interest rates. Changes in any one or more of these factors could cause our cost of doing business to increase, limit our access to capital, limit our ability to pursue acquisition opportunities, and place us at a competitive disadvantage. A significant reduction in the availability of credit could materially and adversely affect our ability to achieve our planned growth and operating results.

Loss of our or our operators’ information and computer systems could materially adversely affect our business.

We are dependent on our and our operators’ information systems and computer‑based programs. If any of such programs or systems were to fail for any reason, including as a result of a cyber‑attack, or create erroneous information in our or our operators’ hardware or software network infrastructure, possible consequences include loss of communication links and inability to automatically process commercial transactions or engage in similar automated or computerized business activities. In addition to the service providers who provide substantial services to us under our services agreement

with Kimbell Operating, we rely on third party service providers to perform some of our data entry, investor relations and other functions. If the programs or systems used by our third-party service providers are not adequately functioning, we could experience loss of important data. Any of the foregoing consequences could materially adversely affect our business.

A terrorist attack or armed conflict could harm our business.

Terrorist activities, anti‑terrorist activities and other armed conflicts involving the United States or other countries may adversely affect the United States and global economies. If any of these events occur, the resulting political instability and societal disruption could reduce overall demand for oil and natural gas, potentially putting downward pressure on demand for our operators’ services and causing a reduction in our revenues. Oil and natural gas facilities, including those of our operators, could be direct targets of terrorist attacks, and if infrastructure integral to our operators is destroyed or damaged, they may experience a significant disruption in their operations. Any such disruption could materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash available for distribution.

Title to the properties in which we have an interest may be impaired by title defects.

We may not elect to incur the expense of retaining lawyers to examine the title to the mineral interest. Rather, we may rely upon the judgment of oil and gas lease brokers or landmen who perform the fieldwork in examining records in the appropriate governmental office before attempting to acquire a lease in a specific mineral interest. The existence of a material title deficiency can render an interest worthless and can materially adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and cash available for distribution. No assurance can be given that we will not suffer a monetary loss from title defects or title failure. Additionally, undeveloped acreage has greater risk of title defects than developed acreage. If there are any title defects or defects in assignment of leasehold rights in properties in which we hold an interest, we will suffer a financial loss.

The Contributing Parties have limited indemnity obligations to us for liabilities arising out of the ownership and operation of our assets prior to the closing of our IPO, including title defects.

In connection with our IPO, we entered into a contribution agreement with the Contributing Parties that governs, among other things, their obligation to indemnify us for certain liabilities associated with the entities and assets contributed to us in connection with our IPO. Under the contribution agreement, the Contributing Parties are required, severally but not jointly, to indemnify us (i) for a period of one year following the closing of our IPO, for breaches of specified representations and warranties related to, among other things, (x) their authority to enter into the transactions contemplated by the contribution agreement and (y) the capitalization of the entities that were contributed to us; and (ii) for any federal, state and local income tax liabilities attributable to the ownership and operation of the mineral and royalty interests and the associated entities prior to the closing of our IPO until 30 days after the applicable statute of limitations. In addition, pursuant to the contribution agreement, the Contributing Parties, severally but not jointly, indemnified us for losses arising from certain liens and title defects created during their ownership of the entities and assets contributed to us in connection with our IPO.

Except as otherwise described above, the Contributing Parties are not required to indemnify us for breaches of any other representations and warranties under the contribution agreement, including breaches related to other title matters, consents and permits or compliance with environmental laws, and such other representations and warranties did not survive the closing of our IPO. Moreover, the representations, warranties and indemnities provided by the Contributing Parties are subject to significant limitations, including indemnity caps, and may not protect us against all liabilities or other problems associated with the entities and assets contributed to us. For example, the existence of a material title deficiency covering a material amount of our assets can render a lease worthless and could materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash available for distribution. We do not obtain title insurance covering mineral leaseholds, and our failure to cure any title defects may delay or prevent us from realizing the benefits of ownership of the mineral interest, which may adversely impact our ability in the future to increase production and reserves. Additionally, undeveloped acreage has greater risk of title defects than developed acreage. If there are any title defects, or defects in the assignment of leasehold rights in properties in which we hold an interest, our business, results of operations and cash available for distribution may be adversely affected.

The indemnities that the Contributing Parties agreed to provide under the contribution agreement may be inadequate to fully compensate us for losses we may suffer or incur as a result of liabilities arising out of the ownership and operation of our assets prior to the closing of our IPO. Even if we are insured or indemnified against such risks, we may be responsible for costs or penalties to the extent our insurers or indemnitors do not fulfill their obligations to us, and the payment of any such costs or penalties could be significant. The occurrence of any losses that are neither indemnified for under the contribution agreement nor covered under our insurance plans could materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash available for distribution. Please read “Item 13 Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions, and Director Independence —Agreements and Transactions with Affiliates in Connection with our Initial Public Offering—Contribution Agreement—Indemnification.”

The potential drilling locations identified by the operators of our properties are susceptible to uncertainties that could materially alter the occurrence or timing of their drilling.

The ability of the operators of our properties to drill and develop identified potential drilling locations depends on a number of uncertainties, including the availability of capital, construction of infrastructure, inclement weather, regulatory changes and approvals, oil and natural gas prices, costs, drilling results and the availability of water. Further, the potential drilling locations identified by the operators of our properties are in various stages of evaluation, ranging from locations that are ready to drill to locations that will require substantial additional interpretation. The use of technologies and the study of producing fields in the same area will not enable the operators of our properties to know conclusively prior to drilling whether oil or natural gas will be present or, if present, whether oil or natural gas will be present in sufficient quantities to be economically viable. Even if sufficient amounts of oil or natural gas exist, the operators of our properties may damage the potentially productive hydrocarbon‑bearing formation or experience mechanical difficulties while drilling or completing the well, possibly resulting in a reduction in production from the well or abandonment of the well. If the operators of our properties drill additional wells that they identify as dry holes in current and future drilling locations, their drilling success rate may decline and materially harm their business as well as ours.

We cannot assure our unitholders that the analogies our operators draw from available data from the wells on our acreage, more fully explored locations or producing fields will be applicable to their drilling locations. Further, initial production rates reported by our or other operators in the areas in which our reserves are located may not be indicative of future or long‑term production rates. Because of these uncertainties, we do not know if the potential drilling locations our operators have identified will ever be drilled or if our operators will be able to produce oil or natural gas from these or any other potential drilling locations. As such, the actual drilling activities of the operators of our properties may materially differ from those presently identified, which could materially adversely affect our business, results of operation and cash available for distribution.

Acreage must be drilled before lease expiration, generally within three to five years, in order to hold the acreage by production. Our operators’ failure to drill sufficient wells to hold acreage may result in loss of the lease and prospective drilling opportunities.

Leases on oil and natural gas properties typically have a term of three to five years, after which they expire unless, prior to expiration, production is established within the spacing units covering the undeveloped acres. Any reduction in our operators’ drilling programs, either through a reduction in capital expenditures or the unavailability of drilling rigs, could result in the loss of acreage through lease expirations which may terminate our overriding royalty interests derived from such leases. If our royalties are derived from mineral interests and production or drilling ceases on the leased property, the lease is typically terminated, subject to certain exceptions, and all mineral rights revert back to us and we will have to seek new lessees to explore and develop such mineral interests. Any such losses of our operators or lessees could materially and adversely affect the growth of our financial condition, results of operations and cash available for distribution.

The unavailability, high cost, or shortages of rigs, equipment, raw materials, supplies or personnel may restrict or result in increased costs for operators related to developing and operating our properties.

The oil and natural gas industry is cyclical, which can result in shortages of drilling rigs, equipment, raw materials (particularly sand and other proppants), supplies and personnel. When shortages occur, the costs and delivery times of rigs, equipment, and supplies increase and demand for, and wage rates of, qualified drilling rig crews also rise with increases in demand. We cannot predict whether these conditions will exist in the future and, if so, what their timing and

duration will be. In accordance with customary industry practice, the operators of our properties rely on independent third-party service providers to provide many of the services and equipment necessary to drill new wells. If the operators of our properties are unable to secure a sufficient number of drilling rigs at reasonable costs, our financial condition and results of operations could suffer. In addition, they may not have long‑term contracts securing the use of their rigs, and the operator of those rigs may choose to cease providing services to them. Shortages of drilling rigs, equipment, raw materials (particularly sand and other proppants), supplies, personnel, trucking services, tubulars, fracking and completion services and production equipment could delay or restrict our operators’ exploration and development operations, which in turn could materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash available for distribution.

The results of exploratory drilling in shale plays will be subject to risks associated with drilling and completion techniques and drilling results may not meet our expectations for reserves or production.

The operators of our properties may use the latest drilling and completion techniques in their operations, and these techniques come with inherent risks. Certain of the new techniques that the operators of our properties may adopt, such as horizontal drilling, infill drilling and multi‑well pad drilling, may cause irregularities or interruptions in production due to, in the case of infill drilling, offset wells being shut in and, in the case of multi‑well pad drilling, the time required to drill and complete multiple wells before these wells begin producing. The results of drilling in new or emerging formations are more uncertain initially than drilling results in areas that are more developed and have a longer history of established production. Newer or emerging formations and areas often have limited or no production history and consequently the operators of our properties will be less able to predict future drilling results in these areas.

Ultimately, the success of these drilling and completion techniques can only be evaluated over time as more wells are drilled and production profiles are established over a sufficiently long time period. If our operators’ drilling results are weaker than anticipated or they are unable to execute their drilling program on our properties because of capital constraints, lease expirations, access to gathering systems, or declines in oil and natural gas prices, our operating and financial results in these areas may be lower than we anticipate. Further, as a result of any of these developments we could incur material write‑downs of our oil and natural gas properties and the value of our undeveloped acreage could decline, and our results of operations and cash available for distribution could be materially adversely affected.

The marketability of oil and natural gas production is dependent upon transportation and other facilities, certain of which neither we nor the operators of our properties control. If these facilities are unavailable, our operators’ operations could be interrupted and our results of operations and cash available for distribution could be materially adversely affected.

The marketability of our operators’ oil and natural gas production will depend in part upon the availability, proximity and capacity of transportation facilities, including gathering systems, trucks and pipelines, owned by third parties. Neither we nor the operators of our properties control these third party transportation facilities and our operators’ access to them may be limited or denied. Insufficient production from the wells on our acreage or a significant disruption in the availability of third party transportation facilities or other production facilities could adversely impact our operators’ ability to deliver to market or produce oil and natural gas and thereby cause a significant interruption in our operators’ operations. If they are unable, for any sustained period, to implement acceptable delivery or transportation arrangements or encounter production related difficulties, they may be required to shut in or curtail production. In addition, the amount of oil and natural gas that can be produced and sold may be subject to curtailment in certain other circumstances outside of our or our operators’ control, such as pipeline interruptions due to maintenance, excessive pressure, inability of downstream processing facilities to accept unprocessed gas, physical damage to the gathering system or transportation system or lack of contracted capacity on such systems. The curtailments arising from these and similar circumstances may last from a few days to several months. In many cases, we and our operators are provided with limited notice, if any, as to when these curtailments will arise and the duration of such curtailments. Any such shut in or curtailment, or an inability to obtain favorable terms for delivery of the oil and natural gas produced from our acreage, could materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash available for distribution.

Oil and natural gas operations are subject to various governmental laws and regulations. Compliance with these laws and regulations can be burdensome and expensive, and failure to comply could result in significant liabilities, which could reduce our cash available for distribution.

Operations on the properties in which we hold interests are subject to various federal, state and local governmental regulations that may be changed from time to time in response to economic and political conditions. Matters subject to regulation include drilling operations, discharges or releases of pollutants or wastes and production and conservation matters (discussed in more detail below). From time to time, regulatory agencies have imposed price controls and limitations on production by restricting the rate of flow of oil and natural gas wells below actual production capacity to conserve supplies of oil and natural gas. In addition, the production, handling, storage, transportation, remediation, emission and disposal of oil and natural gas, by‑products thereof and other substances and materials produced or used in connection with oil and natural gas operations are subject to regulation under federal, state and local laws and regulations primarily relating to protection of human health and safety and the environment. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations by the operators of our properties may result in the assessment of sanctions, including administrative, civil or criminal penalties, permit revocations, requirements for additional pollution controls and injunctions limiting or prohibiting some or all of their operations. Moreover, these laws and regulations have continually imposed increasingly strict requirements for water and air pollution control and solid waste management.

Laws and regulations governing exploration and production may also affect production levels. The operators of our properties must comply with federal and state laws and regulations governing conservation matters, including:

Additionally, state and federal regulatory authorities may expand or alter applicable pipeline safety laws and regulations, compliance with which may require increased capital costs on the part of operators and third party downstream natural gas transporters.

The operators of our properties must also comply with laws and regulations prohibiting fraud and market manipulations in energy markets. To the extent the operators of our properties are shippers on interstate pipelines, they must comply with the tariffs of those pipelines and with federal policies related to the use of interstate capacity.

The operators of our properties may be required to make significant expenditures to comply with the governmental laws and regulations described above and are subject to potential fines and penalties if they are found to have violated these laws and regulations. These and other potential regulations could increase the operating costs of the operators and delay production from our properties, which could reduce the amount of cash available for distribution to our unitholders.

The operators of our properties are subject to complex and evolving environmental and occupational health and safety laws and regulations. As a result, they may incur significant delays, costs and liabilities that could materially adversely affect our business and financial condition.

The operators of our properties may incur significant delays, costs and liabilities as a result of environmental and occupational health and safety laws and regulations applicable to their exploration, development and production activities on our properties. These delays, costs and liabilities could arise under a wide range of federal, regional, state and local laws and regulations relating to protection of the environment and worker health and safety. These laws, regulations, and enforcement policies have become increasingly strict over time, resulting in longer waiting periods to receive permits and other regulatory approvals, and we believe this trend will continue. These laws include, but are not limited to, the federal Clean Air Act (and comparable state laws and regulations that impose obligations related to air emissions), the Clean

Water Act and OPA (and comparable state laws and regulations that impose requirements related to discharges of pollutants into regulated bodies of water), the RCRA (and comparable state laws that impose requirements for the handling and disposal of waste), the CERCLA, also known as the “Superfund” law, and the community right to know regulations under Title III of the act (and comparable state laws that regulate the cleanup of hazardous substances that may have been released at properties currently or previously owned or operated by our operators or at locations our operators sent waste for disposal and comparable state laws that require organization and/or disclosure of information about hazardous materials our operators use or produce), the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (which establishes workplace standards for the protection of health and safety of employees and requires a hazardous communications program) and the Endangered Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (and comparable state laws that seek to ensure activities do not jeopardize endangered or threatened animals, fish, plant species by limiting or prohibiting construction activities in areas that are inhabited by such species and penalizing the taking, killing or possession of migratory birds).

Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in the assessment of administrative, civil and criminal penalties, imposition of cleanup and site restoration costs and liens, and, in some instances, issuance of orders or injunctions limiting or requiring discontinuation of certain operations. Additionally, actions taken by federal or state agencies under these laws and regulations, such as the designation of previously unprotected species as being endangered or threatened or the designation of previously unprotected areas as a critical habitat for such species, can cause the operators of our properties to incur additional costs or become subject to operating restrictions.

Strict, joint and several liabilities may be imposed under certain environmental laws, which could cause the operators of our properties to become liable for the conduct of others or for consequences of our operators’ actions that were in compliance with all applicable laws at the time those actions were taken. In addition, claims for damages to persons or property, including natural resources, may result from the environmental and worker health and safety impacts of operations by the operators of our properties. Also, new laws, regulations or enforcement policies could be more stringent and impose unforeseen liabilities, significantly increase our operating or compliance costs, reduce our liquidity, delay or halt our operations or otherwise alter the way we conduct our business. If the operators of our properties are not able to recover the resulting costs through insurance or increased revenues, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. Please read “Business—Regulation” for a description of the laws and regulations that affect the operators of our properties and that may affect us.

Federal and state legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to hydraulic fracturing could result in increased costs and additional operating restrictions or delays.

The operators of our properties use hydraulic fracturing for the completion of their wells. Hydraulic fracturing is a process that involves pumping fluid and proppant at high pressure into a hydrocarbon bearing formation to create and hold open fractures. Those fractures enable gas or oil to move through the formation’s pores to the wellbore. Typically, the fluid used in this process is primarily water. In plays where hydraulic fracturing is necessary for successful development, the demand for water may exceed the supply. If the operators of our properties are unable to obtain water to use in their operations from local sources or are unable to effectively utilize flowback water, they may be unable to economically drill for or produce oil and natural gas, which could materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash available for distribution.

Various federal, state and local initiatives are underway to investigate or regulate hydraulic fracturing. The adoption of new laws or regulations imposing additional permitting, disclosures, restrictions or costs related to hydraulic fracturing or restricting or even banning hydraulic fracturing in certain circumstances could make drilling certain wells less economically attractive to or impossible for the operators of our properties, which could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and ability to pay cash distributions to our unitholders.

Certain governmental reviews have been conducted or are underway that focus on the potential environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing. For example, in December 2016, the EPA released its final report on the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources, concluding that hydraulic fracturing activities can impact drinking water resources under certain circumstances, including large volume spills and inadequate mechanical integrity of wells. These and other ongoing or proposed studies could spur initiatives to further regulate hydraulic fracturing and could ultimately make it more difficult or costly for the operators of our properties to perform fracturing and increase the costs of compliance and doing business. Additional legislation or regulation could also make it easier for parties opposing the

hydraulic fracturing process to initiate legal proceedings based on allegations that specific chemicals used in the fracturing process could adversely affect groundwater. There has also been increasing public controversy regarding hydraulic fracturing with regard to the use of fracturing fluids, impacts on drinking water supplies, the use of water and the potential for impacts to surface water, groundwater and the environment generally. A number of lawsuits and enforcement actions have been initiated at the state level implicating hydraulic fracturing practices. The imposition of stringent new regulatory and permitting requirements related to the practice of hydraulic fracturing could significantly increase our cost of doing business, could create adverse effects on our operators, including creating delays related to the issuance of permits and, depending on the specifics of any particular proposal that is enacted, could be material.

State and federal regulatory agencies recently have focused on a possible connection between the hydraulic fracturing related activities, particularly the disposal of produced water in underground injection wells, and the increased occurrence of seismic activity. When caused by human activity, such events are called induced seismicity. In some instances, operators of injection wells in the vicinity of seismic events have been ordered to reduce injection volumes or suspend operations. Some state regulatory agencies, including those in Colorado, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas, have modified their regulations to account for induced seismicity. For example, following earthquakes in and around Cushing, Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission announced plans on November 7, 2016, to shut down or reduce the volume of disposal at certain injection wells that discharge into the Arbuckle formation. Regulatory agencies at all levels are continuing to study the possible linkage between oil and gas activity and induced seismicity. These developments could result in additional regulation and restrictions on the use of injection wells and hydraulic fracturing. Such regulations and restrictions could cause delays and impose additional costs and restrictions on the operators of our properties and on their waste disposal activities. Please read “Business—Regulation” for a description of the laws and regulations that affect the operators of our properties and that may affect us.

The adoption of climate change legislation and regulations could result in increased operating costs and reduced demand for the oil and natural gas that our operators produce.

In response to findings that emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other GHGs present an endangerment to public health and the environment, the EPA has adopted regulations under existing provisions of the federal Clean Air Act that, among other things, require preconstruction and operating permits for certain large stationary sources. Facilities required to obtain preconstruction permits for their GHG emissions also will be required to meet “best available control technology” standards that will be established on a case‑by‑case basis. These EPA rulemakings could adversely affect operations on our properties and restrict or delay the ability of our operators to obtain air permits for new or modified sources. In addition, the EPA has adopted rules requiring the monitoring and reporting of GHG emissions from specified onshore oil and natural gas production sources in the United States on an annual basis, which include operations on certain of our properties. These requirements could increase the costs of development and production, reducing the profits available to us and potentially impairing our operator’s ability to economically develop our properties. Please read “Business—Regulation” for a description of the laws and regulations that affect the operators of our properties and that may affect us.

Efforts have been made and continue to be made in the international community toward the adoption of international treaties or protocols that would address global climate change issues. For example, in April 2016, the United States was one of 175 countries to sign the Paris Agreement, which requires member countries to review and “represent a progression” in their intended nationally determined contributions, which set GHG emission reduction goals, every five years beginning in 2020. The Paris Agreement entered into force in November 2016. In June 2017, President Trump announced that the United States will withdraw from the Paris Agreement unless it is renegotiated. The State Department informed the United Nations of the United States’ withdrawal in August 2017. Under the terms of the Paris Agreement, the earliest possible effective withdrawal date is November 2020. Similar initiatives or regulatory changes could result in increased costs of development and production, reducing the profits available to us and potentially impairing our operators’ ability to economically develop our properties.

While Congress has from time to time considered legislation to reduce emissions of GHGs, there has not been significant activity in the form of adopted legislation to reduce GHG emissions at the federal level in recent years. In the absence of federal climate legislation, a number of state and regional efforts have emerged that are aimed at tracking or reducing GHG emissions by means of cap and trade programs. These programs typically require major sources of GHG emissions to acquire and surrender emission allowances in return for emitting those GHGs. Although it is not possible at

this time to predict how legislation or new regulations that may be adopted to address GHG emissions would impact our business, any future laws and regulations imposing reporting obligations on, or limiting emissions of GHGs from, our operators’ equipment and operations could require them to incur costs to reduce emissions of GHGs associated with their operations. In addition, substantial limitations on GHG emissions could adversely affect demand for the oil and natural gas produced from our properties. Restrictions on emissions of methane or carbon dioxide that may be imposed in various states, as well as state and local climate change initiatives, could adversely affect the oil and natural gas industry, and, at this time, it is not possible to accurately estimate how potential future laws or regulations addressing GHG emissions would impact our business.

Finally, increasing concentrations of GHGs in the Earth’s atmosphere may produce climate changes that have significant physical effects, such as increased frequency and severity of storms, floods, and other climatic events; if any of these effects were to occur, they could materially adversely affect our properties and operations.

Drilling for and producing oil and natural gas are high‑risk activities with many uncertainties that may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash available for distribution.

The drilling activities of the operators of our properties will be subject to many risks. For example, we will not be able to assure our unitholders that wells drilled by the operators of our properties will be productive. Drilling for oil and natural gas often involves unprofitable efforts, not only from dry wells but also from wells that are productive but do not produce sufficient oil or natural gas to return a profit at then realized prices after deducting drilling, operating and other costs. The seismic data and other technologies used do not provide conclusive knowledge prior to drilling a well that oil or natural gas is present or that it can be produced economically. The costs of exploration, exploitation and development activities are subject to numerous uncertainties beyond our control and increases in those costs can adversely affect the economics of a project. Further, our operators’ drilling and producing operations may be curtailed, delayed, canceled or otherwise negatively impacted as a result of other factors, including:

Any of these risks can cause substantial losses, including personal injury or loss of life, damage to or destruction of property, natural resources and equipment, pollution, environmental contamination or loss of wells and other regulatory penalties. In the event that planned operations, including the drilling of development wells, are delayed or cancelled, or existing wells or development wells have lower than anticipated production due to one or more of the factors above or for any other reason, our financial condition, results of operations and cash available for distribution to our unitholders may be materially adversely affected.

Operating hazards and uninsured risks may result in substantial losses to the operators of our properties, and any losses could materially adversely affect our results of operations and cash available for distribution.

The operators of our properties will be subject to all of the hazards and operating risks associated with drilling for and production of oil and natural gas, including the risk of fire, explosions, blowouts, surface cratering, uncontrollable flows of natural gas, oil and formation water, pipe or pipeline failures, abnormally pressured formations, casing collapses and environmental hazards such as oil spills, natural gas leaks and ruptures or discharges of toxic gases. In addition, their

operations will be subject to risks associated with hydraulic fracturing, including any mishandling, surface spillage or potential underground migration of fracturing fluids, including chemical additives. The occurrence of any of these events could result in substantial losses to the operators of our properties due to injury or loss of life, severe damage to or destruction of property, natural resources and equipment, pollution or other environmental damage, clean‑up responsibilities, regulatory investigations and penalties, suspension of operations and repairs required to resume operations.

If the operators of our properties suspend our right to receive royalty payments due to title or other issues, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash available for distribution may be adversely affected.

Prior to our acquisition of the assets in connection with our IPO and during the year ended December 31, 2017, record title to the mineral and royalty interests was held by various unrelated entities. At the closing of our IPO and each subsequent acquisition, a significant amount of these mineral and royalty interests were conveyed to us or our subsidiaries as asset assignments, and we or our subsidiaries became the record owner of these interests. Upon such a change in ownership, and at regular intervals pursuant to routine audit procedures at each of our operators otherwise at its discretion, the operator of the underlying property has the right to investigate and verify the title and ownership of mineral and royalty interests with respect to the properties it operates. If any title or ownership issues are not resolved to its reasonable satisfaction in accordance with customary industry standards, the operator may suspend payment of the related royalty. If an operator of our properties is not satisfied with the documentation we provide to validate our ownership, it may place our royalty payment in suspense until such issues are resolved, at which time we would receive in full payments that would have been made during the suspense period, without interest. Certain of our operators impose significant documentation requirements for title transfer and may keep royalty payments in suspense for significant periods of time. During the time that an operator puts our assets in pay suspense, we would not receive the applicable mineral or royalty payment owed to us from sales of the underlying oil or natural gas related to such mineral or royalty interest. If a significant amount of our royalty interests are placed in suspense, our quarterly distribution may be reduced significantly. With each acquisition, we expect the risk of payment suspense to be greatest during the immediately succeeding fiscal quarters due to the number of title transfers that will take place.

Risks Inherent in an Investment in Us

Our General Partner and its affiliates, including our Sponsors and their respective affiliates, have conflicts of interest with us and limited duties to us and our unitholders, and they may favor their own interests to the detriment of us and our unitholders. Additionally, we have no control over the business decisions and operations of our Sponsors and their respective affiliates, which are under no obligation to adopt a business strategy that favors us.

Affiliates of our General Partner own or control up to an aggregate of 23.5% of our common units, and our Sponsors indirectly own and control our General Partner. Our General Partner has sole responsibility for conducting our business and managing our operations. Although our General Partner has a duty to manage us in a manner that is in, or not adverse to, the best interests of us and our unitholders, the directors and officers of our General Partner also have a duty to manage our General Partner in a manner that is beneficial to Kimbell Holdings and its parents, our Sponsors. Conflicts of interest may arise between our Sponsors and their respective affiliates, including our General Partner, on the one hand, and us and our unitholders, on the other hand. In resolving these conflicts, our General Partner may favor its own interests and the interests of its affiliates, including our Sponsors and their respective affiliates, over the interests of our unitholders. These conflicts include, among others, the following situations:

Our partnership agreement does not restrict our Sponsors and their respective affiliates or the Contributing Parties from competing with us. Certain of our directors and officers may in the future spend significant time serving, and may have significant duties with, investment partnerships or other private entities that compete with us in seeking out acquisitions and business opportunities and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating time or pursuing business opportunities.

Our partnership agreement provides that our General Partner is restricted from engaging in any business activities other than acting as our General Partner and those activities incidental to its ownership of interests in us. Affiliates of our General Partner are not prohibited from owning projects or engaging in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us. Similarly, our partnership agreement does not limit our Sponsors’ or their respective affiliates’ ability to compete with us and, subject to the 50% participation right included in the contribution agreement that we entered into with our Sponsors and the Contributing Parties in connection with our IPO, neither our Sponsors nor the Contributing Parties have any obligation to present business opportunities to us.

Affiliates of our Sponsors currently hold interests in, and may make investments in and purchases of, entities that acquire and own mineral and royalty interests. In addition, certain of our officers and directors, including the individuals who control our Sponsors, may in the future hold similar positions with investment partnerships or other private entities that are in the business of identifying and acquiring mineral and royalty interests.  In such capacities, these individuals would likely devote significant time to such other businesses and would be compensated by such other businesses for the services rendered to them. The positions of these directors and officers may give rise to duties that are in conflict with duties owed to us. In addition, these individuals may become aware of business opportunities that may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as the other entities with which they are or may be affiliated. Due to these potential future affiliations, they may have duties to present potential business opportunities to those entities prior to presenting them to us, which could cause additional conflicts of interest. Our Sponsors and their respective affiliates are under no obligation to make any acquisition opportunities available to us, except as provided for under the contribution agreement entered into in connection with our IPO.

Under the terms of our partnership agreement, the doctrine of corporate opportunity, or any analogous doctrine, does not apply to our General Partner or any of its affiliates, including its executive officers and directors, our Sponsors and their respective affiliates or the Contributing Parties. Any such person or entity that becomes aware of a potential transaction, agreement, arrangement or other matter that may be an opportunity for us does not have any duty to communicate or offer such opportunity to us. Any such person or entity is not liable to us or to any limited partner for breach of any fiduciary duty or other duty by reason of the fact that such person or entity pursues or acquires such opportunity for itself, directs such opportunity to another person or entity or does not communicate such opportunity or information to us. This may create actual and potential conflicts of interest between us and affiliates of our General Partner and result in less than favorable treatment of us and holders of our common units.

Our General Partner intends to limit its liability regarding our obligations.

Our General Partner intends to limit its liability under contractual arrangements between us and third parties so that the counterparties to such arrangements have recourse only against our assets, and not against our General Partner or its assets. Our General Partner may therefore cause us to incur indebtedness or other obligations that are nonrecourse to our General Partner. Our partnership agreement permits our General Partner to limit its liability, even if we could have obtained more favorable terms without the limitation on liability. In addition, we are obligated to reimburse or indemnify our General Partner to the extent that it incurs obligations on our behalf. Any such reimbursement or indemnification payments would reduce the amount of cash otherwise available for distribution to our unitholders.

Neither we, our General Partner nor our subsidiaries have any employees, and we rely solely on Kimbell Operating to manage and operate, or arrange for the management and operation of, our business. The management team of Kimbell Operating, which includes the individuals who will manage us, also provides substantially similar services to other entities and thus is not solely focused on our business.

Neither we, our General Partner nor our subsidiaries have any employees, and we rely solely on Kimbell Operating to manage us and operate our assets. In connection with our IPO, we entered into a management services agreement with Kimbell Operating, which entered into separate services agreements with certain entities controlled by

affiliates of our Sponsors and Mr. Duncan, pursuant to which they and Kimbell Operating provide management, administrative and operational services to us.

Kimbell Operating also provides substantially similar services and personnel to other entities, including certain of the Contributing Parties, and, as a result, may not have sufficient human, technical and other resources to provide those services at a level that it would be able to provide to us if it did not provide similar services to these other entities. Additionally, Kimbell Operating may make internal decisions on how to allocate its available resources and expertise that may not always be in our best interest compared to those of other entities or other affiliates of our General Partner. There is no requirement that Kimbell Operating favor us over these other entities in providing its services. If the employees of Kimbell Operating do not devote sufficient attention to the management and operation of our business, our financial results may suffer and our ability to make distributions to our unitholders may be reduced.

Our partnership agreement replaces fiduciary duties applicable to a corporation with contractual duties and restricts the remedies available to holders of our common units for actions taken by our General Partner that might otherwise constitute breaches of fiduciary duty.

Our partnership agreement contains provisions that replace fiduciary duties applicable to a corporation with contractual duties and restrict the remedies available to unitholders for actions taken by our General Partner that might otherwise constitute breaches of fiduciary duty under state fiduciary duty law. For example, our partnership agreement provides that:

In connection with a situation involving a transaction with an affiliate or a conflict of interest, any determination by our General Partner or the conflicts committee must be made in good faith. If an affiliate transaction or the resolution of a conflict of interest is not approved by our common unitholders or the conflicts committee and the Board of Directors determines that the resolution or course of action taken with respect to the affiliate transaction or conflict of interest satisfies either of the standards set forth in the third and fourth sub bullet points above, then it will be presumed that, in making its decision, the Board of Directors acted in good faith, and in any proceeding brought by or on behalf of any limited partner or the partnership challenging such determination, the person bringing or prosecuting such proceeding will have the burden of overcoming such presumption.

Our partnership agreement replaces our General Partner’s fiduciary duties to holders of our common units with contractual standards governing its duties.

Our partnership agreement contains provisions that eliminate the fiduciary standards to which our General Partner would otherwise be held by state fiduciary duty law and replaces those duties with several different contractual standards. For example, our partnership agreement permits our General Partner to make a number of decisions in its individual capacity, as opposed to in its capacity as our General Partner, free of any duties to us and our unitholders other than the implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing, which means that a court will enforce the reasonable expectations of the partners where the language in the partnership agreement does not provide for a clear course of action. This provision entitles our General Partner to consider only the interests and factors that it desires and relieves it of any duty or obligation to give any consideration to any interest of, or factors affecting, us, our affiliates or our limited partners. Examples of decisions that our General Partner may make in its individual capacity include:

By purchasing a common unit, a common unitholder agrees to become bound by the provisions in the partnership agreement, including the provisions discussed above.

Holders of our common units have limited voting rights and are not entitled to elect our General Partner or its directors, which could reduce the price at which our common units will trade.

Unlike the holders of common stock in a corporation, our unitholders have only limited voting rights on matters affecting our business and, therefore, limited ability to influence management’s decisions regarding our business. Our unitholders have no right on an annual or ongoing basis to elect our General Partner or its Board of Directors. The Board of Directors, including the independent directors, is chosen entirely by our Sponsors, as a result of such Sponsors controlling our General Partner, and not by our unitholders. Please read “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions, and Director Independence.” Unlike publicly traded corporations, we will not conduct annual meetings of our unitholders to elect directors or conduct other matters routinely conducted at annual meetings of stockholders of corporations. As a result of these limitations, the price at which our common units will trade could be diminished because of the absence or reduction of a takeover premium in the trading price.

Even if holders of our common units are dissatisfied, they cannot initially remove our General Partner without its consent.

If our unitholders are dissatisfied with the performance of our General Partner, they will have limited ability to remove our General Partner. Our General Partner may not be removed unless such removal is both (i) for cause and (ii) approved by the vote of the holders of not less than 662/₃% of all outstanding common units. Affiliates of our General Partner own or control an aggregate of 23.5% of our common units, and our Sponsors indirectly own and control our General Partner.

Our partnership agreement restricts the voting rights of unitholders owning 20% or more of our common units (other than our General Partner and its affiliates, the Contributing Parties and their respective affiliates and permitted transferees).

Our partnership agreement restricts unitholders’ voting rights by providing that any units held by a person that owns 20% or more of any class of units then outstanding, other than our General Partner, its affiliates and their transferees, the Contributing Parties and their respective affiliates and persons who acquired such units with the prior approval of the Board of Directors, may not vote on any matter. Our partnership agreement also contains provisions limiting the ability of common unitholders to call meetings or to acquire information about our operations, as well as other provisions limiting the ability of our common unitholders to influence the manner or direction of management.

Cost reimbursements due to our General Partner and its affiliates for services provided to us or on our behalf will reduce cash available for distribution to our unitholders. Our partnership agreement does not set a limit on the amount of expenses for which our General Partner and its affiliates may be reimbursed. The amount and timing of such reimbursements will be determined by our General Partner.

Prior to paying any distribution on our common units, we will reimburse our General Partner and its affiliates, including Kimbell Operating pursuant to its management services agreement discussed below, for all expenses they incur and payments they make on our behalf. Our partnership agreement does not set a limit on the amount of expenses for which our General Partner and its affiliates may be reimbursed. These expenses include salary, bonus, incentive compensation and other amounts paid to persons who perform services for us or on our behalf and expenses allocated to our General Partner by its affiliates. Our partnership agreement provides that our General Partner will determine the expenses that are allocable to us. The reimbursement of expenses and payment of fees, if any, to our General Partner and its affiliates will reduce the amount of cash available for distribution to our unitholders. Please read “Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Unitholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities— Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions.”

In connection with the closing of our IPO, we entered into a management services agreement with Kimbell Operating, which entered into separate services agreements with certain entities controlled by affiliates of our Sponsors and Mr. Duncan, pursuant to which they and Kimbell Operating provide management, administrative and operational services to us. Amounts paid to Kimbell Operating and such other entities under their respective services agreements will reduce the amount of cash available for distribution to our unitholders. Please read “Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions, and Director Independence —Agreements and Transactions with Affiliates in Connection with our Initial Public Offering—Management Services Agreements.”

Our General Partner interest or the control of our General Partner may be transferred to a third party without unitholder consent.

Our General Partner may transfer its general partner interest to a third party without the consent of our unitholders. Furthermore, our partnership agreement does not restrict the ability of the owner of our General Partner to transfer its membership interests in our General Partner to a third party. After any such transfer, the new member or members of our General Partner would then be in a position to replace the Board of Directors and executive officers of our General Partner with its own designees and thereby exert significant control over the decisions taken by the Board of Directors and executive officers of our General Partner. This effectively permits a “change of control” without the vote or consent of the unitholders.

Unitholders may have liability to repay distributions and in certain circumstances may be personally liable for the obligations of the partnership.

Under certain circumstances, unitholders may have to repay amounts wrongfully returned or distributed to them. Under Section 17‑607 of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act (the “Delaware Act”), we may not pay a distribution to our unitholders if the distribution would cause our liabilities to exceed the fair value of our assets. Delaware law provides that for a period of three years from the date of the impermissible distribution, limited partners who received the distribution and who knew at the time of the distribution that it violated Delaware law will be liable to the limited partnership for the distribution amount. Liabilities to partners on account of their partnership interests and liabilities that are non‑recourse to the partnership are not counted for purposes of determining whether a distribution is permitted.

A limited partner that participates in the control of our business within the meaning of the Delaware Act may be held personally liable for our obligations under the laws of Delaware, to the same extent as our General Partner. This liability would extend to persons who transact business with us under the reasonable belief that the limited partner is a general partner. Neither our partnership agreement nor the Delaware Act specifically provides for legal recourse against our General Partner if a limited partner were to lose limited liability through any fault of our General Partner.

Increases in interest rates may cause the market price of our common units to decline.

While interest rates have been at record low levels in recent years, this low interest rate environment likely will not continue indefinitely. An increase in interest rates may cause a corresponding decline in demand for equity investments in general, and in particular, for yield‑based equity investments such as our common units. Any such increase in interest rates or reduction in demand for our common units resulting from other relatively more attractive investment opportunities may cause the trading price of our common units to decline.

Our General Partner has a call right that may require unitholders to sell their common units at an undesirable time or price.

If at any time our General Partner and its affiliates (including our Sponsors and their respective affiliates) own more than 80% of our common units, our General Partner will have the right, which it may assign to any of its affiliates or to us, but not the obligation, to acquire all, but not less than all, of the common units held by unaffiliated persons at a price not less than the then‑current market price of the common units, as calculated in accordance with our partnership agreement. As a result, unitholders may be required to sell their common units at an undesirable time or price and may not receive any return or a negative return on their investment. Unitholders may also incur a tax liability upon a sale of their units. Our General Partner is not obligated to obtain a fairness opinion regarding the value of the common units to be repurchased by it upon exercise of the limited call right. There is no restriction in our partnership agreement that prevents our General Partner from causing us to issue additional common units and then exercising its call right. If our General Partner exercised its limited call right, the effect would be to take us private and, if the units were subsequently deregistered, we would no longer be subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act. Upon the completion of our IPO, affiliates of our General Partner own or control up to an aggregate of 23.5% of our common units, and our Sponsors will indirectly own and control our General Partner.

We may issue additional common units and other equity interests without unitholder approval, which would dilute existing unitholder ownership interests.

Under our partnership agreement, we are authorized to issue an unlimited number of additional interests, including common units, without a vote of the unitholders. The issuance by us of additional common units or other equity interests of equal or senior rank will have the following effects: