Exhibit 99.2
Cautionary Statement for Purposes of the "Safe Harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
A “safe harbor” for forward-looking statements is provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (Reform Act of 1995). The Reform Act of 1995 was adopted to encourage such forward-looking statements without the threat of litigation, provided those statements are identified as forward-looking and are accompanied by meaningful cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those projected in the statement. Such statements are based on management’s beliefs, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to management. When used in this filing, the words “believe”, “anticipate”, “endeavor”, “estimate”, “expect”, “objective”, “projection”, “forecast”, “goal” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In addition to any assumptions and other factors referred to specifically in connection with such forward-looking statements, factors that could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in any forward-looking statements include, among others, the following:
| · | Factors affecting utility operations such as unusual weather conditions; catastrophic weather-related damage; unusual maintenance or repairs; unanticipated changes to fossil fuel costs; unanticipated changes to gas transportation and storage costs, or availability due to higher demand, shortages, transportation problems or other developments; environmental or pipeline incidents; transmission or distribution incidents; unanticipated changes to electric energy supply costs, or availability due to demand, shortages, transmission problems or other developments; or electric transmission or gas pipeline system constraints. |
| · | Increased competition in the energy industry, including the effects of industry restructuring and unbundling. |
| · | Regulatory factors such as unanticipated changes in rate-setting policies or procedures, recovery of investments and costs made under traditional regulation, and the frequency and timing of rate increases. |
| · | Financial, regulatory or accounting principles or policies imposed by the Financial Accounting Standards Board; the Securities and Exchange Commission; the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; state public utility commissions; state entities which regulate electric and natural gas transmission and distribution, natural gas gathering and processing, electric power supply; and similar entities with regulatory oversight. |
| · | Economic conditions including the effects of an economic downturn, inflation rates, commodity prices, and monetary fluctuations. |
| · | Increased natural gas commodity prices and the potential impact on customer consumption, uncollectible accounts expense, unaccounted for gas and interest expense. |
| · | Changing market conditions and a variety of other factors associated with physical energy and financial trading activities including, but not limited to, price, basis, credit, liquidity, volatility, capacity, interest rate, and warranty risks. |
| · | The performance of projects undertaken by the Company’s nonutility businesses and the success of efforts to invest in and develop new opportunities, including but not limited to, the realization of synfuel income tax credits and the Company’s coal mining, gas marketing, and energy infrastructure strategies. |
| · | Direct or indirect effects on the Company’s business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations resulting from changes in credit ratings, changes in interest rates, and/or changes in market perceptions of the utility industry and other energy-related industries. |
| · | Employee or contractor workforce factors including changes in key executives, collective bargaining agreements with union employees, aging workforce issues, or work stoppages. |
| · | Legal and regulatory delays and other obstacles associated with mergers, acquisitions and investments in joint ventures. |
| · | Costs, fines, penalties and other effects of legal and administrative proceedings, settlements, investigations, claims, including, but not limited to, such matters involving compliance with state and federal laws and interpretations of these laws. |
| · | Changes in federal, state or local legislative requirements, such as changes in tax laws or rates, environmental laws, including laws governing greenhouse gases, mandates of sources of renewable energy, and other regulations. |
The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of changes in actual results, changes in assumptions, or other factors affecting such statements.