RISK FACTORS
You should carefully consider the risk factors set forth below as well as the other information contained in this prospectus before deciding to participate in the exchange offers. Any of these risks could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results or cash flows; however, these risks are not our only risks. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or those we currently view to be immaterial also may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. In such a case, the trading price of the exchange notes could decline or we may not be able to make payments of interest and principal on the exchange notes, and you may lose all or part of your original investment.
Risks Related to Regulatory and Legislative Matters
Our business is subject to ongoing complex governmental regulations and legislation that have impacted, and will continue in the future to impact, our business and results of operations.
As a regulated electricity transmission and distribution company, our business is subject to numerous local, state, and federal laws (including PURA, certain provisions of the Federal Power Act, the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Code and ERISA), executive orders issued by the President of the U.S. and the Governor of Texas, governmental policies, regulations, and administrative actions by the PUCT and other governmental authorities (including NERC, Texas RE, the TCEQ, the FERC, the EPA, and the SEC). As an ERCOT member utility, we are also subject to ERCOT rules, guidelines, directives, and protocols for transmission and distribution utilities operating in ERCOT. We must continually adapt to any new or revised or reinterpreted laws, policies, regulations, rules, guidelines, directives, and protocols and administrative actions, any of which could expose us to increased costs, expenses, and employee time and effort needed to comply, and have a material and adverse effect on our business, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition, results of operations and/or business prospects.
In addition, if it is determined that we did not comply with applicable laws, statutes, regulations, rules, directives, tariffs or orders and we are ordered to pay a material amount in penalties, customer/rate payer refunds, or other amounts, our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our reputation could be materially and adversely affected. For example, under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the FERC can impose penalties (up to $1 million per day per violation) for failure to comply with mandatory electric reliability standards, including standards to protect the power system against potential disruptions from cyber and physical security breaches. In addition, the PUCT may impose penalties on us if it finds that we violated PURA or any PUCT rule or order adopted under PURA. The PUCT has the authority to impose penalties of up to $1 million per day for failure to meet certain weatherization requirements and up to $25,000 per day per violation for other violations.
Negative public perception of us or our industry could also result in laws, regulations, governmental/regulatory investigations, and administrative actions that could have a material adverse effect on us. The Texas Legislature operates under a biennial system and meets in regular session in every odd-numbered year and during special sessions called by the Governor of Texas. During any regular or special session, the Texas Legislature may hold hearings relevant to our business and bills may be introduced that, if adopted, could materially and adversely affect our business and our business prospects. In 2023, the Texas Legislature passed various legislation impacting the electric industry that could have a significant impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. However, there can be no assurance that any anticipated impacts of such legislation will be at, or near, the levels anticipated by management, or realized at all, or in the anticipated timeframes.
Our business is subject to rate regulation, and the regulatory review process could materially adversely impact our financial condition, cash flows, and results of operations, including by limiting our ability to fully recover costs, reducing the rate we earn on invested capital, or negatively impacting the timing and amount of assets we can recover in rates.
The rates we charge are regulated by the PUCT and certain cities and are subject to cost-of-service regulation and earnings oversight. This regulatory treatment does not provide assurance as to achievement of earnings levels or recovery of actual costs. Our rates are based on an analysis of our costs and capital structure in a designated historical test year, as reviewed and approved in a regulatory proceeding. As a result, the rates we are allowed to charge will generally not exactly match our costs at a given point in time, which is often referred to as regulatory lag, and which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows, and results of operations.
Interim DCRF and TCOS rate adjustments, also known as capital trackers, have been implemented to help reduce regulatory lag and allow us to recover, subject to reconciliation, the cost of certain distribution and transmission investments, respectively, before the investments are considered for prudency in a base rate review. Under PUCT rules, we can file up to two interim DCRF rate adjustment applications in a calendar year for certain distribution-related investments and up to two interim TCOS rate adjustment applications in a calendar year to reflect changes in certain transmission-related investments.
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