| Safe Harbor For Forward Looking Statements This presentation may contain "forward-looking statements" as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding future prospects, plans, performance and capital structure, anticipated capital expenditures and completion of construction projects, as well as statements that are identified by the use of the words "anticipates," "estimates," "expects," "forecasts," "intends," "plans," "predicts," "projects," "believes," "seeks," "will," "may," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. The Company's expectations, beliefs and projections contained herein are expressed in good faith and are believed to have a reasonable basis, but there can be no assurance that such expectations, beliefs or projections will result or be achieved or accomplished. In addition to other factors, the following are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from results referred to in the forward-looking statements: financial and economic conditions, including the availability of credit, and occurrences affecting the Company's ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms for working capital, capital expenditures and other investments, including any downgrades in the Company's credit ratings and changes in interest rates and other capital market conditions; changes in economic conditions, including global, national or regional recessions, and their effect on the demand for, and customers' ability to pay for, the Company's products and services; the creditworthiness or performance of the Company's key suppliers, customers and counterparties; economic disruptions or uninsured losses resulting from terrorist activities, acts of war, major accidents, fires, hurricanes, other severe weather, pest infestation or other natural disasters; factors affecting the Company's ability to successfully identify, drill for and produce economically viable natural gas and oil reserves, including among others geology, lease availability, weather conditions, shortages, delays or unavailability of equipment and services required in drilling operations, insufficient gathering, processing and transportation capacity, the need to obtain governmental approvals and permits, and compliance with environmental laws and regulations; changes in laws and regulations to which the Company is subject, including those involving derivatives, taxes, safety, employment, climate change, other environmental matters, and exploration and production activities such as hydraulic fracturing; uncertainty of oil and gas reserve estimates; significant differences between the Company's projected and actual production levels for natural gas or oil; significant changes in market dynamics or competitive factors affecting the Company's ability to retain existing customers or obtain new customers; changes in demographic patterns and weather conditions; changes in the availability and/or price of natural gas or oil and the effect of such changes on the accounting treatment of derivative financial instruments; impairments under the SEC's full cost ceiling test for natural gas and oil reserves; changes in the availability and/or cost of derivative financial instruments; changes in the price differential between similar quantities of natural gas at different geographic locations, and the effect of such changes on the demand for pipeline transportation capacity to or from such locations; other changes in price differentials between similar quantities of oil or natural gas having different quality, heating value or geographic location; changes in the projected profitability of pending or potential projects, investments or transactions; significant differences between the Company's projected and actual capital expenditures and operating expenses; delays or changes in costs or plans with respect to the Company's projects or related projects of other companies, including difficulties or delays in obtaining necessary governmental approvals, permits or orders or in obtaining the cooperation of interconnecting facility operators; governmental/regulatory actions, initiatives and proceedings, including those involving derivatives, acquisitions, financings, rate cases (which address, among other things, allowed rates of return, rate design and retained natural gas), affiliate relationships, industry structure, franchise renewal, and environmental/safety requirements; unanticipated impacts of restructuring initiatives in the natural gas and electric industries; ability to successfully identify and finance acquisitions or other investments and ability to operate and integrate existing and any subsequently acquired business or properties; changes in actuarial assumptions, the interest rate environment and the return on plan/trust assets related to the Company's pension and other post- retirement benefits, which can affect future funding obligations and costs and plan liabilities; significant changes in tax rates or policies or in rates of inflation or interest; significant changes in the Company's relationship with its employees or contractors and the potential adverse effects if labor disputes, grievances or shortages were to occur; changes in accounting principles or the application of such principles to the Company; the cost and effects of legal and administrative claims against the Company or activist shareholder campaigns to effect changes at the Company; increasing health care costs and the resulting effect on health insurance premiums and on the obligation to provide other post-retirement benefits; or increasing costs of insurance, changes in coverage and the ability to obtain insurance. Forward-looking statements include estimates of oil and gas quantities. Proved oil and gas reserves are those quantities of oil and gas which, by analysis of geoscience and engineering data, can be estimated with reasonable certainty to be economically producible under existing economic conditions, operating methods and government regulations. Other estimates of oil and gas quantities, including estimates of probable reserves, possible reserves, and resource potential, are by their nature more speculative than estimates of proved reserves. Accordingly, estimates other than proved reserves are subject to substantially greater risk of being actually realized. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 10-K available at www.nationalfuelgas.com. You can also obtain this form on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. For a discussion of the risks set forth above and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from results referred to in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2010 and the Company's Form 10-Q for the period ended December 31, 2010. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward- looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. |
