CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents we incorporate by reference herein and therein contain statements which constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (“Reform Act”). All statements other than statements of historical fact included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company’s (or our parent’s) plans, objectives, goals, intentions, projections, strategies, future events or performance, negotiations, and underlying assumptions. The words “may,” “if,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “continue,” “forecast,” “intend,” “endeavor,” “promote,” “seek,” and similar words and expressions are generally used and intended to identify forward-looking statements. For example, statements regarding plans to review strategic alternatives to maximize stockholder value, refinance near-term maturities, those regarding operating margin patterns, customer growth, the composition of our customer base, price volatility, seasonal patterns, payment of debt, the Company’s company-owned life insurance strategy, replacement market and new construction market, our intent and ability to complete planned acquisitions or divestitures and at amounts originally set out, impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, including on our employees, customers, or otherwise, our financial position, revenue, earnings, cash flows, debt covenants, operations, regulatory recovery, work deployment or resumption and related uncertainties stemming from this pandemic or otherwise, the impacts of U.S. tax reform including disposition in any regulatory proceeding and bonus depreciation tax deductions, the impact of recent Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration rulemaking, the amounts and timing for completion of estimated future construction expenditures, plans to pursue infrastructure programs or programs under SB151 legislation, forecasted operating cash flows and results of operations, net earnings impacts or recovery of costs from gas infrastructure replacement and Customer-owned Yard Line programs and surcharges, funding sources of cash requirements, amounts generally expected to be reflected in future period revenues from regulatory rate proceedings including amounts requested or settled from recent and ongoing general rate cases or other regulatory proceedings, rates and surcharges, purchase gas adjustment administration and recovery, and other rate adjustments, sufficiency of working capital and current credit facilities, bank lending practices, our parent’s views regarding its liquidity position, ability to raise funds and receive external financing capacity and the intent and ability to issue various financing instruments and stock under its existing at-the-market equity program or otherwise, future dividend increases and our parent company’s board of directors’ current target dividend payout ratio, pension and postretirement benefits, certain impacts of tax acts, the effect of any other rate changes or regulatory proceedings, contract or construction change order negotiations, impacts of accounting standard updates, statements regarding future gas prices, gas purchase contracts and pipeline imbalance charges or claims related thereto, recoverability of regulatory assets, the impact of certain legal proceedings or claims, and the timing and results of future rate hearings, including any ongoing or future general rate cases and other proceedings, and statements regarding pending approvals are forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are intended to be subject to the safe harbor protection provided by the Reform Act.
A number of important factors affecting the business and financial results of the Company could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated in the forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, customer growth rates, conditions in the housing market, the impacts of COVID-19 including that which may result from a continued or resumed restriction by government officials or otherwise, including impacts on employment in our territories, impacts related to supply chains, the health impacts to our customers and employees due to the virus or virus variants or efficacy of vaccines, the ability to collect on customer accounts due to the suspension or lifted moratorium on late fees or service disconnection in any or all jurisdictions, the impacts of future restrictions placed on our business by government regulation or otherwise, the impact of a resurgence of the virus or its variants, the effects of regulation/deregulation, governmental or regulatory policy regarding pipeline safety, greenhouse gas emissions, natural gas or alternative energy, the regulatory support for ongoing infrastructure programs or expansions, the timing and amount of rate relief, the timing and methods determined by regulators to refund amounts to customers resulting from U.S. tax reform, changes in rate design, variability in volume of gas or transportation service sold to customers, changes in gas
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