There is no legal, regulatory, or market definition of or standardized criteria for what constitutes a “green,” “social,” “sustainable” or other equivalently labeled project and any such designations made by third parties with respect to the First Mortgage Bonds may not be suitable for the investment criteria of an investor.
There is currently no clear definition (legal, regulatory, or otherwise) of, nor market consensus as to what constitutes, a “green,” “social,” “sustainable” or an equivalently labeled project, or as to what precise attributes are required for a particular project to be defined as “green,” “social,” “sustainable” or such other equivalent label, nor can any assurance be given that such a clear definition or consensus will develop over time or, if such definition or consensus develops in the future, that the Eligible Projects will meet such criteria. Accordingly, no assurance is or can be given to investors that any Eligible Projects selected to receive an allocation of funds from the net proceeds of the First Mortgage Bonds will meet all or any investor expectations regarding such green, social, sustainable or other equivalently labeled performance objectives, or that any adverse environmental, social, and/or other impacts will not occur from the implementation of any Eligible Projects financed, in whole or in part, by the net proceeds from the sale of the First Mortgage Bonds.
We have received a second party opinion from an external reviewer regarding the Framework, which has been made publicly available. No assurance or representation is given as to the suitability or reliability for any purpose whatsoever of any opinion or certification of, or any report concerning any review by, any third party (whether or not solicited by us) that will be made available in connection with the issuance of the First Mortgage Bonds, in particular as it relates to the ability of an Eligible Project to fulfill any environmental, social, sustainability or other criteria. No such opinion, certification or report is, nor should it be deemed to be, a recommendation by us, any underwriter with respect to the First Mortgage Bonds or any other person to buy, sell or hold the First Mortgage Bonds. Any such opinion, certification or report is only current as of the date it was initially issued. Prospective investors must determine for themselves the relevance of any such opinion, certification or report, the information contained therein and the provider thereof for the purpose of any investment in the First Mortgage Bonds. For the avoidance of doubt, no such opinion, certification or report is, nor shall it be deemed to be, incorporated into this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any other filing with the SEC. The withdrawal of any such opinion or certification or any additional opinion or certification attesting that we are not complying in whole or in part with any matters for which such opinion or certification is opining or certifying may have a material adverse effect on the trading prices of the First Mortgage Bonds and/or result in adverse consequences for certain investors with mandates to invest in securities to be used for a particular purpose.
The trading prices of the First Mortgage Bonds may be negatively affected to the extent that perception by investors of the suitability of the First Mortgage Bonds as “green” First Mortgage Bonds deteriorates or demand for sustainability-themed investment products diminishes.
Perception by investors of the suitability of the First Mortgage Bonds as “green” bonds could be negatively affected by dissatisfaction with our compliance with the Framework, controversies involving the environmental or sustainability impact of our business or industry, evolving standards or market consensus as to what constitutes a “green” bond or the desirability of investing in “green” bonds or any opinion or certification as to the suitability of the First Mortgage Bonds as “green” bonds no longer being in effect. None of the underwriters, the trustee or any stock exchange, securities market segment or regulatory body makes any representation as to the suitability of the bonds to meet or fulfill environmental and/or sustainability criteria, expectations, impact or performance required by prospective investors, any third party reviewer or opinion provider or any stock exchange or securities market. The trading prices of the First Mortgage Bonds may be also negatively affected to the extent investors are required or choose to sell their holdings due to deterioration in the perception by the investors or the market in general as to the suitability of these First Mortgage Bonds as “green” bonds. The trading prices of the First Mortgage Bonds may be also negatively affected to the extent demand for sustainability-themed investment products diminishes due to evolving investor preferences, increased regulatory or market scrutiny on funds and strategies dedicated to sustainability or environmental, social or governance themed investing or for other reasons.
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