EX-99.1 7 h40686exv99w1.txt ITEMS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE EXHIBIT 99.1 ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS RISK FACTORS AFFECTING OUR BUSINESSES RATE REGULATION OF OUR BUSINESS MAY DELAY OR DENY OUR ABILITY TO EARN A REASONABLE RETURN AND FULLY RECOVER OUR COSTS. Our rates for our local distribution companies are regulated by certain municipalities and state commissions, and for our interstate pipelines by the FERC, based on an analysis of our invested capital and our expenses in a test year. Thus, the rates that we are allowed to charge may not match our expenses at any given time. The regulatory process in which rates are determined may not always result in rates that will produce full recovery of our costs and enable us to earn a reasonable return on our invested capital. OUR BUSINESSES MUST COMPETE WITH ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES, WHICH COULD LEAD TO LESS NATURAL GAS BEING MARKETED, AND OUR PIPELINES AND FIELD SERVICES BUSINESSES MUST COMPETE DIRECTLY WITH OTHERS IN THE TRANSPORTATION, STORAGE, GATHERING, TREATING AND PROCESSING OF NATURAL GAS, WHICH COULD LEAD TO LOWER PRICES, EITHER OF WHICH COULD HAVE AN ADVERSE IMPACT ON OUR RESULTS OF OPERATIONS, FINANCIAL CONDITION AND CASH FLOWS. We compete primarily with alternate energy sources such as electricity and other fuel sources. In some areas, intrastate pipelines, other natural gas distributors and marketers also compete directly with us for natural gas sales to end-users. In addition, as a result of federal regulatory changes affecting interstate pipelines, natural gas marketers operating on these pipelines may be able to bypass our facilities and market, sell and/or transport natural gas directly to commercial and industrial customers. Any reduction in the amount of natural gas marketed, sold or transported by us as a result of competition may have an adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Our two interstate pipelines and our gathering systems compete with other interstate and intrastate pipelines and gathering systems in the transportation and storage of natural gas. The principal elements of competition are rates, terms of service, and flexibility and reliability of service. They also compete indirectly with other forms of energy, including electricity, coal and fuel oils. The primary competitive factor is price. The actions of our competitors could lead to lower prices, which may have an adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. OUR NATURAL GAS DISTRIBUTION AND COMPETITIVE NATURAL GAS SALES AND SERVICES BUSINESSES ARE SUBJECT TO FLUCTUATIONS IN NATURAL GAS PRICING LEVELS, WHICH COULD AFFECT THE ABILITY OF OUR SUPPLIERS AND CUSTOMERS TO MEET THEIR OBLIGATIONS OR OTHERWISE ADVERSELY AFFECT OUR LIQUIDITY. We are subject to risk associated with increases in the price of natural gas, which has been the trend in recent years. Increases in natural gas prices might affect our ability to collect balances due from our customers and, on the regulated side, could create the potential for uncollectible accounts expense to exceed the recoverable levels built into our tariff rates. In addition, a sustained period of high natural gas prices could apply downward demand pressure on natural gas consumption in the areas in which we operate and increase the risk that our suppliers or customers fail or are unable to meet their obligations. Additionally, increasing gas prices could create the need for us to provide collateral in order to purchase gas. IF WE WERE TO FAIL TO EXTEND A CONTRACT WITH ONE OF OUR SIGNIFICANT PIPELINE CUSTOMERS, THERE COULD BE AN ADVERSE IMPACT ON OUR OPERATIONS. Our contract with Laclede Gas Company, one of our pipeline's customers, is currently scheduled to expire in 2007. To the extent the pipeline is unable to extend this contract or the contract is renegotiated at rates substantially less than the rates provided in the current contract, there could be an adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. A DECLINE IN OUR CREDIT RATING COULD RESULT IN US HAVING TO PROVIDE COLLATERAL IN ORDER TO PURCHASE GAS. If our credit rating were to decline, we might be required to post cash collateral in order to purchase natural gas. If a credit rating downgrade and the resultant cash collateral requirement were to occur at a time when we were experiencing significant working capital requirements or otherwise lacked liquidity, we might be unable to obtain the necessary natural gas to meet our obligations to customers, and our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows would be adversely affected. OUR PIPELINES' AND FIELD SERVICES' BUSINESS REVENUES AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS ARE SUBJECT TO FLUCTUATIONS IN THE SUPPLY OF GAS. Our pipelines and field services business largely relies on gas sourced in the various supply basins located in the Midcontinent region of the United States. To the extent the availability of this supply is substantially reduced, it could have an adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. OUR REVENUES AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS ARE SEASONAL. A substantial portion of our revenues is derived from natural gas sales and transportation. Thus, our revenues and results of operations are subject to seasonality, weather conditions and other changes in natural gas usage, with revenues being higher during the winter months. RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH OUR CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL CONDITION IF WE ARE UNABLE TO ARRANGE FUTURE FINANCINGS ON ACCEPTABLE TERMS, OUR ABILITY TO REFINANCE EXISTING INDEBTEDNESS COULD BE LIMITED. As of December 31, 2005, we had $2 billion of outstanding indebtedness on a consolidated basis. As of December 31, 2005, approximately $465 million principal amount of this debt must be paid through 2008. Our future financing activities may depend, at least in part, on: - general economic and capital market conditions; - credit availability from financial institutions and other lenders; - investor confidence in us and the market in which we operate; - maintenance of acceptable credit ratings; - market expectations regarding our future earnings and probable cash flows; - market perceptions of our ability to access capital markets on reasonable terms; and - provisions of relevant tax and securities laws. Our current credit ratings are discussed in "Management's Narrative Analysis of Results of Operations -- Liquidity -- Impact on Liquidity of a Downgrade in Credit Ratings" in Item 7 of this report. These credit ratings may not remain in effect for any given period of time and one or more of these ratings may be lowered or withdrawn entirely by a rating agency. We note that these credit ratings are not recommendations to buy, sell or hold our securities. Each rating should be evaluated independently of any other rating. Any future reduction or withdrawal of one or more of our credit ratings could have a material adverse impact on our ability to access capital on acceptable terms. THE FINANCIAL CONDITION AND LIQUIDITY OF OUR PARENT COMPANY COULD AFFECT OUR ACCESS TO CAPITAL, OUR CREDIT STANDING AND OUR FINANCIAL CONDITION. Our ratings and credit may be impacted by CenterPoint Energy's credit standing. As of December 31, 2005, CenterPoint Energy and its other subsidiaries have approximately $200 million principal amount of debt required to be paid through 2008. This amount excludes amounts related to capital leases, securitization debt and indexed debt securities obligations. In addition, CenterPoint Energy has $830 million of outstanding convertible notes on which holders could exercise their "put" rights during this period. We cannot assure you that CenterPoint Energy and its other subsidiaries will be able to pay or refinance these amounts. If CenterPoint Energy were to experience a deterioration in its credit standing or liquidity difficulties, our access to credit and our credit ratings could be adversely affected. WE ARE AN INDIRECT WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF CENTERPOINT ENERGY. CENTERPOINT ENERGY CAN EXERCISE SUBSTANTIAL CONTROL OVER OUR DIVIDEND POLICY AND BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS AND COULD DO SO IN A MANNER THAT IS ADVERSE TO OUR INTERESTS. We are managed by officers and employees of CenterPoint Energy. Our management will make determinations with respect to the following: - our payment of dividends; - decisions on our financings and our capital raising activities; - mergers or other business combinations; and - our acquisition or disposition of assets. There are no contractual restrictions on our ability to pay dividends to CenterPoint Energy. Our management could decide to increase our dividends to CenterPoint Energy to support its cash needs. This could adversely affect our liquidity. However, under our credit facility and our receivables facility, our ability to pay dividends is restricted by a covenant that debt as a percentage of total capitalization may not exceed 65%. THE USE OF DERIVATIVE CONTRACTS BY US AND OUR SUBSIDIARIES IN THE NORMAL COURSE OF BUSINESS COULD RESULT IN FINANCIAL LOSSES THAT NEGATIVELY IMPACT OUR RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND THOSE OF OUR SUBSIDIARIES. We use derivative instruments, such as swaps, options, futures and forwards, to manage our commodity and financial market risks. We could recognize financial losses as a result of volatility in the market values of these contracts, or should a counterparty fail to perform. In the absence of actively quoted market prices and pricing information from external sources, the valuation of these financial instruments can involve management's judgment or use of estimates. As a result, changes in the underlying assumptions could affect the reported fair value of these contracts. RISKS COMMON TO OUR BUSINESSES AND OTHER RISKS WE ARE SUBJECT TO OPERATIONAL AND FINANCIAL RISKS AND LIABILITIES ARISING FROM ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS. Our operations are subject to stringent and complex laws and regulations pertaining to health, safety and the environment. As an owner or operator of natural gas pipelines and distribution systems, gas gathering and processing systems, and electric transmission and distribution systems we must comply with these laws and regulations at the federal, state and local levels. These laws and regulations can restrict or impact our business activities in many ways, such as: - restricting the way we can handle or dispose of our wastes; - limiting or prohibiting construction activities in sensitive areas such as wetlands, coastal regions, or areas inhabited by endangered species; - requiring remedial action to mitigate pollution conditions caused by our operations, or attributable to former operations; and - enjoining the operations of facilities deemed in non-compliance with permits issued pursuant to such environmental laws and regulations. In order to comply with these requirements, we may need to spend substantial amounts and devote other resources from time to time to: - construct or acquire new equipment; - acquire permits for facility operations; - modify or replace existing and proposed equipment; and - clean up or decommission waste disposal areas, fuel storage and management facilities and other locations and facilities. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may trigger a variety of administrative, civil and criminal enforcement measures, including the assessment of monetary penalties, the imposition of remedial actions, and the issuance of orders enjoining future operations. Certain environmental statutes impose strict, joint and several liability for costs required to clean up and restore sites where hazardous substances have been disposed or otherwise released. Moreover, it is not uncommon for neighboring landowners and other third parties to file claims for personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by the release of hazardous substances or other waste products into the environment. OUR INSURANCE COVERAGE MAY NOT BE SUFFICIENT. INSUFFICIENT INSURANCE COVERAGE AND INCREASED INSURANCE COSTS COULD ADVERSELY IMPACT OUR RESULTS OF OPERATIONS, FINANCIAL CONDITION AND CASH FLOWS. We currently have general liability and property insurance in place to cover certain of our facilities in amounts that we consider appropriate. Such policies are subject to certain limits and deductibles and do not include business interruption coverage. Insurance coverage may not be available in the future at current costs or on commercially reasonable terms, and the insurance proceeds received for any loss of, or any damage to, any of our facilities may not be sufficient to restore the loss or damage without negative impact on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. WE AND CENTERPOINT ENERGY COULD INCUR LIABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH BUSINESSES AND ASSETS THAT WE HAVE TRANSFERRED TO OTHERS. In connection with the organization and capitalization of RRI, RRI and its subsidiaries assumed liabilities associated with various assets and businesses Reliant Energy transferred to them. RRI also agreed to indemnify, and cause the applicable transferee subsidiaries to indemnify, CenterPoint Energy and its subsidiaries, including us, with respect to liabilities associated with the transferred assets and businesses. The indemnity provisions were intended to place sole financial responsibility on RRI and its subsidiaries for all liabilities associated with the current and historical businesses and operations of RRI, regardless of the time those liabilities arose. If RRI is unable to satisfy a liability that has been so assumed in circumstances in which Reliant Energy has not been released from the liability in connection with the transfer, we or CenterPoint Energy could be responsible for satisfying the liability. Prior to CenterPoint Energy's distribution of its ownership in RRI to its shareholders, we had guaranteed certain contractual obligations of what became RRI's trading subsidiary. Under the terms of the separation agreement between the companies, RRI agreed to extinguish all such guaranty obligations prior to separation, but when separation occurred in September 2002, RRI had been unable to extinguish all obligations. To secure CenterPoint Energy and us against obligations under the remaining guarantees, RRI agreed to provide cash or letters of credit for our benefit and that of CenterPoint Energy, and undertook to use commercially reasonable efforts to extinguish the remaining guarantees. Our current exposure under the remaining guarantees relates to our guaranty of the payment by RRI of demand charges related to transportation contracts with one counterparty. The demand charges are approximately $53 million per year in 2006 through 2015, $49 million in 2016, $38 million in 2017 and $13 million in 2018. As a result of changes in market conditions, our potential exposure under that guaranty currently exceeds the security provided by RRI. We have requested RRI to increase the amount of its existing letters of credit or, in the alternative, to obtain a release of our obligations under the guaranty, and we and RRI are pursuing alternatives. RRI continues to meet its obligations under the transportation contracts. RRI's unsecured debt ratings are currently below investment grade. If RRI were unable to meet its obligations, it would need to consider, among various options, restructuring under the bankruptcy laws, in which event RRI might not honor its indemnification obligations and claims by RRI's creditors might be made against us as its former owner.