Financial Instruments Financial Instruments (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Derivatives

• an unrealized appreciation or depreciation of our contracted commitments to purchase or sell when purchase or sale prices under the commitments are compared with current commodity prices;

• market values of natural gas inventories that differ from the cost of those commodities in inventory; and

• actual cash outlays for the purchase of these commodities that differ from anticipated cash outlays.

The derivatives that we use to hedge these risks are governed by our risk management policies for forward contracts, futures, options, and swaps. Our net positions are continually assessed within our structured hedging programs to determine whether new or offsetting transactions are required. The goal of the hedging program is generally to mitigate financial risks while ensuring that sufficient volumes are available to meet our requirements. Contracts we enter into as part of our risk management program may be settled financially, settled by physical delivery, or net settled with the counterparty.