Press Release Details

Forward Looking Statement Disclosure

Commentary on this conference call may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. National Fuel Gas Company (the “Company”) is providing this cautionary statement to make applicable and take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for any forwardlooking statements made by, or on behalf of, the Company.

Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding future prospects, plans, objectives, goals, projections, estimates of gas quantities, strategies, future events or performance and underlying assumptions, capital structure, anticipated capital expenditures, completion of construction projects, projections for pension and other post-retirement benefit obligations, impacts of the adoption of new accounting rules, and possible outcomes of litigation or regulatory proceedings, 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. All forward-looking statements, whether written or oral and whether made by or on behalf of the Company, are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements. 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 are expressed in good faith and are believed by the Company to have a reasonable basis, but there can be no assurance that management's expectations, beliefs or projections will result or be achieved or accomplished. In addition to other factors, the following are important factors that, in the view of the Company, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements:

  1. Changes in laws, regulations or judicial interpretations to which the Company is subject, including those involving derivatives, taxes, safety, employment, climate change, other environmental matters, real property, and exploration and production activities such as hydraulic fracturing;
  2. Governmental/regulatory actions, initiatives and proceedings, including those involving rate cases (which address, among other things, target rates of return, rate design, retained natural gas and system modernization), environmental/safety requirements, affiliate relationships, industry structure, and franchise renewal;
  3. Changes in economic conditions, including the imposition of additional tariffs on U.S. imports and related retaliatory tariffs, inflationary pressures, supply chain issues, liquidity challenges, and global, national or regional recessions, and their effect on the demand for, and customers’ ability to pay for, the Company’s products and services;
  4. The Company's ability to complete strategic transactions, such as the pending transaction with CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp., including receipt of required regulatory clearances and satisfaction of other conditions to closing, and to recognize the anticipated benefits of such transactions;
  5. Governmental/regulatory actions and/or market pressures to reduce or eliminate reliance on natural gas;
  6. The Company’s ability to estimate accurately the time and resources necessary to meet emissions targets;
  7. Changes in the price of natural gas;
  8. Impairments under the SEC's full cost ceiling test for natural gas reserves;
  9. The creditworthiness or performance of the Company’s key suppliers, customers and counterparties;
  10. 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, other investments, and acquisitions, including any downgrades in the Company’s credit ratings and changes in interest rates and other capital market conditions;
  11. Negotiations with the collective bargaining units representing the Company's workforce, including potential work stoppages during negotiations;
  12. Changes in price differentials between similar quantities of natural gas sold at different geographic locations, and the effect of such changes on commodity production, revenues and demand for pipeline transportation capacity to or from such locations;
  13. The impact of information technology disruptions, cybersecurity or data security breaches, including the impact of issues that may arise from the use of artificial intelligence technologies;
  14. Factors affecting the Company’s ability to successfully identify, drill for and produce economically viable natural gas reserves, including among others geology, lease availability and costs, title disputes, weather conditions, water availability and disposal or recycling opportunities of used water, 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;
  15. Increased costs or delays or changes in plans with respect to Company projects or related projects of other companies, as well as difficulties or delays in obtaining necessary governmental approvals, permits or orders or in obtaining the cooperation of interconnecting facility operators;
  16. Increasing health care costs and the resulting effect on health insurance premiums and on the obligation to provide other post-retirement benefits;
  17. Other changes in price differentials between similar quantities of natural gas having different quality, heating value, hydrocarbon mix or delivery date;
  18. The cost and effects of legal and administrative claims against the Company or activist shareholder campaigns to effect changes at the Company;
  19. Uncertainty of natural gas reserve estimates;
  20. Significant differences between the Company’s projected and actual production levels for natural gas;
  21. Changes in demographic patterns and weather conditions (including those related to climate change);
  22. Changes in the availability, price or accounting treatment of derivative financial instruments;
  23. Changes in laws, actuarial assumptions, the interest rate environment and the return on plan/trust assets related to the Company’s pension and other postretirement benefits, which can affect future funding obligations and costs and plan liabilities;
  24. Economic disruptions or uninsured losses resulting from major accidents, fires, severe weather, natural disasters, terrorist activities or acts of war, as well as economic and operational disruptions due to third-party outages;
  25. Significant differences between the Company’s projected and actual capital expenditures and operating expenses; or
  26. Increasing costs of insurance, changes in coverage and the ability to obtain insurance.

Forward-looking statements include estimates of gas quantities. Proved gas reserves are those quantities of 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 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.

Any forward-looking statements contained in this conference call speak only as of the date of this call. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this conference call. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 10-K and Forms 10-Q, available at www.investor.nationalfuelgas.com. You can also obtain these forms on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Seneca Resources Achieves Responsibly Sourced Gas Certification from Project Canary

March 3, 2022

WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. and DENVER, C.O., March 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Seneca Resources Company, LLC (Seneca), the Exploration and Production segment of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE: NFG) (National Fuel or the Company), announced that it has achieved certification of approximately 300 million cubic feet per day of the Company’s Appalachian production under Project Canary’s TrustWellTM program. This certification is the result of an environmental performance certification pilot with TrustWellTM, which covered 121 of the Company’s natural gas wells in Pennsylvania.

In September 2021, Seneca began Project Canary’s rigorous assessment process, which included review of over 600 data points across air, land, water, and community criteria. Upon completion of this assessment, Seneca earned “Platinum” or “Gold” ratings for all of the wells in the pilot. These ratings confirm a demonstrated commitment to environmental stewardship through low methane emissions, effective water management, and well integrity programs, among other key operational areas. Seneca also deployed Canary X continuous emissions monitoring units on select pads, which accompany high-grade leak detection monitors that are installed as part of Seneca’s standard pad design.

With this certification, production from these 121 wells, representing approximately 30 percent of the Company’s natural gas production, can be marketed as Responsibly Sourced Gas (RSG) under Project Canary’s TrustWellTM program, a distinctive classification verifying natural gas is produced in the most environmentally responsible manner.

“Receiving such high marks from Project Canary, a top ESG assessment firm, demonstrates Seneca’s deep commitment to sustainability and best-in-class operations,” Justin Loweth, President of Seneca, said. “This certification, which is in addition to previously announced certifications, further differentiates our sustainably produced natural gas and opens additional opportunities to participate in the rapidly evolving RSG market.”

“This pilot project covered a broad set of wells varying in age and Seneca’s high marks are a testament to the company’s rigorous environmental, health and safety program,” said Project Canary co-founder and CEO Chris Romer. “Actual measurement and dedicated action are critical to ensuring the cleanest natural gas molecules possible are powering society and we’re committed to being the trusted solution to help companies measure, mitigate emissions and validate performance.”

A mission-driven public benefit corporation, Project Canary delivers trusted and reliable independent energy ESG data by rigorously assessing environmental performance and utilizing continuous emissions monitoring technologies that help companies minimize emissions and achieve best-in-class performance. Project Canary’s differentiated TrustWellTM certification process independently analyzes 600+ data points across the ESG spectrum on a well-by-well basis to create a dynamic score.

Certifications received from this partnership are in addition to a recently announced certification that designated 100% of Seneca’s Appalachian natural gas production (over 1 billion cubic feet of daily gross production) as responsibly sourced.

About National Fuel Gas Company:
National Fuel is a diversified energy company headquartered in Western New York that operates an integrated collection of natural gas and oil assets across four business segments: Exploration and Production, Pipeline and Storage, Gathering, and Utility. Additional information about National Fuel is available at www.nationalfuel.com.

About Project Canary
Project Canary is an environmental performance analysis firm focused on the E in ESG for emission-intensive companies. We are the leaders in the certification of responsible operations and provide measurement-based methane and emission profiles via continuous monitoring technology that help companies take ESG action. Formed as a Public Benefit Corporation, Project Canary’s Denver-based team of scientists, engineers, and seasoned industry operators have earned recognition for their uncompromising standards and high-fidelity data. For more information, visit projectcanary.com.

Cautionary Statements
Certain statements contained herein, including statements identified by the use of the words “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “predicts,” “projects,” “believes,” “will,” “may,” and similar expressions, and statements other than statements of historical facts, are “forward-looking statements” as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. 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. While National Fuel’s expectations, beliefs, and projections are expressed in good faith and are believed to have a reasonable basis, actual results may differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. In addition to other factors, the following are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements: (1) National Fuel’s ability to estimate accurately the time and resources necessary to implement new practices; (2) governmental/regulatory actions and/or market pressures to reduce or eliminate reliance on natural gas; and (3) the other risks and uncertainties described in (i) National Fuel’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K at Item 7, MD&A, and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q at Item 2, MD&A, under the heading “Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements,” and (ii) the “Risk Factors” included in National Fuel’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K at Item 1A. National Fuel disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. Because of these risks and uncertainties, readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements or use them for anything other than their intended purpose.


NFG Contacts:
Brandon Haspett
Analyst Contact
716-857-7697

Rob Boulware
Media Contact
412-548-2572

Project Canary Contact
Brian Miller
brian.miller@projectcanary.com

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Source: National Fuel Gas Company