This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), and Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), concerning ETRN and other matters. These statements may discuss goals, intentions and expectations as to future plans, trends, events, results of operations or financial condition, or otherwise, based on current beliefs of the management of ETRN, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, such management. Words such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “approximate,” “aspire,” “assume,” “believe,” “budget,” “continue,” “could,” “design,” “estimate,” “expect,” “focused,” “forecast,” “goal,” “guidance,” “intend,” “may,” “objective,” “opportunity,” “outlook,” “plan,” “position,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “pursue,” “scheduled,” “seek,” “should,” “strategy,” “strive,” “target,” “view,” “will,” or “would” and similar expressions are used to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside ETRN's control. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, forward-looking statements contained in this communication may include the following and/or statements with respect thereto, as applicable: expectations of plans, strategies, objectives and growth and anticipated financial and operational performance of ETRN and its affiliates, including guidance and any changes in such guidance in respect of ETRN’s gathering, transmission and storage and water services revenue and volume, including the anticipated effects associated with the February 2020 Gas Gathering and Compression Agreement (and as subsequently amended) entered into with EQT Corporation (EQT) and certain affiliates (collectively, the EQT Global GGA); projected revenue (including from firm reservation fees) and volumes, gathering rates, deferred revenues, expenses, and contract liabilities, and the effects on liquidity, leverage, projected revenue, deferred revenue and contract liabilities associated with the EQT Global GGA and the MVP project (including changes in timing for such project); the ultimate gathering MVC fee relief, and timing thereof, provided to EQT under the EQT Global GGA and related agreements, and timing of step ups in MVC thereunder; ETRN’s ability to de-lever and timing and means thereof; the ultimate financial, business, reputational and/or operational impacts resulting, directly or indirectly, from the Rager Mountain incident; forecasted adjusted EBITDA (and incremental adjusted EBITDA with MVP full in-service), water operating (loss) income, adjusted water EBITDA, net (loss) income, free cash flow, retained free cash flow (and usage thereof), leverage ratio, build multiples and deferred revenue; the weighted average contract life of gathering, transmission and storage contracts; the outcome of the Company's Board of Directors' strategic process with respect to the Company; infrastructure programs (including the targeted or ultimate timing, cost, capacity and sources of funding with respect to gathering, transmission and storage and water projects); the cost to construct or restore right-of-way for, capacity of, shippers for, timing and durability of regulatory approvals and concluding litigation, final design (including project scope, expansions, extensions or refinements and capital and incremental adjusted EBITDA related thereto), ability and timing to contract additional capacity on, mitigate emissions from, targeted in-service dates of, and completion (including potential timing of such completion) of current, planned or in-service projects or assets, in each case as applicable; the effect of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 on the MVP JV's ability to complete the MVP project; the ability to construct, complete and place in-service the MVP project; the targeted timing and cost of completing the MVP project (and risks related thereto), the realizability of the MVP performance award program, and the degree to which, if at all, the MVP PSU Amendment (as defined in Note 8 of ETRN’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 to be filed with the SEC) fosters ETRN completing the MVP project safely and in compliance with environmental standards; the targeted total MVP project cost and schedule, including the timing for contractual obligations to commence, and the ability to continue construction , potential receipt of in-service authorization, and the realizability of the perceived benefits of the MVP project; finalizing the scope of Southgate and the ability to permit, construct, complete and place in-service Southgate; the targeted total project cost and timing for completing (and ability to complete) Southgate, including the satisfaction, if any, of conditions precedent with respect to the relevant precedent agreements, timing for forecasted capital expenditures related thereto, and the realizability of the perceived benefits of the amended project design, scope and provisions included in the relevant precedent agreements, and any potential extensions of the terms of the precedent agreements; the MVP JV's ability to execute any additional agreements for firm capacity for Southgate; the potential for future bipartisan support for, and the potential timing for, additional federal energy infrastructure permitting reform legislation to be enacted; the ultimate terms, partner relationships and structure of the MVP JV and ownership interests therein; the realizability of all or any portion of the potential Henry Hub bonus payments; the impact of changes in assumptions and estimates relating to the potential completion and full in-service timing of the MVP project (as well as changes in such timing) on, among other things, the fair value of the Henry Hub cash bonus payment provision of the EQT Global GGA, gathering rates, the amount of gathering MVC fee relief and the estimated transaction price allocated to ETRN's remaining performance obligations under certain contracts with firm reservation fees and MVCs; ETRN’s ability to identify and complete opportunities to optimize its existing asset base and/or expansion projects in ETRN’s operating areas and in areas that would provide access to new markets; ETRN’s ability to bring, and targeted timing for bringing, in-service extensions and expansions of its mixed-use water system, and realize benefits therefrom in accordance with its strategy for its water services business segment; ETRN’s ability to identify and complete acquisitions and other strategic transactions, including joint ventures, effectively integrate transactions into ETRN’s operations, and achieve synergies, system optionality, accretion and other benefits associated with transactions, including through increased scale; the potential for the MVP project, EQM Midstream Partners, LP’s (EQM) leverage, customer credit ratings changes, defaults, acquisitions, dispositions and financings to impact EQM’s credit ratings and the potential scope of any such impacts; the effect and outcome of contractual disputes, litigation and other proceedings, including regulatory investigations and proceedings; the potential effects of any consolidation of or effected by upstream gas producers, including acquisitions of midstream assets, whether in or outside of the Appalachian Basin; the potential for, timing, amount and effect of future issuances or repurchases of ETRN’s securities; the effects of conversion, if at all, of ETRN’s preferred shares; the effects of seasonality; expected cash flows, cash flow profile (and support therefor from certain contract structures) and MVCs, including those associated with the EQT Global GGA, and the potential impacts thereon of the commission and in-service timing (or absence thereof) and cost of the MVP project; projected capital contributions and capital and operating expenditures, including the amount and timing of reimbursable capital expenditures, capital budget and sources of funds for capital expenditures; ETRN’s ability to recoup replacement and related costs; future dividend amounts, timing and rates; statements regarding macroeconomic factors effects on ETRN’s business, including, future commodity prices, the impact of MVP in-service on commodity prices or natural gas volumes in the Appalachian Basin, and takeaway capacity constraints in the Appalachian Basin; beliefs regarding future decisions of customers in respect of production growth, curtailing natural gas production, timing of turning wells in line, rig and completion activity and related impacts on ETRN’s business, and the effect, if any, on such future decisions should the MVP be brought in-service, as well as the potential for increased volumes to flow to ETRN’s gathering and transmission system to supply the MVP following in-service; ETRN’s liquidity and financing position and requirements, including sources, availability and sufficiency; statements regarding future interest rates and/or reference rates and the potential impacts thereof; the ability of ETRN’s subsidiaries (some of which are not wholly owned) to service debt under, and comply with the covenants contained in, their respective credit agreements; the MVP JV’s ability to raise project-level debt, and the anticipated proceeds that ETRN expects to receive therefrom; expectations regarding natural gas and water volumes in ETRN’s areas of operations; ETRN’s ability to achieve anticipated benefits associated with the execution of the EQT Global GGA and other commercial agreements; ETRN’s ability to position itself for a lower carbon economy, achieve, and create value from, its ESG and sustainability initiatives, targets and aspirations (including targets and aspirations set forth in its climate policy) and respond, and impacts of responding, to increasing stakeholder scrutiny in these areas; the effectiveness of ETRN’s information technology and operational technology systems and practices to detect and defend against evolving cyberattacks on United States critical infrastructure; the effects and associated cost of compliance with existing or new government regulations including any quantification of potential impacts of regulatory matters related to climate change on ETRN; and future tax rates, status and position. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results.
Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. ETRN has based these forward-looking statements on management’s current expectations and assumptions about future events. While ETRN considers these expectations and assumptions to be reasonable, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, regulatory, judicial, construction and other risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are beyond ETRN’s control, including, as it pertains to the MVP project, risks and uncertainties such as the physical construction conditions, including steep slopes and any further unexpected geological impediments, continued crew availability, ability to meet contractor draw down plans, productivity realizable, project opposition, the receipt of certain time of year and other variances and approvals, if applicable, and weather. The risks and uncertainties that may affect the operations, performance and results of ETRN’s business and forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those set forth under Part I, "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in ETRN's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC), as updated by any risk factors disclosed under Part II, "Item 1A. Risk Factors," of ETRN’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2023 filed with the SEC, ETRN's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended June 30, 2023 filed with the SEC, and ETRN’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended September 30, 2023 filed with the SEC, the risk factors to be disclosed under Part I, "Item 1A. Risk Factors," in ETRN's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 to be filed with the SEC, and ETRN's subsequent filings. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and ETRN does not intend to correct or update any forward-looking statement, unless required by securities law, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. As forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, caution should be exercised against placing undue reliance on such statements.