Item 1A. Risk Factors

Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, includes risk factors that could materially affect our business, financial condition, or future results. Those Risk Factors have not materially changed, except that they are supplemented or modified by the following risk factor.

Hedging Activities

Our hedging activities might not be effective and could increase the volatility of our results. In an effort to manage our financial exposure related to commodity price and market fluctuations, we have entered, and may in the future enter into contracts to hedge certain risks associated with our assets and operations. In these hedging activities, we have used, and may in the future use, fixed-price, forward, physical purchase, and sales contracts, futures, financial swaps, and option contracts traded in the over-the-counter markets or on exchanges. Nevertheless, no single hedging arrangement can adequately address all risks present in a given contract. For example, a forward contract that would be effective in hedging commodity price volatility risks would not hedge the contract’s counterparty credit or performance risk. Therefore, unhedged risks will always continue to exist. While we attempt to manage counterparty credit risk within guidelines established by our credit policy, we may not be able to successfully manage all credit risk and as such, future cash flows and results of operations could be impacted by counterparty default.

In addition, our recently acquired Sequent segment utilizes derivative instruments, which may not qualify or be designated as hedges for accounting purposes. The difference in accounting treatment for the underlying position and the financial instrument used to hedge the value of the contract can cause volatility in our reported net income while the positions are open due to mark-to-market accounting.

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

Share Repurchase Program

On September 3, 2021, our Board of Directors authorized a new share repurchase program with a maximum dollar limit of $1.5 billion. Repurchases may be made from time to time in the open market, by block purchases, in privately negotiated transactions or in such other manner as determined by our management. Our management will also determine the timing and amount of any repurchases based on market conditions and other factors. The share repurchase program does not obligate us to acquire any particular amount of common stock, and it may be suspended or discontinued at any time. This share repurchase program does not have an expiration date. There were no repurchases under the program through September 30, 2021.