CVX, §1A diff (2018 → 2019)

Item 1A. Risk Factors Chevron is a global energy company and its operating and financial results are subject to a variety of risks inherent in the global oil, gas, and petrochemical businesses. Many of these risks are not within the company’s control and could materially impact the company’s results of operations and financial condition. Chevron is exposed to the effects of changing commodity prices Chevron is primarily in a commodities business that has a history of price volatility. The single largest variable that affects the company’s results of operations is the price of crude oil, which can be influenced by general economic conditions, industry production and inventory levels, technology advancements, production quotas or other actions that might be imposed by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) or other producers, weather-related damage and disruptions due to other natural or human causes beyond our control, competing fuel prices, and geopolitical risks. Chevron evaluates the risk of changing commodity prices as a core part of its business planning process. An investment in the company carries significant exposure to fluctuations in global crude oil prices. Extended periods of low prices for crude oil can have a material adverse impact on the company’s results of operations, financial condition and liquidity. Among other things, the company’s upstream earnings, cash flows, and capital and exploratory expenditure programs could be negatively affected, as could its production and proved reserves. Upstream assets may also become impaired. Downstream earnings could be negatively affected because they depend upon the supply and demand for refined products and the associated margins on refined product sales. A significant or sustained decline in liquidity could adversely affect the company’s credit ratings, potentially increase financing costs and reduce access to capital markets. The company may be unable to realize anticipated cost savings, expenditure reductions and asset sales that are intended to compensate for such downturns. In some cases, liabilities associated with divested assets may return to the company when an acquirer of those assets subsequently declares bankruptcy. In addition, extended periods of low commodity prices can have a material adverse impact on the results of operations, financial condition and liquidity of the company’s suppliers, vendors, partners and equity affiliates upon which the company’s own results of operations and financial condition depends. The scope of Chevron’s business will decline if the company does not successfully develop resources The company is in an extractive business; therefore, if it is not successful in replacing the crude oil and natural gas it produces with good prospects for future organic opportunities or through acquisitions, the company’s business will decline. Creating and maintaining an inventory of projects depends on many factors, including obtaining and renewing rights to explore, develop and produce hydrocarbons; drilling success; reservoir optimization; ability to bring long-lead-time, capital-intensive projects to completion on budget and on schedule; and efficient and profitable operation of mature properties. The company’s operations could be disrupted by natural or human causes beyond its control Chevron operates in both urban areas and remote and sometimes inhospitable regions. The company’s operations are therefore subject to disruption from natural or human causes beyond its control, including physical risks from hurricanes, severe storms, floods and other forms of severe weather, war, accidents, civil unrest, political events, fires, earthquakes, system failures, cyber threats, terrorist acts and epidemic or pandemic diseases such as the coronavirus, any of which could result in suspension of operations or harm to people or the natural environment. Chevron’s risk management systems are designed to assess potential physical and other risks to its operations and assets and to plan for their resiliency. While capital investment reviews and decisions incorporate potential ranges of physical risks such as storm severity and frequency, sea level rise, air and water temperature, precipitation, fresh water access, wind speed, and earthquake severity, among other factors, it is difficult to predict with certainty the timing, frequency or severity of such events, any of which could have a material adverse effect on the company's results of operations or financial condition. Cyberattacks targeting Chevron’s process control networks or other digital infrastructure could have a material adverse impact on the company’s business and results of operations There are numerous and evolving risks to Chevron’s cybersecurity and privacy from cyber threat actors, including criminal hackers, state-sponsored intrusions, industrial espionage and employee malfeasance. These cyber threat actors, whether internal or external to Chevron, are becoming more sophisticated and coordinated in their attempts to access the company’s information technology (IT) systems and data, including the IT systems of cloud providers and other third parties with whom the company conducts business. Although Chevron devotes significant resources to prevent unwanted intrusions and to protect its systems and data, whether such data is housed internally or by external third parties, the company has experienced and will continue to experience cyber incidents of varying degrees in the conduct of its business. Cyber threat actors could compromise the company’s process control networks or other critical systems and infrastructure, resulting in disruptions to its business operations, injury to people, harm to the environment or its assets, disruptions in access to its financial reporting systems, or loss, misuse or corruption of its critical data and proprietary information, including without limitation its intellectual property and business information and that of its employees, customers, partners and other third parties. Any of the foregoing can be exacerbated by a delay or failure to detect a cyber incident. Further, the company has exposure to cyber incidents and the negative impacts of such incidents related to its critical data and proprietary information housed on third-party IT systems, including the cloud. Additionally, authorized third-party IT systems can be compromised and used to gain access or introduce malware to Chevron's IT systems during the normal course of business. The company has limited control and visibility over such third-party IT systems. Cyber events could result in significant financial losses, legal or regulatory violations, reputational harm, and legal liability and could ultimately have a material adverse effect on the company’s business and results of operations. The company’s operations have inherent risks and hazards that require significant and continuous oversight Chevron’s results depend on its ability to identify and mitigate the risks and hazards inherent to operating in the crude oil and natural gas industry. The company seeks to minimize these operational risks by carefully designing and building its facilities and conducting its operations in a safe and reliable manner. However, failure to manage these risks effectively could impair our ability to operate and result in unexpected incidents, including releases, explosions or mechanical failures resulting in personal injury, loss of life, environmental damage, loss of revenues, legal liability and/or disruption to operations. Chevron has implemented and maintains a system of corporate policies, processes and systems, behaviors and compliance mechanisms to manage safety, health, environmental, reliability and efficiency risks; to verify compliance with applicable laws and policies; and to respond to and learn from unexpected incidents. In certain situations where Chevron is not the operator, the company may have limited influence and control over third parties, which may limit its ability to manage and control such risks. Chevron’s business subjects the company to liability risks from litigation or government action The company produces, transports, refines and markets potentially hazardous materials, and it purchases, handles and disposes of other potentially hazardous materials in the course of its business. Chevron's operations also produce byproducts, which may be considered pollutants. Often these operations are conducted through joint ventures over which the company may have limited influence and control. Any of these activities could result in liability or significant delays in operations arising from private litigation or government action. For example, liability or delays could result from an accidental, unlawful discharge or from new conclusions about the effects of the company’s operations on human health or the environment. In addition, to the extent that societal pressures or political or other factors are involved, it is possible that such liability could be imposed without regard to the company’s causation of or contribution to the asserted damage, or to other mitigating factors. For information concerning some of the litigation in which the company is involved, see Note 14 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, beginning on page 72. The company does not insure against all potential losses, which could result in significant financial exposure The company does not have commercial insurance or third-party indemnities to fully cover all operational risks or potential liability in the event of a significant incident or series of incidents causing catastrophic loss. As a result, the company is, to a substantial extent, self-insured for such events. The company relies on existing liquidity, financial resources and borrowing capacity to meet short-term obligations that would arise from such an event or series of events. The occurrence of a significant incident or unforeseen liability for which the company is self-insured, not fully insured or for which insurance recovery is significantly delayed could have a material adverse effect on the company’s results of operations or financial condition. Political instability and significant changes in the legal and regulatory environment could harm Chevron’s business The company’s operations, particularly exploration and production, can be affected by changing economic, regulatory and political environments in the various countries in which it operates. As has occurred in the past, actions could be taken by governments to increase public ownership of the company’s partially or wholly owned businesses, to force contract renegotiations, or to impose additional taxes or royalties. In certain locations, governments have proposed or imposed restrictions on the company’s operations, trade, currency exchange controls, burdensome taxes, and public disclosure requirements that might harm the company’s competitiveness or relations with other governments or third parties. In other countries, political conditions have existed that may threaten the safety of employees and the company’s continued presence in those countries, and internal unrest, acts of violence or strained relations between a government and the company or other governments may adversely affect the company’s operations. Those developments have, at times, significantly affected the company’s operations and results and are carefully considered by management when evaluating the level of current and future activity in such countries. Further, Chevron is required to comply with U.S. sanctions and other trade laws and regulations which, depending upon their scope, could adversely impact the company's operations in certain countries. For example, with respect to our operations in Venezuela as discussed in Note 22 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, “Other Contingencies and Commitments - Other Contingencies,” future events could result in the environment in Venezuela becoming more challenged, which could lead to increased business disruption and volatility in the associated financial results. In addition, litigation or changes in national, state or local environmental regulations or laws, including those designed to stop or impede the development or production of oil and gas, such as those related to the use of hydraulic fracturing or bans on drilling, could adversely affect the company’s current or anticipated future operations and profitability. Regulation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has increased and could continue to increase Chevron’s operational costs and reduce demand for Chevron’s hydrocarbon and other products In the years ahead, companies in the energy industry, like Chevron, may be challenged by a further increase in international and domestic regulation relating to GHG emissions. Like any significant changes in the regulatory environment, GHG regulation could have the impact of curtailing profitability in the oil and gas sector or rendering the extraction of the company’s oil and gas resources economically infeasible. Although the IEA’s World Energy Outlook scenarios anticipate oil and gas continuing to make up a significant portion of the global energy mix through 2040 and beyond given their respective advantages in transportation and power generation, if a new onset of regulation contributes to a decline in the demand for the company’s products, this could have a material adverse effect on the company and its financial condition. International agreements and national, regional and state legislation and regulatory measures that aim to limit or reduce GHG emissions are currently in various stages of implementation. For example, the Paris Agreement went into effect in November 2016, and a number of countries are studying and may adopt additional policies to meet their Paris Agreement goals. In some jurisdictions, the company is already subject to currently implemented programs such as the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard program, the European Union Emissions Trading System, and the California cap-and-trade program and related low carbon fuel standard obligations. Other jurisdictions are considering adopting or are in the process of implementing laws or regulations to directly regulate GHG emissions through similar or other mechanisms such as, for example, via a carbon tax (e.g., Singapore and Canada) or via a cap-and-trade program (e.g., California, Mexico and China). The landscape continues to be in a state of constant re-assessment and legal challenge with respect to these laws and regulations, making it difficult to predict with certainty the ultimate impact they will have on the company in the aggregate. GHG emissions-related laws and related regulations and the effects of operating in a potentially carbon-constrained environment may result in increased and substantial capital, compliance, operating and maintenance costs and could, among other things, reduce demand for hydrocarbons and the company’s hydrocarbon-based products, make the company’s products more expensive, adversely affect the economic feasibility of the company’s resources, and adversely affect the company’s sales volumes, revenues and margins. GHG emissions (e.g., carbon dioxide and methane) that could be regulated include, among others, those associated with the company’s exploration and production of hydrocarbons such as crude oil and natural gas; the upgrading of production from oil sands into synthetic oil; power generation; the conversion of crude oil and natural gas into refined hydrocarbon products; the processing, liquefaction and regasification of natural gas; the transportation of crude oil, natural gas and related products and consumers’ or customers’ use of the company’s hydrocarbon products. Many of these activities, such as consumers’ and customers’ use of the company’s products and substitute products, as well as actions taken by the company’s competitors in response to such laws and regulations, are beyond the company’s control. Consideration of GHG issues and the responses to those issues through international agreements and national, regional or state legislation or regulations are integrated into the company’s strategy and planning, capital investment reviews, and risk management tools and processes, where applicable. They are also factored into the company’s long-range supply, demand and energy price forecasts. These forecasts reflect long-range effects from renewable fuel penetration, energy efficiency standards, climate-related policy actions, and demand response to oil and natural gas prices. Additionally, the company assesses carbon pricing risks by considering carbon costs in these forecasts. The actual level of expenditure required to comply with new or potential climate change-related laws and regulations and amount of additional investments in new or existing technology or facilities, such as carbon dioxide injection, is difficult to predict with certainty and is expected to vary depending on the actual laws and regulations enacted in a jurisdiction, the company’s activities in it and market conditions. The ultimate effect of international agreements and national, regional and state legislation and regulatory measures to limit GHG emissions on the company’s financial performance, and the timing of these effects, will depend on a number of factors. Such factors include, among others, the sectors covered, the GHG emissions reductions required, the extent to which Chevron would be entitled to receive emission allowance allocations or would need to purchase compliance instruments on the open market or through auctions, the price and availability of emission allowances and credits, and the extent to which the company is able to recover the costs incurred through the pricing of the company’s products in the competitive marketplace. Further, the ultimate impact of GHG emissions-related agreements, legislation and measures on the company’s financial performance is highly uncertain because the company is unable to predict with certainty, for a multitude of individual jurisdictions, the outcome of political decision-making processes and the variables and tradeoffs that inevitably occur in connection with such processes. Increasing attention to environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters may impact our business Increasing attention to climate change, increasing societal expectations on companies to address climate change, and potential consumer and customer use of substitutes to Chevron’s products may result in increased costs, reduced demand for our products, reduced profits, increased investigations and litigation, and negative impacts on our stock price and access to capital markets. Increasing attention to climate change, for example, may result in demand shifts for our hydrocarbon products and additional governmental investigations and private litigation against the company. In addition, organizations that provide information to investors on corporate governance and related matters have developed ratings processes for evaluating companies on their approach to ESG matters. Such ratings are used by some investors to inform their investment and voting decisions. Unfavorable ESG ratings may lead to increased negative investor sentiment toward Chevron and our industry and to the diversion of investment to other industries, which could have a negative impact on our stock price and our access to and costs of capital. Changes in management’s estimates and assumptions may have a material impact on the company’s consolidated financial statements and financial or operational performance in any given period In preparing the company’s periodic reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including its financial statements, Chevron’s management is required under applicable rules and regulations to make estimates and assumptions as of a specified date. These estimates and assumptions are based on management’s best estimates and experience as of that date and are subject to substantial risk and uncertainty. Materially different results may occur as circumstances change and additional information becomes known. Areas requiring significant estimates and assumptions by management include impairments to property, plant and equipment; estimates of crude oil and natural gas recoverable reserves; accruals for estimated liabilities, including litigation reserves; and measurement of benefit obligations for pension and other postretirement benefit plans. Changes in estimates or assumptions or the information underlying the assumptions, such as changes in the company’s business plans, general market conditions or changes in commodity prices, could affect reported amounts of assets, liabilities or expenses. Item 1B.