Access Midstream's management team is committed to increasing the quarterly cash distributions that will be paid to shareholders over time, while ensuring the ongoing stability of the business. We achieve this by executing the following components of our underlying strategies:
Capitalize on High-growth, Unconventional Plays
Operations are focused in the Barnett, Eagle Ford, Haynesville, Marcellus, Niobrara and Utica shales and several unconventional resource plays in the Mid-Continent region, including the Colony Granite Wash and Texas Panhandle Granite Wash plays, that we believe are cost-advantaged sources of natural gas supply and are positioned for continued significant production growth. Our extensive operations in these areas provide us the opportunity to become a major natural gas gatherer from unconventional resource plays in the U.S.
Leverage Our Extensive Asset Base
We own and operate a high-quality, high-capacity asset base that will allow us to gather significant incremental natural gas volumes throughout our areas of operation. Our expansive geographic footprint and expertise in developing energy infrastructure in urban and suburban environments position us to accommodate additional volumes as the country’s largest E&P companies execute their drilling plans within our acreage dedications. In addition, we plan to further optimize our systems by volumes in areas where we expect to have available capacity.
Minimize Direct Commodity Price Exposure
Our business model seeks to minimize direct commodity price exposure and promote cash flow stability. We currently generate substantially all of our revenues from long-term, fixed-fee contracts, and we plan to maintain our focus on fixed-fee services as we grow our business. We also have reduced our exposure to fluctuations in volumes and revenues that may occur during periods of low natural gas prices through our long-term gas gathering agreements with Chesapeake Energy, Total, Anadarko, Statoil, Shell and ExxonMobil.
Growth Through Disciplined Development and Accretive Acquisitions
We plan to regularly pursue accretive acquisitions of midstream assets and pursue organic development that will complement and expand our existing operations.