Occidental's operations may be subject to new or amended laws and regulations, as well as different interpretations of existing laws and regulations. These regulations include those pertaining to drilling, flaring, and production techniques, such as hydraulic fracturing and acidization, with respect to royalty rates, import, export, and use of raw materials, equipment and resources, use of land water and other natural resources, manufacturing of chemicals, marketing of commodities, and other environmental protection measures, which may lead to increased costs or demand for Occidental's operations.