Other Commitments and Contingencies A. Guarantees and Indemnities. As a part of normal business, NiSource and certain subsidiaries enter into various agreements providing financial or performance assurance to third parties on behalf of certain subsidiaries. Such agreements include guarantees and stand-by letters of credit. These agreements are entered into primarily to support or enhance the creditworthiness otherwise attributed to a subsidiary on a stand-alone basis, thereby facilitating the extension of sufficient credit to accomplish the subsidiaries intended commercial purposes. At September30, 2016 , NiSource had issued stand-by letters of credit of approximately $14.7 million for the benefit of third parties. B. Legal Proceedings. The Company is party to certain claims and legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business, none of which is deemed to be individually material at this time. Due to the inherent uncertainty of litigation, there can be no assurance that the resolution of any particular claim or proceeding would not have a material adverse effect on the Companys results of operations, financial position or liquidity. If one or more of such matters were decided against the Company, the effects could be material to the Companys results of operations in the period in which the Company would be required to record or adjust the related liability and could also be material to the Companys cash flows in the periods the Company would be required to pay such liability. C. Environmental Matters. NiSource operations are subject to environmental statutes and regulations related to air quality, water quality, hazardous waste and solid waste. NiSource believes that it is in substantial compliance with the environmental regulations currently applicable to its operations. It is management's continued intent to address environmental issues in cooperation with regulatory authorities in such a manner as to achieve mutually acceptable compliance plans. However, there can be no assurance that fines and