[X]     Quarterly Report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the Quarterly Period Ended September 30, 2016

[  ]    Transition Report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the transition period from to

Commission File No. 1-13726

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(405) 848-8000

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. YES [X]     NO [ ] 

 Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). YES [X]     NO [ ] 

 Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer", "accelerated filer" and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large Accelerated Filer [X] Accelerated Filer [ ] Non-accelerated Filer [ ] Smaller Reporting Company [ ]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). YES [ ]      NO [X]

As of October 28, 2016 , there were 887,389,891 shares of our $0.01 par value common stock outstanding.

CHESAPEAKE ENERGY CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited)

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Chesapeake Energy Corporation ("Chesapeake" or the "Company") and its subsidiaries were prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (U.S. GAAP) and include the accounts of our direct and indirect wholly owned subsidiaries and entities in which Chesapeake has a controlling financial interest. Intercompany accounts and balances have been eliminated. These financial statements were prepared in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and, therefore, do not include all disclosures required for financial statements prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP.

This Form 10-Q relates to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 (the "Current Quarter" and the "Current Period", respectively) and the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 (the "Prior Quarter" and the "Prior Period", respectively). Chesapeake's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 ("2015 Form 10-K") includes certain definitions and a summary of significant accounting policies that should be read in conjunction with this Form 10-Q. All material adjustments (consisting solely of normal recurring adjustments) which, in the opinion of management, are necessary for a fair statement of the results for the interim periods have been reflected. The results for the Current Quarter and the Current Period are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.

Risks and Uncertainties

Our ability to grow, make capital expenditures and service our debt depends primarily upon the prices we receive for the oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGL) we sell. Substantial expenditures are required to replace reserves, sustain production and fund our business plans. Historically, oil and natural gas prices have been very volatile, and may be subject to wide fluctuations in the future. The substantial decline in oil, natural gas and NGL prices from 2014 levels has negatively affected the amount of cash we have available for capital expenditures and debt service. A substantial or extended decline in oil, natural gas and NGL prices could have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations, cash flows and on the quantities of reserves that we may economically produce. Other risks and uncertainties that could affect us in the current commodity price environment include, but are not limited to, counterparty credit risk for our receivables, access to capital markets, regulatory risks and our ability to meet financial ratios and covenants in our financing agreements.

Reclassifications

In April 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued guidance that requires debt issuance costs related to term debt to be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the associated debt liability. This standard requires retrospective application and is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2015. This change in accounting principle is preferable since it allows debt issuance costs and debt issuance discounts to be presented similarly in the consolidated balance sheets as a reduction to the face amount of our debt balances. A retrospective change to our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015, as previously presented, is required pursuant to the guidance. The retrospective adjustment to the December 31, 2015 consolidated balance sheet is shown below.

Beginning in the fourth quarter of 2015, we began presenting third party gathering, processing and transportation costs as a component of operating expenses in our statement of operations. Previously, these costs were reflected as deductions to oil, natural gas and NGL sales. These costs have been reclassified in our condensed consolidated statement of operations for the Prior Quarter and the Prior Period to conform to the presentation used for the Current Quarter and the Current Period. The net effect of this reclassification did not impact our previously reported net loss, stockholders' equity or cash flows; however, previously reported oil, natural gas and NGL sales have increased from the amounts previously reported, and total operating expenses have increased by those same amounts.

Basic earnings per share (EPS) is calculated using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period and includes the effect of any participating securities as appropriate. Participating securities consist of unvested restricted stock issued to our employees and non-employee directors that provide dividend rights.

Diluted EPS is calculated assuming the issuance of common shares for all potentially dilutive securities, provided the effect is not antidilutive. For the Current Quarter, the Prior Quarter, the Current Period and the Prior Period, our contingent convertible senior notes did not have a dilutive effect and therefore were excluded from the calculation of diluted EPS. See Note 3 for further discussion of our contingent convertible senior notes.

For the Current Quarter, the Prior Quarter, the Current Period and the Prior Period, shares of the following securities and associated adjustments to net income, representing dividends on preferred stock and allocated earnings on participating securities, were excluded from the calculation of diluted EPS as the effect was antidilutive.

Our long-term debt consisted of the following as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015:

Holders' Demand Repurchase Rights . The holders of our contingent convertible senior notes may require us to repurchase, in cash, all or a portion of their notes at 100% of the principal amount of the notes on any of four dates that are five , ten , fifteen and twenty years before the maturity date.

Optional Conversion by Holders . At the holder's option, prior to maturity under certain circumstances, the notes are convertible into cash and, if applicable, shares of our common stock using a net share settlement process. One triggering circumstance is when the price of our common stock exceeds a threshold amount during a specified period in a fiscal quarter. Convertibility based on common stock price is measured quarterly. During the specified period in the Current Quarter, the price of our common stock was below the threshold level for each series of the contingent convertible senior notes and, as a result, the holders do not have the option to convert their notes into cash and common stock in the fourth quarter of 2016 under this provision.

The notes are also convertible, at the holder's option, during specified five -day periods if the trading price of the notes is below certain levels determined by reference to the trading price of our common stock. The notes were not convertible under this provision during the Current Quarter and the Prior Quarter. In general, upon conversion of a contingent convertible senior note, the holder will receive cash equal to the principal amount of the note and common stock for the note's conversion value in excess of the principal amount.

Contingent Interest. We will pay contingent interest on the convertible senior notes after they have been outstanding at least ten years during certain periods if the average trading price of the notes exceeds the threshold defined in the indenture.

The holders' demand repurchase dates, the common stock price conversion threshold amounts (as adjusted to give effect to cash dividends on our common stock) and the ending date of the first six-month period in which contingent interest may be payable for the contingent convertible senior notes are as follows:

Optional Redemption by the Company. We may redeem the contingent convertible senior notes once they have been outstanding for ten years at a redemption price of 100% of the principal amount of the notes, payable in cash. In addition, we may redeem our 2.75% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes due 2035 at any time.

Term Loan Facility

In the Current Quarter, we entered into a secured five -year term loan facility in aggregate principal amount of $1.5 billion for net proceeds of approximately $1.482 billion . Our obligations under the new facility are unconditionally guaranteed on a joint and several basis by the same subsidiaries that guarantee our revolving credit facility and are secured by first-priority liens on the same collateral securing our revolving credit facility (with a position in the collateral proceeds waterfall junior to the revolving credit facility). The term loan bears interest at a rate of London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) plus 7.50% per annum, subject to a 1.00% LIBOR floor, or the Alternative Base Rate (ABR) plus 6.50% per annum, subject to a 2.00% ABR floor, at our option. The loan was made at par without original discount. We used the net proceeds to finance tender offers for our unsecured notes.

The term loan matures in August 2021 and is subject to a make-whole premium prior to the second anniversary of the closing of the term loan, a premium to par of 4.25% from the second anniversary until but excluding the third anniversary, a premium to par of 2.125% from the third anniversary until but excluding the fourth anniversary and at par beginning on the fourth anniversary. The term loan may be subject to mandatory prepayments and offers to prepay with net cash proceeds of certain issuances of debt, certain sales and other dispositions of collateral.

The term loan contains covenants limiting our ability to incur additional indebtedness, incur liens, consummate mergers and similar fundamental changes, make restricted payments, sell collateral and use proceeds from such sales, make investments, repay certain subordinate, unsecured or junior lien indebtedness, and enter into transactions with affiliates.

Events of default under the term loan include, among other things, nonpayment of principal, interest or other amounts; violation of covenants; incorrectness of representations and warranties in any material respect; cross-payment default and cross acceleration with respect to other indebtedness with an outstanding principal balance of $125 million or more; bankruptcy; judgments involving liability of $125 million or more that are not paid; and ERISA events. Many events of default are subject to customary notice and cure periods.

Chesapeake Senior Notes and Contingent Convertible Senior Notes

In the Current Quarter, we used the net proceeds from our term loan discussed above to purchase and retire $898 million principal amount of our outstanding senior notes and $708 million principal amount of our outstanding contingent convertible senior notes for an aggregate $1.5 billion pursuant to tender offers. We recognized an aggregate gain of $87 million associated with these debt retirements, which was net of $25 million associated with the equity component of the retired contingent convertible senior notes. In the Current Period, in addition to these tender offers and the repayment upon maturity of $259 million principal amount of our 3.25% Senior Notes due 2016, we repurchased in the open market approximately $181 million principal amount of our outstanding senior notes for $151 million and $118 million principal amount of our outstanding contingent convertible senior notes for $63 million . Additionally, we privately negotiated exchanges of approximately $290 million principal amount of our outstanding senior notes for 53,923,925 shares of common stock and $287 million principal amount of our outstanding contingent convertible senior notes for 55,427,782 shares of common stock. In the Current Period, we recorded an aggregate gain of approximately $255 million associated with the tender offers, debt repurchases and exchanges discussed above.

Chesapeake Energy Corporation is a holding company and has no independent assets or operations. Our obligations under our outstanding senior notes and contingent convertible senior notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, by certain of our 100% owned subsidiaries on a senior unsecured basis. Our non-guarantor subsidiaries are minor and, as such, we have not included condensed consolidating financial information.

Revolving Credit Facility

We have a $4.0 billion senior secured revolving credit facility that matures in December 2019. As of September 30, 2016 , we had outstanding borrowings of $240 million under the revolving credit facility and had used $709 million of the revolving credit facility for various letters of credit (including the $461 million supersedeas bond with respect to the 2019 Notes litigation discussed in Note 4). The terms of the revolving credit facility include covenants limiting, among other things, our ability to incur additional indebtedness, make investments or loans, create liens, consummate mergers and similar fundamental changes, make restricted payments, make investments in unrestricted subsidiaries and enter into transactions with affiliates. We were in compliance with all applicable financial covenants under the agreement as of September 30, 2016 .

In the Current Period, we entered into the third amendment to our revolving credit facility. Pursuant to the amendment, our borrowing base was reaffirmed in the amount of $4.0 billion and the next scheduled borrowing base redetermination review was postponed until June 15, 2017, with the consenting lenders agreeing not to exercise their interim redetermination right prior to that date. Our borrowing base may be reduced if we dispose of a certain percentage of the value of the collateral securing the facility. As a result of asset sales discussed in Note 16 and all other sales of collateral since the date of the most recent amendment, as of October 31, 2016, our borrowing base was reduced to $3.8 billion . The amendment also provides temporary financial covenant relief, with the revolving credit facility's existing first lien secured leverage ratio and net debt to capitalization ratio suspended until September 30, 2017 and the interest coverage ratio maintenance covenant reduced as noted below. In addition, we agreed to grant liens and security interests on a majority of our assets, as well as maintain a minimum liquidity amount (defined as cash and cash equivalents and availability under our revolving credit facility) of $500 million until the suspension of the existing maintenance covenants ends.

The amendment reduces the interest coverage ratio from 1.1 to 1.0 to 0.65 to 1.0 through the first quarter of 2017, after which it will increase to 0.70 to 1.0 through the second quarter of 2017, 1.2 to 1.0 through the third quarter of 2017 and 1.25 to 1.0 thereafter. The amendment also includes a collateral value coverage test whereby if the collateral value coverage ratio, tested as of December 31, 2016, falls below 1.1 to 1.0, the $500 million minimum liquidity covenant increases to $750 million, and if the collateral value coverage ratio, tested as of March 31, 2017, falls below 1.25 to 1.0, our borrowing ability will be reduced in order to satisfy such ratio. The amendment also gives us the ability to incur up to $2.5 billion of first lien indebtedness secured on a pari passu basis with the existing obligations under the credit agreement, subject to a position in the collateral proceeds waterfall in favor of the revolving lenders and the other limitations on junior lien debt set forth in the credit agreement. After taking into account the term loan, the amount of additional first lien indebtedness permitted by the revolving credit facility is $1.0 billion.

Fair Value of Debt

We estimate the fair value of our senior notes using quoted market prices (Level 1). The fair value of all other debt, including borrowings under our revolving credit facility, is estimated using our credit default swap rate (Level 2). Fair value is compared to the carrying value, excluding the impact of interest rate derivatives, in the table below.

Contingencies

Litigation and Regulatory Proceedings

The Company is involved in a number of litigation and regulatory proceedings (including those described below). Many of these proceedings are in early stages, and many of them seek or may seek damages and penalties, the amount of which is indeterminate. We estimate and provide for potential losses that may arise out of litigation and regulatory proceedings to the extent that such losses are probable and can be reasonably estimated. Significant judgment is required in making these estimates and our final liabilities may ultimately be materially different. Our total estimated liability in respect of litigation and regulatory proceedings is determined on a case-by-case basis and represents an estimate of probable losses after considering, among other factors, the progress of each case or proceeding, our experience and the experience of others in similar cases or proceedings, and the opinions and views of legal counsel. We account for legal defense costs in the period the costs are incurred.

2016 Shareholder Litigation . On April 19, 2016, a derivative action was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma against the Company and current and former directors and officers of the Company alleging, among other things, violation of and conspiracy to violate the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, breach of fiduciary duties, waste of corporate assets, gross mismanagement and violations of Sections 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act related to actions allegedly taken by such persons since 2008. The lawsuit seeks certification as a class action, damages, attorneys' fees and other costs.

Regulatory and Related Proceedings. The Company has received, from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and certain state governmental agencies and authorities, subpoenas and demands for documents, information and testimony in connection with investigations into possible violations of federal and state antitrust laws relating to our purchase and lease of oil and natural gas rights in various states. The Company also has received DOJ, U.S. Postal Service and state subpoenas seeking information on the Company's royalty payment practices. Chesapeake has engaged in discussions with the DOJ, U.S. Postal Service and state agency representatives and continues to respond to such subpoenas and demands.

In addition, the Company received a DOJ subpoena and a voluntary document request from the SEC seeking information on our accounting methodology for the acquisition and classification of oil and natural gas properties and related matters. Chesapeake has engaged in discussions with the DOJ and SEC about these matters. On October 4, 2016, a securities class action was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma against the Company and certain current directors and officers of the Company alleging, among other things, violations of federal securities laws for purported misstatements in the Company's SEC filings and other public disclosures regarding the Company's accounting for the acquisition and classification of oil and natural gas properties. The lawsuit seeks certification as a class action, damages, attorneys' fees and other costs.

Redemption of 2019 Notes . As previously disclosed in the 2015 Form 10-K, in connection with the litigation related to the Company's notice issued on March 15, 2013 to redeem all of the 2019 Notes at par (plus accrued interest through the redemption date) pursuant to the special early redemption provision of the supplemental indenture governing the 2019 Notes, the Company filed a notice of appeal on July 27, 2015 of an amended judgment entered on July 17, 2015 by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York awarding the Trustee for the 2019 Notes $380 million plus prejudgment interest in the amount of $59 million . The Company posted a supersedeas bond in the amount of $461 million (reflected as an outstanding letter of credit under the Company's revolving credit facility) to stay execution of the judgment while appellate proceedings are pending. The Company accrued a loss contingency of $100 million for this matter in 2014 and an additional $339 million in 2015. On September 15, 2016, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the trial court's ruling. We intend to seek a rehearing en banc of the appeal by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and may file a petition for writ of certiorari with the United States Supreme Court.

Business Operations. Chesapeake is involved in various other lawsuits and disputes incidental to its business operations, including commercial disputes, personal injury claims, royalty claims, property damage claims and contract actions. With regard to contract actions, various mineral or leasehold owners have filed lawsuits against us seeking specific performance to require us to acquire their oil and natural gas interests and pay acreage bonus payments, damages based on breach of contract and/or, in certain cases, punitive damages based on alleged fraud. The Company has successfully defended a number of these failure-to-close cases in various courts, has settled and resolved other such cases and disputes and believes that its remaining loss exposure for these claims will not have a material adverse effect on the Company's consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Regarding royalty claims, Chesapeake and other natural gas producers have been named in various lawsuits alleging royalty underpayment. The suits against us allege, among other things, that we used below-market prices, made improper deductions, used improper measurement techniques and/or entered into arrangements with affiliates that resulted in underpayment of royalties in connection with the production and sale of natural gas and NGL. Plaintiffs have varying royalty provisions in their respective leases, oil and gas law varies from state to state, and royalty owners and producers differ in their interpretation of the legal effect of lease provisions governing royalty calculations. The Company has resolved a number of these claims through negotiated settlements of past and future royalties and has prevailed in various other lawsuits. We are currently defending lawsuits seeking damages with respect to royalty underpayment in various states, including, but not limited to, Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Louisiana and Arkansas. These lawsuits include cases filed by individual royalty owners and putative class actions, some of which seek to certify a statewide class. The Company also has received DOJ, U.S. Postal Service and state subpoenas seeking information on the Company's royalty payment practices.

Chesapeake is defending numerous lawsuits filed by individual royalty owners alleging royalty underpayment with respect to properties in Texas. On April 8, 2015, Chesapeake obtained a transfer order to move a substantial portion of these lawsuits to the 348th District Court of Tarrant County for pre-trial purposes (MDL). These lawsuits, which primarily relate to the Barnett Shale, generally allege that Chesapeake underpaid royalties by making improper deductions and using incorrect production volumes. Chesapeake entered into a settlement agreement with MDL plaintiffs representing over 97% of the hydrocarbons at issue by volume and, on July 22, 2016, the plaintiffs who accepted the settlement filed to dismiss such lawsuits. Chesapeake funded the settlement amount of approximately $29 million in cash and signed a $10 million , three -year promissory note in July 2016, which is accrued for as of September 30, 2016 . Additional plaintiffs are continuing to accept the settlement on a rolling basis. Chesapeake expects that additional lawsuits filed by plaintiffs not participating in the settlement will continue to be pursued and that new plaintiffs will file other lawsuits making similar allegations.

On December 9, 2015, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, by the Office of Attorney General, filed a lawsuit in the Bradford County Court of Common Pleas related to royalty underpayment and lease acquisition and accounting practices with respect to properties in Pennsylvania. The lawsuit, which primarily relates to the Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale, alleges that Chesapeake violated the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law (UTPCPL) by making improper deductions and entering into arrangements with affiliates that resulted in underpayment of royalties. The lawsuit seeks statutory restitution, civil penalties and costs, as well as temporary injunction from exploration and drilling activities in Pennsylvania until restitution, penalties and costs have been paid and permanent injunction from further violations of the UTPCPL. On February 8, 2016, the Office of Attorney General amended the complaint to, among other things, add an additional UTPCPL claim and antitrust claim alleging that a joint exploration agreement to which Chesapeake is a party established unlawful market allocation for the acquisition of leases. In response to Chesapeake's preliminary objections, the Office of Attorney General filed a second amended complaint on May 3, 2016, alleging further violations of the UTPCPL based upon alleged predicate violations of the federal Sherman Act and the Federal Trade Commission Act. Chesapeake removed the case to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on May 27, 2016. On August 15, 2016, the federal court remanded the case to state court.

Putative statewide class actions in Pennsylvania and Ohio and purported class arbitrations in Pennsylvania have been filed on behalf of royalty owners asserting various claims for damages related to alleged underpayment of royalties as a result of the Company's divestiture of substantially all of its midstream business and most of its gathering assets in 2012 and 2013. These cases include claims for violation of and conspiracy to violate the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and for an unlawful market allocation agreement for mineral rights. One of the cases includes claims of intentional interference with contractual relations and violations of antitrust laws related to purported markets for gas mineral rights, operating rights and gas gathering sources.

We believe losses are reasonably possible in certain of the pending royalty cases for which we have not accrued a loss contingency, but we are currently unable to estimate an amount or range of loss or the impact the actions could have on our future results of operations or cash flows. Uncertainties in pending royalty cases generally include the complex nature of the claims and defenses, the potential size of the class in class actions, the scope and types of the properties and agreements involved, and the applicable production years.

The Company is also defending lawsuits alleging various violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act and state antitrust laws. In 2016, putative class action lawsuits have been filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma and in Oklahoma state courts, and an individual lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court of Kansas, in each case against the Company and other defendants. The lawsuits generally allege that, since 2007 and continuing through April 2013, the defendants conspired to rig bids and depress the market for the purchases of oil and natural gas leasehold interests and properties in the Anadarko Basin containing producing oil and natural gas wells. The lawsuits seek damages, attorney's fees, costs and interest, as well as enjoinment from adopting practices or plans which would restrain competition in a similar manner as alleged in the lawsuits.

In April 2016, a class action lawsuit on behalf of holders of the Company's 6.875% Senior Notes due 2020 (the 2020 Notes) and 6.125% Senior Notes due 2021 (2021 Notes) was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York relating to the Company's December 2015 debt exchange, whereby the Company privately exchanged newly issued 8.00% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes due 2022 (Second Lien Notes) for certain outstanding senior unsecured notes and contingent convertible notes. The lawsuit alleges that the Company violated the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 and the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing by benefiting themselves and a minority of noteholders who are qualified institutional buyers (QIBs). According to the lawsuit, as a result of the Company's private debt exchange in which only QIBs (and non-U.S. persons under Regulation S) were eligible to participate, the Company unjustly enriched itself at the expense of class members by reducing indebtedness and reducing the value of the 2020 Notes and the 2022 Notes. The lawsuit seeks damages and attorney's fees, in addition to declaratory relief that the debt exchange and the liens created for the benefit of the Second Lien Notes are null and void and that the debt exchange effectively resulted in a default under the indentures for the 2020 Notes and the 2021 Notes. In June 2016, the lawsuit was transferred to the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, and in October 2016, the Company filed a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim. A hearing date for the motion has not been set.

Based on management's current assessment, we are of the opinion that no pending or threatened lawsuit or dispute relating to the Company's business operations is likely to have a material adverse effect on its future consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows. The final resolution of such matters could exceed amounts accrued, however, and actual results could differ materially from management's estimates.

Environmental Contingencies

The nature of the oil and gas business carries with it certain environmental risks for Chesapeake and its subsidiaries. Chesapeake has implemented various policies, programs, procedures, training and auditing to reduce and mitigate such environmental risks. Chesapeake conducts periodic reviews, on a company-wide basis, to assess changes in our environmental risk profile. Environmental reserves are established for environmental liabilities for which economic losses are probable and reasonably estimable. We manage our exposure to environmental liabilities in acquisitions by using an evaluation process that seeks to identify pre-existing contamination or compliance concerns and address the potential liability. Depending on the extent of an identified environmental concern, Chesapeake may, among other things, exclude a property from the transaction, require the seller to remediate the property to our satisfaction in an acquisition or agree to assume liability for the remediation of the property.

Commitments

Gathering, Processing and Transportation Agreements

We have contractual commitments with midstream service companies and pipeline carriers for future gathering, processing and transportation of oil, natural gas and NGL to move certain of our production to market. Working interest owners and royalty interest owners, where appropriate, will be responsible for their proportionate share of these costs. Commitments related to gathering, processing and transportation agreements are not recorded in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets; however, they are reflected in our estimates of proved reserves.

The aggregate undiscounted commitments under our gathering, processing and transportation agreements, excluding any proportionate share of these costs from working interest and royalty interest owners, credits for third-party volumes or future costs under cost-of-service agreements, are presented below.

In addition, we have entered into long-term agreements for certain natural gas gathering and related services within specified acreage dedication areas in exchange for cost-of-service based fees redetermined annually, or tiered fees based on volumes delivered relative to scheduled volumes. Future gathering fees vary with the applicable agreement.

Drilling Contracts

We have contracts with various drilling contractors to utilize drilling services with terms ranging from one year to three years at market-based pricing. These commitments are not recorded in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets. As of September 30, 2016 , the aggregate undiscounted minimum future payments under these drilling service commitments were approximately $144 million .

Pressure Pumping Contracts

We have an agreement for pressure pumping services. Throughout the term of the agreement, which expires in June 2017, the services agreement requires us to utilize, at market-based pricing, the lesser of (i) three pressure pumping crews through June 30, 2017 or (ii) 50% of the total number of all pressure pumping crews working for us in all of our operating regions during the respective year. We are also required to utilize the pressure pumping services for a minimum number of fracture stages as set forth in the agreement. We are entitled to terminate the agreement in certain situations, including if the contractor fails to provide the overall quality of service provided by similar service providers. These commitments are not recorded in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets. As of September 30, 2016 , the aggregate undiscounted minimum future payments under this agreement were approximately $79 million .

Oil, Natural Gas and NGL Purchase Commitments

We commit to purchase oil, natural gas and NGL from other owners in the properties we operate, including owners associated with our volumetric production payment (VPP) transactions. Production purchases under these arrangements are based on market prices at the time of production, and the purchased oil, natural gas and NGL are resold at market prices. See Volumetric Production Payments in Note 9 for further discussion of our VPP transactions.

Net Acreage Maintenance Commitments

Under the terms of our Utica Shale joint venture agreements with Total S.A., we are required to extend, renew or replace expiring joint leasehold, at our cost, to ensure that the net acreage is maintained in certain designated areas as of a future measurement date.

Other Commitments

As part of our normal course of business, we enter into various agreements providing, or otherwise arranging for, financial or performance assurances to third parties on behalf of our wholly owned guarantor subsidiaries. These agreements may include future payment obligations or commitments regarding operational performance that effectively guarantee our subsidiaries' future performance.

In connection with acquisitions and divestitures, our purchase and sale agreements generally provide indemnification to the counterparty for liabilities incurred as a result of a breach of a representation or warranty by the indemnifying party and/or other specified matters. These indemnifications generally have a discrete term and are intended to protect the parties against risks that are difficult to predict or cannot be quantified at the time of entering into or consummating a particular transaction. For divestitures of oil and natural gas properties, our purchase and sale agreements may require the return of a portion of the proceeds we receive as a result of uncured title defects.

Certain of our oil and natural gas properties are burdened by non-operating interests such as royalty and overriding royalty interests, including overriding royalty interests sold through our VPP transactions. As the holder of the working interest from which these interests have been created, we have the responsibility to bear the cost of developing and producing the reserves attributable to these interests. See Volumetric Production Payments in Note 9 for further discussion of our VPP transactions.

While executing our strategic priorities, we have incurred certain cash charges, including contract termination charges, financing extinguishment costs and charges for unused natural gas transportation and gathering capacity. As we continue to focus on our strategic priorities, we may take certain actions that reduce financial leverage and complexity, and we may incur additional cash and noncash charges.

Other current liabilities as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 are detailed below.

Other long-term liabilities as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 are detailed below.

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Common Stock

A summary of the changes in our common shares issued for the Current Period and the Prior Period are detailed below.

On May 20, 2016, our shareholders approved an amendment to our certificate of incorporation to increase our authorized common stock from 1,000,000,000 shares to 1,500,000,000 shares, par value $0.01 per share.

Preferred Stock

Outstanding shares of our preferred stock for the Current Period and the Prior Period are detailed below.

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Dividends

In January 2016, we announced that we were suspending dividend payments on each series of our outstanding convertible preferred stock. Suspension of the dividends did not constitute an event of default under our revolving credit facility or bond indentures. Our preferred stock dividends for the Current Period (paid in arrears) are detailed below.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

For the Current Period and the Prior Period, changes in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) for cash flow hedges, net of tax, are detailed below.