ACC » Topics » Report of the Audit Committee

This excerpt taken from the ACC DEF 14A filed Mar 29, 2007.

Report of the Audit Committee

The Audit Committee, on behalf of the Board of Directors, serves as an independent and objective party to monitor our financial reporting process and internal control system, and to review and appraise the audit efforts of our independent auditors. The Audit Committee performs these oversight responsibilities in accordance with its Audit Committee Charter (as amended and restated in August 2005), a copy of which was included as Appendix A to the proxy statement relating to our 2006 Annual Meeting.

Management has the primary responsibility for the financial statements and the reporting process, including the systems of internal controls. In fulfilling its oversight responsibilities, the Audit Committee reviewed with management the audited financial statements in our Annual Report, and discussed with management the quality, not just the acceptability, of the accounting principles, the reasonableness of significant judgments and the clarity of disclosures in the financial statements. The Audit Committee also reviewed and discussed our earnings releases with management.

During 2006, the Audit Committee met with management and our independent auditors and internal auditor periodically to consider the adequacy of our internal controls and the objectivity of our financial reporting in response to the requirements set forth in Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and related regulations. The Audit Committee also discussed with management and our independent auditors and internal auditor the process used for certifications by our chief executive officer and chief financial officer that are required for certain of our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Ernst & Young LLP, our independent auditors, are responsible for auditing our financial statements and for expressing an opinion on the conformity of those audited financial statements with generally accepted accounting principles. The Audit Committee reviewed and discussed with the independent auditors their judgments as to the quality, not just the acceptability, of our accounting principles and such other matters as are required to be discussed with the Audit Committee under Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61, as currently in effect. The Audit Committee also received the written disclosures and the letter from the independent auditors required by the Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1, as currently in effect, discussed with the independent auditors the auditors’ independence from management and us and considered the compatibility of non-audit services with the auditors’ independence.

The Audit Committee discussed with the independent auditors the overall scope and plans for their audit. The Audit Committee meets at least quarterly with the independent auditors, with and without management present, to discuss the results of their examinations, their evaluations of our internal controls and the overall quality of our financial reporting. The Audit Committee also meets with management and the independent auditors prior to the filing of the quarterly reports on Form 10-Q with the SEC and release to the public of its quarterly and year-end financial results to, among other things, review and discuss such filings, review any related financial statements and related variances, review significant accounting policies and discuss any significant accounting treatments applied during the period.

In reliance on the reviews and discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Directors (and the Board has approved) that the audited financial statements be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006 for filing with the SEC.

This section of the proxy statement is not deemed “filed” with the SEC and is not incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K.

This Audit Committee report is given by the following members of the Audit Committee:

    G. & Steven Dawson, Chairman
R.D. Burck
Winston W. Walker


 
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