of approximately $3 million. This adjustment represented the mark-to-market adjustment to fair value for a forward purchase agreement that allowed the Company to acquire 1.5 million shares of its common stock at a price of $16.64 per share. The Company settled this forward purchase agreement in August 2003. The settlement resulted in an additional gain of approximately $6 million, which is included in interest and other income, net.

Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations

On September 29, 2002, the Company adopted SFAS No. 143, Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations , which addresses financial accounting and reporting for obligations associated with the retirement of tangible long-lived assets and the associated asset retirement costs. Net of the related income tax effect of approximately $1 million, adoption of SFAS No. 143 resulted in an unfavorable cumulative-effect type adjustment to net income during 2003 of approximately $2 million. This adjustment represents cumulative depreciation and accretion that would have been recognized through the date of adoption of SFAS No. 143 had the statement been applied to the Company's existing asset retirement obligations at the time they were initially incurred.

Accounting for Derivatives

The adoption of SFAS 133 during 2001 resulted in a favorable cumulative-effect type adjustment of approximately $12 million, net of a related income tax effect of approximately $5 million.

Further information related to the adoption of SFAS Nos. 133, 143 and 150 and the resulting cumulative accounting effects may be found in Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K at Note 1 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation

The Company currently measures compensation expense for its employee stock-based compensation plans using the intrinsic value method prescribed by Accounting Principles Board (APB) Opinion No. 25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees and provides pro forma disclosures of the effect on net income and earnings per share as if the fair value-based method had been applied in measuring compensation expense. The Company has elected to follow APB Opinion No. 25 because, as further discussed in Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K at Note 1 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, the alternative fair value accounting provided for under SFAS No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation , requires use of option valuation models that were not developed for use in valuing employee stock options and employee stock purchase plan shares. Under APB Opinion No. 25, when the exercise price of the Company's employee stock options equals the market price of the underlying stock on the date of the grant, no compensation expense is recognized.

The FASB decided on April 22, 2003 to require all companies to expense the value of employee stock options. Companies will be required to measure the cost of employee stock options according to their fair value. The FASB has indicated that it plans to issue in the first quarter of calendar year 2004 an exposure draft of a new accounting standard addressing this matter. Prior to issuance of this exposure draft, the