UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-A
FOR REGISTRATION OF CERTAIN CLASSES OF SECURITIES
PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR (g) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
GENESIS ENERGY, L.P.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware 1-12295 76-0513049
(State or other jurisdiction of (Commission (I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization) File Number) Identification No.)
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500 Dallas, Suite 2500, Houston, Texas 77002
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(713) 860-2500
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Common Units representing limited
partner interests American Stock Exchange
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
NONE
Item 1. Description of Registrant's Securities to be Registered.
This statement relates to the registration of common units (the "Common Units") of Genesis Energy, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership ("Genesis"), on the American Stock Exchange ("AMEX"). Such units are presently listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. ("NYSE"). Upon the commencement of trading of the Common Units on the AMEX, Genesis intends to withdraw its inclusion of the Common Units on NYSE.
A description of the Common Units is included in the Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A dated October 18, 2000, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on October 19, 2000, under "Description of the Units - After". As of January 26, 2001, there were 8,623,916 Common Units issued and outstanding. Genesis also holds 1,084 Common Units in its treasury.
Item 2. Exhibits.
The following exhibits to this Registration Statement of Form 8-A are either filed herewith or are incorporated by reference from the documents specified, which have been filed with the SEC.
1. Certificate of Limited Partnership of Genesis Energy, L.P. (incorporated by reference to exhibit 3.1 to Registration Statement, File No. 333-11545), as amended, filed with the SEC on September 6, 1996.
2. Second Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Genesis Energy, L.P., dated December 7, 2000.
3. Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A dated October 18, 2000, filed with the SEC on October 19, 2000.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
GENESIS ENERGY, L.P.
(A Delaware Limited Partnership)
By: GENESIS ENERGY, L.L.C., as
General Partner
Date: January 30, 2001 By: /s/ Ross A. Benavides
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Ross A. Benavides
Chief Financial Officer
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Execution Copy
SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED
AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
OF
GENESIS ENERGY, L.P.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ARTICLE I
Definitions
1.1 Definitions 1
1.2 Construction 11
ARTICLE II
Organization
2.1 Continuation of Existence 11
2.2 Name 11
2.3 Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office;
Other Offices 11
2.4 Purpose and Business 11
2.5 Powers 12
2.6 Power of Attorney 12
2.7 Term 13
2.8 Title to Partnership Assets 13
ARTICLE III
` Rights of Limited Partners
3.1 Limitation of Liability 13
3.2 Management of Business 14
3.3 Outside Activities of the Limited Partners 14
3.4 Rights of Limited Partners 14
ARTICLE IV
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Certificates; Record Holders; Transfer of Partnership Interests; Redemption of Partnership Interests
4.1 Certificates 15
4.2 Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates 15
4.3 Record Holders 16
4.4 Transfer Generally 16
4.5 Registration and Transfer of Limited Partner Interests 16
4.6 Transfer of a General Partner's General Partner Interest 17
4.7 Restrictions on Transfers 17
4.8 Citizenship Certificates; Non-citizen Assignees 18
4.9 Redemption of Partnership Interests of Non-citizen Assignees 18
ARTICLE V
Capital Contributions and Issuance of Partnership Interests
5.1 Previous Capital Contributions 19
5.2 Additional Contributions by General Partner 19
5.3 Interest and Withdrawal 20
5.4 Capital Accounts 20
5.5 Issuances of Additional Partnership Securities 22
5.6 Limited Preemptive Right 22
5.7 Splits and Combination 23
5.8 Fully Paid and Non-Assessable Nature of Limited Partner Interests 23
ARTICLE VI
Allocations and Distributions
6.1 Allocations for Capital Account Purposes 23
6.2 Allocations for Tax Purposes 26
6.3 Distributions to Record Holders 27
ARTICLE VII
Management and Operation of Business
7.1 Management 28
7.2 Certificate of Limited Partnership 30
7.3 Restrictions on General Partner's Authority 30
7.4 Reimbursement of the General Partner 30
7.5 Outside Activities 31
7.6 Loans from the General Partner; Loans or Contributions
from the Partnership; Contracts with Affiliates;
Certain Restrictions on the General Partner 32
7.7 Indemnification 33
7.8 Liability of Indemnitees 34
7.9 Resolution of Conflicts of Interest 35
7.10 Other Matters Concerning the General Partner 36
7.11 Purchase or Sale of Partnership Securities 36
7.12 Registration Rights of the General Partner and its Affiliates 37
7.13 Reliance by Third Parties 38
ARTICLE VIII
Books, Records, Accounting and Reports
8.1 Records and Accounting 39
8.2 Fiscal Year 39
8.3 Reports 39
ARTICLE IX
Tax Matters
9.1 Tax Returns and Information 39
9.2 Tax Elections 39
9.3 Tax Controversies 40
9.4 Withholding 40
ARTICLE X
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Admission of Partners
10.1 Admission of Substituted Limited Partner 40
10.2 Admission of Successor General Partner 41
10.3 Admission of Additional Limited Partners 41
10.4 Amendment of Agreement and Certificate of Limited Partnership 41
ARTICLE XI
Withdrawal or Removal of Partners
11.1 Withdrawal of the General Partner 41
11.2 Removal of the General Partner 43
11.3 Interest of Departing Partner and Successor General Partner 43
11.4 Withdrawal of Limited Partners 44
ARTICLE XII
Dissolution and Liquidation
12.1 Dissolution 44
12.2 Continuation of the Business of the Partnership After Dissolution 45
12.3 Liquidator 45
12.4 Liquidation 46
12.5 Cancellation of Certificate of Limited Partnership 46
12.6 Return of Contributions 46
12.7 Waiver of Partition 46
12.8 Capital Account Restoration 46
ARTICLE XIII
Amendment of Partnership Agreement; Meetings; Record Date
13.1 Amendment to be Adopted Solely by the General Partner 47
13.2 Amendment Procedures 48
13.3 Amendment Requirements 48
13.4 Special Meetings 49
13.5 Notice of a Meeting 49
13.6 Record Date 49
13.7 Adjournment 49
13.8 Waiver of Notice; Approval of Meeting; Approval of Minutes 49
13.9 Quorum 50
13.10 Conduct of a Meeting 50
13.11 Action Without a Meeting 50
13.12 Voting and Other Rights 51
ARTICLE XIV
Merger
14.1 Authority 51
14.2 Procedure for Merger or Consolidation 51
14.3 Approval by Limited Partners of Merger or Consolidation 52
14.4 Certificate of Merger 53
14.5 Effect of Merger 53
ARTICLE XV
Right to Acquire Limited Partner Interests
15.1 Right to Acquire Limited Partner Interests 53
ARTICLE XVI
General Provisions
16.1 Addresses and Notices 55
16.2 Further Action 55
16.3 Binding Effect 55
16.4 Integration 55
16.5 Creditors 55
16.6 Waiver 56
16.7 Counterparts 56
16.8 Applicable Law 56
16.9 Invalidity of Provisions 56
16.10 Consent of Partners 56
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SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
OF
GENESIS ENERGY, L.P.
THIS SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP of Genesis Energy, L.P. dated as of December 7, 2000, is entered into by and among Genesis Energy, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company, as the General Partner, together with any other Persons who are or who become Partners in the Partnership or parties hereto as provided herein. In consideration of the covenants, conditions and agreements contained herein, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:
WHEREAS, the General Partner and certain other parties organized the Partnership as a Delaware limited partnership pursuant to an Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership dated as of December 3, 1996 (the "Previous Agreement"); and
WHEREAS, the partners of the Partnership and
Genesis OLP have approved by requisite vote a
restructuring (the "Restructuring") of the Partnership
and Genesis OLP pursuant to which (a) all outstanding
Subordinated LP Units and APIs (each as defined in the
Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement) will be eliminated,
(b) the Previous Agreement and the previous Genesis OLP
Partnership Agreement will be amended to, among other
things, reduce the Minimum Quarterly Distribution, the
First Target Distribution, the Second Target
Distribution and the Third Target Distribution (each as
defined in the Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement) and
provide that the Common Units (as defined in the
Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement) will not accrue
arrearages if the Minimum Quarterly Distribution is not
paid in full in any Quarter, (c) Salomon will
contribute to Genesis OLP the remaining $3,802,000 of
its distribution support obligation under the
Distribution Support Agreement (the "Remaining
Distribution Support"), (d) Genesis OLP will make a
special distribution of the Remaining Distribution
Support less the cost associated with the restructuring
to the Partnership and the Partnership will make a
special distribution of such amount to the holders of
Common Units, (e) the Distribution Support Agreement
will be terminated, (f) the Partnership will withdraw
as a general partner of Genesis OLP and the
Partnership's 80.01% general partner interest in
Genesis OLP represented by 8,801,020 Subordinated GP
Units will be converted into a 99.99% limited partner
interest, (g) the General Partner's 0.40% general
partner interest in Genesis OLP represented by 43,980
Subordinated GP Units will be converted into a 0.01%
general partner interest and (h) Salomon's $300 million
credit support obligation under the Master Credit
Support Agreement will be extended until December 31,
2001 on the current terms and conditions; and
WHEREAS, Genesis Energy, L.L.C., as the sole general partner, now desires to amend and restate the Previous Agreement to reflect the Restructuring and such other changes that, in the discretion of Genesis Energy, L.L.C., do not adversely affect the Limited Partners in any material respect;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto hereby amend and restate the Previous Agreement in its entirety:
ARTICLE I
Definitions
1.1 Definitions
The following definitions shall be for all purposes, unless otherwise clearly indicated to the contrary, applied to the terms used in this Agreement.
"Acquisition" means any transaction in which any Group Member acquires (through an asset acquisition, merger, stock acquisition or other form of investment) control over all or a portion of the assets, properties or business of another Person for the purpose of increasing the operating capacity or revenues of the Partnership Group from the operating capacity or revenues of the Partnership Group existing immediately prior to such transaction.
"Additional Limited Partner" means a Person admitted to the Partnership as a Limited Partner pursuant to Section 10.4 and who is shown as such on the books and records of the Partnership.
"Adjusted Capital Account" means the Capital Account maintained for each Partner as of the end of each fiscal year of the Partnership, (a) increased by any amounts that such Partner is obligated to restore under the standards set by Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(c) (or is deemed obligated to restore under Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(g) and 1.704-2(i)(5)) and (b) decreased by (i) the amount of all losses and deductions that, as of the end of such fiscal year, are reasonably expected to be allocated to such Partner in subsequent years under Sections 704(e)(2) and 706(d) of the Code and Treasury Regulation Section 1.751-1(b)(2)(ii), and (ii) the amount of all distributions that, as of the end of such fiscal year, are reasonably expected to be made to such Partner in subsequent years in accordance with the terms of this Agreement or otherwise to the extent they exceed offsetting increases to such Partner's Capital Account that are reasonably expected to occur during (or prior to) the year in which such distributions are reasonably expected to be made (other than increases as a result of a minimum gain chargeback pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(i) or 6.1(c)(ii)). The foregoing definition of Adjusted Capital Account is intended to comply with the provisions of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704- 1(b)(2)(ii)(d) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.
"Adjusted Property" means any property the Carrying Value of which has been adjusted pursuant to Section 5.4(d)(i) or 5.4(d)(ii).
"Affiliate" means, with respect to any Person, any other Person that (i) directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries controls, is controlled by or is under common control with, the Person in question or (ii) owns, beneficially, directly or indirectly, 20% or more of the outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of the Person in question. As used herein, the term "control" means the possession, direct or indirect, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a Person, whether through ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise.
"Agreed Allocation" means any allocation, other than a Required Allocation, of an item of income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.1, including, without limitation, a Curative Allocation (if appropriate to the context in which the term "Agreed Allocation" is used).
"Agreed Value" of any Contributed Property means the fair market value of such property or other consideration at the time of contribution as determined by the General Partner using such reasonable method of valuation as it may adopt. The General Partner shall, in its discretion, use such method as it deems reasonable and appropriate to allocate the aggregate Agreed Value of Contributed Properties contributed to the Partnership in a single or integrated transaction among each separate property on a basis proportional to the fair market value of each Contributed Property.
"Agreement" means this Second Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Genesis Energy, L.P., as it may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.
"API" has the meaning assigned to such term in the Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement.
"Assignee" means a Non-citizen Assignee or a Person to whom one or more Limited Partner Interests have been transferred in a manner permitted under this Agreement and who has executed and delivered a Transfer Application as required by this Agreement, but who has not been admitted as a Substituted Limited Partner.
"Associate" means, when used to indicate a relationship with any Person, (a) any corporation or organization of which such Person is a director, officer or partner or is, directly or indirectly, the owner of 20% or more of any class of voting stock or other voting interest; (b) any trust or other estate in which such Person has at least a 20% beneficial interest or as to which such Person serves as trustee or in a similar fiduciary capacity; and (c) any relative or spouse of such Person, or any relative of such spouse, who has the same principal residence as such Person.
"Audit Committee" means a committee of the Board of Directors of the General Partner composed entirely of two or more directors who are neither officers nor employees of the General Partner or officers, directors or employees of any Affiliate of the General Partner.
"Available Cash" means, with respect to any Quarter ending prior to the Liquidation Date,
(a) the sum of (i) all cash and cash equivalents of the Partnership on hand at the end of such Quarter and (ii) all additional cash and cash equivalents of the Partnership on hand on the date of determination of Available Cash with respect to such Quarter resulting from borrowings for working capital purposes, less
(b) the amount of any cash reserves that is necessary or appropriate in the reasonable discretion of the General Partner to (i) provide for the proper conduct of the business of the Partnership Group (including reserves for future capital expenditures and for anticipated future credit needs of the business of the Partnership Group) subsequent to such Quarter or (ii) comply with applicable law or any loan agreement (including the Master Credit Support Agreement), security agreement (including the Security Agreement), mortgage, debt instrument or other agreement or obligation to which any Group Member is a party or by which it is bound or its assets are subject; provided, however, that disbursements made by the Partnership or cash reserves established, increased or reduced after the end of such Quarter but on or before the date of determination of Available Cash with respect to such Quarter shall be deemed to have been made, established, increased or reduced, for purposes of determining Available Cash, within such Quarter if the General Partner so determines.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, "Available Cash" with respect to the Quarter in which the Liquidation Date occurs and any subsequent Quarter shall equal zero.
"Book-Tax Disparity" means, with respect to any item of Contributed Property or Adjusted Property, as of the date of any determination, the difference between the Carrying Value of such Contributed Property or Adjusted Property and the adjusted basis thereof for federal income tax purposes as of such date. A Partner's share of the Partnership's Book-Tax Disparities in all of its Contributed Property and Adjusted Property will be reflected by the difference between such Partner's Capital Account balance as maintained pursuant to Section 5.4 and the hypothetical balance of such Partner's Capital Account computed as if it had been maintained strictly in accordance with federal income tax accounting principles.
"Business Day" means Monday through Friday of each week, except that a legal holiday recognized as such by the government of the United States of America or the states of New York or Texas shall not be regarded as a Business Day.
"Capital Account" means the capital account maintained for a Partner pursuant to Section 5.4.
"Capital Contribution" means any cash, cash equivalents or the Net Agreed Value of Contributed Property that a Partner contributed to the Partnership pursuant to this Agreement (or the Previous Agreement).
"Capital Improvement" means any (a) addition or improvement to the capital assets owned by any Group Member or (b) acquisition of existing or the construction of new capital assets (including pipeline systems, storage facilities and related assets), made to increase the operating capacity or revenues of the Partnership Group from the operating capacity or revenues of the Partnership Group existing immediately prior to such addition, improvement, acquisition or construction.
"Carrying Value" means (a) with respect to a Contributed Property, the Agreed Value of such property reduced (but not below zero) by all depreciation, amortization and cost recovery deductions charged to the Partners' and Assignees' Capital Accounts in respect of such Contributed Property, and (b) with respect to any other Partnership property, the adjusted basis of such property for federal income tax purposes, all as of the time of determination. The Carrying Value of any property shall be adjusted from time to time in accordance with Sections 5.4(d)(i) and 5.4(d)(ii) and to reflect changes, additions or other adjustments to the Carrying Value for dispositions and acquisitions of Partnership properties, as deemed appropriate by the General Partner.
"Cause" means a court of competent jurisdiction has entered a final, non- appealable judgment finding the General Partner liable for actual fraud, gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct in its capacity as general partner of the Partnership.
"Certificate" means a certificate, (i) substantially in the form of Exhibit A to this Agreement, (ii) issued in global form in accordance with the rules of the Depositary or (iii) in such other form as may be adopted by the General Partner in its discretion, issued by the Partnership evidencing ownership of one or more Common Units or a certificate, in such form as may be adopted by the General Partner in its discretion, issued by the Partnership evidencing ownership of one or more other Partnership Securities.
"Certificate of Limited Partnership" means the Amended and Restated Certificate of Limited Partnership of the Partnership filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as referenced in Section 7.2, as such Certificate of Limited Partnership may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.
"Citizenship Certification" means a properly completed certificate in such form as may be specified by the General Partner by which an Assignee or a Limited Partner certifies that he (and if he is a nominee holding for the account of another Person, that to the best of his knowledge such other Person) is an Eligible Citizen.
"claim" has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.12(c).
"Closing Price" has the meaning assigned to such term in
Section 15.1(a).
"Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and in effect from time to time. Any reference herein to a specific section or sections of the Code shall be deemed to include a reference to any corresponding provision of future law.
"Combined Interest" has the meaning assigned to such term in
Section 11.3(a).
"Commission" means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. "Common Unit" means a Partnership Security representing a |
fractional part of the Partnership Interests of all Limited Partners and Assignees and having the rights and obligations specified with respect to a Common Unit in this Agreement.
"Contributed Property" means each property or other asset,
in such form as may be permitted by the Delaware Act, but
excluding cash, contributed to the Partnership. Once the
Carrying Value of a Contributed Property is adjusted pursuant to
Section 5.4(d), such property shall no longer constitute a
Contributed Property, but shall be deemed an Adjusted Property.
"Conversion Election" has the meaning assigned to such term in the Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement.
"Conveyance Agreement" means that certain Purchase & Sale and Contribution & Conveyance Agreement, dated as of November 26, 1996, among the Partnership, Genesis OLP, Genesis Energy, L.L.C., Howell and a Subsidiary of Salomon, together with the additional conveyance documents and instruments contemplated or referenced thereunder.
"Curative Allocation" means any allocation of an item of income, gain, deduction, loss or credit pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.1(c)(ix).
"Current Market Price" has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 15.1(a).
"Delaware Act" means the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, 6 Del C. 17-101, et seq., as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time, and any successor to such statute.
"Departing Partner" means a former General Partner from and after the effective date of any withdrawal or removal of such former General Partner pursuant to Section 11.1 or 11.2.
"Depositary" means, with respect to any Units issued in global form, The Depository Trust Company and its successors and permitted assigns.
"Distribution Support Agreement" means the Distribution Support Agreement, dated as of December 3, 1996, between the Genesis OLP and Salomon, which sets forth the agreement of the Partnership and Salomon relating to the purchase of APIs.
"Economic Risk of Loss" has the meaning set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-2(a).
"Eligible Citizen" means a Person qualified to own interests in real property in jurisdictions in which any Group Member does business or proposes to do business from time to time, and whose status as a Limited Partner or Assignee does not or would not subject such Group Member to a significant risk of cancellation or forfeiture of any of its properties or any interest therein.
"Event of Withdrawal" has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 11.1(a).
"GP Unit" means a Partnership Security representing a fractional part of the Partnership Interest of the General Partner and having the rights and obligations specified with respect to GP Units in this Agreement.
"General Partner" means Genesis Energy, L.L.C. and its successors and permitted assigns as general partner of the Partnership.
"General Partner Interest" means the ownership interest of the General Partner in the Partnership (in its capacity as a general partner without reference to any Limited Partner Interest held by it), which may be evidenced by GP Units or other Partnership Securities or a combination thereof or interest therein, and includes any and all benefits to which the General Partner is entitled as provided in this Agreement, together with all obligations of the General Partner to comply with the terms and provisions of this Agreement.
"Genesis OLP" means Genesis Crude Oil, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, and its successors.
"Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement" means the Second Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Genesis Crude Oil, L.P., as it may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.
"Group" means a Person that with or through any of its Affiliates or Associates has any agreement, arrangement or understanding for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting (except voting pursuant to a revocable proxy or consent given to such Person in response to a proxy or consent solicitation made to 10 or more Persons) or disposing of any Partnership Securities with any other Person that beneficially owns, or whose Affiliates or Associates beneficially own, directly or indirectly, Partnership Securities.
"Group Member" means a member of the Partnership Group.
"Holder" as used in Section 7.12, has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.12(a).
"Howell" means Howell Corporation and its Subsidiaries.
"Incentive Compensation Payment" has the meaning assigned to such term in the Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement.
"Indemnified Persons" has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.12(c).
"Indemnitee" means (a) the General Partner, any Departing
Partner and any Person who is or was an Affiliate of the General
Partner or any Departing Partner, (b) any Person who is or was a
director, officer, employee, agent or trustee of a Group Member,
(c) any Person who is or was a member, officer, director,
employee, agent or trustee of the General Partner or any
Departing Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner or any
Departing Partner, or any Affiliate of any such Person, and (d)
any Person who is or was serving at the request of the General
Partner or any Departing Partner or any such Affiliate as a
director, officer, employee, member, partner, agent, fiduciary or
trustee of another Person; provided, that a Person shall not be
an Indemnitee by reason of providing, on a fee-for-services
basis, trustee, fiduciary or custodial services.
"Initial Closing Date" means December 3, 1996.
"Initial Offering" means the initial offering and sale of Common Units to the public on December 3, 1996, as described in the Registration Statement.
"Limited Partner" means, unless the context otherwise requires, (a) each Initial Limited Partner, each Substituted Limited Partner, each Additional Limited Partner, and any Partner upon the change of its status from General Partner to Limited Partner pursuant to Section 11.3 and (b) solely for purposes of Articles V, VI, VII and IX and Section 12.4, each Assignee.
"Limited Partner Interest" means the ownership interest of a Limited Partner or Assignee in the Partnership, which may be evidenced by Common Units or other Partnership Securities or a combination thereof or interest therein, and includes any and all benefits to which such Limited Partner or Assignee is entitled as provided in this Agreement, together with all obligations of such Limited Partner or Assignee to comply with the terms and provisions of this Agreement.
"Liquidation Date" means (a) in the case of an event giving rise to the dissolution of the Partnership of the type described in clauses (a) and (b) of the first sentence of Section 12.2, the date on which the applicable time period during which the Partners have the right to elect to reconstitute the Partnership and continue its business has expired without such an election being made, and (b) in the case of any other event giving rise to the dissolution of the Partnership, the date on which such event occurs.
"Liquidator" means one or more Persons selected by the General Partner to perform the functions described in Section 12.3 as liquidating trustee of the Partnership within the meaning of the Delaware Act.
"Master Credit Support Agreement" means the Master Credit Support Agreement, dated as of December 3, 1996, as amended, between Genesis OLP and Salomon which sets forth the agreement of Genesis OLP and Salomon relating to the credit support to be provided by Salomon to Genesis OLP.
"Majority Interest" means at least a majority in Voting
Power of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests.
"Merger Agreement" has the meaning assigned to such term in
Section 14.1.
"National Securities Exchange" means an exchange registered with the Commission under Section 6(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time, and any successor to such statute, or the Nasdaq Stock Market or any successor thereto.
"Net Agreed Value" means, (a) in the case of any Contributed Property, the Agreed Value of such property reduced by any liabilities either assumed by the Partnership upon such contribution or to which such property is subject when contributed, and (b) in the case of any property distributed to a Partner or Assignee by the Partnership, the Partnership's Carrying Value of such property (as adjusted pursuant to Section 5.4(d)(ii)) at the time such property is distributed, reduced by any indebtedness either assumed by such Partner or Assignee upon such distribution or to which such property is subject at the time of distribution, in either case, as determined under Section 752 of the Code.
"Net Income" means, for any taxable year, the excess, if any, of the Partnership's items of income and gain for such taxable year over the Partnership's items of loss and deduction for such taxable year. The items included in the calculation of Net Income shall be determined in accordance with Section 5.4(b) and shall not include any items specially allocated under Section 6.1(c).
"Net Loss" means, for any taxable year, the excess, if any, of the Partnership's items of loss and deduction for such taxable year over the Partnership's items of income and gain for such taxable year. The items included in the calculation of Net Loss shall be determined in accordance with Section 5.4(b) and shall not include any items specially allocated under Section 6.1(c).
"Ninety Percent Interest" means at least 90% in Voting Power of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests.
"Non-Competition Agreement" means the Non-Competition Agreement, dated as of December 3, 1996, among the Partnership, Genesis OLP, Salomon, Basis Petroleum, Inc. and Howell.
"Non-citizen Assignee" means a Person whom the General Partner has determined in its discretion does not constitute an Eligible Citizen and as to whose Limited Partner Interest the General Partner has become the Substituted Limited Partner, pursuant to Section 4.8.
"Nonrecourse Built-in Gain" means with respect to any Contributed Properties or Adjusted Properties that are subject to a mortgage or pledge securing a Nonrecourse Liability, the amount of any taxable gain that would be allocated to the Partners pursuant to Sections 6.2(b)(i)(A), 6.2(b)(ii)(A) and 6.2(b)(iii) if such properties were disposed of in a taxable transaction in full satisfaction of such liabilities and for no other consideration.
"Nonrecourse Deductions" means any and all items of loss, deduction or expenditures (including, without limitation, any expenditure described in Section 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code) that, in accordance with the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(b), are attributable to a Nonrecourse Liability.
"Nonrecourse Liability" has the meaning set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-1(a)(2).
"Notice of Election to Purchase" has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 15.1(b) hereof.
"OLP General Partner Interest" has the meaning assigned to the term "General Partner Interest" in the Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement.
"Opinion of Counsel" means a written opinion of counsel (who may be regular counsel to the Partnership or the General Partner or any of their Affiliates) acceptable to the General Partner in its reasonable discretion.
"Outstanding" means, with respect to Partnership Securities, all Partnership Securities that are issued by the Partnership and reflected as outstanding on the Partnership's books and records as of the date of determination; provided, however, that if at any time any Person or Group (other than the General Partner or its Affiliates) beneficially owns 20% or more of any Outstanding Partnership Securities of any class then Outstanding, all Partnership Securities owned by such Person or Group shall not be voted on any matter and shall not be considered to be Outstanding when sending notices of a meeting of Limited Partners to vote on any matter (unless otherwise required by law), calculating required votes, determining the presence of a quorum or for other similar purposes under this Agreement, except that such Partnership Securities shall be considered to be Outstanding for purposes of Section 11.1(b)(iv) (such Partnership Securities shall not, however, be treated as a separate class of Partnership Securities for purposes of this Agreement).
"Parity Units" means Common Units and all other Limited Partner Interests having rights to distributions or in liquidation ranking on a parity with the Common Units.
"Partner" means the General Partner and each Limited Partner.
"Partner Nonrecourse Debt" has the meaning set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(b)(4).
"Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain" has the meaning set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(2).
"Partner Nonrecourse Deductions" means any and all items of
loss, deduction or expenditure (including, without limitation,
any expenditure described in Section 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code)
that, in accordance with the principles of Treasury Regulation
Section 1.704-2(i), are attributable to a Partner Nonrecourse
Debt.
"Partnership" means Genesis Energy, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, and any successors thereto.
"Partnership Group" means the Partnership, Genesis OLP and any other Subsidiary of the Partnership, treated as a single consolidated entity.
"Partnership Interest" means an ownership interest in the Partnership, which shall include General Partner Interests and Limited Partner Interests.
"Partnership Minimum Gain" means that amount determined in accordance with the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(d).
"Partnership Security" means any class or series of equity interest in the Partnership and shall include, without limitation, Common Units and GP Units.
"Percentage Interest" means as of the date of such determination (a) as to any Partner or Assignee holding Units, the product obtained by multiplying (i) 100% less the percentage applicable to paragraph (b) by (ii) the quotient obtained by dividing (A) the number of Units held by such Partner or Assignee by (B) the total number of all Outstanding Units, and (b) as to the holders of additional Partnership Securities issued by the Partnership in accordance with Section 5.5, the percentage established as a part of such issuance.
"Person" means an individual or a corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, unincorporated organization, association, government agency or political subdivision thereof or other entity.
"Previous Agreement" has the meaning assigned to such term in the recitals to this Agreement.
"Pro Rata" means (a) when modifying Units or any class
thereof, apportioned among all designated Units in accordance
with their relative Percentage Interests and (b) when modifying
Partners and Assignees, apportioned among all Partners and
Assignees in accordance with their respective Percentage
Interests.
"Proxy Statement" means the definitive Proxy Statement filed
by the Partnership with the Commission under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, for the purpose of soliciting
the votes of the holders of Common Units with respect to the
Restructuring, as it has been or as it may be amended or
supplemented from time to time.
"Purchase Date" means the date determined by the General Partner as the date for purchase of all Limited Partner Interests of a certain class (other than Limited Partner Interests owned by the General Partner and its Affiliates) pursuant to Article XV.
"Quarter" means, unless the context requires otherwise, a calendar quarter.
"Recapture Income" means any gain recognized by the Partnership (computed without regard to any adjustment required by Section 734 or 743 of the Code) upon the disposition of any property or asset of the Partnership, which gain is characterized as ordinary income because it represents the recapture of deductions previously taken with respect to such property or asset.
"Record Date" means the date established by the General Partner for determining (a) the identity of the Record Holders entitled to notice of, or to vote at, any meeting of Limited Partners or entitled to vote by ballot or give approval of Partnership action in writing without a meeting or entitled to exercise rights in respect of any lawful action of Limited Partners or (b) the identity of Record Holders entitled to receive any report or distribution or participate in any offer.
"Record Holder" means the Person in whose name a Common Unit is registered on the books of the Transfer Agent as of the opening of business on a particular Business Day, or with respect to other Partnership Securities, the Person in whose name any such other Partnership Security is registered on the books which the General Partner has caused to be kept as of the opening of business on such Business Day.
"Redeemable Interests" means any Limited Partner Interests for which a redemption notice has been given, and has not been withdrawn, pursuant to Section 4.9.
"Registration Statement" means the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-11545) as amended, filed by the Partnership with the Commission under the Securities Act to register the offering and sale of the Common Units in the Initial Offering.
"Required Allocations" means (a) any limitation imposed on any allocation of Net Loss under Section 6.1(b) and (b) any allocation of an item of income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(i), 6.1(c)(ii), 6.1(c)(iii), 6.1(c)(vi) or 6.1(c)(viii).
"Residual Gain" or "Residual Loss" means any item of gain or loss, as the case may be, of the Partnership recognized for federal income tax purposes resulting from a sale, exchange or other disposition of a Contributed Property or Adjusted Property, to the extent such item of gain or loss is not allocated pursuant to Section 6.2(b)(i)(A) or 6.2(b)(ii)(A), respectively, to eliminate Book-Tax Disparities.
"Restructuring" has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Agreement.
"Salomon" means Salomon Smith Barney Holdings Inc, a Delaware corporation, and Salomon Brothers Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation.
"Securities Act" means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time and any successor to such statute.
"Security Agreement" means the Security Agreement, dated as of December 3, 1996, among Genesis OLP, Salomon and the Secured Parties (as defined in the Security Agreement) securing the obligations of Genesis OLP under the Master Credit Support Agreement and creating a security interest in the Collateral (as defined in the Security Agreement) in favor of the Collateral Agent (as defined in the Security Agreement).
"Special Approval" means approval by a majority of the members of the Audit Committee.
"Subsidiary" means, with respect to any Person, (a) a corporation of which more than 50% of the voting power of shares entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors or other governing body of such corporation is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or a combination thereof, (b) a partnership (whether general or limited) in which such Person or a Subsidiary of such Person is, at the date of determination, a general or limited partner of such partnership, but only if more than 50% of the partnership interests of such partnership (considering all of the partnership interests of such partnership as a single class) is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person, or a combination thereof, or (c) any other Person (other than a corporation or a partnership) in which such Person, one or more Subsidiaries of such Person, or a combination thereof, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, has (i) at least a majority ownership interest or (ii) the power to elect or direct the election of a majority of the directors or other governing body of such Person.
"Substituted Limited Partner" means a Person who is admitted as a Limited Partner to the Partnership pursuant to Section 10.2 in place of and with all the rights of a Limited Partner and who is shown as a Limited Partner on the books and records of the Partnership.
"Surviving Business Entity" has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 14.2(b).
"Trading Day" has the meaning assigned to such term in
Section 15.1(a).
"transfer" has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 4.4(a).
"Transfer Agent" means such bank, trust company or other Person (including the General Partner or one of its Affiliates) as shall be appointed from time to time by the Partnership to act as registrar and transfer agent for the Common Units.
"Transfer Application" means an application and agreement for transfer of Partnership Securities in the form set forth on the back of a Certificate or in a form substantially to the same effect in a separate instrument.
"Two-Thirds Interest" means at least 66_% in Voting Power of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests.
"Unit" means a Common Unit or a GP Unit or any other Partnership Security that is designated as a "Unit."
"Unrealized Gain" attributable to any item of Partnership property means, as of any date of determination, the excess, if any, of (a) the fair market value of such property as of such date (as determined under Section 5.4(d)) over (b) the Carrying Value of such property as of such date (prior to any adjustment to be made pursuant to Section 5.4(d) as of such date).
"Unrealized Loss" attributable to any item of Partnership property means, as of any date of determination, the excess, if any, of (a) the Carrying Value of such property as of such date (prior to any adjustment to be made pursuant to Section 5.4(d) as of such date) over (b) the fair market value of such property as of such date (as determined under Section 5.4(d)).
"U.S. GAAP" means United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles consistently applied.
"Voting Power" means the right, if any, of the holder of a Partnership Security to vote on Partnership matters. Each Common Unit shall entitle the holder thereof to one vote. Each additional Partnership Security shall entitle the holder thereof to such vote, if any, as shall be established at the time of issuance of such Partnership Security.
"Withdrawal Opinion of Counsel" has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 11.1(b).
1.2 Construction
Unless the context requires otherwise: (a) any pronoun used in this Agreement shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine or neuter forms, and the singular form of nouns, pronouns and verbs shall include the plural and vice versa; (b) references to Articles and Sections refer to Articles and Sections of this Agreement; and (c) "include" or "includes" means includes, without limitation, and "including" means including, without limitation.
ARTICLE II
Organization
2.1 Continuation of Existence
The General Partner and the Limited Partners hereby amend
and restate the Previous Agreement in its entirety to continue
the Partnership as a limited partnership pursuant to the
provisions of the Delaware Act and to set forth the rights and
obligations of the Partners and certain matters related thereto.
This amendment and restatement shall become effective on the
date of this Agreement. Except as expressly provided to the
contrary in this Agreement, the rights, duties (including
fiduciary duties), liabilities and obligations of the Partners
and the administration, dissolution and termination of the
Partnership shall be governed by the Delaware Act. All
Partnership Interests shall constitute personal property of the
owner thereof for all purposes and a Partner has no interest in
specific Partnership property.
2.2 Name
The name of the Partnership shall be "Genesis Energy, L.P." The Partnership's business may be conducted under any other name or names deemed necessary or appropriate by the General Partner in its sole discretion, including the name of the General Partner. The words "Limited Partnership," "L.P.," "Ltd." or similar words or letters shall be included in the Partnership's name where necessary for the purpose of complying with the laws of any jurisdiction that so requires. The General Partner in its discretion may change the name of the Partnership at any time and from time to time and shall notify the Limited Partners of such change in the next regular communication to the Limited Partners.
2.3 Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices
Unless and until changed by the General Partner, the registered office of the Partnership in the State of Delaware shall be located at 1209 Orange Street, New Castle County, Wilmington, Delaware 19801, and the registered agent for service of process on the Partnership in the State of Delaware at such registered office shall be CT Corporation System. The principal office of the Partnership shall be located at 500 Dallas, Suite 2500, Houston, Texas 77002 or such other place as the General Partner may from time to time designate by notice to the Limited Partners. The Partnership may maintain offices at such other place or places within or outside the State of Delaware as the General Partner deems necessary or appropriate. The address of the General Partner shall be 500 Dallas, Suite 2500, Houston, Texas 77002 or such other place as the General Partner may from time to time designate by notice to the Limited Partners.
2.4 Purpose and Business
The purpose and nature of the business to be conducted by the Partnership shall be to (a) serve as a general partner in Genesis OLP and, in connection therewith, to exercise all the rights and powers conferred upon the Partnership as a general partner in Genesis OLP pursuant to the Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement or otherwise, (b) engage directly in, or enter into or form any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other arrangement to engage indirectly in, any business activity that Genesis OLP is permitted to engage in by the Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement and, in connection therewith, to exercise all of the rights and powers conferred upon the Partnership pursuant to the agreements relating to such business activity, (c) engage directly in, or to enter into or form any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other arrangement to engage indirectly in, any business activity that is approved by the General Partner and which lawfully may be conducted by a limited partnership organized pursuant to the Delaware Act and, in connection therewith, to exercise all of the rights and powers conferred upon the Partnership pursuant to the agreements relating to such business activity, and (d) do anything necessary or appropriate to the foregoing, including the making of capital contributions or loans to a Group Member. The General Partner has no obligation or duty to the Partnership, the Limited Partners, or the Assignees to propose or approve, and in its discretion may decline to propose or approve, the conduct by the Partnership of any business.
2.5 Powers
The Partnership shall be empowered to do any and all acts and things necessary, appropriate, proper, advisable, incidental to or convenient for the furtherance and accomplishment of the purposes and business described in Section 2.4 and for the protection and benefit of the Partnership.
2.6 Power of Attorney
(a) Each Limited Partner and each Assignee hereby constitutes and appoints the General Partner and, if a Liquidator shall have been selected pursuant to Section 12.3, the Liquidator, severally (and any successor to the Liquidator by merger, transfer, assignment, election or otherwise) and each of their authorized officers and attorneys-in-fact, as the case may be, with full power of substitution, as his true and lawful agent and attorney-in-fact, with full power and authority in his name, place and stead, to:
(i) execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record in the appropriate public offices (A) all certificates, documents and other instruments (including this Agreement and the Certificate of Limited Partnership and all amendments or restatements hereof or thereof) that the General Partner or the Liquidator deems necessary or appropriate to form, qualify or continue the existence or qualification of the Partnership as a limited partnership (or a partnership in which the limited partners have limited liability) in the State of Delaware and in all other jurisdictions in which the Partnership may conduct business or own property; (B) all certificates, documents and other instruments that the General Partner or the Liquidator deems necessary or appropriate to reflect, in accordance with its terms, any amendment, change, modification or restatement of this Agreement; (C) all certificates, documents and other instruments (including conveyances and a certificate of cancellation) that the General Partner or the Liquidator deems necessary or appropriate to reflect the dissolution and liquidation of the Partnership pursuant to the terms of this Agreement; (D) all certificates, documents and other instruments relating to the admission, withdrawal, removal or substitution of any Partner pursuant to, or other events described in, Article IV, X, XI or XII; (E) all certificates, documents and other instruments relating to the determination of the rights, preferences and privileges of any class or series of Partnership Securities issued pursuant to Section 5.5; and (F) all certificates, documents and other instruments (including agreements and a certificate of merger) relating to a merger or consolidation of the Partnership pursuant to Article XIV; and
(ii) execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record all ballots, consents, approvals, waivers, certificates, documents and other instruments necessary or appropriate, in the discretion of the General Partner or the Liquidator, to make, evidence, give, confirm or ratify any vote, consent, approval, agreement or other action that is made or given by the Partners hereunder or is consistent with the terms of this Agreement or is necessary or appropriate, in the discretion of the General Partner or the Liquidator, to effectuate the terms or intent of this Agreement; provided, that when required by Section 13.3 or any other provision of this Agreement that establishes a percentage of the Limited Partners or of the Limited Partners of any class or series required to take any action, the General Partner and the Liquidator may exercise the power of attorney made in this Section 2.6(a)(ii) only after the necessary vote, consent or approval of the Limited Partners or of the Limited Partners of such class or series, as applicable.
Nothing contained in this Section 2.6(a) shall be construed as authorizing the General Partner to amend this Agreement except in accordance with Article XIII or as may be otherwise expressly provided for in this Agreement.
(b) The foregoing power of attorney is hereby declared to be irrevocable and a power coupled with an interest, and it shall survive and, to the maximum extent permitted by law, not be affected by the subsequent death, incompetency, disability, incapacity, dissolution, bankruptcy or termination of any Limited Partner or Assignee and the transfer of all or any portion of such Limited Partner's or Assignee's Partnership Interest and shall extend to such Limited Partner's or Assignee's heirs, successors, assigns and personal representatives. Each such Limited Partner or Assignee hereby agrees to be bound by any representation made by the General Partner or the Liquidator acting in good faith pursuant to such power of attorney; and each such Limited Partner or Assignee, to the maximum extent permitted by law, hereby waives any and all defenses that may be available to contest, negate or disaffirm the action of the General Partner or the Liquidator taken in good faith under such power of attorney. Each Limited Partner or Assignee shall execute and deliver to the General Partner or the Liquidator, within 15 days after receipt of the request therefor, such further designation, powers of attorney and other instruments as the General Partner or the Liquidator deems necessary to effectuate this Agreement and the purposes of the Partnership.
2.7 Term
The term of the Partnership shall continue until the close of Partnership business on December 31, 2086 or until the earlier dissolution of the Partnership in accordance with the provisions of Article XII. The existence of the Partnership as a separate legal entity shall continue until the cancellation of the Certificate of Limited Partnership as provided in the Delaware Act.
2.8 Title to Partnership Assets
Title to Partnership assets, whether real, personal or mixed and whether tangible or intangible, shall be deemed to be owned by the Partnership as an entity, and no Partner or Assignee, individually or collectively, shall have any ownership interest in such Partnership assets or any portion thereof. Title to any or all of the Partnership assets may be held in the name of the Partnership, the General Partner, one or more of its Affiliates or one or more nominees, as the General Partner may determine. The General Partner hereby declares and warrants that any Partnership assets for which record title is held in the name of the General Partner or one or more of its Affiliates or one or more nominees shall be held by the General Partner or such Affiliate or nominee for the use and benefit of the Partnership in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement; provided, however, that the General Partner shall use reasonable efforts to cause record title to such assets (other than those assets in respect of which the General Partner determines that the expense and difficulty of conveyancing makes transfer of record title to the Partnership impracticable) to be vested in the Partnership as soon as reasonably practicable; provided, further, that, prior to the withdrawal or removal of the General Partner or as soon thereafter as practicable, the General Partner shall use reasonable efforts to effect the transfer of record title to the Partnership and, prior to any such transfer, will provide for the use of such assets in a manner satisfactory to the General Partner. All Partnership assets shall be recorded as the property of the Partnership in its books and records, irrespective of the name in which record title to such Partnership assets is held.
ARTICLE III
Rights of Limited Partners
3.1 Limitation of Liability
The Limited Partners and the Assignees shall have no liability under this Agreement except as expressly provided in this Agreement or the Delaware Act.
3.2 Management of Business
No Limited Partner or Assignee, in its capacity as such, shall participate in the operation, management or control (within the meaning of the Delaware Act) of the Partnership's business, transact any business in the Partnership's name or have the power to sign documents for or otherwise bind the Partnership. Any action taken by any Affiliate of the General Partner or any officer, director, employee, member, general partner, agent or trustee of the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, or any officer, director, employee, member, general partner, agent or trustee of a Group Member, in its capacity as such, shall not be deemed to be participation in the control of the business of the Partnership by a limited partner of the Partnership (within the meaning of Section 17-303(a) of the Delaware Act) and shall not affect, impair or eliminate the limitations on the liability of the Limited Partners or Assignees under this Agreement.
3.3 Outside Activities of the Limited Partners
Subject to the provisions of Section 7.5, which shall continue to be applicable to the Persons referred to therein, regardless of whether such Persons shall also be Limited Partners or Assignees, any Limited Partner or Assignee shall be entitled to and may have business interests and engage in business activities in addition to those relating to the Partnership, including business interests and activities in direct competition with the Partnership Group. Neither the Partnership nor any of the other Partners or Assignees shall have any rights by virtue of this Agreement in any business ventures of any Limited Partner or Assignee.
3.4 Rights of Limited Partners
(a) In addition to other rights provided by this Agreement or by applicable law, and except as limited by Section 3.4(b), each Limited Partner shall have the right, for a purpose reasonably related to such Limited Partner's interest as a limited partner in the Partnership, upon reasonable written demand and at such Limited Partner's own expense:
(i) to obtain true and full information regarding the status of the business and financial condition of the Partnership;
(ii) promptly after becoming available, to obtain a copy of the Partnership's federal, state and local tax returns for each year;
(iii) to have furnished to him a current list of the name and last known business, residence or mailing address of each Partner;
(iv) to have furnished to him a copy of this Agreement and the Certificate of Limited Partnership and all amendments thereto, together with a copy of the executed copies of all powers of attorney pursuant to which this Agreement, the Certificate of Limited Partnership and all amendments thereto have been executed;
(v) to obtain true and full information regarding the amount of cash and a description and statement of the Net Agreed Value of any other Capital Contribution by each Partner and which each Partner has agreed to contribute in the future, and the date on which each became a Partner; and
(vi) to obtain such other information regarding the affairs of the Partnership as is just and reasonable.
(b) The General Partner may keep confidential from the Limited Partners and Assignees, for such period of time as the General Partner deems reasonable, (i) any information that the General Partner reasonably believes to be in the nature of trade secrets or (ii) other information the disclosure of which the General Partner in good faith believes (A) is not in the best interests of the Partnership Group, (B) could damage the Partnership Group or (C) that any Group Member is required by law or by agreement with any third party to keep confidential (other than agreements with Affiliates of the Partnership the primary purpose of which is to circumvent the obligations set forth in this Section 3.4).
ARTICLE IV
Certificates; Record Holders; Transfer of
Partnership Interests; Redemption of Partnership Interests
4.1 Certificates
Upon the Partnership's issuance of Common Units to any Person, the Partnership shall issue one or more Certificates in the name of such Person evidencing the number of such Common Units being so issued. In addition, the General Partner may cause the Partnership to issue Certificates evidencing ownership of one or more other classes or series of Partnership Securities. Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the Partnership by the Chairman of the Board, President or any Vice President and the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary of the General Partner. No Common Unit Certificate shall be valid for any purpose until it has been countersigned by the Transfer Agent; provided, however, that if the General Partner elects to issue Common Units in global form, the Common Unit Certificates shall be valid upon receipt of a certificate from the Transfer Agent certifying that the Common Units have been duly registered in accordance with the directions of the Partnership.
4.2 Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates
(a) If any mutilated Certificate is surrendered to the Transfer Agent, the appropriate officers of the General Partner on behalf of the Partnership shall execute and deliver and, in the case of a Common Unit Certificate, the Transfer Agent shall countersign, in exchange therefor, a new Certificate evidencing the same number and type of Partnership Securities as the Certificate so surrendered.
(b) The appropriate officers of the General Partner on behalf of the Partnership shall execute and deliver and, in the case of a Common Unit Certificate, the Transfer Agent shall countersign (or, in the case of Common Units issued in global form, register in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Depositary), a new Certificate in place of any Certificate previously issued if the Record Holder of the Certificate:
(i) makes proof by affidavit, in form and substance satisfactory to the Partnership, that a previously issued Certificate has been lost, destroyed or stolen;
(ii) requests the issuance of a new Certificate before the Partnership has notice that the Certificate has been acquired by a purchaser for value in good faith and without notice of an adverse claim;
(iii) if requested by the Partnership, delivers to the Partnership a bond, in form and substance satisfactory to the Partnership, with surety or sureties and with fixed or open penalty as the Partnership may reasonably direct, in its sole discretion, to indemnify the Partnership, the General Partner and the Transfer Agent against any claim that may be made on account of the alleged loss, destruction or theft of the Certificate; and
(iv) satisfies any other reasonable requirements imposed by the Partnership.
If a Limited Partner or Assignee fails to notify the Partnership within a reasonable time after he has notice of the loss, destruction or theft of a Certificate, and a transfer of the Limited Partner Interests represented by the Certificate is registered before the Partnership, the General Partner or the Transfer Agent receives such notification, the Limited Partner or Assignee shall be precluded from making any claim against the Partnership, the General Partner or the Transfer Agent for such transfer or for a new Certificate.
(c) As a condition to the issuance of any new Certificate
under this Section 4.2, the Partnership may require the payment
of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge
that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other expenses
(including the fees and expenses of the Transfer Agent)
reasonably connected therewith.
4.3 Record Holders
The Partnership shall be entitled to recognize the Record Holder as the Partner or Assignee with respect to any Partnership Interest and, accordingly, shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such Partnership Interest on the part of any other Person, regardless of whether the Partnership shall have actual or other notice thereof, except as otherwise provided by law or any applicable rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which Limited Partner Interests are listed for trading. Without limiting the foregoing, when a Person (such as a broker, dealer, bank, trust company or clearing corporation or an agent of any of the foregoing) is acting as nominee, agent or in some other representative capacity for another Person in acquiring and/or holding Limited Partner Interests, as between the Partnership on the one hand, and such other Persons on the other, such representative Person (a) shall be the Partner or Assignee (as the case may be) of record and beneficially, (b) must execute and deliver a Transfer Application and (c) shall be bound by this Agreement and shall have the rights and obligations of a Partner or Assignee (as the case may be) hereunder and as, and to the extent, provided for herein.
4.4 Transfer Generally
(a) The term "transfer," when used in this Agreement with respect to a Partnership Interest, shall be deemed to refer to a transaction by which the General Partner assigns its General Partner Interest to another Person who becomes the General Partner, or by which the holder of a Limited Partner Interest assigns such Limited Partner Interest to another Person who is or becomes a Limited Partner or an Assignee, and includes a sale, assignment, gift, pledge, encumbrance, hypothecation, mortgage, exchange or any other disposition by law or otherwise.
(b) No Partnership Interest shall be transferred, in whole or in part, except in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this Article IV. Any transfer or purported transfer of a Partnership Interest not made in accordance with this Article IV shall be null and void.
(c) Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed to prevent a disposition by any member of the General Partner of any or all of the issued and outstanding member interests in the General Partner.
4.5 Registration and Transfer of Limited Partner Interests
(a) The Partnership shall keep or cause to be kept on behalf of the Partnership a register in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe and subject to the provisions of Section 4.5(b), the Partnership will provide for the registration and transfer of Limited Partner Interests. The Transfer Agent is hereby appointed registrar and transfer agent for the purpose of registering Common Units and transfers of such Common Units as herein provided. The Partnership shall not recognize transfers of Certificates evidencing Limited Partner Interests unless such transfers are effected in the manner described in this Section 4.5. Upon surrender of a Certificate for registration of transfer of any Limited Partner Interest, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.5(b), the appropriate officers of the General Partner on behalf of the Partnership shall execute and deliver and, in the case of Common Units, the Transfer Agent shall countersign (or, in the case of Common Units issued in global form, register in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Depositary), in the name of the holder or the designated transferee or transferees, as required pursuant to the holder's instructions, one or more new Certificates evidencing the same aggregate number and type of Limited Partner Interests as was evidenced by the Certificate so surrendered.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in Section 4.8, the Partnership shall not recognize any transfer of Limited Partner Interests until the Certificates evidencing such Limited Partner Interests are surrendered for registration of transfer and are accompanied by a Transfer Application duly executed by the transferee (or the transferee's attorney-in-fact duly authorized in writing). No charge shall be imposed by the Partnership for such transfer; provided, that as a condition to the issuance of any new Certificate under this Section 4.5, the Partnership may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed with respect thereto.
(c) Limited Partner Interests may be transferred only in the manner described in this Section 4.5. The transfer of any Limited Partner Interests and the admission of any new Limited Partner shall not constitute an amendment to this Agreement.
(d) Until admitted as a Substituted Limited Partner pursuant to Section 10.2, the Record Holder of a Limited Partner Interest shall be an Assignee in respect of such Limited Partner Interest. Limited Partners may include custodians, nominees or any other individual or entity in its own or any representative capacity.
(e) A transferee of a Limited Partner Interest who has
completed and delivered a Transfer Application shall be deemed to
have (i) requested admission as a Substituted Limited Partner,
(ii) agreed to comply with and be bound by and to have executed
this Agreement, (iii) represented and warranted that such
transferee has the right, power and authority and, if an
individual, the capacity to enter into this Agreement, (iv)
granted the powers of attorney set forth in this Agreement and
(v) given the consents and approvals and made the waivers
contained in this Agreement.
4.6 Transfer of a General Partner's General Partner Interest
Prior to December 31, 2006, the General Partner shall not
transfer all or any part of its General Partner Interest to a
Person unless such transfer (a) has been approved by the prior
written consent or vote of the holders of a Majority Interest or
(b) is of all, but not less than all, of its General Partner
Interest to (i) an Affiliate of the General Partner or (ii)
another Person in connection with the merger or consolidation of
the General Partner with or into another Person or the transfer
by the General Partner of all or substantially all of its assets
to another Person. Notwithstanding anything herein to the
contrary, no transfer by the General Partner of all or any part
of its General Partner Interest to another Person shall be
permitted unless (x) the transferee agrees to assume the rights
and duties of the General Partner under this Agreement and the
Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement and to be bound by the
provisions of this Agreement and the Genesis OLP Partnership
Agreement, (y) the Partnership receives an Opinion of Counsel
that such transfer would not result in the loss of limited
liability of any Limited Partner or of any limited partner of
Genesis OLP or cause the Partnership or Genesis OLP to be treated
as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be
taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes (to the extent
not already so treated or taxed) and (z) such transferee also
agrees to purchase all (or the appropriate portion thereof, if
applicable) of the partnership interest of the General Partner as
the general partner of each other Group Member. In the case of a
transfer pursuant to and in compliance with this Section 4.6, the
transferee or successor (as the case may be) shall, subject to
compliance with the terms of Section 10.3, be admitted to the
Partnership as a General Partner immediately prior to the
transfer of the General Partner Interest, and the business of the
Partnership shall continue without dissolution.
4.7 Restrictions on Transfers
(a) Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Article IV, no transfer of any Partnership Interest shall be made if such transfer would (i) violate the then applicable federal or state securities laws or rules and regulations of the Commission, any state securities commission or any other governmental authority with jurisdiction over such transfer, (ii) terminate the existence or qualification of the Partnership or Genesis OLP under the laws of the jurisdiction of its formation or (iii) cause the Partnership or Genesis OLP to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes (to the extent not already so treated or taxed).
(b) The General Partner may impose restrictions on the transfer of Partnership Interests if a subsequent Opinion of Counsel determines that such restrictions are necessary to avoid a significant risk of the Partnership or Genesis OLP becoming taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes. The restrictions may be imposed by making such amendments to this Agreement as the General Partner may determine to be necessary or appropriate to impose such restrictions; provided, however, that any amendment that the General Partner believes, in the exercise of its reasonable discretion, could result in the delisting or suspension of trading of any class of Limited Partner Interests on the principal National Securities Exchange on which such class of Limited Partner Interests is then traded must be approved, prior to such amendment being effected, by the holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests of such class.
(c) Nothing contained in this Article IV, or elsewhere in this Agreement, shall preclude the settlement of any transactions involving Partnership Interests entered into through the facilities of any National Securities Exchange on which such Partnership Interests are listed for trading.
4.8 Citizenship Certificates; Non-citizen Assignees
(a) If any Group Member is or becomes subject to any federal, state or local law or regulation that, in the reasonable determination of the General Partner, creates a substantial risk of cancellation or forfeiture of any property in which the Group Member has an interest based on the nationality, citizenship or other related status of a Limited Partner or Assignee, the General Partner may request any Limited Partner or Assignee to furnish to the General Partner, within 30 days after receipt of such request, an executed Citizenship Certification or such other information concerning his nationality, citizenship or other related status (or, if the Limited Partner or Assignee is a nominee holding for the account of another Person, the nationality, citizenship or other related status of such Person) as the General Partner may request. If a Limited Partner or Assignee fails to furnish to the General Partner within the aforementioned 30-day period such Citizenship Certification or other requested information or if upon receipt of such Citizenship Certification or other requested information the General Partner determines, with the advice of counsel, that a Limited Partner or Assignee is not an Eligible Citizen, the Limited Partner Interests owned by such Limited Partner or Assignee shall be subject to redemption in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.9. In addition, the General Partner may require that the status of any such Limited Partner or Assignee be changed to that of a Non-citizen Assignee and, thereupon, the General Partner shall be substituted for such Non-citizen Assignee as the Limited Partner in respect of his Limited Partner Interests.
(b) The General Partner shall, in exercising voting rights in respect of Limited Partner Interests held by it on behalf of Non-citizen Assignees, distribute the votes in the same ratios as the votes of Limited Partners (including without limitation the General Partner) in respect of Limited Partner Interests other than those of Non-citizen Assignees are cast, either for, against or abstaining as to the matter.
(c) Upon dissolution of the Partnership, a Non-citizen Assignee shall have no right to receive a distribution in kind pursuant to Section 12.4 but shall be entitled to the cash equivalent thereof, and the Partnership shall provide cash in exchange for an assignment of the Non-citizen Assignee's share of the distribution in kind. Such payment and assignment shall be treated for Partnership purposes as a purchase by the Partnership from the Non-citizen Assignee of his Limited Partner Interest (representing his right to receive his share of such distribution in kind).
(d) At any time after he can and does certify that he has
become an Eligible Citizen, a Non-citizen Assignee may, upon
application to the General Partner, request admission as a
Substituted Limited Partner with respect to any Limited Partner
Interests of such Non-citizen Assignee not redeemed pursuant to
Section 4.9, and upon his admission pursuant to Section 10.2, the
General Partner shall cease to be deemed to be the Limited
Partner in respect of the Non-citizen Assignee's Limited Partner
Interests.
4.9 Redemption of Partnership Interests of Non-citizen Assignees
(a) If at any time a Limited Partner or Assignee fails to furnish a Citizenship Certification or other information requested within the 30-day period specified in Section 4.8(a), or if upon receipt of such Citizenship Certification or other information the General Partner determines, with the advice of counsel, that a Limited Partner or Assignee is not an Eligible Citizen, the Partnership may, unless the Limited Partner or Assignee establishes to the satisfaction of the General Partner that such Limited Partner or Assignee is an Eligible Citizen or has transferred his Limited Partner Interests to a Person who is an Eligible Citizen and who furnishes a Citizenship Certification to the General Partner prior to the date fixed for redemption as provided below, redeem the Limited Partner Interest of such Limited Partner or Assignee as follows:
(i) The General Partner shall, not later than the 30th day before the date fixed for redemption, give notice of redemption to the Limited Partner or Assignee, at his last address designated on the records of the Partnership or the Transfer Agent, by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid. The notice shall be deemed to have been given when so mailed. The notice shall specify the Redeemable Interests, the date fixed for redemption, the place of payment, that payment of the redemption price will be made upon surrender of the Certificate evidencing the Redeemable Interests and that on and after the date fixed for redemption no further allocations or distributions to which the Limited Partner or Assignee would otherwise be entitled in respect of the Redeemable Interests will accrue or be made.
(ii) The aggregate redemption price for Redeemable Interests shall be an amount equal to the Current Market Price (the date of determination of which shall be the date fixed for redemption) of Limited Partner Interests of the class to be so redeemed multiplied by the number of Limited Partner Interests of each such class included among the Redeemable Interests. The redemption price shall be paid, in the discretion of the General Partner, in cash or by delivery of a promissory note of the Partnership in the principal amount of the redemption price, bearing interest at the rate of 10% annually and payable in three equal annual installments of principal together with accrued interest, commencing one year after the redemption date.
(iii) Upon surrender by or on behalf of the Limited Partner or Assignee, at the place specified in the notice of redemption, of the Certificate evidencing the Redeemable Interests, duly endorsed in blank or accompanied by an assignment duly executed in blank, the Limited Partner or Assignee or his duly authorized representative shall be entitled to receive the payment therefor.
(iv) After the redemption date, Redeemable Interests shall no longer constitute issued and Outstanding Limited Partner Interests.
(b) The provisions of this Section 4.9 shall also be applicable to Limited Partner Interests held by a Limited Partner or Assignee as nominee of a Person determined to be other than an Eligible Citizen.
(c) Nothing in this Section 4.9 shall prevent the recipient of a notice of redemption from transferring his Limited Partner Interests before the redemption date if such transfer is otherwise permitted under this Agreement. Upon receipt of notice of such a transfer, the General Partner shall withdraw the notice of redemption, provided the transferee of such Limited Partner Interests certifies to the satisfaction of the General Partner in a Citizenship Certification delivered in connection with the Transfer Application that he is an Eligible Citizen. If the transferee fails to make such certification, such redemption shall be effected from the transferee on the original redemption date.
ARTICLE V
Capital Contributions and Issuance of
Partnership Interests
5.1 Previous Capital Contributions
The Partners (or their predecessors) have heretofore made Capital Contributions to the Partnership as provided in the Previous Agreement.
5.2 Additional Contributions by General Partner
Upon the issuance of any additional Limited Partner Interests, the General Partner shall be required to make an additional Capital Contribution equal to 1/99th of any amount contributed to the Partnership by the Limited Partners in exchange for such additional Limited Partner Interests. Except as set forth in the immediately preceding sentence and Article XII, the General Partner shall not be obligated to make any Capital Contributions to the Partnership.
5.3 Interest and Withdrawal
No interest shall be paid by the Partnership on Capital Contributions. No Partner or Assignee shall be entitled to the withdrawal or return of its Capital Contribution, except to the extent, if any, that distributions made pursuant to this Agreement or upon termination of the Partnership may be considered as such by law and then only to the extent provided for in this Agreement. Except to the extent expressly provided in this Agreement, no Partner or Assignee shall have priority over any other Partner or Assignee either as to the return of Capital Contributions or as to profits, losses or distributions. Any such return shall be a compromise to which all Partners and Assignees agree within the meaning of Section 17-502(b) of the Delaware Act.
5.4 Capital Accounts
(a) The Partnership shall maintain for each Partner (or a
beneficial owner of Partnership Interests held by a nominee in
any case in which the nominee has furnished the identity of such
owner to the Partnership in accordance with Section 6031(c) of
the Code or any other method acceptable to the General Partner in
its sole discretion) owning a Partnership Interest a separate
Capital Account with respect to such Partnership Interest in
accordance with the rules of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-
1(b)(2)(iv). Such Capital Account shall be increased by (i) the
amount of all Capital Contributions made to the Partnership with
respect to such Partnership Interest pursuant to this Agreement
(including the Previous Agreement) and (ii) all items of
Partnership income and gain (including, without limitation,
income and gain exempt from tax) computed in accordance with
Section 5.4(b) and allocated with respect to such Partnership
Interest pursuant to Section 6.1, and decreased by (x) the amount
of cash or Net Agreed Value of all actual and deemed
distributions of cash or property made with respect to such
Partnership Interest pursuant to this Agreement (including the
Previous Agreement) and (y) all items of Partnership deduction
and loss computed in accordance with Section 5.4(b) and allocated
with respect to such Partnership Interest pursuant to Section
6.1.
(b) For purposes of computing the amount of any item of income, gain, loss or deduction which is to be allocated pursuant to Article VI and is to be reflected in the Partners' Capital Accounts, the determination, recognition and classification of any such item shall be the same as its determination, recognition and classification for federal income tax purposes (including, without limitation, any method of depreciation, cost recovery or amortization used for that purpose), provided, that:
(i) Solely for purposes of this Section 5.4, the Partnership shall be treated as owning directly its proportionate share (as determined by the General Partner based upon the provisions of the Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement) of all property owned by Genesis OLP or any other Subsidiary that is classified as a partnership for federal income tax purposes.
(ii) All underwriting discounts and commissions incurred by the Partnership in connection with the issuance of Partnership Securities that can neither be deducted nor amortized under Section 709 of the Code shall, for purposes of Capital Account maintenance, be treated as an item of deduction at the time such costs are incurred and shall be allocated 100% to the holders of such Partnership Securities in accordance with their relative Percentage Interests. All other fees and other expenses incurred by the Partnership to promote the sale of (or to sell) Partnership Securities that can neither be deducted nor amortized under Section 709 of the Code, if any, shall, for purposes of Capital Account maintenance, be treated as an item of deduction at the time such fees and other expenses are incurred and shall be allocated among the Partners pursuant to Section 6.1.
(iii) Except as otherwise provided in Treasury
Regulation Section 1.704- 1(b)(2)(iv)(m), the computation of
all items of income, gain, loss and deduction shall be made
without regard to any election under Section 754 of the Code
which may be made by the Partnership and, as to those items
described in Section 705(a)(1)(B) or 705(a)(2)(B) of the
Code, without regard to the fact that such items are not
includable in gross income or are neither currently
deductible nor capitalized for federal income tax purposes.
To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any
Partnership asset pursuant to Section 734(b) or 743(b) of
the Code is required, pursuant to Treasury Regulation
Section 1.704- 1(b)(2)(iv)(m) to be taken into account in
determining Capital Accounts, the amount of such adjustment
in the Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of gain
or loss.
(iv) Any income, gain or loss attributable to the taxable disposition of any Partnership property shall be determined as if the adjusted basis of such property as of such date of disposition were equal in amount to the Partnership's Carrying Value with respect to such property as of such date.
(v) In accordance with the requirements of Section 704(b) of the Code, any deductions for depreciation, cost recovery or amortization attributable to any Contributed Property shall be determined as if the adjusted basis of such property on the date it was acquired by the Partnership were equal to the Agreed Value of such property. Upon an adjustment pursuant to Section 5.4(d) to the Carrying Value of any Partnership property subject to depreciation, cost recovery or amortization, any further deductions for such depreciation, cost recovery or amortization attributable to such property shall be determined (A) as if the adjusted basis of such property were equal to the Carrying Value of such property immediately following such adjustment and (B) using a rate of depreciation, cost recovery or amortization derived from the same method and useful life (or, if applicable, the remaining useful life) as is applied for federal income tax purposes; provided, however, that, if the asset has a zero adjusted basis for federal income tax purposes, depreciation, cost recovery or amortization deductions shall be determined using any reasonable method that the General Partner may adopt.
(vi) If the Partnership's adjusted basis in a depreciable or cost recovery property is reduced for federal income tax purposes pursuant to Section 48(q)(1) or 48(q)(3) of the Code, the amount of such reduction shall, solely for purposes hereof, be deemed to be an additional depreciation or cost recovery deduction in the year such property is placed in service and shall be allocated among the Partners pursuant to Section 6.1. Any restoration of such basis pursuant to Section 48(q)(2) of the Code shall, to the extent possible, be allocated in the same manner to the Partners to whom such deemed deduction was allocated.
(c) A transferee of a Partnership Interest shall succeed to a pro rata portion of the Capital Account of the transferor relating to the Partnership Interest so transferred.
(d) (i) In accordance with Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f), on an issuance of additional Partnership Interests for cash or Contributed Property or the conversion of the General Partner's Combined Interest to Common Units pursuant to Section 11.3(b), the Capital Account of all Partners and the Carrying Value of each Partnership property immediately prior to such issuance shall be adjusted upward or downward to reflect any Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss attributable to such Partnership property, as if such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss had been recognized on an actual sale of each such property immediately prior to such issuance and had been allocated to the Partners at such time pursuant to Section 6.1 in the same manner as any item of gain or loss actually recognized during such period would have been allocated. In determining such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss, the aggregate cash amount and fair market value of all Partnership assets (including, without limitation, cash or cash equivalents) immediately prior to the issuance of additional Partnership Securities shall be determined by the General Partner using such reasonable method of valuation as it may adopt; provided, however, that the General Partner, in arriving at such valuation, must take fully into account the fair market value of the Partnership Interests of all Partners at such time. The General Partner shall allocate such aggregate value among the assets of the Partnership (in such manner as it determines in its discretion to be reasonable) to arrive at a fair market value for individual properties.
(ii) In accordance with Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f), immediately prior to any actual or deemed distribution to a Partner of any Partnership property (other than a distribution of cash that is not in redemption or retirement of a Partnership Interest), the Capital Accounts of all Partners and the Carrying Value of all Partnership property shall be adjusted upward or downward to reflect any Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss attributable to such Partnership property, as if such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss had been recognized in a sale of such property immediately prior to such distribution for an amount equal to its fair market value, and had been allocated to the Partners, at such time, pursuant to Section 6.1 in the same manner as any item of gain or loss actually recognized during such period would have been allocated. In determining such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss the aggregate cash amount and fair market value of all Partnership assets (including, without limitation, cash or cash equivalents) immediately prior to a distribution shall (A) in the case of an actual distribution which is not made pursuant to Section 12.4 or in the case of a deemed contribution and/or distribution occurring as a result of a termination of the Partnership pursuant to Section 708 of the Code, be determined and allocated in the same manner as that provided in Section 5.4(d)(i) or (B) in the case of a liquidating distribution pursuant to Section 12.4, be determined and allocated by the Liquidator using such reasonable method of valuation as it may adopt.
5.5 Issuances of Additional Partnership Securities
(a) The Partnership may issue additional Partnership Securities and options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to Partnership Securities for any Partnership purpose at any time and from time to time to such Persons for such consideration and on such terms and conditions as shall be established by the General Partner in its sole discretion, all without the approval of any Limited Partners.
(b) Each additional Partnership Security authorized to be issued by the Partnership pursuant to Section 5.5(a) may be issued in one or more classes, or one or more series of any such classes, with such designations, preferences, rights, powers and duties (which may be senior to existing classes and series of Partnership Securities), as shall be fixed by the General Partner in the exercise of its sole discretion, including (i) the right to share Partnership profits and losses or items thereof; (ii) the right to share in Partnership distributions; (iii) the rights upon dissolution and liquidation of the Partnership; (iv) whether, and the terms and conditions upon which, the Partnership may redeem such Partnership Security; (v) whether such Partnership Security is issued with the privilege of conversion or exchange and, if so, the terms and conditions of such conversion or exchange; (vi) the terms and conditions upon which such Partnership Security will be issued, evidenced by certificates and assigned or transferred; and (vii) the right, if any, of such Partnership Security to vote on Partnership matters, including matters relating to the relative rights, preferences and privileges of such Partnership Security.
(c) The General Partner is hereby authorized and directed
to take all actions that it deems necessary or appropriate in
connection with (i) each issuance of Partnership Securities
pursuant to this Section 5.5, (ii) the conversion of a General
Partner Interest into Common Units pursuant to the terms of this
Agreement, (iii) the admission of Additional Limited Partners and
(iv) all additional issuances of Partnership Securities. The
General Partner is further authorized and directed to specify the
relative rights, powers and duties of the holders of Partnership
Securities being so issued. The General Partner shall do all
things necessary to comply with the Delaware Act and is
authorized and directed to do all things it deems to be necessary
or advisable in connection with any future issuance of
Partnership Securities or in connection with the conversion of a
General Partner Interest into Common Units pursuant to the terms
of this Agreement, including compliance with any statute, rule,
regulation or guideline of any federal, state or other
governmental agency or any National Securities Exchange on which
the Common Units or other Partnership Securities are listed for
trading.
(d) No fractional Common Units shall be issued by the Partnership.
5.6 Limited Preemptive Right
Except as provided in this Section 5.6 and in Section 5.2, no Person shall have any preemptive, preferential or other similar right with respect to (a) additional Capital Contributions; (b) the issuance of any class or series of Partnership Interests, whether unissued, held in the treasury or hereafter created; (c) issuance of obligations, evidence of indebtedness or other securities of the Partnership convertible into or exchangeable for, or carrying or accompanied by any rights to receive, purchase or subscribe to, any such Partnership Interests; (d) issuance of any right of subscription to or right to receive, or any warrant or option for the purchase of, any such Partnership Interests; or (e) issuance or sale of any other securities that may be issued or sold by the Partnership. The General Partner shall have the right, which it may from time to time assign in whole or in part to any of its Affiliates, to purchase Partnership Securities from the Partnership whenever, and on the same terms that, the Partnership issues Partnership Securities to Persons other than the General Partner and its Affiliates, to the extent necessary to maintain the Percentage Interests of the General Partner and its Affiliates equal to that which existed immediately prior to the issuance of such Partnership Securities.
5.7 Splits and Combination
(a) Subject to Section 5.7(d), the Partnership may make a Pro Rata distribution of Partnership Securities to all Record Holders or may effect a subdivision or combination of Partnership Securities so long as, after any such event, each Partner shall have the same Percentage Interest in the Partnership as before such event, and any amounts calculated on a per Unit basis or stated as a number of Units are proportionately adjusted retroactive to the beginning of the Partnership.
(b) Whenever such a distribution, subdivision or combination of Partnership Securities is declared, the General Partner shall select a Record Date as of which the distribution, subdivision or combination shall be effective and shall send notice thereof at least 20 days prior to such Record Date to each Record Holder as of a date not less than 10 days prior to the date of such notice. The General Partner also may cause a firm of independent public accountants selected by it to calculate the number of Partnership Securities to be held by each Record Holder after giving effect to such distribution, subdivision or combination. The General Partner shall be entitled to rely on any certificate provided by such firm as conclusive evidence of the accuracy of such calculation.
(c) Promptly following any such distribution, subdivision or combination, the Partnership may issue Certificates to the Record Holders of Partnership Securities as of the applicable Record Date representing the new number of Partnership Securities held by such Record Holders, or the General Partner may adopt such other procedures as it may deem appropriate to reflect such changes. If any such combination results in a smaller total number of Partnership Securities Outstanding, the Partnership shall require, as a condition to the delivery to a Record Holder of such new Certificate, the surrender of any Certificate held by such Record Holder immediately prior to such Record Date.
(d) The Partnership shall not issue fractional Common Units upon any distribution, subdivision or combination of Common Units. If a distribution, subdivision or combination of Common Units would result in the issuance of fractional Common Units but for the provisions of Section 5.5(d) and this Section 5.7(d), each fractional Common Unit shall be rounded to the nearest whole Common Unit (and a 0.5 Common Unit shall be rounded to the next higher Common Unit).
5.8 Fully Paid and Non-Assessable Nature of Limited Partner Interests
All Limited Partner Interests issued pursuant to, and in
accordance with the requirements of, this Article V shall be
fully paid and non-assessable Limited Partner Interests in the
Partnership, except as such non-assessability may be affected by
Section 17-607 of the Delaware Act.
ARTICLE VI
Allocations and Distributions
6.1 Allocations for Capital Account Purposes
For purposes of maintaining the Capital Accounts and in determining the rights of the Partners among themselves, the Partnership's items of income, gain, loss and deduction (computed in accordance with Section 5.4(b)) shall be allocated among the Partners in each taxable year (or portion thereof) as provided hereinbelow.
(a) Net Income. After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 6.1(c), Net Income for each taxable year and all items of income, gain, loss and deduction taken into account in computing Net Income for such taxable year shall be allocated among the Partners as follows:
(i) First, 100% to the General Partner until the aggregate Net Income allocated to the General Partner pursuant to this Section 6.1(a)(i) for the current taxable year and all previous taxable years is equal to the aggregate Net Loss allocated to the General Partner pursuant to Section 6.1(b)(ii) for all previous taxable years; and
(ii) Second, the balance, if any, 100% to the Partners in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests.
(b) Net Loss. After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 6.1(c), Net Losses for each taxable period and all items of income, gain, loss and deduction taken into account in computing Net Losses for such taxable period shall be allocated among the Partners as follows:
(i) First, 100% to the Partners in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests; provided, that Net Loss shall not be allocated pursuant to this Section 6.1(b)(i) to the extent that such allocation would cause any Limited Partner to have a deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account at the end of such taxable year (or increase any existing deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account); and
(ii) Second, the balance, if any, 100% to the General Partner.
(c) Special Allocations. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 6.1, the following special allocations shall be made for such taxable period:
(i) Partnership Minimum Gain Chargeback.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 6.1, if
there is a net decrease in Partnership Minimum Gain during
any Partnership taxable period, each Partner shall be
allocated items of Partnership income and gain for such
period (and, if necessary, subsequent periods) in the manner
and amounts provided in Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-
2(f)(6), 1.704-2(g)(2) and 1.704-2(j)(2)(i), or any
successor provision. For purposes of this Section 6.1(c),
each Partner's Adjusted Capital Account balance shall be
determined, and the allocation of income or gain required
hereunder shall be effected, prior to the application of any
other allocations pursuant to this Section 6.1(c) with
respect to such taxable period (other than an allocation
pursuant to Sections 6.1(c)(v) and 6.1(c)(vi)). This Section
6.1(c)(i) is intended to comply with the Partnership Minimum
Gain chargeback requirement in Treasury Regulation Section
1.704-2(f) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.
(ii) Chargeback of Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum
Gain. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Section
6.1 (other than Section 6.1(c)(i)), except as provided in
Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(4), if there is a net
decrease in Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain during any
Partnership taxable period, any Partner with a share of
Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain at the beginning of
such taxable period shall be allocated items of Partnership
income and gain for such period (and, if necessary,
subsequent periods) in the manner and amounts provided in
Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(i)(4) and 1.704-
2(j)(2)(ii), or any successor provisions. For purposes of
this Section 6.1(c), each Partner's Adjusted Capital Account
balance shall be determined, and the allocation of income or
gain required hereunder shall be effected, prior to the
application of any other allocations pursuant to this
Section 6.1(c), other than Section 6.1(c)(i) and other than
an allocation pursuant to Sections 6.1(c)(v) and 6.1(c)(vi),
with respect to such taxable period. This Section 6.1(c)(ii)
is intended to comply with the chargeback of items of income
and gain requirement in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-
2(i)(4) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.
(iii) Qualified Income Offset. In the event any Partner
unexpectedly receives any adjustments, allocations or
distributions described in Treasury Regulation Section
1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4), 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(5), or 1.704-
1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(6), items of Partnership income and gain
shall be specially allocated to such Partner in an amount
and manner sufficient to eliminate, to the extent required
by the Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 704(b)
of the Code, the deficit balance, if any, in its Adjusted
Capital Account created by such adjustments, allocations or
distributions as quickly as possible unless such deficit
balance is otherwise eliminated pursuant to Section
6.1(c)(i) or 6.1(c)(ii).
(iv) Gross Income Allocations. In the event any Partner has a deficit balance in its Capital Account at the end of any Partnership taxable period in excess of the sum of (A) the amount such Partner is required to restore pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement and (B) the amount such Partner is deemed obligated to restore pursuant to Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(g) and 1.704-2(i)(5), such Partner shall be specially allocated items of Partnership gross income and gain in the amount of such excess as quickly as possible; provided, that an allocation pursuant to this Section 6.1(c)(iv) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Partner would have a deficit balance in its Capital Account as adjusted after all other allocations provided for in this Section 6.1 have been tentatively made as if this Section 6.1(c)(iv) were not in this Agreement.
(v) Nonrecourse Deductions. Nonrecourse Deductions for
any taxable period shall be allocated to the Partners in
accordance with their respective Percentage Interests. If
the General Partner determines in its good faith discretion
that the Partnership's Nonrecourse Deductions must be
allocated in a different ratio to satisfy the safe harbor
requirements of the Treasury Regulations promulgated under
Section 704(b) of the Code, the General Partner is
authorized, upon notice to the other Partners, to revise the
prescribed ratio to the numerically closest ratio that does
satisfy such requirements.
(vi) Partner Nonrecourse Deductions. Partner Nonrecourse Deductions for any taxable period shall be allocated 100% to the Partner that bears the Economic Risk of Loss with respect to the Partner Nonrecourse Debt to which such Partner Nonrecourse Deductions are attributable in accordance with Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i). If more than one Partner bears the Economic Risk of Loss with respect to a Partner Nonrecourse Debt, such Partner Nonrecourse Deductions attributable thereto shall be allocated between or among such Partners in accordance with the ratios in which they share such Economic Risk of Loss.
(vii) Nonrecourse Liabilities. For purposes of Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-3(a)(3), the Partners agree that Nonrecourse Liabilities of the Partnership in excess of the sum of (A) the amount of Partnership Minimum Gain and (B) the total amount of Nonrecourse Built-in Gain shall be allocated among the Partners in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests.
(viii) Code Section 754 Adjustments. To the extent an
adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any Partnership
asset pursuant to Section 734(b) or 743(c) of the Code is
required, pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-
1(b)(2)(iv)(m), to be taken into account in determining
Capital Accounts, the amount of such adjustment to the
Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of gain (if the
adjustment increases the basis of the asset) or loss (if the
adjustment decreases such basis), and such item of gain or
loss shall be specially allocated to the Partners in a
manner consistent with the manner in which their Capital
Accounts are required to be adjusted pursuant to such
Section of the Treasury Regulations.
(ix) Curative Allocation.
(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of this
Section 6.1, other than the Required Allocations, the
Required Allocations shall be taken into account in
making the Agreed Allocations so that, to the extent
possible, the net amount of items of income, gain, loss
and deduction allocated to each Partner pursuant to the
Required Allocations and the Agreed Allocations,
together, shall be equal to the net amount of such items
that would have been allocated to each such Partner under
the Agreed Allocations had the Required Allocations and
the related Curative Allocation not otherwise been
provided in this Section 6.1. Notwithstanding the
preceding sentence, Required Allocations relating to (1)
Nonrecourse Deductions shall not be taken into account
except to the extent that there has been a decrease in
Partnership Minimum Gain and (2) Partner Nonrecourse
Deductions shall not be taken into account except to the
extent that there has been a decrease in Partner
Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain. Allocations pursuant to
this Section 6.1(c)(ix)(A) shall only be made with
respect to Required Allocations to the extent the General
Partner reasonably determines that such allocations will
otherwise be inconsistent with the economic agreement
among the Partners. Further, allocations pursuant to this
Section 6.1(c)(ix)(A) shall be deferred with respect to
allocations pursuant to clauses (1) and (2) hereof to the
extent the General Partner reasonably determines that
such allocations are likely to be offset by subsequent
Required Allocations.
(B) The General Partner shall have reasonable
discretion, with respect to each taxable period, to
(1) apply the provisions of Section 6.1(c)(ix)(A) in
whatever order is most likely to minimize the economic
distortions that might otherwise result from the Required
Allocations, and (2) divide all allocations pursuant to
Section 6.1(c)(ix)(A) among the Partners in a manner that
is likely to minimize such economic distortions.
6.2 Allocations for Tax Purposes
(a) Except as otherwise provided herein, for federal income tax purposes, each item of income, gain, loss and deduction shall be allocated among the Partners in the same manner as its correlative item of "book" income, gain, loss or deduction is allocated pursuant to Section 6.1.
(b) In an attempt to eliminate Book-Tax Disparities attributable to a Contributed Property or Adjusted Property, items of income, gain, loss, depreciation, amortization and cost recovery deductions shall be allocated for federal income tax purposes among the Partners as follows:
(i) (A) In the case of a Contributed Property, such items attributable thereto shall be allocated among the Partners in the manner provided under Section 704(c) of the Code that takes into account the variation between the Agreed Value of such property and its adjusted basis at the time of contribution; and (B) any item of Residual Gain or Residual Loss attributable to a Contributed Property shall be allocated among the Partners in the same manner as its correlative item of "book" gain or loss is allocated pursuant to Section 6.1.
(ii) (A) In the case of an Adjusted Property, such items shall (1) first, be allocated among the Partners in a manner consistent with the principles of Section 704(c) of the Code to take into account the Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss attributable to such property and the allocations thereof pursuant to Section 5.4(d)(i) or 5.4(d)(ii), and (2) second, in the event such property was originally a Contributed Property, be allocated among the Partners in a manner consistent with Section 6.2(b)(i)(A); and (B) any item of Residual Gain or Residual Loss attributable to an Adjusted Property shall be allocated among the Partners in the same manner as its correlative item of "book" gain or loss is allocated pursuant to Section 6.1.
(iii) The General Partner shall apply the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-3(d) to eliminate Book-Tax Disparities.
(c) For the proper administration of the Partnership and
for the preservation of uniformity of the Limited Partner
Interests (or any class or classes thereof), the General Partner
shall have sole discretion to (i) adopt such conventions as it
deems appropriate in determining the amount of depreciation,
amortization and cost recovery deductions; (ii) make special
allocations for federal income tax purposes of income (including,
without limitation, gross income) or deductions; and (iii) amend
the provisions of this Agreement as appropriate (x) to reflect
the proposal or promulgation of Treasury Regulations under
Section 704(b) or 704(c) of the Code or (y) otherwise to preserve
or achieve uniformity of the Limited Partner Interests (or any
class or classes thereof). The General Partner may adopt such
conventions, make such allocations and make such amendments to
this Agreement as provided in this Section 6.2(c) only if such
conventions, allocations or amendments would not have a material
adverse effect on the Partners, the holders of any class or
classes of Limited Partner Interests issued and Outstanding or
the Partnership, and if such allocations are consistent with the
principles of Section 704 of the Code.
(d) The General Partner in its discretion may determine to depreciate or amortize the portion of an adjustment under Section 743(b) of the Code attributable to unrealized appreciation in any Adjusted Property (to the extent of the unamortized Book-Tax Disparity) using a predetermined rate derived from the depreciation or amortization method and useful life applied to the Partnership's common basis of such property, despite any inconsistency of such approach with Treasury Regulation Section 1.167(c)-l(a)(6) or Treasury Regulation Section 1.197-2(g)(3). If the General Partner determines that such reporting position cannot reasonably be taken, the General Partner may adopt depreciation and amortization conventions under which all purchasers acquiring Limited Partner Interests in the same month would receive depreciation and amortization deductions, based upon the same applicable rate as if they had purchased a direct interest in the Partnership's property. If the General Partner chooses not to utilize such aggregate method, the General Partner may use any other reasonable depreciation and amortization conventions to preserve the uniformity of the intrinsic tax characteristics of any Limited Partner Interests that would not have a material adverse effect on the Limited Partners or the Record Holders of any class or classes of Limited Partner Interests.
(e) Any gain allocated to the Partners upon the sale or other taxable disposition of any Partnership asset shall, to the extent possible, after taking into account other required allocations of gain pursuant to this Section 6.2, be characterized as Recapture Income in the same proportions and to the same extent as such Partners (or their predecessors in interest) have been allocated any deductions directly or indirectly giving rise to the treatment of such gains as Recapture Income.
(f) All items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit
recognized by the Partnership for federal income tax purposes and
allocated to the Partners in accordance with the provisions
hereof shall be determined without regard to any election under
Section 754 of the Code which may be made by the Partnership;
provided, however, that such allocations, once made, shall be
adjusted as necessary or appropriate to take into account those
adjustments permitted or required by Sections 734 and 743 of the
Code.
(g) Each item of Partnership income, gain, loss and deduction attributable to a transferred Partnership Interest, shall for federal income tax purposes, be determined on an annual basis and prorated on a monthly basis and shall be allocated to the Partners as of the opening of the New York Stock Exchange on the first Business Day of each month; provided, however, that gain or loss on a sale or other disposition of any assets of the Partnership other than in the ordinary course of business shall be allocated to the Partners as of the opening of the New York Stock Exchange on the first Business Day of the month in which such gain or loss is recognized for federal income tax purposes. The General Partner may revise, alter or otherwise modify such methods of allocation as it determines necessary, to the extent permitted or required by Section 706 of the Code and the regulations or rulings promulgated thereunder.
(h) Allocations that would otherwise be made to a Limited
Partner under the provisions of this Article VI shall instead be
made to the beneficial owner of Limited Partner Interests held by
a nominee in any case in which the nominee has furnished the
identity of such owner to the Partnership in accordance with
Section 6031(c) of the Code or any other method acceptable to the
General Partner in its sole discretion.
6.3 Distributions to Record Holders
(a) Within 45 days following the end of each Quarter, an amount equal to 100% of Available Cash with respect to such Quarter shall, subject to Section 17-607 of the Delaware Act, be distributed in accordance with this Article VI by the Partnership to the Partners as of the Record Date selected by the General Partner in its reasonable discretion in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests. The immediately preceding sentence shall not require any distribution of cash if and to the extent such distribution would be prohibited by applicable law or by any loan agreement, security agreement, mortgage, debt instrument or other agreement or obligation to which the Partnership is a party or by which it is bound or its assets are subject. All distributions required to be made under this Agreement shall be made subject to Section 17-607 of the Delaware Act.
(b) In the event of the dissolution and liquidation of the Partnership, all receipts received during or after the Quarter in which the Liquidation Date occurs, other than from borrowings described in (a)(ii) of the definition of Available Cash, shall be applied and distributed solely in accordance with, and subject to the terms and conditions of, Section 12.4.
(c) The General Partner shall have the discretion to treat taxes paid by the Partnership on behalf of, or amounts withheld with respect to, all or less than all of the Partners, as a distribution of Available Cash to such Partners.
(d) Each distribution in respect of a Partnership Interest shall be paid by the Partnership, directly or through the Transfer Agent or through any other Person or agent, only to the Record Holder of such Partnership Interest as of the Record Date set for such distribution. Such payment shall constitute full payment and satisfaction of the Partnership's liability in respect of such payment, regardless of any claim of any Person who may have an interest in such payment by reason of an assignment or otherwise.
ARTICLE VII
Management and Operation of Business
7.1 Management
(a) The General Partner shall conduct, direct and manage all activities of the Partnership. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, all management powers over the business and affairs of the Partnership shall be exclusively vested in the General Partner, and no Limited Partner or Assignee shall have any management power over the business and affairs of the Partnership. In addition to the powers now or hereafter granted a general partner of a limited partnership under applicable law or which are granted to the General Partner under any other provision of this Agreement, the General Partner, subject to Section 7.3, shall have full power and authority to do all things and on such terms as it, in its sole discretion, may deem necessary or appropriate to conduct the business of the Partnership, to exercise all powers set forth in Section 2.5 and to effectuate the purposes set forth in Section 2.4, including the following:
(i) the making of any expenditures, the lending or borrowing of money, the assumption or guarantee of, or other contracting for, indebtedness and other liabilities, the issuance of evidences of indebtedness, including indebtedness that is convertible into Partnership Securities, and the incurring of any other obligations;
(ii) the making of tax, regulatory and other filings, or rendering of periodic or other reports to governmental or other agencies having jurisdiction over the business or assets of the Partnership;
(iii) the acquisition, disposition, mortgage, pledge, encumbrance, hypothecation or exchange of any or all of the assets of the Partnership or the merger or other combination of the Partnership with or into another Person (the matters described in this clause (iii) being subject, however, to any prior approval that may be required by Section 7.3);
(iv) the use of the assets of the Partnership (including
cash on hand) for any purpose consistent with the terms of
this Agreement, including the financing of the conduct of
the operations of the Partnership Group, subject to
Section 7.6 the lending of funds to other Persons (including
Genesis OLP and any Group Member), the repayment of
obligations of Genesis OLP and any Group Member and the
making of capital contributions to any Group Member;
(v) the negotiation, execution and performance of any contracts, conveyances or other instruments (including instruments that limit the liability of the Partnership under contractual arrangements to all or particular assets of the Partnership, with the other party to the contract to have no recourse against the General Partner or its assets other than its interest in the Partnership, even if same results in the terms of the transaction being less favorable to the Partnership than would otherwise be the case);
(vi) the distribution of Partnership cash;
(vii) the selection and dismissal of employees (including employees having titles such as "president," "vice president," "secretary" and "treasurer") and agents, outside attorneys, accountants, consultants and contractors and the determination of their compensation and other terms of employment or hiring;
(viii) the maintenance of such insurance for the benefit of the Partnership Group and the Partners as it deems necessary or appropriate;
(ix) the formation of, or acquisition of an interest in, and the contribution of property and the making of loans to, any further limited or general partnerships, joint ventures, corporations or other relationships (including the acquisition of interests in, and the contributions of property to, Genesis OLP from time to time), subject, however, to the restrictions set forth in Section 2.4;
(x) the control of any matters affecting the rights and obligations of the Partnership, including the bringing and defending of actions at law or in equity and otherwise engaging in the conduct of litigation and the incurring of legal expense and the settlement of claims and litigation;
(xi) the indemnification of any Person against liabilities and contingencies to the extent permitted by law;
(xii) the entering into of listing agreements with any National Securities Exchange and the delisting of some or all of the Limited Partner Interests from, or requesting that trading be suspended on, any such exchange (subject to any prior approval that may be required under Section 4.7);
(xiii) the purchase, sale or other acquisition or disposition of Partnership Securities, and the issuance of additional Partnership Securities and options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to Partnership Securities; and
(xiv) the undertaking of any action in connection with the Partnership's participation as a partner of Genesis OLP.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement,
the Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement, the Delaware Act or any
applicable law, rule or regulation, each of the Partners and each
other Person who may acquire an interest in the Partnership
hereby (i) approves, ratifies and confirms the execution,
delivery and performance by the parties thereto of this
Agreement, the Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement and the other
agreements described in or filed as part of the Proxy Statement;
(ii) agrees that the General Partner (on its own or through any
officer of the Partnership) is authorized to execute, deliver and
perform the agreements referred to in clause (i) of this sentence
and the other agreements, acts, transactions and matters
described in or contemplated by the Proxy Statement on behalf of
the Partnership without any further act, approval or vote of the
Partners or the other Persons who may acquire an interest in the
Partnership; and (iii) agrees that the execution, delivery or
performance by the General Partner, any Group Member or any
Affiliate of any of them, of this Agreement or any agreement
authorized or permitted under this Agreement (including the
exercise by the General Partner or any Affiliate of the General
Partner of the rights accorded pursuant to Article XV), shall not
constitute a breach by the General Partner of any duty that the
General Partner may owe the Partnership or the Limited Partners
or any other Persons under this Agreement (or any other
agreements) or of any duty stated or implied by law or equity.
7.2 Certificate of Limited Partnership
The General Partner has caused the Certificate of Amended and Restated Limited Partnership to be filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as required by the Delaware Act and shall use all reasonable efforts to cause to be filed such other certificates or documents as may be determined by the General Partner in its sole discretion to be reasonable and necessary or appropriate for the formation, continuation, qualification and operation of a limited partnership (or a partnership in which the limited partners have limited liability) in the State of Delaware or any other state in which the Partnership may elect to do business or own property. To the extent that such action is determined by the General Partner in its sole discretion to be reasonable and necessary or appropriate, the General Partner shall file amendments to and restatements of the Certificate of Limited Partnership and do all things to maintain the Partnership as a limited partnership (or a partnership or other entity in which the limited partners have limited liability) under the laws of the State of Delaware or of any other state in which the Partnership may elect to do business or own property. Subject to the terms of Section 3.4(a), the General Partner shall not be required, before or after filing, to deliver or mail a copy of the Certificate of Limited Partnership, any qualification document or any amendment thereto to any Limited Partner or Assignee.
7.3 Restrictions on General Partner's Authority
(a) The General Partner may not, without written approval
of the specific act by holders of all of the Outstanding Limited
Partner Interests or by other written instrument executed and
delivered by holders of all of the Outstanding Limited Partner
Interests subsequent to the date of this Agreement, take any
action in contravention of this Agreement, including, except as
otherwise provided in this Agreement (i) committing any act that
would make it impossible to carry on the ordinary business of the
Partnership; (ii) possessing Partnership property, or assigning
any rights in specific Partnership property, for other than a
Partnership purpose; (iii) admitting a Person as a Partner;
(iv) amending this Agreement in any manner; or (v) transferring
its General Partner Interest.
(b) Except as provided in Articles XII and XIV, the General Partner may not sell, exchange or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the assets of the Partnership Group in a single transaction or a series of related transactions (including by way of merger, consolidation or other combination) or approve on behalf of the Partnership the sale, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Partnership, without the approval of holders of a Majority Interest; provided, however, that this provision shall not preclude or limit the General Partner's ability to mortgage, pledge, hypothecate or grant a security interest in all or substantially all of the assets of the Partnership Group and shall not apply to any forced sale of any or all of the assets of the Partnership Group pursuant to the foreclosure of, or other realization upon, any such encumbrance; and provided, further, that this provision shall not preclude or limit the ability of Genesis OLP to sell, exchange or otherwise dispose of all of the assets of Genesis OLP in a single transaction or a series of related transactions that is approved by the limited partners of Genesis OLP as provided in Section 7.3(b) of the Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement.
(c) Without the approval of holders of a Majority Interest, the General Partner shall not, on behalf of the Partnership, (i) consent to any amendment to the Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement or, except as expressly permitted by Section 7.9(d), take any action permitted to be taken by a partner of Genesis OLP, in either case, that would have a material adverse effect on the Partnership as a partner of Genesis OLP or (ii) except as permitted under Sections 4.6, 11.1 and 11.2, elect or cause the Partnership to elect a successor general partner of Genesis OLP.
7.4 Reimbursement of the General Partner
(a) Except as provided in this Section 7.4 and elsewhere in this Agreement or in the Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement, the General Partner shall not be compensated for its services as general partner of any Group Member.
(b) The General Partner shall be reimbursed on a monthly basis, or such other reasonable basis as the General Partner may determine in its sole discretion, for (i) all direct and indirect expenses it incurs or payments it makes on behalf of the Partnership (including salary, bonus, incentive compensation and other amounts paid to any Person, including Affiliates of the General Partner, to perform services for the Partnership or for the General Partner in the discharge of its duties to the Partnership), and (ii) all other necessary or appropriate expenses allocable to the Partnership or otherwise reasonably incurred by the General Partner in connection with operating the Partnership's business (including expenses allocated to the General Partner by its Affiliates). The General Partner shall determine the expenses that are allocable to the Partnership in any reasonable manner determined by the General Partner in its sole discretion. Reimbursements pursuant to this Section 7.4 shall be in addition to any reimbursement to the General Partner as a result of indemnification pursuant to Section 7.7.
(c) The General Partner, in its sole discretion and without
the approval of the Limited Partners (who shall have no right to
vote in respect thereof), may propose and adopt on behalf of the
Partnership employee benefit plans, employee programs and
employee practices (including plans, programs and practices
involving the issuance of Partnership Securities or options to
purchase Partnership Securities), or cause the Partnership to
issue Partnership Securities pursuant to any employee benefit
plan, employee program or employee practice maintained or
sponsored by the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, in
each case for the benefit of employees of the General Partner,
any Group Member or any Affiliate, or any of them, in respect of
services performed, directly or indirectly, for the benefit of
the Partnership Group. The Partnership agrees to issue and sell
to the General Partner or any of its Affiliates any Partnership
Securities that the General Partner or such Affiliate is
obligated to provide to any employees pursuant to any such
employee benefit plans, employee programs or employee practices.
Expenses incurred by the General Partner in connection with any
such plans, programs and practices (including the net cost to the
General Partner or such Affiliate of Partnership Securities
purchased by the General Partner or such Affiliate from the
Partnership to fulfill options or awards under such plans,
programs and practices) shall be reimbursed in accordance with
Section 7.4(b). Any and all obligations of the General Partner
under any employee benefit plans, employee programs or employee
practices adopted by the General Partner as permitted by this
Section 7.4(c) shall constitute obligations of the General
Partner hereunder and shall be assumed by any successor General
Partner approved pursuant to Section 11.1 or 11.2 or the
transferee of or successor to all of the General Partner's
General Partner Interest pursuant to Section 4.6.
7.5 Outside Activities
(a) After the Restructuring Closing Date, the General Partner, for so long as it is the general partner of the Partnership (i) agrees that its sole business will be to act as a general partner or managing member, as the case may be, of the Partnership, Genesis OLP and any other partnership or limited liability company of which the Partnership or Genesis OLP is, directly or indirectly, a partner or member and to undertake activities that are ancillary or related thereto (including being a limited partner or member in the Partnership or any such other partnership or limited liability company) and (ii) shall not, directly or indirectly, engage in any business or activity or incur any debts or liabilities except in connection with or incidental to (A) its performance as general partner or managing member, as the case may be, of one or more Group Members or as described in or contemplated by the Registration Statement or the Proxy Statement or (B) the acquiring, owning or disposing of debt or equity securities of any Group Member.
(b) Salomon, Basis Petroleum, Inc. and Howell continue to
be parties to the Non-Competition Agreement, which agreement sets
forth certain restrictions on their ability to engage in the
business of (i) crude oil gathering at the wellhead in the states
of Alabama, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico,
Oklahoma or Texas, or any states contiguous to such states, and
(ii) transporting for third parties crude oil by pipeline along
the routes of the Partnership's crude oil pipelines owned as of
the Initial Closing Date. The Non-Competition Agreement remains
in effect in accordance with its terms.
(c) Except as specifically restricted by Section 7.5(a) and the Non-Competition Agreement, each Indemnitee (other than the General Partner) shall have the right to engage in businesses of every type and description and other activities for profit and to engage in and possess an interest in other business ventures of any and every type or description, whether in businesses engaged in or anticipated to be engaged in by any Group Member, independently or with others, including business interests and activities in direct competition with the business and activities of any Group Member, and none of the same shall constitute a breach of this Agreement or any duty express or implied by law to any Group Member or any Partner. Neither any Group Member, any Limited Partner nor any other Person shall have any rights by virtue of this Agreement, the Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement or the partnership relationship established hereby or thereby in any business ventures of any Indemnitee.
(d) Subject to the terms of Sections 7.5(a), 7.5(b) and 7.5(c) and the Non-Competition Agreement, but otherwise notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, (i) the engaging in competitive activities by any Indemnitees (other than the General Partner) in accordance with the provisions of this Section 7.5 is hereby approved by the Partnership and all Partners and (ii) it shall be deemed not to be a breach of the General Partner's fiduciary duty or any other obligation of any type whatsoever of the General Partner for the Indemnitees (other than the General Partner) to engage in such business interests and activities in preference to or to the exclusion of the Partnership, and the General Partner and the Indemnitees shall have no obligation to present business opportunities to the Partnership.
(e) The General Partner and any of its Affiliates may acquire Partnership Securities in addition to those heretofore acquired and, except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, shall be entitled to exercise all rights relating to such Partnership Securities.
(f) The term "Affiliates" when used in Section 7.5 with respect to the General Partner shall not include any Group Member or any Subsidiary of the Group Member.
7.6 Loans from the General Partner; Loans or Contributions from the Partnership; Contracts with Affiliates; Certain Restrictions on the General Partner
(a) The General Partner or any Affiliate thereof may lend
to any Group Member, and any Group Member may borrow from the
General Partner or any of its Affiliates, funds needed or desired
by the Group Member for such periods of time and in such amounts
as the General Partner may determine; provided, however, that in
any such case the lending party may not charge the borrowing
party interest at a rate greater than the rate that would be
charged the borrowing party or impose terms less favorable to the
borrowing party than would be charged or imposed on the borrowing
party by unrelated lenders on comparable loans made on an arm's-
length basis (without reference to the lending party's financial
abilities or guarantees). The borrowing party shall reimburse the
lending party for any costs (other than any additional interest
costs) incurred by the lending party in connection with the
borrowing of such funds. For purposes of this Section 7.6(a) and
Section 7.6(b), the term "Group Member" shall include any
Affiliate of a Group Member that is controlled by the Group
Member. No Group Member may lend funds to the General Partner or
any of its Affiliates (other than another Group Member).
(b) The Partnership may lend or contribute to any Group Member, and any Group Member may borrow from the Partnership, funds on terms and conditions established in the sole discretion of the General Partner; provided, however, that the Partnership may not charge the Group Member interest at a rate less than the rate that would be charged to the Group Member (without reference to the General Partner's financial abilities or guarantees) by unrelated lenders on comparable loans. The foregoing authority shall be exercised by the General Partner in its sole discretion and shall not create any right or benefit in favor of any Group Member or any other Person.
(c) The General Partner may itself, or may enter into an
agreement with any of its Affiliates to, render services to a
Group Member or to the General Partner in the discharge of its
duties as general partner of the Partnership. Any services
rendered to a Group Member by the General Partner or any of its
Affiliates shall be on terms that are fair and reasonable to the
Partnership; provided, however, that the requirements of this
Section 7.6(c) shall be deemed satisfied as to (i) any
transaction approved by Special Approval, (ii) any transaction,
the terms of which are no less favorable to the Partnership Group
than those generally being provided to or available from
unrelated third parties or (iii) any transaction that, taking
into account the totality of the relationships between the
parties involved (including other transactions that may be
particularly favorable or advantageous to the Partnership Group),
is equitable to the Partnership Group. The provisions of Section
7.4 shall apply to the rendering of services described in this
Section 7.6(c).
(d) The Partnership Group may transfer assets to joint ventures, other partnerships, corporations, limited liability companies or other business entities in which it is or thereby becomes a participant upon such terms and subject to such conditions as are consistent with this Agreement and applicable law.
(e) Neither the General Partner nor any of its Affiliates
shall sell, transfer or convey any property to, or purchase any
property from the Partnership, directly or indirectly, except
pursuant to transactions that are fair and reasonable to the
Partnership; provided, however, that the requirements of this
Section 7.6(e) shall be deemed to be satisfied as to (i) the
transactions effected pursuant to Sections 5.2 and 5.3 of the
Previous Agreement, the Conveyance Agreement and any other
transactions described in or contemplated by the Registration
Statement or the Proxy Statement, (ii) any transaction approved
by Special Approval, (iii) any transaction, the terms of which
are no less favorable to the Partnership than those generally
being provided to or available from unrelated third parties, or
(iv) any transaction that, taking into account the totality of
the relationships between the parties involved (including other
transactions that may be particularly favorable or advantageous
to the Partnership), is equitable to the Partnership. With
respect to any contribution of assets to the Partnership in
exchange for Partnership Securities, the Audit Committee, in
determining whether the appropriate number of Partnership
Securities are being issued, may take into account, among other
things, the fair market value of the assets, the liquidated and
contingent liabilities assumed, the tax basis in the assets, the
extent to which tax-only allocations to the transferor will
protect the existing partners of the Partnership against a low
tax basis, and such other factors as the Audit Committee deems
relevant under the circumstances.
(f) The General Partner and its Affiliates will have no obligation to permit any Group Member to use any facilities or assets of the General Partner and its Affiliates, except as may be provided in contracts entered into from time to time specifically dealing with such use, nor shall there be any obligation on the part of the General Partner or its Affiliates to enter into such contracts.
(g) Without limitation of Sections 7.6(a) through 7.6(f), and notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the existence of the conflicts of interest described in the Registration Statement or the Proxy Statement are hereby approved by all Partners.
7.7 Indemnification
(a) To the fullest extent permitted by law but subject to
the limitations expressly provided in this Agreement, all
Indemnitees shall be indemnified and held harmless by the
Partnership from and against any and all losses, claims, damages,
liabilities, joint or several, expenses (including legal fees and
expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements or
other amounts arising from any and all claims, demands, actions,
suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or
investigative, in which any Indemnitee may be involved, or is
threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, by reason of
its status as an Indemnitee; provided, that in each case the
Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner that such
Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the
best interests of the Partnership and, with respect to any
criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe its
conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or
proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or upon a
plea of nolo contendere, or its equivalent, shall not create a
presumption that the Indemnitee acted in a manner contrary to
that specified above. Any indemnification pursuant to this
Section 7.7 shall be made only out of the assets of the
Partnership, it being agreed that the General Partner shall not
be personally liable for such indemnification and shall have no
obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the
Partnership to enable it to effectuate such indemnification.
(b) To the fullest extent permitted by law, expenses (including legal fees and expenses) incurred by an Indemnitee who is indemnified pursuant to Section 7.7(a) in defending any claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding shall, from time to time, be advanced by the Partnership prior to the final disposition of such claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding upon receipt by the Partnership of any undertaking by or on behalf of the Indemnitee to repay such amount if it shall be determined that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified as authorized in this Section 7.7.
(c) The indemnification provided by this Section 7.7 shall be in addition to any other rights to which an Indemnitee may be entitled under any agreement, pursuant to any vote of the holders of Outstanding Limited Partner Interests, as a matter of law or otherwise, both as to actions in the Indemnitee's capacity as an Indemnitee and as to actions in any other capacity (including any capacity under the Underwriting Agreement dated November 26, 1996 among the Partnership, Genesis OLP, and the underwriters and other parties named therein), and shall continue as to an Indemnitee who has ceased to serve in such capacity and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, successors, assigns and administrators of the Indemnitee.
(d) The Partnership may purchase and maintain (or reimburse the General Partner or its Affiliates for the cost of) insurance, on behalf of the General Partner, its Affiliates and such other Persons as the General Partner shall determine, against any liability that may be asserted against or expense that may be incurred by such Person in connection with the Partnership's activities or such Person's activities on behalf of the Partnership, regardless of whether the Partnership would have the power to indemnify such Person against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement.
(e) For purposes of this Section 7.7, the Partnership shall be deemed to have requested an Indemnitee to serve as fiduciary of an employee benefit plan whenever the performance by it of its duties to the Partnership also imposes duties on, or otherwise involves services by, it to the plan or participants or beneficiaries of the plan; excise taxes assessed on an Indemnitee with respect to an employee benefit plan pursuant to applicable law shall constitute "fines" within the meaning of Section 7.7(a); and action taken or omitted by it with respect to any employee benefit plan in the performance of its duties for a purpose reasonably believed by it to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of the plan shall be deemed to be for a purpose which is in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Partnership.
(f) In no event may an Indemnitee subject the Limited Partners to personal liability by reason of the indemnification provisions set forth in this Agreement.
(g) An Indemnitee shall not be denied indemnification in whole or in part under this Section 7.7 because the Indemnitee had an interest in the transaction with respect to which the indemnification applies if the transaction was otherwise permitted by the terms of this Agreement.
(h) The provisions of this Section 7.7 are for the benefit of the Indemnitees, their heirs, successors, assigns and administrators and shall not be deemed to create any rights for the benefit of any other Persons.
(i) No amendment, modification or repeal of this Section 7.7 or any provision hereof shall in any manner terminate, reduce or impair the right of any past, present or future Indemnitee to be indemnified by the Partnership, nor the obligations of the Partnership to indemnify any such Indemnitee under and in accordance with the provisions of this Section 7.7 as in effect immediately prior to such amendment, modification or repeal with respect to claims arising from or relating to matters occurring, in whole or in part, prior to such amendment, modification or repeal, regardless of when such claims may arise or be asserted.
7.8 Liability of Indemnitees
(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Agreement, no Indemnitee shall be liable for monetary damages to the Partnership, the Limited Partners, the Assignees or any other Persons who have acquired interests in Partnership Securities, for losses sustained or liabilities incurred as a result of any act or omission if such Indemnitee acted in good faith.
(b) Subject to its obligations and duties as General Partner set forth in Section 7.1(a), the General Partner may exercise any of the powers granted to it by this Agreement and perform any of the duties imposed upon it hereunder either directly or by or through its agents, and the General Partner shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any such agent appointed by the General Partner in good faith.
(c) To the extent that, at law or in equity, an Indemnitee has duties (including fiduciary duties) and liabilities relating thereto to the Partnership or to the Partners, the General Partner and any other Indemnitee acting in connection with the Partnership's business or affairs shall not be liable to the Partnership or to any Partner for its good faith reliance on the provisions of this Agreement. The provisions of this Agreement, to the extent that they restrict or otherwise modify the duties and liabilities of an Indemnitee otherwise existing at law or in equity, are agreed by the Partners to replace such other duties and liabilities of such Indemnitee.
(d) Any amendment, modification or repeal of this Section 7.8 or any provision hereof shall be prospective only and shall not in any way affect the limitations on the liability of the Indemnitees under this Section 7.8 as in effect immediately prior to such amendment, modification or repeal with respect to claims arising from or relating to matters occurring, in whole or in part, prior to such amendment, modification or repeal, regardless of when such claims may arise or be asserted.
7.9 Resolution of Conflicts of Interest
(a) Unless otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement
or the Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement, whenever a potential
conflict of interest exists or arises between the General Partner
or any of its Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Partnership,
Genesis OLP, any Partner, or any Assignee on the other, any
resolution or course of action by the General Partner or its
Affiliates in respect of such conflict of interest shall be
permitted and deemed approved by all Partners, and shall not
constitute a breach of this Agreement, of the Genesis OLP
Partnership Agreement, of any agreement contemplated herein, or
of any duty stated or implied by law or equity, if the resolution
or course of action is, or by operation of this Agreement is
deemed to be, fair and reasonable to the Partnership. The General
Partner shall be authorized but not required in connection with
its resolution of such conflict of interest to seek Special
Approval of such resolution. Any conflict of interest and any
resolution of such conflict of interest shall be conclusively
deemed fair and reasonable to the Partnership if such conflict of
interest or resolution is (i) approved by Special Approval (as
long as the material facts known to the General Partner or any of
its Affiliates regarding any proposed transaction were disclosed
to the Audit Committee at the time it gave its approval), (ii) on
terms no less favorable to the Partnership than those generally
being provided to or available from unrelated third parties or
(iii) fair to the Partnership, taking into account the totality
of the relationships between the parties involved (including
other transactions that may be particularly favorable or
advantageous to the Partnership). The General Partner may also
adopt a resolution or course of action that has not received
Special Approval. The General Partner (including the Audit
Committee in connection with Special Approval) shall be
authorized in connection with its determination of what is "fair
and reasonable" to the Partnership and in connection with its
resolution of any conflict of interest to consider (A) the
relative interests of any party to such conflict, agreement,
transaction or situation and the benefits and burdens relating to
such interest; (B) any customary or accepted industry practices
and any customary or historical dealings with a particular
Person; (C) any applicable generally accepted accounting
practices or principles; and (D) such additional factors as the
General Partner (including the Audit Committee) determines in its
sole discretion to be relevant, reasonable or appropriate under
the circumstances. Nothing contained in this Agreement, however,
is intended to nor shall it be construed to require the General
Partner (including the Audit Committee) to consider the interests
of any Person other than the Partnership. In the absence of bad
faith by the General Partner, the resolution, action or terms so
made, taken or provided by the General Partner with respect to
such matter shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement or
any other agreement contemplated herein or a breach of any
standard of care or duty imposed herein or therein or, to the
extent permitted by law, under the Delaware Act or any other law,
rule or regulation.
(b) Whenever this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated hereby provides that the General Partner or any of its Affiliates is permitted or required to make a decision (i) in its "sole discretion" or "discretion," that it deems "necessary or appropriate" or "necessary or advisable" or under a grant of similar authority or latitude, except as otherwise provided herein, the General Partner or such Affiliate shall be entitled to consider only such interests and factors as it desires and shall have no duty or obligation to give any consideration to any interest of, or factors affecting, the Partnership, Genesis OLP, any Limited Partner or any Assignee, (ii) it may make such decision in its sole discretion (regardless of whether there is a reference to "sole discretion" or "discretion") unless another express standard is provided for, or (iii) in "good faith" or under another express standard, the General Partner or such Affiliate shall act under such express standard and shall not be subject to any other or different standards imposed by this Agreement, the Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement, any other agreement contemplated hereby or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation. In addition, any actions taken by the General Partner or such Affiliate consistent with the standards of "reasonable discretion" set forth in the definition of Available Cash shall not constitute a breach of any duty of the General Partner to the Partnership or the Limited Partners. The General Partner shall have no duty, express or implied, to sell or otherwise dispose of any asset of the Partnership Group other than in the ordinary course of business. No borrowing by any Group Member or the approval thereof by the General Partner shall be deemed to constitute a breach of any duty of the General Partner to the Partnership or the Limited Partners or the Assignees by reason of the fact that the purpose or effect of such borrowing is directly or indirectly to enable Genesis OLP to make Incentive Compensation Payments to the General Partner.
(c) Whenever a particular transaction, arrangement or resolution of a conflict of interest is required under this Agreement to be "fair and reasonable" to any Person, the fair and reasonable nature of such transaction, arrangement or resolution shall be considered in the context of all similar or related transactions.
(d) The Limited Partners hereby authorize the General Partner, on behalf of the Partnership as a partner of a Group Member, to approve of actions by the general partner of such Group Member similar to those actions permitted to be taken by the General Partner pursuant to this Section 7.9.
7.10 Other Matters Concerning the General Partner
(a) The General Partner may rely and shall be protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, bond, debenture or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties.
(b) The General Partner may consult with legal counsel, accountants, appraisers, management consultants, investment bankers and other consultants and advisers selected by it, and any act taken or omitted to be taken in reliance upon the opinion (including an Opinion of Counsel) of such Persons as to matters that the General Partner reasonably believes to be within such Person's professional or expert competence shall be conclusively presumed to have been done or omitted in good faith and in accordance with such opinion.
(c) The General Partner shall have the right, in respect of any of its powers or obligations hereunder, to act through any of its duly authorized officers, a duly appointed attorney or attorneys-in-fact or the duly authorized officers of the Partnership.
(d) Any standard of care and duty imposed by this Agreement or under the Delaware Act or any applicable law, rule or regulation shall be modified, waived or limited, to the extent permitted by law, as required to permit the General Partner to act under this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated by this Agreement and to make any decision pursuant to the authority prescribed in this Agreement, so long as such action is reasonably believed by the General Partner to be in, or not inconsistent with, the best interests of the Partnership.
7.11 Purchase or Sale of Partnership Securities
The General Partner may cause the Partnership to purchase or otherwise acquire Partnership Securities. As long as Partnership Securities are held by any Group Member, such Partnership Securities shall not be considered Outstanding for any purpose, except as otherwise provided herein. The General Partner and any Affiliate of the General Partner may also purchase or otherwise acquire and sell or otherwise dispose of Partnership Securities for its own account, subject to the provisions of Articles IV and X.
7.12 Registration Rights of the General Partner and its Affiliates
(a) If (i) the General Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner (including for purposes of this Section 7.12, any Person that is an Affiliate of the General Partner at the date hereof notwithstanding that it may later cease to be an Affiliate of the General Partner) holds Partnership Securities that it desires to sell and (ii) Rule 144 of the Securities Act (or any successor rule or regulation to Rule 144) or another exemption from registration is not available to enable such holder of Partnership Securities (the "Holder") to dispose of the number of Partnership Securities it desires to sell at the time it desires to do so without registration under the Securities Act, then upon the request of the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, the Partnership shall file with the Commission as promptly as practicable after receiving such request, and use all reasonable efforts to cause to become effective and remain effective for a period of not less than six months following its effective date or such shorter period as shall terminate when all Partnership Securities covered by such registration statement have been sold, a registration statement under the Securities Act registering the offering and sale of the number of Partnership Securities specified by the Holder; provided, however, that the Partnership shall not be required to effect more than three registrations pursuant to this Section 7.12(a); and provided further, however, that if the Audit Committee determines in its good faith judgment that a postponement of the requested registration for up to six months would be in the best interests of the Partnership and its Partners due to a pending transaction, investigation or other event, the filing of such registration statement or the effectiveness thereof may be deferred for up to six months, but not thereafter. In connection with any registration pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence, the Partnership shall promptly prepare and file (x) such documents as may be necessary to register or qualify the Partnership Securities subject to such registration under the securities laws of such states as the Holder shall reasonably request; provided, however, that no such qualification shall be required in any jurisdiction where, as a result thereof, the Partnership would become subject to general service of process or to taxation or qualification to do business as a foreign corporation or partnership doing business in such jurisdiction solely as a result of such registration and (y) such documents as may be necessary to apply for listing or to list the Partnership Securities subject to such registration on such National Securities Exchange as the Holder shall reasonably request, and do any and all other acts and things that may reasonably be necessary or advisable to enable the Holder to consummate a public sale of such Partnership Securities in such states. Except as set forth in Section 7.12(c), all costs and expenses of any such registration and offering (other than the underwriting discounts and commissions) shall be paid by the Partnership, without reimbursement by the Holder.
(b) If the Partnership shall at any time propose to file a registration statement under the Securities Act for an offering of Partnership Securities for cash (other than an offering relating solely to an employee benefit plan), the Partnership shall use all reasonable efforts to include such number or amount of Partnership Securities held by the Holder in such registration statement as the Holder shall request. If the proposed offering pursuant to this Section 7.12(b) shall be an underwritten offering, then, in the event that the managing underwriter or managing underwriters of such offering advise the Partnership and the Holder in writing that in their opinion the inclusion of all or some of the Holder's Partnership Securities would adversely and materially affect the success of the offering, the Partnership shall include in such offering only that number or amount, if any, of Partnership Securities held by the Holder which, in the opinion of the managing underwriter or managing underwriters, will not so adversely and materially affect the offering. Except as set forth in Section 7.12(c), all costs and expenses of any such registration and offering (other than the underwriting discounts and commissions) shall be paid by the Partnership, without reimbursement by the Holder.
(c) If underwriters are engaged in connection with any registration referred to in this Section 7.12, the Partnership shall provide indemnification, representations, covenants, opinions and other assurance to the underwriters in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such underwriters. Further, in addition to and not in limitation of the Partnership's obligation under Section 7.7, the Partnership shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, indemnify and hold harmless the Holder, its officers, directors and each Person who controls the Holder (within the meaning of the Securities Act) and any agent thereof (collectively, "Indemnified Persons") against any losses, claims, demands, actions, causes of action, assessments, damages, liabilities (joint or several), costs and expenses (including interest, penalties and reasonable attorneys' fees and disbursements), resulting to, imposed upon, or incurred by the Indemnified Persons, directly or indirectly, under the Securities Act or otherwise (hereinafter referred to in this Section 7.12(c) as a "claim" and in the plural as "claims") based upon, arising out of or resulting from any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in any registration statement under which any Partnership Securities were registered under the Securities Act or any state securities or Blue Sky laws, in any preliminary prospectus (if used prior to the effective date of such registration statement), or in any summary or final prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto (if used during the period the Partnership is required to keep the registration statement current), or arising out of, based upon or resulting from the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements made therein not misleading; provided, however, that the Partnership shall not be liable to any Indemnified Person to the extent that any such claim arises out of, is based upon or results from an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in such registration statement, such preliminary, summary or final prospectus or such amendment or supplement, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Partnership by or on behalf of such Indemnified Person specifically for use in the preparation thereof.
(d) The provisions of Section 7.12(a) and 7.12(b) shall continue to be applicable with respect to the General Partner (and any of the General Partner's Affiliates) after it ceases to be a General Partner of the Partnership, during a period of two years subsequent to the effective date of such cessation and for so long thereafter as is required for the Holder to sell all of the Partnership Securities with respect to which it has requested during such two-year period inclusion in a registration statement otherwise filed or that a registration statement be filed; provided, however, that the Partnership shall not be required to file successive registration statements covering the same Partnership Securities for which registration was demanded during such two-year period. The provisions of Section 7.12(c) shall continue in effect thereafter.
(e) Any request to register Partnership Securities pursuant
to this Section 7.12 shall (i) specify the Partnership Securities
intended to be offered and sold by the Person making the request,
(ii) express such Person's present intent to offer such shares
for distribution, (iii) describe the nature or method of the
proposed offer and sale of Partnership Securities, and (iv)
contain the undertaking of such Person to provide all such
information and materials and take all action as may be required
in order to permit the Partnership to comply with all applicable
requirements in connection with the registration of such
Partnership Securities.
7.13 Reliance by Third Parties
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, any Person dealing with the Partnership shall be entitled to assume that the General Partner and any officer of the General Partner authorized by the General Partner to act on behalf of and in the name of the Partnership has full power and authority to encumber, sell or otherwise use in any manner any and all assets of the Partnership and to enter into any authorized contracts on behalf of the Partnership, and such Person shall be entitled to deal with the General Partner or any such officer as if it were the Partnership's sole party in interest, both legally and beneficially. Each Limited Partner hereby waives any and all defenses or other remedies that may be available against such Person to contest, negate or disaffirm any action of the General Partner or any such officer in connection with any such dealing. In no event shall any Person dealing with the General Partner or any such officer or its representatives be obligated to ascertain that the terms of the Agreement have been complied with or to inquire into the necessity or expedience of any act or action of the General Partner or any such officer or its representatives. Each and every certificate, document or other instrument executed on behalf of the Partnership by the General Partner or its representatives shall be conclusive evidence in favor of any and every Person relying thereon or claiming thereunder that (a) at the time of the execution and delivery of such certificate, document or instrument, this Agreement was in full force and effect, (b) the Person executing and delivering such certificate, document or instrument was duly authorized and empowered to do so for and on behalf of the Partnership and (c) such certificate, document or instrument was duly executed and delivered in accordance with the terms and provisions of this Agreement and is binding upon the Partnership.
ARTICLE VIII
Books, Records, Accounting and Reports
8.1 Records and Accounting
The General Partner shall keep or cause to be kept at the
principal office of the Partnership, appropriate books and
records with respect to the Partnership's business, including all
books and records necessary to provide to the Limited Partners
any information required to be provided pursuant to Section
3.4(a). Any books and records maintained by or on behalf of the
Partnership in the regular course of its business, including the
record of the Record Holders and Assignees of Units or other
Partnership Securities, books of account and records of
Partnership proceedings, may be kept on, or be in the form of,
computer disks, hard drives, punch cards, magnetic tape,
photographs, micrographics or any other information storage
device; provided, that the books and records so maintained are
convertible into clearly legible written form within a reasonable
period of time. The books of the Partnership shall be maintained,
for financial reporting purposes, on an accrual basis in
accordance with U.S. GAAP.
8.2 Fiscal Year
The fiscal year of the Partnership shall be the calendar year.
8.3 Reports
(a) As soon as practicable, but in no event later than 120 days after the close of each fiscal year of the Partnership, the General Partner shall cause to be mailed or furnished to each Record Holder of a Limited Partner Interest as of a date selected by the General Partner in its discretion, an annual report containing financial statements of the Partnership for such fiscal year of the Partnership, presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, including a balance sheet and statements of operations, Partnership equity and cash flows, such statements to be audited by a firm of independent public accountants selected by the General Partner.
(b) As soon as practicable, but in no event later than 90 days after the close of each Quarter except the last Quarter of each year, the General Partner shall cause to be mailed or furnished to each Record Holder of a Limited Partner Interest, as of a date selected by the General Partner in its discretion, a report containing unaudited financial statements of the Partnership and such other information as may be required by applicable law, regulation or rule of any National Securities Exchange on which Limited Partner Interests are listed for trading, or as the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate.
ARTICLE IX
Tax Matters
9.1 Tax Returns and Information
The Partnership shall timely file all returns of the Partnership that are required for federal, state and local income tax purposes on the basis of the accrual method and a taxable year ending on December 31. The tax information reasonably required by Record Holders for federal and state income tax reporting purposes with respect to a taxable year shall be furnished to them within 90 days of the close of the calendar year in which the Partnership's taxable year ends. The classification, realization and recognition of income, gain, losses and deductions and other items shall be on the accrual method of accounting for federal income tax purposes.
9.2 Tax Elections
(a) The Partnership has made the election under Section 754 of the Code in accordance with applicable regulations thereunder, subject to the reservation of the right to seek to revoke any such election upon the General Partner's determination that such revocation is in the best interests of the Limited Partners. Notwithstanding any other provision herein contained, for the purposes of computing the adjustments under Section 743(b) of the Code, the General Partner shall be authorized (but not required) to adopt a convention whereby the price paid by a transferee of a Limited Partner Interest will be deemed to be the lowest quoted closing price of such Limited Partner Interests on any National Securities Exchange on which such Limited Partner Interests are traded during the calendar month in which such transfer is deemed to occur pursuant to Section 6.2(g) without regard to the actual price paid by such transferee.
(b) The Partnership has elected to deduct expenses incurred in organizing the Partnership ratably over a sixty-month period as provided in Section 709 of the Code.
(c) Except as otherwise provided herein, the General Partner shall determine whether the Partnership should make any other elections permitted by the Code.
9.3 Tax Controversies
Subject to the provisions hereof, the General Partner is designated as the Tax Matters Partner (as defined in the Code) and is authorized and required to represent the Partnership (at the Partnership's expense) in connection with all examinations of the Partnership's affairs by tax authorities, including resulting administrative and judicial proceedings, and to expend Partnership funds for professional services and costs associated therewith. Each Partner agrees to cooperate with the General Partner and to do or refrain from doing any or all things reasonably required by the General Partner to conduct such proceedings.
9.4 Withholding
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the
General Partner is authorized to take any action that it
determines in its discretion to be necessary or appropriate to
cause the Partnership to comply with any withholding requirements
established under the Code or any other federal, state or local
law including, without limitation, pursuant to Sections 1441,
1442, 1445 and 1446 of the Code. To the extent that the
Partnership is required or elects to withhold and pay over to any
taxing authority any amount resulting from the allocation or
distribution of income to any Partner or Assignee (including,
without limitation, by reason of Section 1446 of the Code), the
amount withheld may at the discretion of the General Partner be
treated by the Partnership as a distribution of cash pursuant to
Section 6.3 in the amount of such withholding from such Partner.
ARTICLE X
Admission of Partners
10.1 Admission of Substituted Limited Partner
By transfer of a Limited Partner Interest in accordance with
Article IV, the transferor shall be deemed to have given the
transferee the right to seek admission as a Substituted Limited
Partner subject to the conditions of, and in the manner permitted
under, this Agreement. A transferor of a Certificate representing
a Limited Partner Interest shall, however, only have the
authority to convey to a purchaser or other transferee who does
not execute and deliver a Transfer Application (a) the right to
negotiate such Certificate to a purchaser or other transferee and
(b) the right to transfer the right to request admission as a
Substituted Limited Partner to such purchaser or other transferee
in respect of the transferred Limited Partner Interests. Each
transferee of a Limited Partner Interest (including any nominee
holder or an agent acquiring such Limited Partner Interest for
the account of another Person) who executes and delivers a
Transfer Application shall, by virtue of such execution and
delivery, be an Assignee and be deemed to have applied to become
a Substituted Limited Partner with respect to the Limited Partner
Interest so transferred to such Person. Such Assignee shall
become a Substituted Limited Partner (x) at such time as the
General Partner consents thereto, which consent may be given or
withheld in the General Partner's discretion, and (y) when any
such admission is shown on the books and records of the
Partnership. If such consent is withheld, such transferee shall
be an Assignee. An Assignee shall have an interest in the
Partnership equivalent to that of a Limited Partner with respect
to allocations and distributions, including liquidating
distributions, of the Partnership. With respect to voting rights
attributable to Limited Partner Interests that are held by
Assignees, the General Partner shall be deemed to be the Limited
Partner with respect thereto and shall, in exercising the voting
rights in respect of such Limited Partner Interests on any
matter, vote such Limited Partner Interests at the written
direction of the Assignee who is the Record Holder of such
Limited Partner Interests. If no such written direction is
received, such Limited Partner Interests will not be voted. An
Assignee shall have no other rights of a Limited Partner.
10.2 Admission of Successor General Partner
A successor General Partner approved pursuant to Section 11.1 or 11.2 or the transferee of or successor to all of the General Partner Interest pursuant to Section 4.6 who is proposed to be admitted as a successor General Partner shall be admitted to the Partnership as the General Partner, effective immediately prior to the withdrawal or removal of the General Partner pursuant to Section 11.1 or 11.2 or the transfer of the General Partner Interest pursuant to Section 4.6; provided, however, that no such successor shall be admitted to the Partnership until compliance with the terms of Section 4.6 has occurred and such successor has executed and delivered such other documents or instruments as may be required to effect such admission. Any such successor shall, subject to the terms hereof, carry on the business of the Group Members without dissolution.
10.3 Admission of Additional Limited Partners
(a) A Person (other than the General Partner or a Substituted Limited Partner) who makes a Capital Contribution to the Partnership in accordance with this Agreement in exchange for Limited Partner Interests shall be admitted to the Partnership as an Additional Limited Partner only upon furnishing to the General Partner (i) evidence of acceptance in form satisfactory to the General Partner of all of the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including the power of attorney granted in Section 2.6, and (ii) such other documents or instruments as may be required in the discretion of the General Partner to effect such Person's admission as an Additional Limited Partner.
(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this
Section 10.4, no Person shall be admitted as an Additional
Limited Partner without the consent of the General Partner, which
consent may be given or withheld in the General Partner's
discretion. The admission of any Person as an Additional Limited
Partner shall become effective on the date upon which the name of
such Person is recorded as such in the books and records of the
Partnership, following the consent of the General Partner to such
admission.
10.4 Amendment of Agreement and Certificate of Limited Partnership
To effect the admission to the Partnership of any Partner, the General Partner shall take all steps necessary and appropriate under the Delaware Act to amend the records of the Partnership to reflect such admission and, if necessary, to prepare as soon as practicable an amendment to this Agreement and, if required by law, the General Partner shall prepare and file an amendment to the Certificate of Limited Partnership, and the General Partner may for this purpose, among others, exercise the power of attorney granted pursuant to Section 2.6.
ARTICLE XI
Withdrawal or Removal of Partners
11.1 Withdrawal of the General Partner
(a) The General Partner shall be deemed to have withdrawn
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from the Partnership upon the occurrence of any one of the following events (each such event herein referred to as an "Event of Withdrawal");
(i) the General Partner voluntarily withdraws from the Partnership by giving written notice to the Limited Partners (and it shall be deemed that the General Partner has withdrawn pursuant to this Section 11.1(a)(i) if the General Partner voluntarily withdraws as a general partner of Genesis OLP);
(ii) the General Partner transfers all of its General Partner Interest pursuant to Section 4.6;
(iii) the General Partner is removed pursuant to Section 11.2;
(iv) the General Partner (A) makes a general assignment for the benefit of creditors; (B) files a voluntary bankruptcy petition for relief under Chapter 7 of the United States Bankruptcy Code; (C) files a petition or answer seeking for itself a liquidation, dissolution or similar relief (but not a reorganization) under any law; (D) files an answer or other pleading admitting or failing to contest the material allegations of a petition filed against the General Partner in a proceeding of the type described in clauses (A)-(C) of this Section 11.1(a)(iv); or (E) seeks, consents to or acquiesces in the appointment of a trustee (but not a debtor in possession), receiver or liquidator of the General Partner or of all or any substantial part of its properties;
(v) a final and non-appealable order of relief under Chapter 7 of the United States Bankruptcy Code is entered by a court with appropriate jurisdiction pursuant to a voluntary or involuntary petition by or against the General Partner; or
(vi) (A) in the event the General Partner is a corporation, a certificate of dissolution or its equivalent is filed for the General Partner, or 90 days expire after the date of notice to the General Partner of revocation of its charter without a reinstatement of its charter, under the laws of its state of incorporation; (B) in the event the General Partner is a partnership or a limited liability company, the dissolution and commencement of winding up of the General Partner; (C) in the event the General Partner is acting in such capacity by virtue of being a trustee of a trust, the termination of the trust; (D) in the event the General Partner is a natural person, his death or adjudication of incompetency; and (E) otherwise in the event of the termination of the General Partner.
If an Event of Withdrawal specified in Section 11.1(a)(iv), (v) or (vi)(A), (B), (C) or (E) occurs, the withdrawing General Partner shall give notice to the Limited Partners within 30 days after such occurrence. The Partners hereby agree that only the Events of Withdrawal described in this Section 11.1 shall result in the withdrawal of the General Partner from the Partnership.
(b) Withdrawal of the General Partner from the Partnership
upon the occurrence of an Event of Withdrawal shall not
constitute a breach of this Agreement under the following
circumstances: (i) at any time during the period beginning on the
Initial Closing Date and ending at 12:00 midnight, Eastern
Standard Time, on December 31, 2006, the General Partner
voluntarily withdraws by giving at least 90 days' advance notice
of its intention to withdraw to the Limited Partners; provided
that prior to the effective date of such withdrawal, the
withdrawal is approved by the holders of a Majority Interest and
the General Partner delivers to the Partnership an Opinion of
Counsel ("Withdrawal Opinion of Counsel") that such withdrawal
(following the selection of the successor General Partner) would
not result in the loss of the limited liability of any Limited
Partner or any limited partner of Genesis OLP or cause the
Partnership or Genesis OLP to be treated as an association
taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity
for federal income tax purposes (to the extent not previously
treated as such); (ii) at any time after 12:00 midnight, Eastern
Standard Time, on December 31, 2006, the General Partner
voluntarily withdraws by giving at least 90 days' advance notice
to the Limited Partners, such withdrawal to take effect on the
date specified in such notice; (iii) at any time that the General
Partner ceases to be the General Partner pursuant to Section
11.1(a)(ii) or is removed pursuant to Section 11.2; or
(iv) notwithstanding clause (i) of this sentence, at any time
that the General Partner voluntarily withdraws by giving at least
90 days' advance notice of its intention to withdraw to the
Limited Partners, such withdrawal to take effect on the date
specified in the notice, if at the time such notice is given one
Person and its Affiliates (other than the General Partner and its
Affiliates) own beneficially or of record or control at least 50%
of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests. The withdrawal of
the General Partner from the Partnership upon the occurrence of
an Event of Withdrawal shall also constitute the withdrawal of
the General Partner as general partner or managing member of the
other Group Members. If the General Partner gives a notice of
withdrawal pursuant to Section 11.1(a)(i), the holders of a
Majority Interest, may, prior to the effective date of such
withdrawal, elect a successor General Partner. The Person so
elected as successor General Partner shall automatically become a
successor general partner or managing member of the other Group
Members of which the General Partner is a general partner. If,
prior to the effective date of the General Partner's withdrawal,
a successor is not selected by the Limited Partners as provided
herein or the Partnership does not receive a Withdrawal Opinion
of Counsel, the Partnership shall be dissolved in accordance with
Section 12.1. Any successor General Partner elected in accordance
with the terms of this Section 11.1 shall be subject to the
provisions of Section 10.3.
11.2 Removal of the General Partner
The General Partner may not be removed without Cause. If
Cause exists the General Partner may be removed if such removal
is approved by the holders of a Two-Thirds Interest (including
Limited Partner Interests held by the General Partner and its
Affiliates). Any such action by such holders for removal of the
General Partner must also provide for the election of a successor
General Partner by the holders of a Two-Thirds Interest
(including Limited Partner Interests held by the General Partner
and its Affiliates). Such removal shall be effective immediately
following the admission of a successor General Partner pursuant
to Section 10.3. The removal of the General Partner shall also
automatically constitute the removal of the General Partner as
general partner of the other Group Members of which the General
Partner is a general partner. If a Person is elected as a
successor General Partner in accordance with the terms of this
Section 11.2, such Person shall, upon admission pursuant to
Section 10.3, automatically become a successor general partner or
managing member of the other Group Members of which the General
Partner is a general partner. The right of the Limited Partners
to remove the General Partner pursuant to this Section 11.2 shall
not exist or be exercised unless the Partnership has received an
opinion opining as to the matters covered by a Withdrawal Opinion
of Counsel. Any successor General Partner elected in accordance
with the terms of this Section 11.2 shall be subject to the
provisions of Section 10.3.
11.3 Interest of Departing Partner and Successor General Partner
(a) In the event of the withdrawal of the General Partner under circumstances where such withdrawal does not violate this Agreement, if a successor General Partner is elected in accordance with the terms of Section 11.1 or 11.2, the Departing Partner shall have the option exercisable prior to the effective date of the departure of such Departing Partner to require its successor to purchase its General Partner Interest and its partnership interest as a general partner or managing member in the other Group Members and if the General Partner has delivered a Conversion Election as provided in Section 7.13 of the Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement, its right to participate in distributions as provided in Section 7.13 of the Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement (collectively, the "Combined Interest") in exchange for an amount in cash equal to the fair market value of such Combined Interest, such amount to be determined and payable as of the effective date of its departure. If the General Partner is removed by the Partners under circumstances where Cause exists or if the General Partner withdraws under circumstances where such withdrawal violates this Agreement or the Genesis OLP Partnership Agreement, and if a successor General Partner is elected in accordance with the terms of Section 11.1 or 11.2, such successor shall have the option, exercisable prior to the effective date of the departure of such Departing Partner, to purchase the Combined Interest of the Departing Partner for such fair market value of such Combined Interest. In either event, the Departing Partner shall be entitled to receive all reimbursements due such Departing Partner pursuant to Section 7.4, including any employee-related liabilities (including severance liabilities), incurred in connection with the termination of any employees employed by the General Partner for the benefit of the Partnership or the other Group Members.
For purposes of this Section 11.3(a), the fair market value of the Departing Partner's Combined Interest shall be determined by agreement between the Departing Partner and its successor or, failing agreement within 30 days after the effective date of such Departing Partner's departure, by an independent investment banking firm or other independent expert selected by the Departing Partner and its successor, which, in turn, may rely on other experts, and the determination of which shall be conclusive as to such matter. If such parties cannot agree upon one independent investment banking firm or other independent expert within 45 days after the effective date of such departure, then the Departing Partner shall designate an independent investment banking firm or other independent expert, the Departing Partner's successor shall designate an independent investment banking firm or other independent expert, and such firms or experts shall mutually select a third independent investment banking firm or independent expert, which third independent investment banking firm or other independent expert shall determine the fair market value of the Combined Interest. In making its determination, such third independent investment banking firm or other independent expert may consider the then current trading price of Common Units on any National Securities Exchange on which Common Units are then listed, the value of the Partnership's assets, the rights and obligations of the General Partner and other factors it may deem relevant.
(b) If the Combined Interest is not purchased in the manner set forth in Section 11.3(a), the Departing Partner will have the right to convert the Combined Interest into Common Units or to receive cash from the Partnership in exchange for such Combined Interest. The Departing Partner's Combined Interest shall be converted into Common Units pursuant to a valuation made by an investment banking firm or other independent expert selected pursuant to Section 11.3(a), without reduction in such Combined Interest (but subject to proportionate dilution by reason of the admission of its successor). Any successor General Partner shall indemnify the Departing Partner as to all debts and liabilities of the Partnership arising on or after the date on which the Departing Partner becomes a Limited Partner. For purposes of this Agreement, conversion of the General Partner's Combined Interest to Common Units will be characterized as if the General Partner contributed its Combined Interest to the Partnership in exchange for the newly issued Common Units.
(c) If a successor General Partner is elected in accordance with the terms of Section 11.1 or 11.2 and the option described in Section 11.3(a) is not exercised by the party entitled to do so, the successor General Partner shall, at the effective date of its admission to the Partnership, contribute to the Partnership cash in the amount necessary to acquire a General Partner Interest equal to the General Partner Interest of the Departing Partner. In such event, such successor General Partner shall be entitled to such Percentage Interest of all Partnership allocations and distributions and any other allocations and distributions to which the Departing Partner was entitled.
11.4 Withdrawal of Limited Partners
No Limited Partner shall have any right to withdraw from the Partnership; provided, however, that when a transferee of a Limited Partner's Limited Partner Interest becomes a Record Holder of the Limited Partner Interest so transferred, such transferring Limited Partner shall cease to be a Limited Partner with respect to the Limited Partner Interest so transferred.
ARTICLE XII
Dissolution and Liquidation
12.1 Dissolution
The Partnership shall not be dissolved by the admission of Substituted Limited Partners or Additional Limited Partners or by the admission of a successor General Partner in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. Upon the removal or withdrawal of the General Partner, if a successor General Partner is elected pursuant to Section 11.1 or 11.2, the Partnership shall not be dissolved and such successor General Partner shall continue the business of the Partnership. The Partnership shall dissolve, and (subject to Section 12.2) its affairs shall be wound up, upon:
(a) the expiration of its term as provided in Section 2.7;
(b) an Event of Withdrawal of the General Partner as provided in Section 11.1(a) (other than Section 11.1(a)(ii)), unless a successor is elected and an Opinion of Counsel is received as provided in Section 11.1(b) or 11.2 and such successor is admitted to the Partnership pursuant to Section 10.3;
(c) an election to dissolve the Partnership by the General Partner that is approved by the holders of a Majority Interest;
(d) the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Partnership pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act;
(e) the dissolution of Genesis OLP; or
(f) the sale of all or substantially all of the assets and properties of the Partnership Group.
12.2 Continuation of the Business of the Partnership After Dissolution
Upon (a) dissolution of the Partnership following an Event of Withdrawal caused by the withdrawal or removal of the General Partner as provided in Section 11.1(a)(i) or (iii) and the failure of the Partners to select a successor to such Departing Partner pursuant to Section 11.1 or 11.2, then within 90 days thereafter, or (b) dissolution of the Partnership upon an event constituting an Event of Withdrawal as defined in Section 11.1(a)(iv), (v) or (vi), then, to the maximum extent permitted by law, within 180 days thereafter, the holders of a Majority Interest may elect to reconstitute the Partnership and continue its business on the same terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement by forming a new limited partnership on terms identical to those set forth in this Agreement and having as the successor general partner a Person approved by the holders of a Majority Interest. Unless such an election is made within the applicable time period as set forth above, the Partnership shall conduct only activities necessary to wind up its affairs. If such an election is so made, then:
(i) the reconstituted Partnership shall continue until the end of the term set forth in Section 2.7 unless earlier dissolved in accordance with this Article XII;
(ii) if the successor General Partner is not the
former General Partner, then the interest of the former
General Partner shall be treated in the manner provided in
Section 11.3; and
(iii) all necessary steps shall be taken to cancel this
Agreement and the Certificate of Limited Partnership and to
enter into and, as necessary, to file a new partnership
agreement and certificate of limited partnership, and the
successor general partner may for this purpose exercise the
powers of attorney granted the General Partner pursuant to
Section 2.6; provided, that the right of the holders of a
Majority Interest to approve a successor General Partner and
to reconstitute and to continue the business of the
Partnership shall not exist and may not be exercised unless
the Partnership has received an Opinion of Counsel that (x)
the exercise of the right would not result in the loss of
limited liability of any Limited Partner and (y) neither the
Partnership, the reconstituted limited partnership, Genesis
OLP nor any Group Member would be treated as an association
taxable as a corporation or otherwise be taxable as an
entity for federal income tax purposes upon the exercise of
such right to continue.
12.3 Liquidator
Upon dissolution of the Partnership, unless the Partnership is continued under an election to reconstitute and continue the Partnership pursuant to Section 12.2, the General Partner shall select one or more Persons to act as Liquidator. The Liquidator (if other than the General Partner) shall be entitled to receive such compensation for its services as may be approved by the holders of a Majority Interest. The Liquidator (if other than the General Partner) shall agree not to resign at any time without 15 days' prior notice and may be removed at any time, with or without cause, by notice of removal approved by the holders of a Majority Interest. Upon dissolution, removal or resignation of the Liquidator, a successor and substitute Liquidator (who shall have and succeed to all rights, powers and duties of the original Liquidator) shall within 30 days thereafter be approved by the holders of a Majority Interest. The right to approve a successor or substitute Liquidator in the manner provided herein shall be deemed to refer also to any such successor or substitute Liquidator approved in the manner herein provided. Except as expressly provided in this Article XII, the Liquidator approved in the manner provided herein shall have and may exercise, without further authorization or consent of any of the parties hereto, all of the powers conferred upon the General Partner under the terms of this Agreement (but subject to all of the applicable limitations, contractual and otherwise, upon the exercise of such powers, other than the limitation on sale set forth in Section 7.3(b)) to the extent necessary or desirable in the good faith judgment of the Liquidator to carry out the duties and functions of the Liquidator hereunder for and during such period of time as shall be reasonably required in the good faith judgment of the Liquidator to complete the winding up and liquidation of the Partnership as provided for herein.
12.4 Liquidation
The Liquidator shall proceed to dispose of the assets of the
Partnership, discharge its liabilities, and otherwise wind up its
affairs in such manner and over such period as the Liquidator
determines to be in the best interest of the Partners, subject to
Section 17-804 of the Delaware Act and the following:
(a) Disposition of Assets. The assets may be disposed of by
public or private sale or by distribution in kind to one or more
Partners on such terms as the Liquidator and such Partner or
Partners may agree. If any property is distributed in kind, the
Partner receiving the property shall be deemed for purposes of
Section 12.4(c) to have received cash equal to its fair market
value; and contemporaneously therewith, appropriate cash
distributions must be made to the other Partners. The Liquidator
may, in its absolute discretion, defer liquidation or
distribution of the Partnership's assets for a reasonable time if
it determines that an immediate sale of all or some of the
Partnership's assets would be impractical or would cause undue
loss to the partners. The Liquidator may, in its absolute
discretion, distribute the Partnership's assets, in whole or in
part, in kind if it determines that a sale would be impractical
or would cause undue loss to the partners.
(b) Discharge of Liabilities. Liabilities of the Partnership include amounts owed to Partners otherwise than in respect of their distribution rights under Article VI. With respect to any liability that is contingent, conditional or unmatured or is otherwise not yet due and payable, the Liquidator shall either settle such claim for such amount as it thinks appropriate or establish a reasonable reserve of cash or other assets to provide for its payment. When paid, any unused portion of the reserve shall be distributed as additional liquidation proceeds.
(c) Liquidation Distributions. All property and all cash in
excess of that required to discharge liabilities as provided in
Section 12.4(b) shall be distributed to the Partners in
accordance with, and to the extent of, the positive balances in
their respective Capital Accounts, as determined after taking
into account all Capital Account adjustments (other than those
made by reason of distributions pursuant to this Section 12.4(c))
for the taxable year of the Partnership during which the
liquidation of the Partnership occurs (with such date of
occurrence being determined pursuant to Treasury Regulation
Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g)), and such distribution shall be
made by the end of such taxable year (or, if later, within 90
days after said date of such occurrence).
12.5 Cancellation of Certificate of Limited Partnership
Upon the completion of the distribution of Partnership cash and property as provided in Section 12.4 in connection with the liquidation of the Partnership, the Partnership shall be terminated and the Certificate of Limited Partnership and all qualifications of the Partnership as a foreign limited partnership in jurisdictions other than the State of Delaware shall be canceled and such other actions as may be necessary to terminate the Partnership shall be taken.
12.6 Return of Contributions
The General Partner shall not be personally liable for, and shall have no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Partnership to enable it to effectuate, the return of the Capital Contributions of the Limited Partners, or any portion thereof, it being expressly understood that any such return shall be made solely from Partnership assets.
12.7 Waiver of Partition
To the maximum extent permitted by law, each Partner hereby waives any right to partition of the Partnership property.
12.8 Capital Account Restoration
No Limited Partner shall have any obligation to restore any negative balance in its Capital Account upon liquidation of the Partnership. The General Partner shall be obligated to restore any negative balance in its Capital Account upon liquidation of its interest in the Partnership by the end of the taxable year of the Partnership during which such liquidation occurs, or, if later, within 90 days after the date of such liquidation.
ARTICLE XIII
Amendment of Partnership Agreement; Meetings; Record Date
13.1 Amendment to be Adopted Solely by the General Partner
Each Partner agrees that the General Partner, without the approval of any Partner or Assignee, may amend any provision of this Agreement and execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record whatever documents may be required in connection therewith, to reflect:
(a) a change in the name of the Partnership, the location of the principal place of business of the Partnership, the registered agent of the Partnership or the registered office of the Partnership;
(b) admission, substitution, withdrawal or removal of Partners in accordance with this Agreement;
(c) a change that, in the sole discretion of the General Partner, is necessary or advisable to qualify or continue the qualification of the Partnership as a limited partnership or a partnership in which the Limited Partners have limited liability under the laws of any state or to ensure that no Group Member will be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes;
(d) a change that, in the discretion of the General Partner, (i) does not adversely affect the Limited Partners in any material respect, (ii) is necessary or advisable (A) to satisfy any requirements, conditions or guidelines contained in any opinion, directive, order, ruling or regulation of any federal or state agency or judicial authority or contained in any federal or state statute (including the Delaware Act), (B) to facilitate the trading of Limited Partner Interests (including the division of any class or classes of Outstanding Limited Partner Interests into different classes to facilitate uniformity of tax consequences within such classes of Limited Partner Interests) or comply with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which Limited Partner Interests are or will be listed for trading, compliance with any of which the General Partner determines in its discretion to be in the best interests of the Partnership and the Limited Partners or (C) in connection with action taken by the General Partner pursuant to Section 5.7, or (iii) is required to effect the intent expressed in the Registration Statement or the Proxy Statement or the intent of the provisions of this Agreement or is otherwise contemplated by this Agreement;
(e) a change in the fiscal year or taxable year of the Partnership and any changes that, in the discretion of the General Partner, are necessary or advisable as a result of a change in the fiscal year or taxable year of the Partnership including, if the General Partner shall so determine, a change in the definition of "Quarter" and the dates on which distributions are to be made by the Partnership;
(f) an amendment that is necessary, in the Opinion of Counsel, to prevent the Partnership or the General Partner or its directors, officers, trustees or agents from in any manner being subjected to the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, or "plan asset" regulations adopted under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, regardless of whether such are substantially similar to plan asset regulations currently applied or proposed by the United States Department of Labor;
(g) an amendment that, in the discretion of the General Partner, is necessary or advisable in connection with the authorization of issuance of any class or series of Partnership Securities pursuant to Section 5.5;
(h) any amendment expressly permitted in this Agreement to be made by the General Partner acting alone;
(i) an amendment effected, necessitated or contemplated by a Merger Agreement approved in accordance with Section 14.3;
(j) an amendment that, in the discretion of the General Partner, is necessary or advisable to reflect, account for and deal with appropriately the formation by the Partnership of, or investment by the Partnership in, any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other entity, in connection with the conduct by the Partnership of activities permitted by the terms of Section 2.4;
(k) a merger or conveyance pursuant to Section 14.3(d); or
(l) any other amendments substantially similar to the foregoing.
13.2 Amendment Procedures
Except as provided in Sections 13.1 and 13.3, all amendments to this Agreement shall be made in accordance with the following requirements. Amendments to this Agreement may be proposed only by or with the consent of the General Partner, which consent may be given or withheld in its sole discretion. A proposed amendment shall be effective upon its approval by the holders of a Majority Interest, unless a greater or different percentage is required under this Agreement or by Delaware law. Each proposed amendment that requires the approval of the holders of a specified percentage of Outstanding Limited Partner Interests shall be set forth in a writing that contains the text of the proposed amendment. If such an amendment is proposed, the General Partner shall seek the written approval of the requisite percentage of Outstanding Limited Partner Interests or call a meeting of the Limited Partners to consider and vote on such proposed amendment. The General Partner shall notify all Record Holders upon final adoption of any such proposed amendments.
13.3 Amendment Requirements
(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 13.1 and 13.2, no provision of this Agreement that establishes a percentage of Outstanding Limited Partner Interests (including Limited Partner Interests deemed owned by the General Partner) required to take any action shall be amended, altered, changed, repealed or rescinded in any respect that would have the effect of reducing such voting percentage unless such amendment is approved by the written consent or the affirmative vote of holders of Outstanding Limited Partner Interests (including Limited Partner Interests deemed owned by the General Partner) whose aggregate Outstanding Limited Partner Interests constitute not less than the voting requirement sought to be reduced.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 13.1 and
13.2, no amendment to this Agreement may (i) enlarge the
obligations of any Limited Partner without its consent, unless
such shall be deemed to have occurred as a result of an amendment
approved pursuant to Section 13.3(c), (ii) enlarge the
obligations of, restrict in any way any action by or rights of,
or reduce in any way the amounts distributable, reimbursable or
otherwise payable to, the General Partner or any of its
Affiliates without its consent, which may be given or withheld in
its sole discretion, (iii) change Section 12.1(a) or 12.1(c), or
(iv) change the term of the Partnership or, except as set forth
in Section 12.1(c) or 12.1(e), give any Person the right to
dissolve the Partnership.
(c) Except as provided in Section 14.3, and except as otherwise provided, and without limitation of the General Partner's authority to adopt amendments to this Agreement as contemplated in Section 13.1, any amendment that would have a material adverse effect on the rights or preferences of any class of Partnership Interests in relation to other classes of Partnership Interests must be approved by the holders of not less than a majority of the Outstanding Partnership Interests of the class affected.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement,
except for amendments pursuant to Section 7.3 or 13.1 and except
as otherwise provided by Section 14.3(b), no amendments shall
become effective without the approval of the holders of a Ninety
Percent Interest unless the Partnership obtains an Opinion of
Counsel to the effect that such amendment will not affect the
limited liability of any Limited Partner under applicable law.
(e) Except as provided in Section 13.1, this Section 13.3
shall only be amended with the approval of the holders of a
Ninety Percent Interest.
13.4 Special Meetings
All acts of Limited Partners to be taken pursuant to this
Agreement shall be taken in the manner provided in this Article
XIII. Special meetings of the Limited Partners may be called by
the General Partner or by Limited Partners owning 20% or more of
the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests of the class or classes
for which a meeting is proposed and which are entitled to vote
thereat. Limited Partners shall call a special meeting by
delivering to the General Partner one or more requests in writing
stating that the signing Limited Partners wish to call a special
meeting and indicating the general or specific purposes for which
the special meeting is to be called. Within 60 days after receipt
of such a call from Limited Partners or within such greater time
as may be reasonably necessary for the Partnership to comply with
any statutes, rules, regulations, listing agreements or similar
requirements governing the holding of a meeting or the
solicitation of proxies for use at such a meeting, the General
Partner shall send a notice of the meeting to the Limited
Partners either directly or indirectly through the Transfer
Agent. A meeting shall be held at a time and place determined by
the General Partner on a date not less than 10 days nor more than
60 days after the mailing of notice of the meeting. Limited
Partners shall not vote on matters that would cause the Limited
Partners to be deemed to be taking part in the management and
control of the business and affairs of the Partnership so as to
jeopardize the Limited Partners' limited liability under the
Delaware Act or the law of any other state in which the
Partnership is qualified to do business.
13.5 Notice of a Meeting
Notice of a meeting called pursuant to Section 13.4 shall be
given to the Record Holders of the class or classes of Limited
Partner Interests for which a meeting is proposed in writing by
mail or other means of written communication in accordance with
Section 16.1. The notice shall be deemed to have been given at
the time when deposited in the mail or sent by other means of
written communication.
13.6 Record Date
For purposes of determining the Limited Partners entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of the Limited Partners or to give approvals without a meeting as provided in Section 13.11, the General Partner may set a Record Date, which shall not be less than 10 nor more than 60 days before (a) the date of the meeting (unless such requirement conflicts with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which Limited Partner Interests are listed for trading, in which case the rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of such exchange shall govern) or (b) in the event that approvals are sought without a meeting, the date by which Limited Partners are requested in writing by the General Partner to give such approvals.
13.7 Adjournment
When a meeting is adjourned to another time or place, notice need not be given of the adjourned meeting and a new Record Date need not be fixed, if the time and place thereof are announced at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken, unless such adjournment shall be for more than 45 days. At the adjourned meeting, the Partnership may transact any business which might have been transacted at the original meeting. If the adjournment is for more than 45 days or if a new Record Date is fixed for the adjourned meeting, a notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given in accordance with this Article XIII.
13.8 Waiver of Notice; Approval of Meeting; Approval of Minutes
The transactions of any meeting of Limited Partners, however called and noticed, and whenever held, shall be as valid as if occurred at a meeting duly held after regular call and notice, if a quorum is present either in person or by proxy, and if, either before or after the meeting, Limited Partners representing such quorum who were present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote, sign a written waiver of notice or an approval of the holding of the meeting or an approval of the minutes thereof. All waivers and approvals shall be filed with the Partnership records or made a part of the minutes of the meeting. Attendance of a Limited Partner at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of the meeting, except when the Limited Partner does not approve, at the beginning of the meeting, of the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened; and except that attendance at a meeting is not a waiver of any right to disapprove the consideration of matters required to be included in the notice of the meeting, but not so included, if the disapproval is expressly made at the meeting.
13.9 Quorum
The holders of a majority of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests (including Limited Partner Interests deemed owned by the General Partner) of the class or classes for which a meeting has been called and which are entitled to vote represented in person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum at a meeting of Limited Partners of such class or classes unless any such action by the Limited Partners requires approval by holders of a greater percentage of such Limited Partner Interests, in which case the quorum shall be such greater percentage. At any meeting of the Limited Partners duly called and held in accordance with this Agreement at which a quorum is present, the act of Limited Partners holding Outstanding Limited Partner Interests (including Limited Partner Interests deemed owned by the General Partner) that in the aggregate represent a majority of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests (including Limited Partner Interests deemed owned by the General Partner) entitled to vote and be present in person or by proxy at such meeting shall be deemed to constitute the act of all Limited Partners, unless a greater or different percentage is required with respect to such action under the provisions of this Agreement, in which case the act of the Limited Partners holding Outstanding Limited Partner Interests (including Limited Partner Interests deemed owned by the General Partner) that in the aggregate represent at least such greater or different percentage shall be required. The Limited Partners present at a duly called or held meeting at which a quorum is present may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough Limited Partners to leave less than a quorum, if any action taken (other than adjournment) is approved by the required percentage of Outstanding Limited Partner Interests (including Limited Partner Interests deemed owned by the General Partner) specified in this Agreement. In the absence of a quorum any meeting of Limited Partners may be adjourned from time to time by the affirmative vote of holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests (including Limited Partner Interests deemed owned by the General Partner) entitled to vote at such meeting represented either in person or by proxy, but no other business may be transacted, except as provided in Section 13.7.
13.10 Conduct of a Meeting
The General Partner shall have full power and authority concerning the manner of conducting any meeting of the Partners or solicitation of approvals in writing, including the determination of Persons entitled to vote, the existence of a quorum, the satisfaction of the requirements of Section 13.4, the conduct of voting, the validity and effect of any proxies and the determination of any controversies, votes or challenges arising in connection with or during the meeting or voting. The General Partner shall designate a Person to serve as chairman of any meeting and shall further designate a Person to take the minutes of any meeting. All minutes shall be kept with the records of the Partnership maintained by the General Partner. The General Partner may make such other regulations consistent with applicable law and this Agreement as it may deem advisable concerning the conduct of any meeting of the Partners or solicitation of approvals in writing, including regulations in regard to the appointment of proxies, the appointment and duties of inspectors of votes and approvals, the submission and examination of proxies and other evidence of the right to vote, and the revocation of approvals in writing.
13.11 Action Without a Meeting
If authorized by the General Partner, any action that may be taken at a meeting of the Limited Partners may be taken without a meeting if an approval in writing setting forth the action so taken is signed by Limited Partners owning not less than the minimum percentage of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests (including Limited Partner Interests deemed owned by the General Partner) that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all the Limited Partners were present and voted (unless such provision conflicts with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which Limited Partner Interests are listed for trading, in which case the rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of such exchange shall govern). Prompt notice of the taking of action without a meeting shall be given to the Limited Partners who have not approved in writing. The General Partner may specify that any written ballot submitted to Limited Partners for the purpose of taking any action without a meeting shall be returned to the Partnership within the time period, which shall be not less than 20 days, specified by the General Partner. If a ballot returned to the Partnership does not vote all of the Limited Partner Interests held by a Limited Partner the Partnership shall be deemed to have failed to receive a ballot for the Limited Partner Interests that were not voted. If approval of the taking of any action by the Limited Partners is solicited by any Person other than by or on behalf of the General Partner, the written approvals shall have no force and effect unless and until (a) they are deposited with the Partnership in care of the General Partner, (b) approvals sufficient to take the action proposed are dated as of a date not more than 90 days prior to the date sufficient approvals are deposited with the Partnership and (c) an Opinion of Counsel is delivered to the General Partner to the effect that the exercise of such right and the action proposed to be taken with respect to any particular matter (i) will not cause the Limited Partners to be deemed to be taking part in the management and control of the business and affairs of the Partnership so as to jeopardize the Limited Partners' limited liability, and (ii) is otherwise permissible under the state statutes then governing the rights, duties and liabilities of the Partnership and the Partners.
13.12 Voting and Other Rights
(a) Only those Record Holders of the Limited Partner Interests on the Record Date set pursuant to Section 13.6 (and also subject to the limitations contained in the definition of "Outstanding") shall be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, a meeting of Limited Partners or to act with respect to matters as to which the holders of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests have the right to vote or to act. All references in this Agreement to votes of, or other acts that may be taken by, the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests shall be deemed to be references to the votes or acts of the Record Holders of such Outstanding Limited Partner Interests.
(b) With respect to Limited Partner Interests that are held
for a Person's account by another Person (such as a broker,
dealer, bank, trust company or clearing corporation, or an agent
of any of the foregoing), in whose name such Limited Partner
Interests are registered, such other Person shall, in exercising
the voting rights in respect of such Limited Partner Interests on
any matter, and unless the arrangement between such Persons
provides otherwise, vote such Limited Partner Interests in favor
of, and at the direction of, the Person who is the beneficial
owner, and the Partnership shall be entitled to assume it is so
acting without further inquiry. The provisions of this Section
13.12(b) (as well as all other provisions of this Agreement) are
subject to the provisions of Section 4.3.
ARTICLE XIV
Merger
14.1 Authority
The Partnership may merge or consolidate with one or more corporations, limited liability companies, business trusts or associations, real estate investment trusts, common law trusts or unincorporated businesses, including a general partnership or limited partnership, formed under the laws of the State of Delaware or any other state of the United States of America, pursuant to a written agreement of merger or consolidation ("Merger Agreement") in accordance with this Article XIV.
14.2 Procedure for Merger or Consolidation
Merger or consolidation of the Partnership pursuant to this Article XIV requires the prior approval of the General Partner. If the General Partner shall determine, in the exercise of its discretion, to consent to the merger or consolidation, the General Partner shall approve the Merger Agreement, which shall set forth:
(a) The names and jurisdictions of formation or organization of each of the business entities proposing to merge or consolidate;
(b) The name and jurisdiction of formation or organization of the business entity that is to survive the proposed merger or consolidation (the "Surviving Business Entity");
(c) The terms and conditions of the proposed merger or consolidation;
(d) The manner and basis of exchanging or converting the equity securities of each constituent business entity for, or into, cash, property or general or limited partner interests, rights, securities or obligations of the Surviving Business Entity; and (i) if any general or limited partner interests, securities or rights of any constituent business entity are not to be exchanged or converted solely for, or into, cash, property or general or limited partner interests, rights, securities or obligations of the Surviving Business Entity, the cash, property or general or limited partner interests, rights, securities or obligations of any limited partnership, corporation, trust or other entity (other than the Surviving Business Entity) which the holders of such general or limited partner interests, securities or rights are to receive in exchange for, or upon conversion of their general or limited partner interests, securities or rights, and (ii) in the case of securities represented by certificates, upon the surrender of such certificates, which cash, property or general or limited partner interests, rights, securities or obligations of the Surviving Business Entity or any general or limited partnership, corporation, trust or other entity (other than the Surviving Business Entity), or evidences thereof, are to be delivered;
(e) A statement of any changes in the constituent documents or the adoption of new constituent documents (the articles or certificate of incorporation, articles of trust, declaration of trust, certificate or agreement of limited partnership, certificate of formation or limited liability company agreement or other similar charter or governing document) of the Surviving Business Entity to be effected by such merger or consolidation;
(f) The effective time of the merger, which may be the date of the filing of the certificate of merger pursuant to Section 14.4 or a later date specified in or determinable in accordance with the Merger Agreement (provided, that if the effective time of the merger is to be later than the date of the filing of the certificate of merger, the effective time shall be fixed no later than the time of the filing of the certificate of merger and stated therein); and
(g) Such other provisions with respect to the proposed merger or consolidation as are deemed necessary or appropriate by the General Partner.
14.3 Approval by Limited Partners of Merger or Consolidation
(a) Except as provided in Section 14.3(d), the General Partner, upon its approval of the Merger Agreement, shall direct that the Merger Agreement be submitted to a vote of the Limited Partners, whether at a special meeting or by written consent, in either case in accordance with the requirements of Article XIII. A copy or a summary of the Merger Agreement shall be included in or enclosed with the notice of a special meeting or the written consent.
(b) Except as provided in Section 14.3(d), the Merger Agreement shall be approved upon receiving the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of a Majority Interest unless the Merger Agreement contains any provision that, if contained in an amendment to this Agreement, the provisions of this Agreement or the Delaware Act would require the vote or consent of a greater percentage of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests or of any class of Limited Partners, in which case such greater percentage vote or consent shall be required for approval of the Merger Agreement.
(c) Except as provided in Section 14.3(d), after such
approval by vote or consent of the Limited Partners, and at any
time prior to the filing of the certificate of merger pursuant to
Section 14.4, the merger or consolidation may be abandoned
pursuant to provisions therefor, if any, set forth in the Merger
Agreement.
(d) Notwithstanding anything else contained in this Article XIV or in this Agreement, the General Partner is permitted, in its discretion, without Limited Partner approval, to merge the Partnership or any Group Member into, or convey all of the Partnership's assets to, another limited liability entity which shall be newly formed and shall have no assets, liabilities or operations at the time of such Merger other than those it receives from the Partnership or other Group Member if (i) the General Partner has received an Opinion of Counsel that the merger or conveyance, as the case may be, would not result in the loss of the limited liability of any Limited Partner or any limited partner in Genesis OLP or cause the Partnership or Genesis OLP to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes (to the extent not previously treated as such), (ii) the sole purpose of such merger or conveyance is to effect a mere change in the legal form of the Partnership into another limited liability entity and (iii) the governing instruments of the new entity provide the Limited Partners and the General Partner with the same rights and obligations as are herein contained.
14.4 Certificate of Merger
Upon the required approval by the General Partner and the Limited Partners of a Merger Agreement, a certificate of merger shall be executed and filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware in conformity with the requirements of the Delaware Act.
14.5 Effect of Merger (a) At the effective time of the certificate of merger: (i) all of the rights, privileges and powers of each |
of the business entities that has merged or consolidated, and all property, real, personal and mixed, and all debts due to any of those business entities and all other things and causes of action belonging to each of those business entities shall be vested in the Surviving Business Entity and after the merger or consolidation shall be the property of the Surviving Business Entity to the extent they were of each constituent business entity;
(ii) the title to any real property vested by deed or otherwise in any of those constituent business entities shall not revert and is not in any way impaired because of the merger or consolidation;
(iii) all rights of creditors and all liens on or security interests in property of any of those constituent business entities shall be preserved unimpaired; and
(iv) all debts, liabilities and duties of those constituent business entities shall attach to the Surviving Business Entity, and may be enforced against it to the same extent as if the debts, liabilities and duties had been incurred or contracted by it.
(b) A merger or consolidation effected pursuant to this Article XIV shall not be deemed to result in a transfer or assignment of assets or liabilities from one entity to another.
ARTICLE XV
Right to Acquire Limited Partner Interests
15.1 Right to Acquire Limited Partner Interests
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement,
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if at any time not more than 20% of the total Limited Partner Interests of any class then Outstanding are held by Persons other than the General Partner and its Affiliates, the General Partner shall then have the right, which right it may assign and transfer in whole or in part to the Partnership or any Affiliate of the General Partner, exercisable in its sole discretion, to purchase all, but not less than all, of such Limited Partner Interests of such class then Outstanding held by Persons other than the General Partner and its Affiliates, at the greater of (x) the Current Market Price as of the date three days prior to the date that the notice described in Section 15.1(b) is mailed and (y) the highest price paid by the General Partner or any of its Affiliates for any such Limited Partner Interest of such class purchased during the 90-day period preceding the date that the notice described in Section 15.1(b) is mailed. As used in this Agreement, (i) "Current Market Price" as of any date of any class of Limited Partner Interests listed or admitted to trading on any National Securities Exchange means the average of the daily Closing Prices (as hereinafter defined) per Limited Partner Interest of such class for the 20 consecutive Trading Days (as hereinafter defined) immediately prior to such date; (ii) "Closing Price" for any day means the last sale price on such day, regular way, or in case no such sale takes place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices on such day, regular way, in either case as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed or admitted for trading on the principal National Securities Exchange (other than the Nasdaq Stock Market) on which such Limited Partner Interests of such class are listed or admitted to trading or, if such Limited Partner Interests of such class are not listed or admitted to trading on any National Securities Exchange (other than the Nasdaq Stock Market), the last quoted price on such day or, if not so quoted, the average of the high bid and low asked prices on such day in the over-the- counter market, as reported by the Nasdaq Stock Market or such other system then in use, or, if on any such day such Limited Partner Interests of such class are not quoted by any such organization, the average of the closing bid and asked prices on such day as furnished by a professional market maker making a market in such Limited Partner Interests of such class selected by the General Partner, or if on any such day no market maker is making a market in such Limited Partner Interests of such class, the fair value of such Limited Partner Interests on such day as determined reasonably and in good faith by the General Partner; and (iii) "Trading Day" means a day on which the principal National Securities Exchange on which such Limited Partner Interests of any class are listed or admitted to trading is open for the transaction of business or, if Limited Partner Interests of a class are not listed or admitted to trading on any National Securities Exchange, a day on which banking institutions in New York City generally are open.
(b) If the General Partner, any Affiliate of the General Partner or the Partnership elects to exercise the right to purchase Limited Partner Interests granted pursuant to Section 15.1(a), the General Partner shall deliver to the Transfer Agent notice of such election to purchase (the "Notice of Election to Purchase") and shall cause the Transfer Agent to mail a copy of such Notice of Election to Purchase to the Record Holders of Limited Partner Interests of such class (as of a Record Date selected by the General Partner) at least 10, but not more than 60, days prior to the Purchase Date. Such Notice of Election to Purchase shall also be published for a period of at least three consecutive days in at least two daily newspapers of general circulation printed in the English language and published in the Borough of Manhattan, New York. The Notice of Election to Purchase shall specify the Purchase Date and the price (determined in accordance with Section 15.1(a)) at which Limited Partner Interests will be purchased and state that the General Partner, its Affiliate or the Partnership, as the case may be, elects to purchase such Limited Partner Interests, upon surrender of Certificates representing such Limited Partner Interests in exchange for payment, at such office or offices of the Transfer Agent as the Transfer Agent may specify, or as may be required by any National Securities Exchange on which such Limited Partner Interests are listed or admitted to trading. Any such Notice of Election to Purchase mailed to a Record Holder of Limited Partner Interests at his address as reflected in the records of the Transfer Agent shall be conclusively presumed to have been given regardless of whether the owner receives such notice. On or prior to the Purchase Date, the General Partner, its Affiliate or the Partnership, as the case may be, shall deposit with the Transfer Agent cash in an amount sufficient to pay the aggregate purchase price of all of such Limited Partner Interests to be purchased in accordance with this Section 15.1. If the Notice of Election to Purchase shall have been duly given as aforesaid at least 10 days prior to the Purchase Date, and if on or prior to the Purchase Date the deposit described in the preceding sentence has been made for the benefit of the holders of Limited Partner Interests subject to purchase as provided herein, then from and after the Purchase Date, notwithstanding that any Certificate shall not have been surrendered for purchase, all rights of the holders of such Limited Partner Interests (including any rights pursuant to Articles IV, V, VI, and XII) shall thereupon cease, except the right to receive the purchase price (determined in accordance with Section 15.1(a)) for Limited Partner Interests therefor, without interest, upon surrender to the Transfer Agent of the Certificates representing such Limited Partner Interests, and such Limited Partner Interests shall thereupon be deemed to be transferred to the General Partner, its Affiliate or the Partnership, as the case may be, on the record books of the Transfer Agent and the Partnership, and the General Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner, or the Partnership, as the case may be, shall be deemed to be the owner of all such Limited Partner Interests from and after the Purchase Date and shall have all rights as the owner of such Limited Partner Interests (including all rights as owner of such Limited Partner Interests pursuant to Articles IV, V, VI and XII).
(c) At any time from and after the Purchase Date, a holder of an Outstanding Limited Partner Interest subject to purchase as provided in this Section 15.1 may surrender his Certificate evidencing such Limited Partner Interest to the Transfer Agent in exchange for payment of the amount described in Section 15.1(a), therefor, without interest thereon.
ARTICLE XVI
General Provisions
16.1 Addresses and Notices
Any notice, demand, request, report or proxy materials required or permitted to be given or made to a Partner or Assignee under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed given or made when delivered in person or when sent by first class United States mail or by other means of written communication to the Partner or Assignee at the address described below. Any notice, payment or report to be given or made to a Partner or Assignee hereunder shall be deemed conclusively to have been given or made, and the obligation to give such notice or report or to make such payment shall be deemed conclusively to have been fully satisfied, upon sending of such notice, payment or report to the Record Holder of such Partnership Security at his address as shown on the records of the Transfer Agent or as otherwise shown on the records of the Partnership, regardless of any claim of any Person who may have an interest in such Partnership Security by reason of any assignment or otherwise. An affidavit or certificate of making of any notice, payment or report in accordance with the provisions of this Section 16.1 executed by the General Partner, the Transfer Agent or the mailing organization shall be prima facie evidence of the giving or making of such notice, payment or report. If any notice, payment or report addressed to a Record Holder at the address of such Record Holder appearing on the books and records of the Transfer Agent or the Partnership is returned by the United States Post Office marked to indicate that the United States Postal Service is unable to deliver it, such notice, payment or report and any subsequent notices, payments and reports shall be deemed to have been duly given or made without further mailing (until such time as such Record Holder or another Person notifies the Transfer Agent or the Partnership of a change in his address) if they are available for the Partner or Assignee at the principal office of the Partnership for a period of one year from the date of the giving or making of such notice, payment or report to the other Partners and Assignees. Any notice to the Partnership shall be deemed given if received by the General Partner at the principal office of the Partnership designated pursuant to Section 2.3. The General Partner may rely and shall be protected in relying on any notice or other document from a Partner, Assignee or other Person if believed by it to be genuine.
16.2 Further Action
The parties shall execute and deliver all documents, provide all information and take or refrain from taking action as may be necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of this Agreement.
16.3 Binding Effect
This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their heirs, executors, administrators, successors, legal representatives and permitted assigns.
16.4 Integration
This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement among the parties hereto pertaining to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings pertaining thereto.
16.5 Creditors
None of the provisions of this Agreement shall be for the benefit of, or shall be enforceable by, any creditor of the Partnership.
16.6 Waiver
No failure by any party to insist upon the strict performance of any covenant, duty, agreement or condition of this Agreement or to exercise any right or remedy consequent upon a breach thereof shall constitute waiver of any such breach of any other covenant, duty, agreement or condition.
16.7 Counterparts
This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, all of which together shall constitute an agreement binding on all the parties hereto, notwithstanding that all such parties are not signatories to the original or the same counterpart. Each party shall become bound by this Agreement immediately upon affixing its signature hereto or, in the case of a Person acquiring a Limited Partner Interest, upon accepting the certificate evidencing such Limited Partner Interest or executing and delivering a Transfer Application as herein described, independently of the signature of any other party.
16.8 Applicable Law
This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to the principles of conflicts of law.
16.9 Invalidity of Provisions
If any provision of this Agreement is or becomes invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions contained herein shall not be affected thereby.
16.10 Consent of Partners
Each Partner hereby expressly consents and agrees that, whenever in this Agreement it is specified that an action may be taken upon the affirmative vote or consent of less than all of the Partners, such action may be so taken upon the concurrence of less than all of the Partners and each Partner shall be bound by the results of such action.
[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank] IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.
GENERAL PARTNER
GENESIS ENERGY, L.L.C.,
By: /s/ Mark J. Gorman ---------------------- Name: Mark J. Gorman Title: President and Chief Executive Officer |
LIMITED PARTNERS
All Limited Partners previously and
hereafter admitted as Limited
Partners of the Partnership,
pursuant to powers of attorney
previously and hereafter executed
in favor of, and granted and
delivered to the General Partner.
By: Genesis Energy, L.L.C.
General Partner, as attorney-in-
fact for all Limited Partners
pursuant to the Powers of
Attorney granted pursuant to
Section 2.6.
By: /s/ Mark J. Gorman
----------------------
Name: Mark J. Gorman
Title: President and Chief
Executive Officer
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