UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 8-K

 

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): March 28, 2012 (March 23, 2012)

 

 

ENERGY TRANSFER PARTNERS, L.P.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   1-11727   73-1493906

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation)

 

(Commission

File Number)

 

(IRS Employer

Identification Number)

3738 Oak Lawn Avenue

Dallas, Texas 75219

(Address of principal executive offices)

(214) 981-0700

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

¨ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

¨ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

 

 


Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

Amendment No. 2 to Merger Agreement

On March 23, 2011, Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. (the “ Partnership ”), Citrus ETP Finance LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Partnership (“ ETP Finance Sub ”), Citrus ETP Acquisition, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Partnership (“ ETP Merger Sub ”) and Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (“ ETE ”) entered into Amendment No. 2 (the “ Second Amendment ”) to that certain Amended and Restated Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of July 19, 2011, as amended by Amendment No. 1 thereto (the “ First Amendment ”) dated September 14, 2011 (as amended, the “ Citrus Merger Agreement ”). The Citrus Merger Agreement provides for the merger of ETP Merger Sub with and into CrossCountry Energy, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ CCE ”), with CCE continuing as the surviving entity (the “ Citrus Merger ”), immediately prior to the previously announced merger of Sigma Acquisition Corporation, a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of ETE (“ ETE Merger Sub ”), with and into Southern Union Company, a Delaware corporation (“ Southern Union ”), with Southern Union continuing as the surviving entity (the “ Sigma Merger ”).

The Second Amendment provided that, in connection with the closing of the transactions contemplated by the Citrus Merger Agreement, (i) ETP Finance Sub would provide a guarantee of collection of principal, on the terms set forth therein (the “ Citrus Guarantee ”), for the benefit of the holders of the Senior Notes (as hereinafter defined) and the trustee under the Indenture dated January 18, 2005, as supplemented by the Tenth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of January 17, 2012 with respect to $2,000,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Partnership’s senior notes, comprised of 5.20% Senior Notes due 2022 and 6.50% Senior Notes due 2042 (the “ Senior Notes ”) and (ii) PEPL Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Union (“ PEPL Holdings ”) would enter into a support agreement (the “ Support Agreement ”) with ETP Finance Sub pursuant to which PEPL Holdings will provide contingent, residual support to ETP Finance Sub with respect to its obligations under the Citrus Guarantee.

Closing of Citrus Merger and Entry into Citrus Guarantee and Support Agreement

On March 26, 2012, (i) ETE assigned and Southern Union assumed the benefits and obligations of ETE under the Citrus Merger Agreement and, ETE unconditionally guaranteed Southern Union’s obligations under the Citrus Merger Agreement, (ii) ETP Finance Sub entered into the Citrus Guarantee and (iii) the Partnership, ETP Finance Sub and PEPL Holdings entered into the Support Agreement. Immediately thereafter, the relevant parties completed the Citrus Merger, followed by the Sigma Merger.

Following the Sigma Merger, PEPL Holdings is a wholly owned subsidiary of ETE. ETE owns the general partner of the Partnership, all of the Partnership’s incentive distribution rights and approximately 52.5 million of the Partnership’s common units.

The above description of the Second Amendment does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, (i) the full text of the Second Amendment, which is filed as Exhibit 2.1 hereto, (ii) the full text of the Citrus Merger Agreement, which is filed as Exhibit 2.1 to ETP’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 20, 2011, and (iii) the full text of the First Amendment, which is filed as Exhibit 2.1 to ETP’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 15, 2011, each of which are incorporated herein by reference. The above descriptions of the Citrus Guarantee and the Support Agreement do not purport to be complete and are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by, the full text of the Citrus Guarantee, which is attached as Exhibit 10.1 hereto, and the Support Agreement, which is attached as Exhibit 10.2 hereto.

Item 2.01 Completion of Acquisition or Disposition of Assets.

On March 26, 2012, the Partnership completed the Citrus Merger, resulting in CCE surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Partnership. CCE indirectly owns a 50% interest in Citrus Corp., a Delaware corporation (“ Citrus Corp. ”), which owns 100% of the Florida Gas Transmission pipeline system that was previously jointly owned by Southern Union and El Paso Corporation.


In exchange for the contribution of CCE to the Partnership, the Partnership (i) issued 2,249,092 common units valued at $105,000,000 to CCE Holdings, LLC, the direct parent company of CCE (“ CCE Holdings ”) and (ii) distributed $1,895,000,000 to CCE Holdings. The value of the common units issued as part of the consideration was based on the volume-weighted average trading price for the ten consecutive trading days ending immediately prior to the date that was three trading days prior to the closing date of the Citrus Merger, as provided in the Citrus Merger Agreement. The common units were issued to CCE Holdings in reliance upon an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 pursuant to Section 4(2) thereof.

The information set forth under Item 1.01 under the headings “Closing of Citrus Merger and Entry into Citrus Guarantee and Support Agreement” and under Item 5.03 is incorporated into this Item 2.01 by reference.

Item 2.03. Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.

The information set forth under Item 1.01 is incorporated into this Item 2.03 by reference.

Item 3.02. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities.

The information set forth under Item 2.01 is incorporated into this Item 3.02 by reference.

Item 3.03. Material Modifications to Rights of Security Holders.

The information set forth under Item 5.03 is incorporated into this Item 3.03 by reference.

Item 5.03. Amendments to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year.

In connection with the closing of the Citrus Merger, on March 26, 2012, Energy Transfer Partners GP, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership and the general partner of the Partnership (the “ General Partner ”), adopted Amendment No. 1 (the “ LP Agreement Amendment ”) to the Second Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Partnership, dated as of July 28, 2009 (the “ Partnership Agreement ”). Pursuant to the terms of the LP Agreement Amendment, the General Partner (which is a wholly owned subsidiary of ETE) will relinquish its rights to $13.75 million in distributions it would otherwise be entitled to receive with respect to its incentive distribution rights in the Partnership for each of 16 consecutive quarters, commencing with the fiscal quarter ending March 31, 2012.

In connection with the closing of the Sigma Merger, on March 26, 2012, Energy Transfer Partners, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company and the general partner of the General Partner (“ GP LLC ”), adopted Amendment No. 2 to the Third Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of the General Partner, dated as of April 17, 2007 (the “ General Partner LP Agreement Amendment ”). Pursuant to the terms of the General Partner LP Agreement Amendment, the General Partner shall follow certain procedures designed to enhance the corporate separateness of the General Partner from other entities, including its affiliates.

In connection with the closing of the Sigma Merger, on March 26, 2012, ETE, as the sole member of GP LLC, adopted Amendment No. 1 to the Fourth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of GP LLC, dated as of August 10, 2010 (the “ GP LLC Agreement Amendment ”). Pursuant to the terms of the GP LLC Agreement Amendment, GP LLC shall, and shall cause the Partnership to, follow certain procedures designed to enhance the corporate separateness of GP LLC and the Partnership from other entities, including their affiliates.


The above descriptions of the LP Agreement Amendment, the General Partner LP Agreement Amendment and the GP LLC Agreement Amendment do not purport to be complete and are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by, the full text of LP Agreement Amendment, the General Partner LP Agreement Amendment and the GP LLC Agreement Amendment, which are attached as Exhibit 3.1, Exhibit 3.2 and Exhibit 3.3 hereto, respectively.

Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.

On March 26, 2012, ETP issued a press release in connection with the completion of the Citrus Merger. The full text of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.

Forward Looking Statements

Information contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K may include certain statements concerning expectations for the future that are forward-looking statements as defined by federal law. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond management’s control. Among those factors are the risk that the anticipated benefits from the Citrus Merger cannot be fully realized. An extensive list of factors that can affect future results are discussed in ETP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and other documents filed from time to time with the SEC. ETP undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect new information or events.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(a) Financial statements of business acquired.

The financial information required to be filed by this Item will be filed by amendment to this Current Report on Form 8-K within 71 calendar days after the date on which this Report is required to be filed.

(b) Pro forma financial information.

The pro formal financial information required to be filed by this Item will be filed by amendment to this Current Report on Form 8-K within 71 calendar days after the date on which this Report is required to be filed.

(d) Exhibits.

See the Exhibit Index set forth below for a list of exhibits included with this Form 8-K.

 

Exhibit Number    Description
  2.1    Amendment No. 2, dated March 23, 2012, to the Amended and Restated Agreement and Plan of Merger, by and among Energy Transfer Partners, L.P., Citrus ETP Acquisition, L.L.C., Energy Transfer Equity, L.P., Southern Union Company, and CrossCountry Energy, LLC, dated as of July 19, 2011.
  3.1    Amendment No. 1, dated March 26, 2012, to the Second Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Energy Transfer Partners, L.P., dated July 28, 2009.
  3.2    Amendment No. 2, dated March 26, 2012, to the Third Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Energy Transfer Partners GP, L.P., dated April 17, 2007.
  3.3    Amendment No. 1, dated March 26, 2012, to the Fourth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Energy Transfer Partners, L.L.C., dated August 10, 2010.
10.1    Guarantee of Collection made as of March 26, 2012, by Citrus ETP Finance LLC, to Energy Transfer Partners, L.P.


10.2    Support Agreement, dated March 26, 2012, by and among PEPL Holdings, LLC, Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. and Citrus ETP Finance LLC.
99.1    Press release of Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. dated March 26, 2012.


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 hereunto duly authorized.

 

  ENERGY TRANSFER PARTNERS, L.P.
 

By:

 

Energy Transfer Partners GP, L.P.,

its general partner

 

By:

 

Energy Transfer Partners, L.L.C.

its general partner

Date: March 27, 2012    

/s/ Martin Salinas, Jr.

Martin Salinas, Jr.

Chief Financial Officer


EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit Number    Description
  2.1    Amendment No. 2, dated March 23, 2012, to the Amended and Restated Agreement and Plan of Merger, by and among Energy Transfer Partners, L.P., Citrus ETP Acquisition, L.L.C., Energy Transfer Equity, L.P., Southern Union Company, and CrossCountry Energy, LLC, dated as of July 19, 2012.
  3.1    Amendment No. 1, dated March 26, 2012, to the Second Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Energy Transfer Partners, L.P., dated July 28, 2009.
  3.2    Amendment No. 2, dated March 26, 2012, to the Third Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Energy Transfer Partners GP, L.P., dated April 17, 2007.
  3.3    Amendment No. 1, dated March 26, 2012, to the Fourth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Energy Transfer Partners, L.L.C., dated August 10, 2010.
10.1    Guarantee of Collection made as of March 26, 2012, by Citrus ETP Finance LLC, to Energy Transfer Partners, L.P.
10.2    Support Agreement, dated March 26, 2012, by and among PEPL Holdings, LLC, Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. and Citrus ETP Finance LLC.
99.1    Press release of Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. dated March 26, 2012.

Exhibit 2.1

AMENDMENT NO. 2

TO

AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER

AMENDMENT NO. 2 (this “ Amendment ”), dated as of March 23, 2012, to Amended and Restated Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of July 19, 2011, as amended by Amendment No. 1 thereto dated as of September 14, 2011 (the “ Agreement ”), by and among Energy Transfer Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (“ ETP ”), Citrus ETP Finance LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ ETP Subsidiary Guarantor ”) and Citrus ETP Acquisition, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company (“ ETP Merger Sub ”), on the one hand, and Energy Transfer Equity, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (“ ETE ”), on the other hand.

R E C I T A L S

WHEREAS, ETE and ETP desire to amend certain provisions of the Agreement pursuant to Section 10.1 thereof, as more particularly set forth in this Amendment.

A G R E E M E N T S

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements set forth in the Agreement and this Amendment, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, ETE and ETP hereby agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

AMENDMENTS

1.1 Defined Terms; References . Unless otherwise specifically defined in this Amendment, each term used herein that is defined in the Agreement has the meaning assigned to such term in the Agreement, and each reference to a specific Section or Article shall refer to the particular Section or Article in the Agreement. Each reference to “hereof,” “hereunder,” “herein,” “hereby” and each other similar reference contained in the Agreement shall refer, from and after the date of this Amendment, to the Agreement as amended by this Amendment.

1.2 Amendment to Section 2.1 . Section 2.1 of the Agreement is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

The Merger . At the Effective Time, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement and in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act, as amended to date (the “Delaware Act”), ETP Merger Sub shall be merged with and into CrossCountry Energy, whereupon the separate existence of ETP Merger Sub shall cease, and CrossCountry shall continue its existence as a limited liability company under Delaware law as the surviving entity (the “Surviving Entity”) in the Merger and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of ETP.”


1.3 Amendment to Section 2.4 . Section 2.4 of the Agreement is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

Effect of Merger . At the Effective Time, by virtue of the merger and without any further action on the part of any member of CrossCountry Energy or ETP Merger Sub or any further action by any party or other person, (i) (a) all of the limited liability company interests in ETP Merger Sub (all of which are owned by ETP) shall automatically be converted into and become all of the limited liability company interests in the Surviving Entity, (b) an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of ETP shall automatically be deemed admitted to the Surviving Entity as the sole member in respect of such limited liability company interests and (c) the Surviving Entity shall continue without dissolution; and (ii) (a) all of the limited liability company interests in CrossCountry Energy indirectly owned by Southern Union through CCE Holdings immediately prior to the effective time (which constituted all of the limited liability company interests in CrossCountry Energy at such time) shall automatically be converted into the right to receive the Merger Consideration and shall otherwise cease to be outstanding and (b) CCE Holdings shall cease to be a member of CrossCountry Energy and the Surviving Entity.”

1.4 Amendment to Section 2.4 . Section 2.4 of the Agreement is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

Directors . Subject to applicable Law, at the Effective Time, Marshall S. (Mackie) McCrea III shall be the initial director of the Surviving Entity and shall hold office until his successor is duly elected and qualified, or his earlier death, resignation or removal.”

1.5 Amendment to Section 2.8 . Section 2.8 of the Agreement is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

Borrowing by ETP; Tax Treatment of Merger and Cash Consideration . In connection with the Sigma Merger, following the Panhandle Contribution and immediately prior to the effective time of the Sigma Merger, PEPL Holdings shall enter into a support agreement, in the form attached hereto as Annex A , with ETP Subsidiary Guarantor pursuant to which PEPL Holdings shall provide contingent residual support to ETP Subsidiary Guarantor (on a non recourse basis to Southern Union) with respect to ETP Subsidiary Guarantor’s obligations to ETP to support the payment of $2.0 billion in principal amount of senior notes issued by ETP on January 17, 2012 (the “ ETP Debt ”). The Parties intend that for United States federal income tax purposes (i) the Merger shall be treated as a contribution by Southern Union to ETP of the assets of CrossCountry Energy (and the assets of the subsidiaries of CrossCountry Energy that are also treated as disregarded entities of Southern Union) in a transaction consistent with the requirements of Section 721(a) of the Code; (ii) the receipt by CCE Holdings of the Cash Consideration shall be treated as a distribution to Southern Union by ETP under Section 731 of the Code; (iii) the distribution of the Cash Consideration to CCE Holdings shall be made out of proceeds of the ETP Debt, and such portion of the Cash Consideration shall qualify as a “debt-financed transfer” under Section 1.707-5(b) of the Treasury Regulations promulgated under the Code (the “ Treasury Regulations ”); and (iv) Southern Union’s share of the ETP Debt under Sections 1.752-2 and 1.707-5(a)(2)(i) of the Treasury Regulations shall be the entire amount of the ETP Debt. The Parties agree to file all Tax Returns and otherwise act at all times in a manner consistent with this intended treatment of the Merger, the Cash Consideration and the ETP Debt, including disclosing the distribution of the Cash Consideration in accordance with the requirements of Section 1.707-3(c)(2) of the Treasury Regulations.”

 

2


1.6 Amendment to Section 5.9 . Section 5.9 of the Agreement is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

“5.9 Joinder; Panhandle Contribution .

(a) In lieu of a joinder agreement, ETP Merger Sub and ETP Subsidiary Guarantor each hereby enter into this Amendment. ETP Merger Sub agrees to be bound to the terms and conditions of this Agreement for all purposes and ETP Subsidiary Guarantor agrees to be bound to the terms and conditions of this Agreement solely for purposes of Section 2.8 hereof.

(b) Each of Southern Union, PEPL Holdings and CrossCountry Energy shall execute and deliver to ETP, ETP Subsidiary Guarantor and ETP Merger Sub a Joinder Agreement immediately prior to the effective time of the Sigma Merger. Upon execution and delivery of such Joinder Agreements, Southern Union and CrossCountry Energy shall each become a Party under this Agreement for all purposes and PEPL Holdings shall become a Party under this Agreement solely for purposes of Section 2.8 hereof.

(c) Immediately following the deliveries referred to in Section 5.9(b) but immediately prior to the effective time of the Sigma Merger, Southern Union shall cause the Panhandle Contribution to occur.”

1.7 Amendment to Exhibit A . Exhibit A of the Agreement is hereby amended to include reference to or amend and restate, as applicable, the following definitions in their appropriate alphabetical order:

Panhandle Contribution ” means the contribution by Southern Union of the Panhandle Interests to PEPL Holdings.

ETP Subsidiary Guarantor ” means Citrus ETP Finance LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and indirect wholly owned Subsidiary of ETP.

ARTICLE II

MISCELLANEOUS

2.1 No Other Amendments; No Waiver of Rights . Except as amended by this Amendment, the Agreement shall remain unmodified and in full force and effect.

2.2 Governing Law . This Amendment shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the Laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to any choice or conflict of law provision or rule (whether of the State of Delaware or any other jurisdiction) that would cause the application of the Laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Delaware.

 

3


2.3 Facsimiles; Counterparts . This Amendment may be executed by facsimile signatures by any Party and such signature shall be deemed binding for all purposes hereof, without delivery of an original signature being thereafter required. This Amendment may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which, when executed, shall be deemed to be an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same document.

[Signature page follows]

 

4


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the Parties has caused this Amendment to be executed by its respective duly authorized officers as of the date first above written.

 

ENERGY TRANSFER EQUITY, L.P.
By:   LE GP, LLC,
  its general partner
By:  

/s/ John W. McReynolds

Name:   John W. McReynolds
Title:   President and Chief Financial Officer
ENERGY TRANSFER PARTNERS, L.P.
By:  

Energy Transfer Partners GP, L.P.,

its general partner

By:  

Energy Transfer Partners, L.L.C.,

its general partner

By:  

/s/ Martin Salinas, Jr.

Name:   Martin Salinas, Jr.
Title:   Chief Financial Officer
CITRUS ETP ACQUISITION, L.L.C.
By:  

/s/ Martin Salinas, Jr.

Name:   Martin Salinas, Jr.
Title:   Chief Financial Officer
Solely for Purposes of Section 2.8
CITRUS ETP FINANCE LLC
By:  

/s/ Martin Salinas, Jr.

Name:   Martin Salinas, Jr.
Title:   Chief Financial Officer


Annex I

Form of Support Agreement

[See attached.]

Exhibit 3.1

AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO

SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT OF LIMITED

PARTNERSHIP

OF

ENERGY TRANSFER PARTNERS, L.P.

This Amendment No. 1 (this “ Amendment No. 1 ”) to the Second Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. (the “ Partnership ”), dated as of July 28, 2009 (the “ Partnership Agreement ”), is hereby adopted effective as of March 26, 2012 (the “ Amendment Effective Date ”), by Energy Transfer Partners GP, L.P., a Delaware limited liability company (the “ General Partner ”), as general partner of the Partnership. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein have the meaning given such terms in the Partnership Agreement.

WHEREAS, Section 13.1(d)(i) of the Partnership Agreement provides that the General Partner, without the approval of any Partner, may amend any provision of the Partnership Agreement to reflect a change that, in the discretion of the General Partner, does not adversely affect the Unitholders in any material respect; and

WHEREAS, acting pursuant to the power and authority granted to it under Section 13.1(d)(i) of the Partnership Agreement, the General Partner has determined that the following amendment to the Partnership Agreement does not adversely affect the Unitholders in any material respect.

NOW THEREFORE, the General Partner does hereby amend the Partnership Agreement as follows:

Section 1. Section 6.4 is hereby amended by adding a new subsection (b) to such Section:

“(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 6.4, for a period of sixteen consecutive Quarters commencing with Quarter in which the Amendment Effective Date occurs, any distributions to the holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights provided for in clauses (iii)(B), (iv)(B) and (v)(B) of Subsection 6.4(a) shall be reduced by $13.75 million per Quarter.”

Section 2. Except as hereby amended, the Partnership Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.

Section 3. This Amendment shall be governed by, and interpreted in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, all rights and remedies being governed by such laws without regard to principles of conflicts of laws.


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Amendment has been executed as of the date first above written.

 

GENERAL PARTNER:
ENERGY TRANSFER PARTNERS GP, L.P.
By:   Energy Transfer Partners, L.L.C.,
  its general partner
By:  

/s/ Martin Salinas, Jr.

Name:   Martin Salinas, Jr.
Title:   Chief Financial Officer

Signature Page to

Amendment No. 1 to ETP Partnership Agreement

Exhibit 3.2

AMENDMENT NO. 2

TO

THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED

AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

OF

ENERGY TRANSFER PARTNERS GP, L.P.

This Amendment No. 2 (this “ Amendment No. 2 ”), dated March 26, 2012, to the Third Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Energy Transfer Partners GP, L.P. (the “ Partnership ”), dated as of April 17, 2007 (the “ Partnership Agreement ”) is hereby adopted, executed and agreed to by Energy Transfer Partners, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company, as the general partner of the Partnership (the “ General Partner ”). Capitalized terms used but not defined herein are used as defined in the Partnership Agreement.

WHEREAS , the General Partner desires to amend Article II of the Partnership Agreement to include certain provisions relating to the separateness of the Partnership and the MLP;

WHEREAS , Section 10.9 of the Partnership Agreement provides that the Partnership Agreement may be amended by a written instrument executed by the General Partner; provided that the Partnership Agreement may not be amended without the written approval of any Partner that is adversely affected by such amendment; and

WHEREAS , acting pursuant to the power and authority granted to it under Section 10.9 of the Partnership Agreement, the General Partner has determined that the following amendment is in the best interest of the Partnership and does not adversely affect any Partner;

NOW, THEREFORE , the General Partner hereby amends the Partnership Agreement as follows:

Section 1. Amendment .

 

  (a) Section 1.1 is hereby amended by adding the following definition in alphabetical order:

“ “ LE GP LLC ” means LE GP, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company.”

 

  (b) Section 2.9 is hereby inserted at the end of Article II as follows:

“Section 2.9 Certain Undertakings Relating to the Separateness of the MLP .

(a) The Partnership shall conduct its business and operations separate and apart from those of any other Person, except the General Partner and ETE, in accordance with this Section 2.9 .

(b) The Partnership shall (i) maintain its books and records and accounts separate from those of any other Person, (ii) maintain its financial records, which will be used by it in the ordinary course of business, showing its assets and liabilities separate and


apart from those of any other Person, except its consolidated Subsidiaries, (iii) not have its assets and/or liabilities included in a consolidated financial statement of any Affiliate of LE GP LLC (other than the inclusion of the assets and/or liabilities of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries in the consolidated financial statements of ETE and LE GP LLC) unless appropriate notation shall be made on such Affiliate’s consolidated financial statements to indicate the separateness of the Partnership and its assets and liabilities from such Affiliate and the assets and liabilities of such Affiliate, and to indicate that the assets and liabilities of the Partnership are not available to satisfy the debts and other obligations of such Affiliate, and (iv) file its own tax returns separate from those of any other Person, except (A) to the extent that the Partnership (x) is treated as a “disregarded entity” for tax purposes or (y) is not otherwise required to file tax returns under Applicable Law or (B) as may otherwise be required by Applicable Law.

(c) The Partnership shall not commingle or pool its funds or other assets with those of any other Person, and shall maintain its assets in a manner that is not costly or difficult to segregate, ascertain or otherwise identify as separate from those of any other Person.

(d) The Partnership shall (i) conduct its business in its own name, (ii) use separate stationery, invoices, and checks, (iii) correct any known misunderstanding regarding its separate identity from that of any other Person, and (iv) generally hold itself out as an entity separate from any other Person.

(e) The Partnership shall (i) pay its obligations and liabilities from its own funds (whether on hand or borrowed), (ii) maintain adequate capital in light of its business operations, (iii) not guarantee or become obligated for the debts of any other Person, except ETE and its Affiliates, (iv) not hold out its credit as being available to satisfy the obligations or liabilities of any other Person, except ETE and its Affiliates, (v) not acquire debt obligations or debt securities of the MLP or its Affiliates (other than the General Partner, ETE and LE GP LLC), (vi) not pledge its assets for the benefit of any Person or make loans or advances to any Person, except ETE and its Affiliates, or (vii) use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the operative documents under which it borrows money, is an issuer of debt securities, or guarantees any such borrowing or issuance after the Effective Date, to contain provisions to the effect that (A) the lenders or purchasers of debt securities, respectively, acknowledge that they have advanced funds or purchased debt securities, respectively, in reliance upon the separateness of the Partnership from any other Persons and (B) the Partnership has assets and liabilities that are separate from those of other Persons; provided that the Partnership may engage in any transaction described in clauses (v)-(vi) of this Section 2.9(e) if the prior written consent of the General Partner has been obtained for such transaction and either (x) the General Partner has determined that the borrower or recipient of the credit support is not then insolvent and will not be rendered insolvent as a result of such transaction or (y) in the case of transactions described in clause (v), such transaction is completed through a public auction or a National Securities Exchange.


(f) The Partnership shall (i) observe all partnership formalities and other formalities required by its organizational documents, the laws of the jurisdiction of its formation, or other laws, rules, regulations and orders of Governmental Authorities exercising jurisdiction over it, (ii) engage in transactions with the MLP and its Affiliates (other than the General Partner) in conformity with the requirements of Section 7.6 of the MLP Partnership Agreement, and (iii) promptly pay, from its own funds and on a timely basis, its allocable share of general and administrative expenses, capital expenditures, and costs for shared services performed by the MLP or Affiliates of the MLP (other than the General Partner, ETE or LE GP LLC). Each material contract between the Partnership, on the one hand, and the MLP or Affiliates of the MLP (other than the General Partner, ETE or LE GP LLC), on the other hand, must be (A) approved by the General Partner and (B) on terms objectively demonstrable to be no less favorable to the Partnership than those generally being provided to or available from unrelated third parties, and in any event must be in writing.

(g) Failure by the Partnership to comply with any of the obligations set forth above shall not affect the status of the Partnership as a separate legal entity, with its separate assets and separate liabilities.”

Section 2. General Authority . The appropriate officers of the General Partner are hereby authorized to make such further clarifying and conforming changes to the Partnership Agreement as they deem necessary or appropriate, and to interpret the Partnership Agreement, in order to give effect to the intent and purpose of this Amendment No. 2.

Section 3. Ratification of Partnership Agreement . Except as expressly modified and amended herein, all of the terms and conditions of the Partnership Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.

Section 4. Governing Law . This Amendment No. 2 is governed by and shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware.

[Signature Page Follows]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the General Partner has executed this Amendment No. 2 as of this 26th day of March, 2012.

 

Energy Transfer Partners, L.L.C.,
a Delaware limited liability company
By:  

/s/ Kelcy L. Warren

Name:

  Kelcy L. Warren

Title:

  Chief Executive Officer

[Signature Page to Amendment No. 2]

Exhibit 3.3

AMENDMENT NO. 1

TO

FOURTH AMENDED AND RESTATED

LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT

OF

ENERGY TRANSFER PARTNERS, L.L.C.

This Amendment No. 1 (this “ Amendment No. 1 ”), dated March             , 2012, to the Fourth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Energy Transfer Partners, L.L.C. (the “ Company ”), dated as of August 10, 2010 (the “ LLC Agreement ”), is hereby adopted, executed and agreed to by Energy Transfer Equity, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership and the sole member of the Company (the “ Member ”). Capitalized terms used but not defined herein are used as defined in the LLC Agreement.

WHEREAS , the Member desires to amend Article 2 of the LLC Agreement to include certain provisions relating to the separateness of the Company, the Partnership and the MLP;

WHEREAS , Section 10.9 of the LLC Agreement provides that the LLC Agreement may be amended by a written instrument executed by the Member; and

WHEREAS , acting pursuant to the power and authority granted to it under Section 10.9 of the LLC Agreement, the Member has determined that the following amendment is in the best interest of the Company;

NOW, THEREFORE , the Member hereby amends the LLC Agreement as follows:

Section 1. Amendment .

 

  (a) Section 1.1 is hereby amended by adding the following definition in alphabetical order:

“ “ LE GP LLC ” means LE GP, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company.”

 

  (b) Section 2.8 is hereby inserted at the end of Article 2 as follows:

2.8 Certain Undertakings Relating to the Separateness of the MLP .

(a) The Company shall, and shall cause the Partnership to, conduct their respective businesses and operations separate and apart from those of any other Person, except the Company, the Partnership and the Member, in accordance with this Section 2.8 .

(b) The Company shall, and shall cause the Partnership to, (i) maintain their respective books and records and their respective accounts separate from those of any other Person, (ii) maintain their respective financial records, which will be used by them in their ordinary course of business, showing their respective assets and liabilities separate and apart from those of any other Person, except their consolidated Subsidiaries, (iii) not have their respective assets and/or liabilities included in a


consolidated financial statement of any Affiliate of the Company (other than the inclusion of the assets and/or liabilities of the Company, the Partnership and their respective Subsidiaries in the consolidated financial statements of the Member and LE GP LLC) unless appropriate notation shall be made on such Affiliate’s consolidated financial statements to indicate the separateness of the Company and the Partnership and their assets and liabilities from such Affiliate and the assets and liabilities of such Affiliate, and to indicate that the assets and liabilities of the Company and the Partnership are not available to satisfy the debts and other obligations of such Affiliate, and (iv) file their respective own tax returns separate from those of any other Person, except (A) to the extent that the Partnership or the Company (x) is treated as a “disregarded entity” for tax purposes or (y) is not otherwise required to file tax returns under Applicable Law or (B) as may otherwise be required by Applicable Law.

(c) The Company shall not commingle or pool, and shall cause the Partnership not to commingle or pool, their respective funds or other assets with those of any other Person, and shall maintain their respective assets in a manner that is not costly or difficult to segregate, ascertain or otherwise identify as separate from those of any other Person.

(d) The Company shall, and shall cause the Partnership to, (i) conduct their respective businesses in their respective own names, (ii) use separate stationery, invoices, and checks, (iii) correct any known misunderstanding regarding their respective separate identities from that of any other Person, and (iv) generally hold itself out as an entity separate from any other Person.

(e) The Company shall, and shall cause the Partnership to, (i) pay their respective obligations and liabilities from their respective own funds (whether on hand or borrowed), (ii) maintain adequate capital in light of their respective business operations, (iii) not guarantee or become obligated for the debts of any other Person, except the Member and its Affiliates, (iv) not hold out their respective credit as being available to satisfy the obligations or liabilities of any other Person, except the Member and its Affiliates, (v) not acquire debt obligations or debt securities of the MLP or its Affiliates (other than the Company, the Partnership, ETE and LE GP LLC), (vi) not pledge their assets for the benefit of any Person or make loans or advances to any Person, except the Member and its Affiliates, or (vii) use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the operative documents under which the Company or the Partnership borrow money, are issuers of debt securities, or guarantees any such borrowing or issuance after the Effective Date, to contain provisions to the effect that (A) the lenders or purchasers of debt securities, respectively, acknowledge that they have advanced funds or purchased debt securities, respectively, in reliance upon the separateness of the Company and the Partnership from each other and from any other Persons and (B) the Company and the Partnership have assets and liabilities that are separate from those of other Persons; provided that the Company and the Partnership may engage in any transaction described in clauses (v)-(vi) of this Section 2.8(e) if the prior written consent of the Member or the Company, as applicable, has been obtained for such transaction and


either (x) the Member or the General Partner, as applicable, has determined that the borrower or recipient of the credit support is not then insolvent and will not be rendered insolvent as a result of such transaction or (y) in the case of transactions described in clause (v), such transaction is completed through a public auction or a National Securities Exchange.

(f) The Company shall, and shall cause the Partnership to, (i) observe all limited liability company or partnership formalities and other formalities required by their respective organizational documents, the laws of the jurisdiction of their respective formation, or other laws, rules, regulations and orders of Governmental Authorities exercising jurisdiction over it, (ii) engage in transactions with the MLP and its Affiliates (other than the Company) in conformity with the requirements of Section 7.6 of the MLP Partnership Agreement, and (iii) promptly pay, from their respective own funds and on a timely basis, their respective allocable shares of general and administrative expenses, capital expenditures, and costs for shared services performed by the MLP or Affiliates of the MLP (other than the Company, the Partnership, the Member or LE GP LLC). Each material contract between the Company or the Partnership, on the one hand, and the MLP or Affiliates of the MLP (other than the Company, the Partnership, the Member or LE GP LLC), must be (A) approved by the Member or the Company, as applicable, and (B) on terms objectively demonstrable to be no less favorable to the Company or the Partnership, as applicable, than those generally being provided to or available from unrelated third parties, and in any event must be in writing.

(g) Failure by the Company to comply with any of the obligations set forth above shall not affect the status of the Company as a separate legal entity, with its separate assets and separate liabilities.”

Section 2. General Authority . The appropriate officers of the Company are hereby authorized to make such further clarifying and conforming changes to the LLC Agreement as they deem necessary or appropriate, and to interpret the LLC Agreement, in order to give effect to the intent and purpose of this Amendment No. 1.

Section 3. Ratification of LLC Agreement . Except as expressly modified and amended herein, all of the terms and conditions of the LLC Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.

Section 4. Governing Law . This Amendment No. 1 is governed by and shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware.

[Signature Page Follows]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the Member has executed this Amendment No. 1 as of this 26th day of March, 2012.

 

ENERGY TRANSFER EQUITY, L.P.
By: LE GP, LLC, its general partner
By:  

/s/ John W. McReynolds

  John W. McReynolds, President and Chief Financial Officer

[Signature Page to Amendment No. 1]

Exhibit 10.1

GUARANTEE OF COLLECTION

THIS GUARANTEE OF COLLECTION (this “ Guarantee ”) is made as of March 26, 2012, by CITRUS ETP FINANCE LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “ Guarantor ”) to ENERGY TRANSFER PARTNERS, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership and parent of the Guarantor (“ ETP ”) to provide a guarantee of collection, on the terms set forth herein, for the benefit of the holders (the “ Holders ”) of the Senior Notes (as hereinafter defined) and the trustee (the “ Trustee ”) under the Indenture dated January 18, 2005, as supplemented by the Tenth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of January 17, 2012 (collectively, the “ Senior Notes Indenture ”) with respect to up to $2,000,000,000 of the aggregate principal amount of senior notes comprised of 5.20% Senior Notes due 2022 and 6.50% Senior Notes due 2042 (collectively, the “ Senior Notes ”). For the avoidance of doubt, the Guarantor shall not be deemed a Subsidiary Guarantor within the meaning of the Senior Notes Indenture.

R E C I T A L S :

A. Energy Transfer Equity, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (“ ETE ”), Sigma Acquisition Corporation, a Delaware corporation and a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of ETE (“ Sigma Merger Sub ”), and Southern Union Company, a Delaware corporation (“ SUG ”), have entered into that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 15, 2011, as amended and restated as of July 4, 2011, and as further amended and restated as of July 19, 2011, and as amended by Amendment No. 1 thereto dated as of September 14, 2011, pursuant to which Sigma Merger Sub is to merge with and into SUG with SUG surviving the merger as an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of ETE (the “ SUG Merger ”).

B. In connection with the SUG Merger, ETP, Guarantor and Citrus ETP Acquisition, L.L.C. (“ ETP Merger Sub ”), on the one hand, and ETE and, upon their joinder thereto, SUG, PEPL Holdings, LLC and CrossCountry Energy, LLC (“ CrossCountry ”), on the other hand, have entered into that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of July 4, 2011, as amended and restated as of July 19, 2011, and as amended by Amendment No. 1 thereto dated as of September 14, 2011, and Amendment No. 2 thereto dated as of March 23, 2012 pursuant to which ETP Merger Sub is to merge with and into CrossCountry, which indirectly owns 50% of the outstanding capital stock of Citrus Corp., with CrossCountry becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of ETP (the “ Citrus Merger ”).

C. On January 17, 2012, ETP issued the Senior Notes.

D. In furtherance of the SUG Merger and the Citrus Merger, PEPL Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company entered into a support agreement dated as of even date herewith and attached hereto as Exhibit A (the “ Support Agreement ”) to provide support to the Guarantor in furtherance of this Guarantee in support of the Senior Notes, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth therein.

E. In furtherance of the SUG Merger and the Citrus Merger, the Guarantor desires to enter into this Guarantee and be bound by the terms and conditions set forth herein.


NOW, THEREFORE, for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged by the Guarantor, the Guarantor agrees as follows:

1.  Guarantee . Subject to the terms herein, the Guarantor guarantees to the Holders and the Trustee full and prompt collection of the principal amount due under the Senior Notes, but not any accrued and unpaid interest thereon or any fees or other amounts of any kind whatsoever that shall be due to the Holders by ETP (the “ Liabilities ”).

2.  Guarantee of Collection . This is a guarantee of collection only, and not a guarantee of payment. Notwithstanding any other term or condition of this Guarantee to the contrary, the Guarantor shall not be obligated to make any payment pursuant to this Guarantee unless and until each of the following has occurred: (i) the Trustee or other Holder must use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain judgment against ETP, (ii) the Trustee or other Holder must use commercially reasonable efforts to execute on any judgment obtained against ETP, (iii) following execution of any such judgment, a portion of the sums due under the Senior Notes constituting Liabilities must remain unpaid, (iv) if no bankruptcy proceeding has been commenced with respect to ETP, the Trustee or other Holder shall have brought an action in a court of law having proper subject matter jurisdiction against ETP to collect such Liabilities, obtained a final and non-appealable judgment by such court against ETP in respect of such Liabilities and levied execution of such judgment against the property of ETP, and as a result of such execution received less than payment in full in cash or property of such Liabilities, and (v) if a bankruptcy proceeding has been commenced with respect to ETP, the closing of the bankruptcy proceeding after its administration under 11 U.S.C. Section 350(a) shall have occurred and the Trustee or other Holder shall have received, after all distributions contemplated by such bankruptcy proceeding or otherwise, less than payment in full in cash or property in respect of such Liabilities. For these purposes, the value of any payment made in property shall be equal to the fair market value of such property at the time of such payment.

3.  Termination of Guarantee . This Guarantee shall remain in effect and will not terminate until the Liabilities have been paid in full.

4.  Waivers . The Guarantor waives (i) notice of acceptance of this Guarantee, (ii) all presentments and protests, and (iii) notice of dishonor.

5.  Obligations Absolute . Except as set forth in this Guarantee, the Guarantor’s obligations are in all respects absolute and unconditional and will not be impaired, modified, released or limited by any occurrence or condition whatsoever, including, without limitation, (i) any modification, discharge, renewal or extension of the Liabilities or the Senior Notes, or any amendment, modification or stay of the Trustee’s or other Holder’s rights under the Senior Notes which may occur in any bankruptcy or reorganization case or proceeding concerning ETP, whether permanent or temporary and whether or not assented to by the Trustee or other Holder, (ii) any notice of withdrawal of this Guarantee, at any time and from time to time before, at or after maturity of the Senior Notes, (iii) any determination that any signatures on behalf of ETP on the Senior Notes are not genuine or that the Senior Notes are not the legal, valid and binding obligation of ETP, or (iv) any defenses that ETP may have as to any sums due under the Senior Notes.


6.  Waiver of Subrogation . Until the Liabilities have been paid in full, the Guarantor irrevocably waives, relinquishes and renounces any right of subrogation, contribution, indemnity, reimbursement or any claim whatsoever which the Guarantor may have against ETP or any other guarantors liable on the Senior Notes arising out of, or in any way connected with, the documents evidencing, guaranteeing or otherwise relating to the Senior Notes (the “ Senior Note Documents ”). The Guarantor will not assert any such claim against ETP or any such guarantor, in any proceeding, legal or equitable, including any bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization proceeding, before the Trustee and the Holders are paid in full for the Liabilities. This provision will inure to the benefit of and will be enforceable by the Trustee, the Holders, ETP and any such guarantors, and their successors and assigns, including any trustee in bankruptcy or debtor-in-possession. This provision will not prevent the Guarantor from asserting a claim against ETP or any such guarantors once the Liabilities have been fully paid to the Trustee and the Holders. Once the Liabilities have been paid in full, if the Guarantor has made any payment to the Trustee and the Holders under this Guarantee, then the Trustee and the Holders will assign to the Guarantor, to the extent of such payment, the Trustee’s and the Holders’ interest in the Senior Note Documents and any judgments against ETP.

7.  Reinstatement of Guaranteed Liabilities . The Guarantor acknowledges and agrees that the Guarantor’s obligations hereunder shall apply to and continue with respect to any amount paid to the Trustee and the Holders on the Liabilities which is subsequently recovered from the Trustee and the Holders for any reason whatsoever (including, without limitation, as a result of any bankruptcy, insolvency or fraudulent conveyance proceeding), notwithstanding the fact that the Liabilities may have been previously paid in full or this Guarantee terminated, or both.

8.  Assignment . The Trustee and the Holders may, from time to time, whether before or after any withdrawal of this Guarantee, without notice to the Guarantor, assign or transfer any or all of the Liabilities or any interest therein; and, notwithstanding any such assignment or transfer or any subsequent assignment or transfer thereof, such Liabilities shall be and remain Liabilities for purposes of this Guarantee, and each and every immediate and successive assignee or transferee of any of the Liabilities or of any interest therein shall, to the extent of the interest of such assignee or transferee in the Liabilities, be entitled to the benefits of this Guarantee to the same extent as if such assignee or transferee were the Trustee or other Holder; provided, however , that, unless the Trustee or Holders shall otherwise consent in writing, the Trustee and the Holders shall have an unimpaired right, prior and superior to that of any such assignee or transferee, to enforce this Guarantee, for the benefit of the Trustee and the Holders, as to that portion of the Liabilities which the Trustee and the Holders have not assigned or transferred.

9.  Cumulative Rights; No Waiver . Each and every right granted to the Trustee and the Holders hereunder or under any other document delivered hereunder or in connection herewith, or allowed it by law or equity, shall be cumulative and may be exercised from time to time subject only to the limitations set forth in this Guarantee. No failure on the part of the Trustee and the Holders to exercise, and no delay in exercising, any right shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise by the Trustee or other Holder of any right preclude any other or future exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right.


10.  Interpretation and Construction . Each reference herein to the Trustee and the Holders shall be deemed to include their respective successors and assigns, and each reference to ETP and the Guarantor and any pronouns referring thereto as used herein shall be construed in the singular or plural as the context may require and shall be deemed to include the successors and assigns of ETP and the Guarantor, all of whom shall be bound by the provisions hereof. All references herein to ETP shall be deemed to include any successor or successors, whether immediate or remote, to ETP.

11.  Continuing Guarantee . Subject to the limitations herein, this instrument is intended to be a full, complete and continuing guarantee to the Trustee and the Holders to the extent of and for the Liabilities owing by ETP to the Trustee and the Holders from time to time and to be valid and continuous without other or further notice to the Guarantor, notwithstanding the death, disability or dissolution of ETP or any other guarantor, until notice in writing of withdrawal of this Guarantee, signed by the parties hereto or any of them or by the legal representative(s) of a deceased party, has actually been given to the Trustee and the Holders, and then only as to the party or parties signing such notice and to transactions subsequent to the time of such notice; provided, however , that no such notice of withdrawal shall affect or impair any of the agreements and obligations of the Guarantor hereunder with respect to any and all Liabilities existing at the time of actual receipt of such notice by the Trustee and the Holders until paid in full; and shall not affect or impair the Trustee’s or other Holder’s right to recover all expenses paid or incurred by the Trustee or other Holder endeavoring to enforce this Guarantee against the Guarantor. All of the agreements and obligations of the Guarantor under this Guarantee shall, notwithstanding any such notice of withdrawal, remain in effect until all such Liabilities and all such expenses shall have been paid in full.

12.  Subsequent Guaranties . No subsequent guarantee by the Guarantor or any other person of the Liabilities shall be deemed to be in lieu of or to supersede this Guarantee, unless otherwise expressly provided therein. The obligation under this Guarantee shall be in addition to any obligation of the Guarantor as endorser of any obligations of ETP.

13.  Governing Law . THIS GUARANTEE SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO APPLICABLE PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAWS TO THE EXTENT THE LAWS OF ANOTHER JURISDICTION WOULD BE REQUIRED THEREBY.

14. Consent to Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial . The Guarantor irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of any New York State court or federal court of the United States of America sitting in New York County, and any appellate court from any thereof, for the purposes of any proceeding arising out of this Guarantee or the transactions contemplated hereby (and agrees that no such proceeding relating to this Guarantee or the transactions contemplated hereby shall be brought by it except in such courts). The Guarantor irrevocably and unconditionally waives (and agrees not to plead or claim) any objection to the laying of venue of any proceeding arising out of this Guarantee or the transactions contemplated hereby in any New York State court or federal court of the United States of America sitting in New York County, and any appellate court from any thereof, or that any such proceeding brought in any such court has been


brought in an inconvenient forum. The Guarantor also agrees that any final and non appealable judgment against it in connection with any proceeding shall be conclusive and binding on it and that such award or judgment may be enforced in any court of competent jurisdiction, either within or outside of the United States. A certified or exemplified copy of such award or judgment shall be conclusive evidence of the fact and amount of such award or judgment. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING TO ENFORCE OR TO DEFEND ANY RIGHTS UNDER THIS GUARANTEE SHALL BE TRIED BEFORE A COURT AND NOT BEFORE A JURY.

15.  Entire Agreement . This Guarantee constitutes the entire agreement with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, oral or written, between the parties related thereto.

(remainder of page intentionally left blank; signature page follows)


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this Guarantee as of the date and year first written above.

 

CITRUS ETP FINANCE LLC

By:

 

/s/ Martin Salinas, Jr.

Name: Martin Salinas, Jr.

Title: Chief Financial Officer

Exhibit 10.2

SUPPORT AGREEMENT

This SUPPORT AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”) is made as of March 26, 2012 (the “ Effective Date ”), by and among PEPL HOLDINGS, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “ Support Provider ”), ENERGY TRANSFER PARTNERS, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (“ ETP ”), and CITRUS ETP FINANCE LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and wholly owned indirect subsidiary of ETP (“ ETP Subsidiary Guarantor ”). The Support Provider, ETP and ETP Subsidiary Guarantor may hereinafter be referred to individually as a “ Party ” or collectively as the “ Parties .”

PRELIMINARY STATEMENTS:

A. Energy Transfer Equity, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (“ ETE ”), Sigma Acquisition Corporation, a Delaware corporation and a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of ETE (“ Sigma Merger Sub ”), and Southern Union Company, a Delaware corporation (“ SUG ”), have entered into that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 15, 2011, as amended and restated as of July 4, 2011, and as further amended and restated as of July 19, 2011, and as amended by Amendment No. 1 thereto dated as of September 14, 2011, pursuant to which Sigma Merger Sub is to merge with and into SUG with SUG surviving the merger as an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of ETE (the “ SUG Merger ”).

B. In connection with the SUG Merger, ETP, ETP Subsidiary Guarantor, Citrus ETP Acquisition, L.L.C. (“ ETP Merger Sub ”), on the one hand, and ETE and, upon their joinder thereto, SUG, Support Provider and CrossCountry Energy, LLC (“ CrossCountry ”), on the other hand, have entered into that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of July 4, 2011, as amended and restated as of July 19, 2011, and as amended by Amendment No. 1 thereto dated as of September 14, 2011, and Amendment No. 2 thereto dated as of March 23, 2012 (the “ Citrus Merger Agreement ”) pursuant to which ETP Merger Sub is to merge with and into CrossCountry, which indirectly owns 50% of the outstanding capital stock of Citrus Corp., with CrossCountry becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of ETP (the “ Citrus Merger ”).

C. In connection with and in order to facilitate the SUG Merger and the Citrus Merger, pursuant to the Indenture dated January 18, 2005, as supplemented by the Tenth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of January 17, 2012 (collectively, the “ Senior Notes Indenture ”), ETP issued $2,000,000,000 of senior notes comprised of 5.20% Senior Notes due 2022 and 6.50% Senior Notes due 2042 (collectively, the “ Senior Notes ”).

D. Pursuant to the guarantee dated as of even date herewith, ETP Subsidiary Guarantor entered into and provided for a guarantee of collection (but not of payment) for the principal amount due under the Senior Notes (the “ ETP Subsidiary Guarantee ”), a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit A .

E. Support Provider desires to enter into this Agreement to provide support to ETP Subsidiary Guarantor in furtherance of the ETP Subsidiary Guarantee in support of the Senior Notes, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein.


F. ETP and ETP Subsidiary Guarantor desire to enter into this Agreement and be bound by the terms and conditions set forth herein.

NOW, THEREFORE, for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties agree as follows:

1. Support . Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including but not limited to Sections 2 and 3 below, the Support Provider hereby provides support to ETP Subsidiary Guarantor and agrees to pay to ETP Subsidiary Guarantor such amounts as necessary to guarantee collection of the aggregate principal amount of each tranche of Senior Notes pursuant to the ETP Subsidiary Guarantee. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the obligations of the Parties under this Agreement are obligations solely of the Parties and do not constitute a debt or obligation of (and no recourse shall be made with respect to) SUG, any of its respective affiliates (other than the Parties hereto), or any shareholder, partner, member, officer, director or employee of SUG or such affiliates (collectively, the “ Non-Recourse Parties ”). No action under or in connection with this Agreement shall be brought against any Non-Recourse Party, and no judgment for any deficiency upon the obligations hereunder shall be obtainable against any Non-Recourse Party.

2. Support Payment Conditions . Notwithstanding any other term or condition of this Agreement to the contrary, the Support Provider shall not be obligated to make any payment pursuant to this Agreement unless and until ETP Subsidiary Guarantor shall have failed to make a payment in respect of the ETP Subsidiary Guarantee as such payment has become due and payable pursuant to the terms and conditions of the ETP Subsidiary Guarantee.

3. Cap . Notwithstanding any other term or condition of this Agreement to the contrary, it is agreed that the Support Provider’s maximum liability under this Agreement with respect to either tranche of Senior Notes shall not exceed the positive difference (if any) between (a) the principal amount of such tranche of Senior Notes, minus (b) the sum of (i) all payments of principal made by or on behalf of ETP in respect of such tranche of Senior Notes, plus (ii) the fair market value of any property received or cash proceeds collected or any consideration otherwise realized (including by way of set off) from or for the account of ETP pursuant to, or in connection with, the principal amount of such tranche of Senior Notes, including, but not limited to, any property or cash proceeds collected or realized from the exercise of any rights and remedies at law or in equity that the holders of such tranche of Senior Notes may have against ETP or any collateral securing such Senior Notes, plus (iii) any principal amount of such tranche of Senior Notes which is forgiven or otherwise voluntarily compromised by the holders of such Senior Notes. The Support Provider shall have no obligation to make a payment hereunder with respect to any accrued and unpaid interest or any other costs, fees, expenses, penalties, charges or other amounts of any kind whatsoever that may be owed by ETP Subsidiary Guarantor or ETP, whether on or related to the Senior Notes or otherwise.

4. Termination of Agreement . This Agreement shall remain in effect and will not terminate until the earlier to occur of (a) termination or expiration of the ETP Subsidiary Guarantee and (b) payment by the Support Provider of the maximum amount due by the Support Provider under Section 3 hereof, as such amount may be limited by Section 10 hereof.

 

2


5. Notices; Defenses; Etc . ETP and ETP Subsidiary Guarantor hereby agree to provide the Support Provider with notice promptly following any alleged default by ETP under the documents evidencing the Senior Notes or by ETP Subsidiary Guarantor under the documents evidencing the ETP Subsidiary Guarantee, and the Support Provider shall be entitled to receive information regarding, and make reasonable requests for information with respect to, the actions the holders of the Senior Notes have taken against ETP with respect to the Senior Notes or ETP Subsidiary Guarantor with respect to the ETP Subsidiary Guarantee. By entering into this Agreement, the Support Provider is not waiving any defense, set-off or counterclaim available to ETP Subsidiary Guarantor or ETP with respect to the Senior Notes nor is the Support Provider waiving its rights with respect to diligence, presentment, demand for performance, notice of protest, notice of dishonor, default or non-payment, or notice of acceptance of this Agreement.

6. Covenants of ETP and ETP Subsidiary Guarantor .

(a) Repayment or Refinancing of Senior Notes . Without the prior written consent of the Support Provider, ETP shall not be entitled to, prior to the applicable maturity date of such tranche of the Senior Notes (any such date, a “ Maturity Date ”) (i) repay any principal amount of a tranche of the Senior Notes or (ii) refinance through an exchange offer or otherwise all or any portion of the Senior Notes.

(b) Actions Upon Maturity Date . Upon the applicable Maturity Date for a tranche of the Senior Notes, and payment in full of the aggregate principal amount of such tranche of Senior Notes, no additional ETP Subsidiary Guarantee shall be permitted to be made by ETP Subsidiary Guarantor with respect to such tranche of the Senior Notes. Any tranche of the Senior Notes subject to the ETP Subsidiary Guarantee may be retired or refinanced with debt that is not subject to the ETP Subsidiary Guarantee commencing at any time on or after the scheduled Maturity Date for such tranche of the Senior Notes.

(c) Extinguishment of Senior Notes . ETP shall use commercially reasonable efforts to extinguish each applicable outstanding tranche of the Senior Notes on the Maturity Date. ETP Subsidiary Guarantor shall release the Support Provider from any liability or obligation under this Agreement related to each applicable tranche of the Senior Notes on the Maturity Date for such tranche and shall enter into and execute such documents and instruments as the Support Provider may reasonably request in order to evidence such release, and ETP shall cause ETP Subsidiary Guarantor to take such actions.

(d) ETP Subsidiary Guarantor Limited Activities . ETP Subsidiary Guarantor shall not (i) create, incur, assume or permit to exist any Indebtedness (as defined below) other than the ETP Subsidiary Guarantee or (ii) consummate any transactions other than the ETP Subsidiary Guarantee of the Senior Notes. As used in this Section 6(d), “Indebtedness” shall mean (A) all obligations for borrowed money, (B) all obligations evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments, (C) all obligations under conditional sale or other title retention agreements relating to property or assets, (D) all obligations issued or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property or services, (E) all guarantees of Indebtedness of others, (F) all capital lease obligations, (G) all obligations with respect to hedging and swap agreements, (H) the principal component of all obligations, contingent or otherwise, as an account party in respect of letters of credit and (I) the principal component of all obligations in respect of bankers’ acceptances.

 

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7. Covenants of Support Provider .

(a) Net Worth . Support Provider hereby represents to ETP Subsidiary Guarantor and ETP that its existing net worth is equal to or greater than the aggregate principal amount of the Senior Notes and in the event Support Provider disposes of, transfers, or conveys any of its assets, except with respect to distributions permitted in clause (b) below, it shall promptly replace such assets with assets having a net fair market value (after taking into account any Indebtedness to be assumed by the Support Provider in connection with any such transaction) substantially equivalent to or greater than the net fair market value (after taking into account any Indebtedness to be assumed by the Support Provider in connection with any such transaction) of the disposed assets.

(b) Distributions . Support Provider shall be entitled to make distributions of available cash with respect to its equity interests provided Support Provider shall not make a distribution of cash or property to the extent such distribution would constitute a Fraudulent Conveyance (as defined in Section 10) in light of Support Provider’s obligations under this Agreement or otherwise impair Support Provider’s ability to satisfy its obligations under this Agreement.

8. Covenants of the Parties to Maintain Tax Treatment . For so long as any ETP Subsidiary Guarantee is outstanding, the Parties hereto hereby agree that:

(a) Until such time, if any, as a change in law is finally determined to require otherwise, each Party must report and treat SUG as the sole partner bearing the economic risk of loss with respect to the Senior Notes pursuant to Treasury Regulation § 1.752-2.

(b) The distribution to CCE Holdings, LLC by ETP of the Cash Consideration (as such term is defined in the Citrus Merger Agreement) shall be treated as a distribution under Section 731 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “ Code ”), and neither ETP nor any partner of ETP shall take a position inconsistent with such treatment unless a change in law is finally determined to require otherwise.

(c) Neither ETP nor ETP Subsidiary Guarantor shall (i) modify the ETP Subsidiary Guarantee so as to eliminate or limit the ultimate recourse liability of the Support Provider with respect to the Senior Notes, (ii) merge or consolidate with, or take any action that would cause, ETP Subsidiary Guarantor to become a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes or (iii) except as required by the Senior Notes Indenture, cause or permit any other corporation, partnership, person or entity to assume, guarantee, indemnify against or otherwise incur any liability with respect to any Senior Notes.

(d) In the event a subsidiary of ETP that is regarded as separate and apart from ETP for U.S. federal income tax purposes becomes a Subsidiary Guarantor (as such term is defined in the Senior Notes Indenture) of the Senior Notes or otherwise guarantees the Senior Notes, the Support Provider agrees to indemnify such subsidiary for any amounts that the subsidiary is required to pay pursuant to its guarantee of the Senior Notes, on the same basis and subject to the same limits as with respect to the ETP Subsidiary Guarantee.

 

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9. Subrogation . To the extent that the Support Provider shall have made any payments under this Agreement, the Support Provider shall be subrogated to, and shall acquire, all rights of ETP Subsidiary Guarantor against ETP with respect to such payments, including without limitation, (a) all rights of subrogation, reimbursement, exoneration, contribution or indemnification, and (b) all rights to participate in any claim or remedy of ETP Subsidiary Guarantor or any trustee on behalf of ETP Subsidiary Guarantor against ETP, whether or not such claim, remedy or right arises in equity or under contract, statute or common law, including, without limitation, the right to take or receive from ETP, directly or indirectly, in cash or other property or by set-off or in any other manner, payment or security on account of such claim, remedy or right.

10. Fraudulent Conveyance . Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, it is intended that this Agreement not constitute a Fraudulent Conveyance (as defined below). Consequently, the Support Provider agrees that if this Agreement would, but for the application of this sentence, constitute a Fraudulent Conveyance, this Agreement shall be valid and enforceable only to the maximum extent that would not cause this Agreement to constitute a Fraudulent Conveyance, and this Agreement shall automatically be deemed to have been amended accordingly at all relevant times. For purposes of this Section 10, the term “Fraudulent Conveyance” means a fraudulent conveyance under Section 548 of the United States Bankruptcy Code or a fraudulent conveyance or fraudulent transfer under the provisions of any applicable fraudulent conveyance or fraudulent transfer law or similar law of any state, nation or other governmental unit, as in effect from time to time.

11. Cumulative Rights; No Waiver . Each and every right granted to Support Provider hereunder or under any other document delivered hereunder or in connection herewith, or allowed it by law or equity, shall be cumulative and may be exercised from time to time subject only to the limitations set forth in this Agreement. No failure on the part of Support Provider to exercise, and no delay in exercising, any right shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise by Support Provider of any right preclude any other or future exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right.

12. Amendments; Waivers .

(a) Except as otherwise expressly set forth herein, this Agreement may not be modified, amended or waived except by an instrument or instruments in writing signed by each of the Parties hereto.

(b) The Parties hereby agree that no provision of Section 1 hereof may be modified, amended or waived without the prior written consent of a majority of the noteholders or lenders under the Senior Notes Indenture if such modification, amendment or waiver would materially and adversely reduce the benefits to such noteholders or lenders of the support contemplated by Section 1 hereof with respect to such Senior Notes.

 

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13. Successors and Assigns . This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns. Nothing in this Agreement shall prevent the Support Provider from merging or consolidating with or into any other person so long as the surviving person agrees to be bound by the terms of this Agreement.

14. Third-Party Beneficiaries . This Agreement is for the benefit only of the Support Provider, ETP and ETP Subsidiary Guarantor, the trustee under the Indenture, and the subsidiaries of ETP described in Section 8(d) and is not intended to confer upon any other third party any rights or remedies hereunder, and shall not be construed as for the benefit of any other third party.

15. Notices . Any and all notices, requests or other communications hereunder shall be given in writing and delivered by: (a) regular, overnight, registered or certified mail (return receipt requested), with first class postage prepaid; (b) hand delivery; (c) facsimile transmission; or (d) overnight courier service, if to the Support Provider, at the following address or facsimile number for the Support Provider:

PEPL Holdings, LLC

3738 Oak Lawn Avenue

Dallas, Texas 75219

Attention: General Counsel

Facsimile Number: (214) 981-0701

if to ETP, at the following address or facsimile number for ETP:

Energy Transfer Partners, L.P.

3738 Oak Lawn Avenue

Dallas, Texas 75219

Attention: General Counsel

Facsimile Number: (214) 981-0701

if to ETP Subsidiary Guarantor, at the following address or facsimile number for ETP Subsidiary Guarantor:

Citrus ETP Finance LLC

3738 Oak Lawn Avenue

Dallas, Texas 75219

Attention: General Counsel

Facsimile Number: (214) 981-0701

or at such other address or number as shall be designated by the Support Provider, ETP or ETP Subsidiary Guarantor in a notice to the other Parties to this Agreement. All such communications shall be deemed to have been duly given: (A) in the case of a notice sent by regular mail, on the date actually received by the addressee; (B) in the case of a notice sent by registered or certified mail, on the date receipted for (or refused) on the return receipt; (C) in the case of a notice delivered by hand, when personally delivered; (D) in the case of a notice sent by facsimile, upon transmission subject to telephone confirmation of receipt; and (E) in the case of a notice sent by overnight mail or overnight courier service, the date delivered at the designated address, in each case given or addressed as aforesaid.

 

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16. Separability . Should any clause, sentence, paragraph, subsection or section of this Agreement be judicially declared to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such decision will not have the effect of invalidating or voiding the remainder of this Agreement, and the part or parts of this Agreement so held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable will be deemed to have been stricken herefrom, and the remainder will have the same force and effectiveness as if such stricken part or parts had never been included herein.

17. Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts and by different parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement; signature pages may be detached from multiple separate counterparts and attached to a single counterpart so that all signatures are physically attached to the same counterpart. Delivery of an executed signature page by facsimile or electronic transmission shall be as effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart.

18. Section Headings . Section headings appearing herein are included solely for convenience of reference and are not intended to affect the interpretation of any provision of this Agreement.

19. Entire Agreement . This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, oral or written, between the Parties related thereto.

20. Governing Law . THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO APPLICABLE PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAWS TO THE EXTENT THE LAWS OF ANOTHER JURISDICTION WOULD BE REQUIRED THEREBY.

21. Consent to Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial . The Parties irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of any New York State court or federal court of the United States of America sitting in New York County, and any appellate court from any thereof, for the purposes of any proceeding arising out of this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby (and each agrees that no such proceeding relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby shall be brought by it except in such courts). The Parties irrevocably and unconditionally waive (and agree not to plead or claim) any objection to the laying of venue of any proceeding arising out of this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby in any New York State court or federal court of the United States of America sitting in New York County, and any appellate court from any thereof, or that any such proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. Each of the Parties also agrees that any final and non appealable judgment against a Party in connection with any proceeding shall be conclusive and binding on such Party and that such award or judgment may be enforced in any court of competent jurisdiction, either within or outside of the United States. A certified or exemplified copy of such award or judgment shall be conclusive evidence of the fact and amount of such

 

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award or judgment. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING TO ENFORCE OR TO DEFEND ANY RIGHTS UNDER THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE TRIED BEFORE A COURT AND NOT BEFORE A JURY.

[Signature Page Follows]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement is duly executed and delivered by the authorized signatories set forth below, to be effective as of the Effective Date.

 

PEPL HOLDINGS, LLC
By:  

/s/ Robert O. Bond

Name: Robert O. Bond
Title: President and Chief Operating Officer
ENERGY TRANSFER PARTNERS, L.P.
By:  

Energy Transfer Partners, GP, L.P., its general

partner

By:   Energy Transfer Partners, L.L.C., its general
  partner
By:  

/s/ Martin Salinas, Jr.

Name: Martin Salinas, Jr.
Title: Chief Financial Officer
CITRUS ETP FINANCE LLC
By:  

/s/ Martin Salinas, Jr.

Name: Martin Salinas, Jr.
Title: Chief Financial Officer

Signature Page to Support Agreement

Exhibit 99.1

 

LOGO   LOGO

ENERGY TRANSFER EQUITY AND SOUTHERN UNION ANNOUNCE SUCCESSFUL

COMPLETION OF MERGER

Energy Transfer Partners Completes Merger Transaction for 50% Interest in Citrus Corp.,

Owner of Florida Gas Transmission

DALLAS and HOUSTON March 26, 2012 — Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (NYSE:ETE) and Southern Union Company (NYSE:SUG) today announced the successful completion of the previously announced merger of Southern Union with and into Sigma Acquisition Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of ETE. Southern Union is the surviving entity in the merger and will continue to operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of ETE.

Under the terms of the merger agreement, Southern Union stockholders were able to elect to exchange each outstanding share of Southern Union common stock for $44.25 of cash or 1.00x ETE common unit, with no more than 60% of the aggregate merger consideration payable in cash and no more than 50% of the merger consideration payable in ETE common units. Based on the final results of the merger consideration elections, holders of approximately 54% of outstanding Southern Union shares, or 67,985,929 shares, will receive cash, while holders of approximately 46% of outstanding Southern Union shares, or 56,981,860 shares, will receive ETE common units.

Effective with the closing of the market today, Southern Union will cease to be a publicly traded company and its common stock will stop trading on the NYSE.

In connection with the closing of the merger of Southern Union and ETE, Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. (NYSE:ETP) announced that it has successfully completed the previously announced merger of a wholly owned ETP subsidiary with and into Southern Union subsidiary CrossCountry Energy, LLC, which owns an indirect 50% interest in Citrus Corp., the owner of the Florida Gas Transmission pipeline system. After the merger, CrossCountry Energy will remain as the surviving entity and will be a wholly owned subsidiary of ETP. The total merger consideration is approximately $2.0 billion (comprised of $1.895 billion in cash and approximately 2.25 million ETP common units).

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC acted as exclusive financial advisor to ETE, with Latham & Watkins LLP, Bingham McCutchen LLP and Potter Anderson having acted as legal counsel.

Evercore Partners and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. acted as financial advisors to the Special Committee of the board of directors of Southern Union. Locke Lord LLP served as legal counsel to Southern Union and Roberts & Holland LLP served as tax counsel to Southern Union. Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and Morris Nichols Arsht and Tunnell LLP served as legal advisors to the Special Committee of the Southern Union board of directors.

The Conflicts Committee of ETP’s Board of Directors approved the Citrus transaction. ETP was advised by Vinson & Elkins LLP with respect to the transaction and Prickett, Jones & Elliott, P.A. served as counsel to the committee. RBS Securities Inc. acted as financial advisor to the committee and issued a fairness opinion in connection with transaction.

 

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Conference Call

Energy Transfer will host a conference call today at 2:00 p.m. central time (3:00 p.m. eastern time) to discuss the transaction details. The dial-in number for the call is 1-877-556-5921, passcode 42481884. Additionally, the conference call will be broadcast live via an Internet web cast at  www.energytransfer.com. The call will be available for replay for a limited time by dialing 1-888-286-8010, passcode 90086046. A replay of the broadcast will also be available on the Energy Transfer website for a limited time.

Energy Transfer Equity, L.P.  (NYSE:ETE) is a publicly traded partnership, which owns the general partner and 100 percent of the incentive distribution rights (IDRs) of Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. (NYSE:ETP) and approximately 50.2 million ETP limited partner units; and owns the general partner and 100 percent of the IDRs of Regency Energy Partners LP (NYSE:RGP) and approximately 26.3 million RGP limited partner units. For more information, visit the Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. web site at  www.energytransfer.com .

Energy Transfer Partners, L.P.  (NYSE:ETP) is a publicly traded partnership owning and operating a diversified portfolio of energy assets. ETP has pipeline operations in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Utah and West Virginia and owns the largest intrastate pipeline system in Texas. ETP currently has natural gas operations that include approximately 18,000 miles of gathering and transportation pipelines, treating and processing assets, and three storage facilities located in Texas. ETP also holds a 70 percent interest in Lone Star NGL LLC, a joint venture that owns and operates NGL storage, fractionation and transportation assets in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. ETP’s general partner is owned by ETE. For more information, visit the Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. website at  www.energytransfer.com .

Regency Energy Partners LP (NYSE: RGP) is a growth-oriented, midstream energy partnership engaged in the gathering and processing, contract compression, treating and transportation of natural gas and the transportation, fractionation and storage of natural gas liquids. RGP also holds a 30% interest in Lone Star NGL LLC, a joint venture that owns and operates natural gas liquids storage, fractionation, and transportation assets in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Regency’s general partner is owned by Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (NYSE: ETE). For more information, visit the Regency Energy Partners LP website at www.regencyenergy.com.

Southern Union Company (NYSE:SUG), headquartered in Houston, is one of the nation’s leading diversified natural gas companies, engaged primarily in the transportation, storage, gathering, processing and distribution of natural gas. The company owns and operates one of the nation’s largest natural gas pipeline systems with more than 20,000 miles of gathering and transportation pipelines and one of North America’s largest liquefied natural gas import terminals, along with serving more than half a million natural gas end-user customers in Missouri and Massachusetts. For further information, visit www.sug.com .

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may include certain statements concerning expectations for the future, including statements regarding the anticipated benefits and other aspects of the proposed transactions described above, that are forward-looking statements as defined by federal law. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of the management teams of ETE, ETP, RGP or Southern Union. Among those is the risk that the anticipated benefits from the proposed transactions cannot be fully realized. An extensive list of factors that can affect future results are discussed in the reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by ETE, ETP, RGP and Southern Union. None of ETE, ETP, RGP or Southern Union undertakes any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect new information or events.

 

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Additional Information

In connection with the merger, ETE filed with the SEC a Registration Statement on Form S-4 that included a proxy statement/prospectus. The Registration Statement was declared effective on October 27, 2011. Southern Union mailed the definitive proxy statement/prospectus to its stockholders on or about October 27, 2011 and again on February 17, 2012.  Investors and security holders are urged to carefully read the definitive proxy statement/prospectus because it contains important information regarding ETE, Southern and the merger.

Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other documents filed by ETE and Southern Union with the SEC at the SEC’s website,  www.sec.gov . The definitive proxy statement/prospectus and such other documents relating to ETE may also be obtained free of charge by directing a request to Energy Transfer Equity, L.P., Attn: Investor Relations, 3738 Oak Lawn Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75219, or from ETE’s website,  www.energytransfer.com . The definitive proxy statement/prospectus and such other documents relating to Southern Union may also be obtained free of charge by directing a request to Southern Union Company, Attn: Investor Relations, 5051 Westheimer Road, Houston, Texas 77056, or from the Company’s website,  www.sug.com .

The information contained in this press release is available on the Energy Transfer web site at www.energytransfer.com .

Investor Relations

Energy Transfer

Brent Ratliff

(214) 981-0700 (office)

Media Relations

Granado Communications Group

Vicki Granado

(214) 599-8785 (office)

(214-498-9272 (cell)

 

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