UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 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): January 17, 2013

 

 

SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   001-35782   35-2451470

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation or organization)

 

(Commission

File Number)

 

(IRS Employer

Identification No.)

 

1011 Warrenville Road, Suite 600

Lisle, Illinois

  60532
(Address of principal executive office)   (Zip Code)

(630) 824-1000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Not Applicable

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

 

 

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 ( see General Instruction A.2. below):

 

¨ 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.

Underwriting Agreement

On January 17, 2013, SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “ Partnership ”), entered into an Underwriting Agreement (the “ Underwriting Agreement ”) by and among the Partnership, SunCoke Energy Partners GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and the general partner of the Partnership (the “ General Partner ”), Sun Coal & Coke LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Sun Coal & Coke ”), and SunCoke Energy, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “ Sponsor ” and, together with the Partnership, the General Partner and Sun Coal & Coke, the “ Partnership Parties ”), and Barclays Capital Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, as representatives of the Underwriters listed in Schedule I of the Underwriting Agreement (the “ Underwriters ”), providing for the offer and sale (the “ Offering ”) by the Partnership, and the purchase by the Underwriters, of 13,500,000 common units representing limited partner interests in the Partnership (the “ Common Units ”) at a price to the public of $19.00 per Common Unit ($17.86 per Common Unit, net of underwriting discounts). Pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, the Partnership has also granted the Underwriters a 30-day option (the “ Option ”) to purchase up to an additional 2,025,000 Common Units (the “ Optional Units ”). If and to the extent the Underwriters exercise their option to purchase Optional Units, the number of Optional Units purchased by the Underwriters pursuant to such exercise will be issued to the Underwriters and the remainder, if any, will be issued to the Sponsor. Any such Common Units issued to the Sponsor will be issued for no additional consideration. If the Underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase Optional Units, the Partnership will issue 2,025,000 Common Units to the Sponsor upon the expiration of the Option for no additional consideration. The material terms of the Offering are described in the prospectus, dated January 17, 2013 (the “ Prospectus ”), filed by the Partnership with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “ Commission ”) on January 18, 2013 pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Securities Act ”). The Offering is registered with the Commission pursuant to a Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended (File No. 333-183162) (the “ Registration Statement ”), initially filed on August 8, 2012.

The Underwriting Agreement contains customary representations, warranties and agreements of the parties, and customary conditions to closing, obligations of the parties and termination provisions. The representations, warranties and covenants contained in the Underwriting Agreement were made only for purposes of such agreement and as of specific dates, were solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreement, and may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting parties. The Partnership Parties have agreed to indemnify the Underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and to contribute to payments the Underwriters may be required to make because of any of those liabilities.

The Offering of the Common Units closed on January 24, 2013, and the Partnership received proceeds (net of underwriting discounts and offering expenses) from the Offering of approximately $233.1 million. In addition, as described below, the Partnership also received net proceeds of approximately $146.4 million from the offering of $150.0 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes concurrently with the closing of the Offering. The Partnership used a portion of the aggregate net proceeds from the Offering and the concurrent offering of senior notes to make a distribution of approximately $33.1 million to the Sponsor to, in effect, reimburse the Sponsor for expenditures made during the two-year period prior to the Offering for the expansion and improvement of certain assets, an interest in which the Sponsor contributed to the Partnership in connection with the Offering pursuant to the Contribution Agreement described below. The Partnership also used net proceeds of approximately $225.0 million to repay term loan debt assumed from the Sponsor and approximately $2.4 million to pay expenses related to the Credit Facility described below. In addition, as partial consideration for the interest in the assets conveyed to the Partnership by the Sponsor pursuant to the Contribution Agreement, the Partnership retained $119.0 million of net proceeds and paid from such proceeds 100% of the following requirements of its operating subsidiaries: (a) $67.0 million for identified environmental capital expenditures, (b) approximately $12.4 million to pay sales discounts related to tax credits owed to customers and (c) $39.6 million to replenish the Partnership’s working capital.

The foregoing description is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Underwriting Agreement, which is attached as Exhibit 1.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated in this Item 1.01 by reference.

 

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Contribution Agreement

The description of the Contribution Agreement provided below under Item 2.01 is incorporated in this Item 1.01 by reference. A copy of the Contribution Agreement is attached as Exhibit 10.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated in this Item 1.01 by reference.

Omnibus Agreement

On January 24, 2013, in connection with the Offering, the Partnership entered into an Omnibus Agreement (the “ Omnibus Agreement ”) by and among the Partnership, the General Partner and the Sponsor.

Pursuant to the Omnibus Agreement, the Partnership has preferential rights to pursue certain growth opportunities in the United States and Canada identified by the Sponsor and a right of first offer to acquire certain of the Sponsor’s cokemaking assets located in the United States and Canada for so long as the Sponsor controls the Partnership’s general partner. In addition, pursuant to the Omnibus Agreement, the Sponsor has agreed, for a period of five years from the closing of the Offering, to make the Partnership whole, in certain circumstances, to the extent of a customer’s failure to satisfy its obligations or to the extent a customer’s obligations are reduced. Additionally, pursuant to the Omnibus Agreement the Sponsor has agreed to indemnify the Partnership for certain environmental remediation costs arising prior to the closing of the Offering, and the Partnership has agreed to indemnify the Sponsor for certain events relating to the Partnership’s operations. The Omnibus Agreement provides that the Sponsor will fully indemnify the Partnership with respect to any tax liability arising prior to or in connection with the closing of the Offering and that the Sponsor will cure or fully indemnify the Partnership for losses resulting from certain title defects at the properties owned by the Partnership or its subsidiaries. Further, as part of the Omnibus Agreement, the Sponsor has agreed to grant the Partnership a royalty-free license to use the name “SunCoke” and related marks, and the Sponsor has agreed to grant the Partnership a non-exclusive right to use all of the Sponsor’s current and future cokemaking and related technology necessary to operate the Partnership’s business. Also, under the terms of the Omnibus Agreement, the Partnership will reimburse the General Partner and its affiliates for all direct and indirect expenses incurred and payments made on the Partnership’s behalf and all other expenses allocable to the Partnership or otherwise incurred by the General Partner or its affiliates in connection with operating the Partnership’s business.

The foregoing description and the description contained in the Prospectus are qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text of the Omnibus Agreement, which is filed as Exhibit 10.2 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated in this Item 1.01 by reference.

Relationships

Each of Sun Coal & Coke and the General Partner is a direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Sponsor. As a result, certain individuals, including officers and directors of the Sponsor, serve as officers and/or directors of more than one of such other entities.

Certain of the Underwriters and their affiliates have engaged, and may in the future engage, in commercial banking, investment banking and advisory services for the Partnership, the Sponsor and their respective affiliates from time to time in the ordinary course of business for which they have received customary fees and reimbursement of expenses.

As more fully described in the section “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” of the Prospectus, which is incorporated herein by reference, the Sponsor indirectly owns and controls the General Partner and owns, through a wholly owned subsidiary, an aggregate of 184,697 Common Units in the Partnership, an aggregate of 15,709,697 subordinated units representing limited partner interests in the Partnership (“ Subordinated Units ”), and the right to receive the Deferred Issuance and Distribution (as such term in defined in the Partnership Agreement (as defined below)). In addition, the General Partner owns a 2.0% general partner interest in the Partnership and all of the incentive distribution rights in the Partnership.

 

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Credit Facility

On January 24, 2013, the Partnership entered into a Credit Agreement (as defined below) among the Partnership, Haverhill Coke Company LLC (“ Haverhill ”), Haverhill Cogeneration Company LLC (“ Haverhill Cogen ”), Middletown Coke Company, LLC (“ Middletown ”), and Middletown Cogeneration Company LLC (“ Middletown Cogen ”), as borrowers (the “ Borrowers ”), the lenders party thereto from time to time, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, Barclays Bank PLC, as syndication agent, Bank of America, N.A., Citibank, N.A. and The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, as co-documentation agents, and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, RBS Securities Inc. and Barclays Bank PLC, as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners (the “ Credit Agreement ”). The Credit Agreement provides for a new $100.0 million senior secured revolving credit facility (the “ Credit Facility ”).

The Credit Agreement consists of a revolving loan facility of up to $100.0 million to be used for loans and letters of credit to fund capital expenditures, acquisitions, working capital needs, the making of distributions and for other general partnership purposes. Letters of credit outstanding under the Credit Facility cannot exceed $50.0 million at any one time. Swing line loans outstanding under the Credit Facility cannot exceed $15.0 million at any one time. Subject to certain conditions (including the consent of lenders providing such increased commitments), the Credit Facility may be increased by up to $50.0 million.

Indebtedness under the Credit Facility will bear interest, at the Partnership’s option, at a rate per annum equal to either the adjusted Eurodollar Rate (which means the LIBOR Rate as appearing on the Reuters Screen LIBOR01 Page, adjusted for eurocurrency reserve requirements) for interest periods of one, two, three or six months plus a specified margin or the Alternate Base Rate plus a specified margin. The Alternate Base Rate is the greatest of (a) the prime rate of interest announced from time to time by the agent bank as its “Base Rate,” (b) 0.50% per annum above the Federal Funds Effective Rate as in effect from time to time and (c) the adjusted Eurodollar Rate for an interest period of one month as in effect from time to time plus 1.00% per annum.

The specified margin for all loans and letters of credit under the Credit Facility ranges from 1.00% to 1.50% for loans bearing interest at the Alternate Base Rate and ranges from 2.00% to 2.50% for loans bearing interest at the adjusted Eurodollar Rate. The specified margin is calculated based upon the Partnership’s consolidated total leverage ratio from time to time. In addition, the Partnership we will incur a commitment fee based on the unused portion of the Credit Facility at a rate of 0.40% per annum; provided, for purposes of calculating the commitment fee only, that swing line loans shall not be considered a utilization of the Credit Facility.

The Credit Agreement will mature in 2018 on or about the fifth anniversary of the completion of the Offering, at which point all amounts outstanding under the Credit Facility will become due. Mandatory prepayments also will be required for certain sales of the Partnership’s assets or incurrence of additional indebtedness. The Credit Facility commitment shall be reduced on a dollar-for-dollar basis in connection with mandatory prepayments from proceeds of the incurrence of additional indebtedness.

The Credit Agreement contains certain covenants, restrictions and events of default including, but not limited to, limitations on the ability of the Borrowers to (i) incur indebtedness, (ii) make distributions, (iii) prepay, redeem or repurchase certain debt, (iv) make loans and investments, (v) sell assets, (vi) incur liens, (vii) enter into transactions with affiliates and (viii) consolidate or merge.

The Credit Agreement also contains financial covenants requiring the Partnership to maintain:

 

   

A maximum consolidated total debt to EBITDA ratio for any four consecutive fiscal quarter period of (i) commencing with the fiscal quarter ending March 31, 2013 until December 31, 2014, 4.0 to 1.0 and (ii) commencing with the fiscal quarter ending March 31, 2015 until the maturity date of the revolving credit agreement, 3.75 to 1.0 with respect to the aggregate amount of borrowings outstanding under the acquisition facility plus bonds and debentures and other funded indebtedness; provided, however, that this ratio will be subject to an 0.5 increase during the remainder of any fiscal quarter and the two complete fiscal quarters following certain acquisitions with a fair market value greater than $50.0 million; and

 

   

A minimum EBITDA to interest expense ratio of 2.5 to 1.0 for any four consecutive fiscal quarter period with respect to the aggregate cash interest expense of the borrowers under the acquisition facility and other funded indebtedness.

 

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If an event of default (as such term is defined in the Credit Agreement) occurs, the lenders would be entitled to take various actions, including the acceleration of amounts due under the Credit Facility, termination of the commitments under the Credit Facility and all remedial actions available to a secured creditor.

The obligations under the Credit Agreement are guaranteed by certain of the Partnership’s subsidiaries and secured by liens on substantially all of the Partnership’s and the guarantors’ assets pursuant to a Guarantee and Collateral Agreement, dated as of January 24, 2013, among the Partnership, the subsidiaries of the Partnership party thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A, as administrative agent, and certain other security agreements.

The foregoing description of the Credit Agreement is qualified in its entirety by reference to the actual terms of the agreement. A copy of the Credit Agreement is attached as Exhibit 10.3 and is incorporated in this Item 1.01 by reference.

7.375% Senior Notes due 2020

On January 24, 2013, the Partnership and SunCoke Energy Partners Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation (“ Finance Corp. ” and, together with the Partnership, the “ Issuers ”) issued $150.0 million aggregate principal amount of 7.375% Senior Notes due 2020 (the “ Notes ”). The Notes were issued pursuant to an indenture dated as of January 24, 2013 (the “ Indenture ”) among the Issuers, the Notes Guarantors (as defined below) and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee. The Notes were offered in the United States to qualified institutional buyers in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act, and outside the United States to non-U.S. persons in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act. The Notes have not been registered under the Securities Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements.

The aggregate net proceeds from the issuance of the Notes and the concurrent Offering of Common Units were used as described above under the heading “Underwriting Agreement”.

The Notes will mature on February 1, 2020. Interest on the Notes will accrue at the rate of 7.375% from January 24, 2013. Interest on the Notes is payable semi-annually in cash in arrears on August 1 and February 1 of each year, commencing on August 1, 2013.

The Notes are the senior unsecured obligations of the Issuers, and are guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by each of the Partnership’s existing and certain future subsidiaries (other than Finance Corp.) (collectively, the “ Notes Guarantors ”).

The Issuers may redeem some or all of the Notes at any time on or after February 1, 2016 at specified redemption prices plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date. Before February 1, 2016 and following certain equity offerings, the Issuers may also redeem up to 35% of the Notes at a price equal to 107.375% of the principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date. In addition, at any time prior to February 1, 2016, the Issuers may redeem some or all of the notes at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date, plus a “make-whole” premium.

The Issuers are obligated to offer to purchase all or a portion of the Notes at a price of (a) 101% of their principal amount, together with accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the date of purchase, upon the occurrence of certain change of control events and (b) 100% of their principal amount, together with accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the date of purchase, upon the occurrence of certain asset dispositions. These restrictions and prohibitions are subject to certain qualifications and exceptions set forth in the Indenture, including without limitation, reinvestment rights with respect to the proceeds of asset dispositions.

The Indenture contains covenants that, among other things, limit the Partnership’s ability and the ability of certain of the Partnership’s subsidiaries to (i) incur indebtedness, (ii) pay dividends or make other distributions, (iii) prepay, redeem or repurchase certain debt, (iv) make loans and investments, (v) sell assets, (vi) incur liens, (vii) enter into transactions with affiliates, (viii) enter into agreements restricting the ability of subsidiaries to pay dividends and (ix) consolidate or merge. These covenants are subject to a number of exceptions and qualifications set forth in the Indenture.

 

4


The foregoing descriptions of the Indenture and the Notes are qualified in their entirety by reference to the actual terms of the respective documents. Copies of the Indenture and the form of the Notes are attached as Exhibits 4.1 and 4.2 hereto, respectively, and each is incorporated in this Item 1.01 by reference.

 

Item 2.01 Completion of Acquisition or Disposition of Assets.

Contribution Agreement

On January 23, 2013, in anticipation of the closing of the Offering, the Partnership entered into a Contribution Agreement by and among the Partnership, the General Partner and Sun Coal & Coke (the “ Contribution Agreement ”). Pursuant to the Contribution Agreement, in connection with the Closing of the Offering, Sun Coal & Coke contributed to the Partnership an interest in each of Haverhill and Middletown which resulted in the Partnership owning a 65% interest in each of Haverhill and Middletown, and in exchange (1) the General Partner continues to hold a 2.0% general partner interest in the Partnership, (2) the Partnership issued to the General Partner incentive distribution rights in the Partnership, (3) the Partnership issued to Sun Coal & Coke 184,697 Common Units, 15,709,697 Subordinated Units and the right to receive the Deferred Issuance and Distribution, (4) the Partnership assumed and repaid $225.0 million of term loan debt of the Sponsor, and (5) the Partnership paid 100% of (A) an aggregate of $67.0 million of environmental capital expenditures of Haverhill and Middletown, (B) an aggregate of approximately $12.4 million sale discounts related to tax credits owed to customers of Haverhill and Middletown, and (C) $39.6 million to replenish the Partnership’s working capital. Such transactions are referred to as the “ Contribution Transactions .”

On January 24, 2013, in connection with the Offering, the Contribution Transactions were completed.

The foregoing description and the description is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Contribution Agreement, which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated in this Item 2.01 by reference.

Relationships

The description of the relationships among the Partnership, the General Partner and SC&C are provided above under Item 1.01 and incorporated in 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 in Item 1.01 under the headings “7.375% Senior Notes due 2020” and “Credit Facility” is incorporated in this Item 2.03 by reference.

 

Item 3.02 Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities.

The description in Item 2.01 of the issuances by the Partnership on January 24, 2013 in connection with the consummation of the Contribution Transactions is incorporated herein by reference. The foregoing transactions were undertaken in reliance on the exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act by Section 4(2) thereof. The Partnership believes that exemptions other than the foregoing exemption may exist for these transactions.

Each of the Subordinated Units granted under the Contribution Agreement will convert into one Common Unit at the end of the subordination period, which will end of the first business day after the Partnership has earned and paid at least (1) $1.65 (the minimum quarterly distribution on an annualized basis) on each outstanding Common Unit and Subordinated Unit and the corresponding distribution on the General Partner’s 2.0% general partner interest for each of three consecutive, non-overlapping four quarter periods ending on or after December 31, 2015 or (3) $2.48 (150.0% of the annualized minimum quarterly distribution) on each outstanding Common Unit and Subordinated Unit and the corresponding distribution on the General Partner’s 2.0% general partner interest and the related distribution on the incentive distribution rights for a four-quarter period ending on or after December 31, 2013, in each case provided that there are no arrearages on the Common Units at that time.

 

5


The description of the subordination period contained in the section of the Prospectus entitled “How We Made Distributions to Our Partners—Subordination Period” is incorporated in this Item 3.02 by reference.

 

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

Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Partnership

On January 24, 2013, in connection with the closing of the Offering, the Partnership amended and restated its Agreement of Limited Partnership (as amended, the “ Partnership Agreement ”). A description of the Partnership Agreement is contained in the section of the Prospectus entitled “The Partnership Agreement” and is incorporated herein by reference.

The foregoing description and the description contained in the Prospectus are qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text of the Partnership Agreement, which is filed as Exhibit 3.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated in this Item 5.03 by reference.

 

Item 8.01 Other Events.

On January 17, 2013, the Registration Statement was declared effective by the Commission.

On January 18, 2013, the Partnership issued a press release announcing the pricing of the Offering. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated by reference in this Item 8.01.

On January 18, 2013, the Partnership issued a press release announcing the pricing of the Notes. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.2 and incorporated by reference in this Item 8.01.

On January 24, 2013, the Offering of Common Units and the Notes Offering transactions were completed.

 

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Other Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits

 

1.1    Underwriting Agreement, dated January 17, 2013, by and among SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., SunCoke Energy Partners GP LLC, SunCoke Energy, Inc., Sun Coal & Coke LLC and Barclays Capital Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, as representatives of the several underwriters named therein
3.1    First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., dated January 24, 2013
4.1    Indenture, dated as of January 24, 2013, by and among SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., SunCoke Energy Partners Finance Corp., the guarantors party thereto and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee
4.2    Form of 7.375% Senior Notes due 2020 (included as Exhibit A to the Indenture filed as Exhibit 4.1)
10.1    Contribution Agreement, dated January 23, 2013, by and among SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., Sun Coal & Coke LLC and SunCoke Energy Partners GP LLC
10.2    Omnibus Agreement, dated January 24, 2013, by and among SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., SunCoke Energy Partners GP LLC and SunCoke Energy, Inc.

 

6


10.3    Credit Agreement, dated as of January 24, 2013, by and among SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., Haverhill Coke Company LLC, Haverhill Cogeneration Company LLC, Middletown Coke Company, LLC, and Middletown Cogeneration Company LLC, as borrowers, the lenders party thereto from time to time, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, Barclays Bank PLC, as syndication agent, Bank of America, N.A., Citibank, N.A. and The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, as co-documentation agents, and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, RBS Securities Inc. and Barclays Bank PLC, as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners
99.1    Press Release, January 18, 2013.
99.2    Press Release, January 18, 2013.

 

7


SIGNATURE

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.

 

SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P.

By: SunCoke Energy Partners GP LLC,

 

Its General Partner

By:

 

/s/ Denise R. Cade

  Denise R. Cade
 

Senior Vice President, General Counsel and

Corporate Secretary

Date: January 24, 2013

 

8


EXHIBIT INDEX

 

1.1    Underwriting Agreement, dated January 17, 2013, by and among SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., SunCoke Energy Partners GP LLC, SunCoke Energy, Inc., Sun Coal & Coke LLC and Barclays Capital Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, as representatives of the several underwriters named therein
3.1    First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., dated January 24, 2013
4.1    Indenture, dated as of January 24, 2013, by and among SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., SunCoke Energy Partners Finance Corp., the guarantors party thereto and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee
4.2    Form of 7.375% Senior Notes due 2020 (included as Exhibit A to the Indenture filed as Exhibit 4.1)
10.1    Contribution Agreement, dated January 23, 2013, by and among SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., Sun Coal & Coke LLC and SunCoke Energy Partners GP LLC
10.2    Omnibus Agreement, dated January 24, 2013, by and among SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., SunCoke Energy Partners GP LLC and SunCoke Energy, Inc.
10.3    Credit Agreement, dated as of January 24, 2013, by and among SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., Haverhill Coke Company LLC, Haverhill Cogeneration Company LLC, Middletown Coke Company, LLC, and Middletown Cogeneration Company LLC, as borrowers, the lenders party thereto from time to time, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, Barclays Bank PLC, as syndication agent, Bank of America, N.A., Citibank, N.A. and The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, as co-documentation agents, and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, RBS Securities Inc. and Barclays Bank PLC, as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners
99.1    Press Release, January 18, 2013.
99.2    Press Release, January 18, 2013.

Exhibit 1.1

13,500,000 Common Units

SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P.

Common Units Representing Limited Partner Interests

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

January 17, 2013

B ARCLAYS C APITAL I NC .

M ERRILL L YNCH , P IERCE , F ENNER  & S MITH

I NCORPORATED

C ITIGROUP G LOBAL M ARKETS I NC .

C REDIT S UISSE S ECURITIES (USA) LLC

J.P. M ORGAN S ECURITIES LLC

As Representatives of the several

    Underwriters named in Schedule I attached hereto,

c/o Barclays Capital Inc.

745 Seventh Avenue

New York, New York 10019

Ladies and Gentlemen:

SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “ Partnership ”), proposes to sell an aggregate of 13,500,000 common units (the “ Firm Units ”) representing limited partner interests in the Partnership (the “ Common Units ”). In addition, the Partnership proposes to grant to the underwriters (the “ Underwriters ”) named in Schedule I attached to this agreement (this “ Agreement ”) an option to purchase up to 2,025,000 additional Common Units on the terms set forth in Section 2 (the “ Option Units ”). The Firm Units and the Option Units, if purchased, are hereinafter collectively called the “ Units .” This Agreement is to confirm the agreement concerning the purchase of the Units from the Partnership by the Underwriters.

It is understood and agreed by all parties hereto that the Partnership was recently formed to acquire a 65% interest in each of two entities indirectly owned by SunCoke Energy, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “ Sponsor ”), that own cokemaking facilities and related assets in Franklin Furnace, Ohio and Middletown, Ohio, as described more particularly in the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Prospectus and the Contribution Agreement (as such terms are hereinafter defined).

It is further understood and agreed to by the parties hereto that prior to the date hereof the following transactions (the “ Prior Transactions ”) occurred:

 

  (a) Sun Coal & Coke LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Sun Coal & Coke ”), formed SunCoke Energy Partners GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and the general partner of the Partnership (the “ General Partner ”), and contributed $1,000 in exchange for all of the membership interests in the General Partner; and


  (b) The General Partner and Sun Coal & Coke formed the Partnership and contributed $20 and $980, respectively, in exchange for a 2.0% general partner interest (the “ GP Interest ”) and a 98.0% limited partner interest in the Partnership, respectively.

 

  (c) Haverhill Coke Company LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Haverhill Operating Company ”), formed Haverhill Cogeneration Company LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Haverhill Cogeneration Company ”), to which Haverhill Operating Company contributed certain of its energy production assets subject to energy sales agreements with third parties in exchange for all of the membership interests in Haverhill Cogeneration Company.

 

  (d) Middletown Coke Company, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Middletown Operating Company ”), formed Middletown Cogeneration Company LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Middletown Cogeneration Company ”), to which Middletown Operating Company contributed certain of its energy production assets subject to energy sales agreements with third parties in exchange for all of the membership interests in Middletown Cogeneration Company.

It is further understood and agreed to by the parties hereto that the following transactions will occur at or prior to the closing of the offering of the Firm Units on the Initial Delivery Date (as hereinafter defined):

 

  (a) Sun Coal & Coke, the General Partner and the Partnership will enter into a Contribution Agreement (the “ Contribution Agreement ”), pursuant to which, among other things, (i) Sun Coal & Coke will convey a 65% interest in each of Haverhill Operating Company and Middletown Operating Company to the Partnership in exchange for 2,209,697 Common Units and 15,709,697 subordinated units representing limited partner interests (“ Subordinated Units ”) in the Partnership and (ii) the General Partner will maintain its 2.0% general partner interest and receive all of the Incentive Distribution Rights (as defined in the A&R Partnership Agreement (as defined herein));

 

  (b) The Partnership, as borrower, will enter into a new revolving credit facility (the “ Credit Agreement ”);

 

  (c) The Partnership will issue $150.0 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes (the “ Senior Notes ”) and enter into an indenture (the “ Indenture ”) governing the Senior Notes;

 

  (d)

The Partnership, the General Partner and the Sponsor will enter into an omnibus agreement, which will address, among other things, (i) the Partnership Entities’ (as defined herein) rights to use certain intellectual property pursuant to a license granted by the Sponsor, (ii) certain specified indemnification obligations of the Sponsor and the Partnership, (iii) the rights and obligations of the Partnership and the Sponsor if under certain circumstances a customer’s purchase and payment

 

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  obligations under certain coke sales agreements are reduced or if a customer fails to satisfy such obligations, (iii) certain business opportunities in which the Sponsor and its affiliates (other than the Partnership Entities) and the Partnership Entities will each have a preferential right over the other and (v) the Partnership’s and the Sponsor’s respective right of first offer with respect to certain assets (the “ Omnibus Agreement ”);

 

  (e) Sun Coal & Coke and the General Partner will enter into the First Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of the General Partner (as it may be amended from time to time, the “ General Partner Agreement ”);

 

  (f) Sun Coal & Coke and the General Partner will enter into the First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Partnership (as it may be amended from time to time, the “ A&R Partnership Agreement ”);

 

  (g) The Partnership and Sun Coal & Coke will enter into the First Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Haverhill Operating Company (as it may be amended from time to time, the “ Haverhill Operating Company Agreement ”);

 

  (h) The Partnership and Sun Coal & Coke will enter into the First Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Middletown Operating Company (as it may be amended from time to time, the “ Middletown Operating Company Agreement ”);

 

  (i) Haverhill Operating Company will enter into the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Haverhill Cogeneration Company (as it may be amended from time to time, the “ Haverhill Cogeneration Company LLC Agreement ”);

 

  (j) Middletown Operating Company will enter into the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Middletown Cogeneration Company (as it may be amended from time to time, the “ Middletown Cogeneration Company LLC Agreement ”);

 

  (k) The public offering of the Firm Units contemplated hereby (the “ Offering ”) will be consummated;

 

  (l) The Partnership will redeem the 98% limited partner interest of Sun Coal & Coke for a cash payment of $980; and

 

  (m) The Partnership will (i) make a distribution to the Sponsor of $23.4 million to effectively reimburse the Sponsor for capital expenditures, (ii) repay $225.0 million of term loan debt assumed from the Sponsor, (iii) pay the expenses of the Offering, as described under “Use of Proceeds” in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, and (iv) retain approximately $67.0 million for identified environmental capital expenditures, approximately $12.4 million to pay sales discounts and $49.3 million to replenish the Partnership’s working capital.

 

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The transactions contemplated in subsections (a) through (m) above are referred to herein as the “ Transactions .” The Contribution Agreement, Credit Agreement, Indenture and Omnibus Agreement are collectively referred to herein as the “ Transaction Documents . ” The Partnership, the General Partner, Sun Coal & Coke and the Sponsor are collectively called the “ Partnership Parties .” Haverhill Operating Company, Middletown Operating Company, Haverhill Cogeneration Company and Middletown Cogeneration Company are collectively called the “ Operating Subsidiaries .” The Partnership, the General Partner and the Operating Subsidiaries are collectively called the “ Partnership Entities .” The Partnership Parties and the Operating Subsidiaries are collectively called the “SunCoke Entities.”

The “ Organizational Agreements ” shall mean the General Partner Agreement, the A&R Partnership Agreement, the Haverhill Operating Company Agreement, the Middletown Operating Agreement, the Haverhill Cogeneration Company LLC Agreement and the Middletown Cogeneration Company LLC Agreement. The Organizational Agreements and the Transaction Documents are collectively called the “ Operative Agreements .”

1. Representations, Warranties and Agreements of the Partnership Parties. The Partnership Parties represent, warrant and agree that:

(a) A registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-183162) relating to the Units has (i) been prepared by the Partnership in conformity with the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Securities Act ”), and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “ Commission ”) thereunder; (ii) been filed with the Commission under the Securities Act; and (iii) become effective under the Securities Act. Copies of such registration statement and any amendment thereto have been delivered by the Partnership to you as the representatives (the “ Representatives ”) of the Underwriters. As used in this Agreement:

(i) “ Applicable Time ” means 4:15 p.m. (New York City time) on January 17, 2013;

(ii) “ Effective Date ” means the date and time as of which such registration statement, or the most recent post-effective amendment thereto, was declared effective by the Commission;

(iii) “ Issuer Free Writing Prospectus ” means each “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) prepared by or on behalf of the Partnership or used or referred to by the Partnership in connection with the offering of the Units;

(iv) “ Preliminary Prospectus ” means any preliminary prospectus relating to the Units included in such registration statement or filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act;

(v) “ Pricing Disclosure Package ” means, as of the Applicable Time, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, together with the information included in Schedule II hereto and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus filed or used by the Partnership on or before the Applicable Time, other than a road show that is an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus but is not required to be filed under Rule 433 under the Securities Act;

 

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(vi) “ Prospectus ” means the final prospectus relating to the Units, as filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act;

(vii) “ Registration Statement ” means such registration statement, as amended as of the Effective Date, including any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, all exhibits to such registration statement and including the information deemed by virtue of Rule 430A under the Securities Act to be part of such registration statement as of the Effective Date;

(viii) “ Testing-the-Waters Communication ” means any oral or written communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act; and

(ix) “ Written Testing-the-Waters Communication ” means any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act.

Any reference to the “ most recent Preliminary Prospectus ” shall be deemed to refer to the latest Preliminary Prospectus included in the Registration Statement or filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act prior to or on the date hereof. Any reference herein to the term “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include the abbreviated registration statement to register additional Common Units under Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act (the “ Rule 462(b) Registration Statement ”). The Commission has not issued any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, and no proceeding or examination for such purpose has been instituted or threatened by the Commission.

(b) The Partnership was not at the time of initial filing of the Registration Statement and at the earliest time thereafter that the Partnership or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the Securities Act) of the Units, is not on the date hereof and will not be on the applicable Delivery Date (as defined in Section 4), an “ineligible issuer” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act).

(c) The Registration Statement conformed and will conform in all material respects on the Effective Date and on the applicable Delivery Date, and any amendment to the Registration Statement filed after the date hereof will conform in all material respects when filed, to the requirements of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. The most recent Preliminary Prospectus conformed, and the Prospectus will conform, in all material respects when filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act and on the applicable Delivery Date to the requirements of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.

(d) The Registration Statement did not, as of the Effective Date, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided that no representation or

 

5


warranty is made as to information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Partnership through the Representatives by or on behalf of any Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information is specified in Section 8(e).

(e) The Prospectus will not, as of its date or as of the applicable Delivery Date, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that no representation or warranty is made as to information contained in or omitted from the Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Partnership through the Representatives by or on behalf of any Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information is specified in Section 8(e).

(f) The Pricing Disclosure Package did not, as of the Applicable Time, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that no representation or warranty is made as to information contained in or omitted from the Pricing Disclosure Package in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Partnership through the Representatives by or on behalf of any Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information is specified in Section 8(e).

(g) No Issuer Free Writing Prospectus listed in Schedule III hereto, when considered together with the Pricing Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that no representation or warranty is made as to information contained in or omitted from any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Partnership through the Representatives by or on behalf of any Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information is specified in Section 8(e). The information included in each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus listed in Schedule III hereto does not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the most recent Preliminary Prospectus or to be contained in the Prospectus.

(h) Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conformed or will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder on the date of first use, and the Partnership has complied with all prospectus delivery and any filing requirements applicable to such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus pursuant to the Securities Act and rules and regulations thereunder. The Partnership has not made any offer relating to the Units that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus without the prior written consent of the Representatives. The Partnership has retained in accordance with the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder all Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses that were not required to be filed pursuant to the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. The Partnership has taken all actions necessary so that any “road show” (as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act) in connection with the offering of the Units will not be required to be filed pursuant to the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.

 

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(i) Each of the statements made by the Partnership in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Disclosure Package and to be made in the Prospectus (and any supplements thereto) within the coverage of Rule 175(b) under the Securities Act, including (but not limited to) any statements with respect to projected results of operations, estimated cash available for distribution and future cash distributions of the Partnership, and any statements made in support thereof or related thereto under the heading “Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions” or the anticipated ratio of taxable income to distributions, was made or will be made with a reasonable basis and in good faith.

(j) Each of the SunCoke Entities has been duly organized, is validly existing and in good standing as a limited partnership, limited liability company or corporation under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization as set forth on Schedule V. Each of the Partnership Entities is duly qualified to do business and in good standing as a foreign limited partnership or limited liability company in each jurisdiction (as set forth on Schedule V) in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its businesses requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing could not, in the aggregate, (i) reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, partners’ or members’ equity, as applicable, properties, business or prospects of the Partnership Entities taken as a whole (a “ Material Adverse Effect ”); (ii) materially impair the ability of any of the Partnership Entities to consummate the Transactions or any other transactions provided for in this Agreement or the Operative Agreements; or (iii) subject the limited partners of the Partnership to any material liability or disability. Each of the SunCoke Entities has all power and authority necessary to enter into and perform its obligations under the Operative Agreements to which it is a party and to own or hold their properties and to conduct the businesses in which they are engaged. The Partnership does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity other than the subsidiaries listed on Schedule VI hereto.

(k) The General Partner has, and at each Delivery Date will have, full limited liability company power and authority to act as the general partner of the Partnership in all material respects as described in the Registration Statement and the most recent Preliminary Prospectus.

(l) The Sponsor owns 100% of the outstanding limited liability company interests (“ Membership Interests ”) in Sun Coal & Coke; such Membership Interests are duly authorized and validly issued in accordance with the Limited Liability Company Agreement of Sun Coal & Coke (the “ Sun Coal & Coke Agreement ”) and are fully paid (to the extent required under the Sun Coal & Coke Agreement) and nonassessable (except as such nonassessability may be affected by matters described in Sections 18-607 and 18-804 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act (the “ Delaware LLC Act ”)).

(m) Sun Coal & Coke owns 100% of the Membership Interests in the General Partner; such Membership Interests are duly authorized and validly issued in accordance with the General Partner Agreement and are fully paid (to the extent required under the General Partner Agreement) and nonassessable (except as such nonassessability may be affected by matters described in Sections 18-607 and 18-804 of the Delaware LLC Act).

 

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(n) The General Partner is, and at each applicable Delivery Date, will be the sole general partner of the Partnership, with a 2.0% general partner interest (the “ GP Interest ”) in the Partnership; such GP Interest has been duly authorized and validly issued in accordance with the A&R Partnership Agreement; and the General Partner owns such GP Interest free and clear of all Liens, except for Liens described in the Registration Statement and the most recent Preliminary Prospectus.

(o) At each applicable Delivery Date, after giving effect to the Closing Transactions, the General Partner will own all of the Incentive Distribution Rights; the Incentive Distribution Rights and the limited partner interests represented thereby will have been duly authorized and validly issued in accordance with the A&R Partnership Agreement and will be fully paid (to the extent required under the A&R Partnership Agreement) and nonassessable (except as such nonassessability may be affected by Sections 17-303, 17-607 and 17-804 of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act (the “ Delaware LP Act ”)); and the General Partner will own such Incentive Distribution Rights free and clear of all Liens.

(p) At each applicable Delivery Date, after giving effect to the Transactions, Sun Coal & Coke will own 2,209,697 Common Units and 15,709,697 Subordinated Units (together, the “ Sponsor Units ”), such Sponsor Units and the limited partner interests represented thereby will have been duly authorized and validly issued in accordance with the A&R Partnership Agreement and will be fully paid (to the extent required under the A&R Partnership Agreement) and nonassessable (except as such nonassessability may be affected by matters described in Sections 17-303, 17-607, and 17-804 of the Delaware LP Act); and the Sponsor will own such Sponsor Units free and clear of all Liens.

(q) At each applicable Delivery Date, the Units to be sold by the Partnership and the limited partner interests represented thereby will have been duly authorized in accordance with the A&R Partnership Agreement and, when issued and delivered to the Underwriters against payment therefor in accordance with the terms hereof, will be validly issued, fully paid (to the extent required under the A&R Partnership Agreement) and nonassessable (except as such nonassessability may be affected by Sections 17-303, 17-607 and 17-804 of the Delaware LP Act). Other than the Sponsor Units and the Incentive Distribution Rights, the Units will be the only limited partner interests of the Partnership issued or outstanding at each applicable Delivery Date.

(r) Other than the Partnership and the subsidiaries listed on Schedule VI hereto, the General Partner does not own, and at each applicable Delivery Date, after giving effect to the Transactions, will not own, directly or indirectly, any equity or long-term debt securities of any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, association or other entity.

(s) After giving effect to the Transactions, other than the Partnership’s ownership, directly or indirectly, of (i) 65% of the limited liability company interests in each of Haverhill Operating Company and Middletown Operating Company, (ii) the ownership by Haverhill Operating Company and Middletown Operating Company of 100% of the limited liability company interests in each of Haverhill Cogeneration Operating Company and Middletown Cogeneration Operating Company, respectively, and (iii) 100% of the common

 

8


stock of SunCoke Energy Partners Finance Corp., the Partnership does not own, and at any Delivery Date will not, directly or indirectly, own any equity or long-term debt securities of any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, association or other entity.

(t) The Units, when issued and delivered in accordance with the terms of the A&R Partnership Agreement and this Agreement against payment therefor as provided therein and herein, and the Sponsor Units and the Incentive Distribution Rights, when issued and delivered in accordance with the terms of the A&R Partnership Agreement and the Contribution Agreement, will conform in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Disclosure Package and to be contained in the Prospectus.

(u) There are no profits interests or other equity interests, options, warrants, preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other rights to subscribe for or to purchase, nor any restriction upon the voting or transfer of, any equity securities of any of the Partnership Entities, in each case pursuant to the Organizational Agreement of any such Partnership Entity, the certificates of limited partnership or formation or any other organizational documents of any such Partnership Entity or any other agreement or other instrument to which any such Partnership Entity is a party or by which any such Partnership Entity may be bound. Neither the filing of the Registration Statement nor the offering or sale of the Units as contemplated by this Agreement gives rise to any rights for or relating to the registration of any Common Units or other securities of the Partnership.

(v) At the Initial Delivery Date, after giving effect to the Transactions, the issued and outstanding partnership interests of the Partnership will consist of 2,209,697 Common Units, 15,709,697 Subordinated Units, the GP Interest and the Incentive Distribution Rights.

(w) Each of the Partnership Parties has all requisite limited partnership, limited liability company or corporate power and authority to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under this Agreement. The Partnership has all requisite limited partnership power and authority to issue, sell and deliver (i) the Units, in accordance with and upon the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, the A&R Partnership Agreement, the Registration Statement and the most recent Preliminary Prospectus; and (ii) the Sponsor Units and the Incentive Distribution Rights, in accordance with and upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Partnership Agreement and the Contribution Agreement. At each Delivery Date, all limited partnership, limited liability company or corporate action, as the case may be, required to be taken by any of the Partnership Entities or any of their respective unitholders, members, partners or stockholders for the authorization, issuance, sale and delivery of the Units, the Sponsor Units, and the Incentive Distribution Rights, the execution and delivery of the Operative Agreements and the consummation of the Transactions and any other transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Operative Agreements, shall have been validly taken.

(x) This Agreement has been duly and validly authorized, executed and delivered by each of the Partnership Parties.

 

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(y) At each applicable Delivery Date:

(i) each of the Transaction Documents will have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the SunCoke Entities party thereto and will be a valid and legally binding agreement of such SunCoke Entities, enforceable against such SunCoke Entities in accordance with its terms;

(ii) the A&R Partnership Agreement will have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the General Partner and Sun Coal & Coke and will be a valid and legally binding agreement of the General Partner and Sun Coal & Coke, enforceable against the General Partner and Sun Coal & Coke in accordance with its terms; and

(iii) the limited liability company agreements of each of the Operating Subsidiaries will have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the members thereof and will be valid and legally binding agreements of the members thereof, enforceable against the members thereof in accordance with their respective terms;

provided , that, with respect to each such agreement, the enforceability thereof may be limited by (A) applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and remedies generally and by general principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law) and (B) public policy, applicable law relating to fiduciary duties and indemnification and an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.

(z) The Contribution Agreement is legally sufficient to transfer or convey, directly or indirectly, 65% of the equity interests in each of Haverhill Operating Company and Middletown Operating Company to the Partnership, as described in the Registration Statement and the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, subject to the conditions, reservations, encumbrances and limitations contained in the Contribution Agreement and described in the Registration Statement and the most recent Preliminary Prospectus. Upon execution and delivery of the Contribution Agreement, the Partnership Entities will succeed in all material respects to the business, assets, properties, liabilities and operations reflected in the financial statements of the Partnership included in the Registration Statement and the most recent Preliminary Prospectus.

(aa) The issue and sale of the Units, the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the Operative Agreements by the SunCoke Entities party hereto and thereto, the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the Operative Agreements and the application of the proceeds from the sale of the Units as described under “Use of Proceeds” in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus will not (i) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, impose any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the SunCoke Entities, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, license, lease or other agreement or instrument to which any SunCoke Entity is a party or by which any Partnership Entity is bound or to which any of the Partnership or assets of the Partnership Entities are subject; (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the Organizational Agreements; or (iii) result in any violation of any statute or any judgment, order, decree, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Partnership Entities or any of their properties or assets.

 

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(bb) No consent, approval, authorization, order, registration, filing or qualification (“ consent ”) of or with any court, governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over any of the SunCoke Entities or any of their properties or assets is required in connection with (i) the offering, issuance or sale of the Units as described in the Registration Statement and the most recent Preliminary Prospectus; (ii) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the Operative Agreements by the SunCoke Entities party hereto and thereto; (iii) the consummation of the Transactions or any other transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Operative Agreements; or (iv) the application of the proceeds from the sale of the Units as described under “Use of Proceeds” in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, except (A) for registration of the Units under the Securities Act and consents required under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “ Exchange Act ”), applicable state securities or “Blue Sky” laws, and the rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“ FINRA ”) in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Units by the Underwriters; (B) for such consents that have been, or prior to the Initial Delivery Date will be, obtained or made; (C) for such consents that, if not obtained, have not and would not materially impair the ability of any of the SunCoke Entities to consummate the Transactions or any other transactions provided for in this Agreement or the Operative Agreements; and (D) as described in the Registration Statement and the most recent Preliminary Prospectus.

(cc) The historical financial statements (including the related notes and supporting schedules) included in the Registration Statement and the most recent Preliminary Prospectus comply as to form in all material respects with the requirements of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act and present fairly the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the entities purported to be shown thereby at the dates and for the periods indicated and have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods indicated, except to the extent disclosed therein. The summary historical financial and operating data included under the caption “Summary—Summary Historical and Pro Forma Financial and Operating Data” in the Registration Statement and the most recent Preliminary Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement thereto) and the selected historical financial and operating data set forth under the caption “Selected Historical and Pro Forma Financial and Operating Data” included in the Registration Statement and the most recent Preliminary Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement thereto) is accurately presented in all material respects and prepared on a basis consistent with the audited and unaudited historical consolidated financial statements from which they have been derived, except as described therein. The other financial information of the Partnership (or its predecessor for accounting purposes), including non-GAAP financial measures contained in the Registration Statement and the most recent Preliminary Prospectus has been derived from the accounting records of the Partnership Entities or their predecessors for accounting purposes, fairly presents in all material respects the information purported to be shown thereby and complies with Regulation G of the Exchange Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K of the Securities Act, to the extent applicable. There are no financial statements (historical or pro forma) that are required to be included in the Registration Statement or the most recent Preliminary Prospectus that are not so included as required and the Partnership Entities do not have any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations), not described in the Registration Statement (excluding the exhibits thereto) or the most recent Preliminary Prospectus.

 

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(dd) The pro forma financial statements included in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus include assumptions that provide a reasonable basis for presenting the significant effects directly attributable to the transactions and events described therein, the related pro forma adjustments give appropriate effect to those assumptions, and the pro forma adjustments reflect the proper application of those adjustments to the historical financial statement amounts in the pro forma financial statements included in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus. The pro forma financial statements included in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable requirements of Regulation S-X under the Act.

(ee) Ernst & Young LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Partnership and its consolidated subsidiaries and its predecessor for accounting purposes, whose reports appear in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and who have delivered the initial letter referred to in Section 7(g) hereof, are independent public accountants as required by the Securities Act and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.

(ff) The Partnership Entities maintain internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, including, but not limited to, internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of the financial statements of the Partnership and its predecessor for accounting purposes in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States and to maintain accountability for its assets; (iii) access to the assets of the Partnership and its predecessor for accounting purposes is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, and (iv) the recorded accountability for the assets of the Partnership and its predecessor for accounting purposes is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. As of the date of the most recent balance sheet of the Partnership and its consolidated subsidiaries reviewed or audited by Ernst & Young LLP, there were no material weaknesses in the internal controls of any Partnership Entity.

(gg) (i) The SunCoke Entities maintain disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act), (ii) such disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information that will be required to be disclosed by the Partnership is accumulated and communicated to management of the Partnership, including the principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the General Partner, as appropriate, and (iii) such disclosure controls and procedures are effective in all material respects to perform the functions for which they were established.

(hh) Since the date of the most recent balance sheet of the Partnership and its consolidated subsidiaries reviewed or audited by Ernst & Young LLP, (i) the Partnership has not been advised of or become aware of (A) any significant deficiencies in the design or operation of

 

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internal controls that could adversely affect the ability of the Partnership Entities to record, process, summarize and report financial data, or any material weaknesses in internal controls; and (B) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees of any Partnership Entity who have a significant role in the internal controls of the Partnership Entities; and (ii) there have been no significant changes in internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal controls, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.

(ii) The section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting Policies” set forth in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus accurately and fully describes (i) the accounting policies that the Partnership believes are the most important in the portrayal of the Partnership’s financial condition and results of operations and that require management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments (“ Critical Accounting Policies ”); (ii) the judgments and uncertainties affecting the application of Critical Accounting Policies; and (iii) the likelihood that materially different amounts would be reported under different conditions or using different assumptions and an explanation thereof.

(jj) There is and has been no failure on the part of the Partnership or any of the General Partner’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with any provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 or the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith or the rules of the New York Stock Exchange that are effective and applicable to the Partnership.

(kk) Except as described in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, no Partnership Entity has (i) sustained any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree; (ii) issued or granted any securities; (iii) incurred any material liability or obligation, direct or contingent, other than liabilities and obligations that were incurred in the ordinary course of business; (iv) entered into any material transaction not in the ordinary course of business; or (v) made any distribution, and since such date, there has not been any change in the partnership or limited liability company interests, as applicable, or long-term debt of the Partnership Entities or any adverse change, or any development involving a prospective adverse change, in or affecting the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, partners’ or members’ equity, as applicable, properties, management, business or prospects of the Partnership Entities taken as a whole, in each case except as could not, in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(ll) Each of the Partnership Entities has good and marketable title to all real property, and good and marketable title to all personal property, in each case owned by it, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects, except such liens, encumbrances and defects as are described in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus or such as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by any of the Partnership Entities. All assets held under lease by each of the Partnership Entities are held by it under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases, with such exceptions as do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such assets by any of the Partnership Entities.

 

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(mm) Each of the Partnership Entities has such permits, licenses, patents, franchises, certificates of need and other approvals or authorizations of governmental or regulatory authorities (“ Permits ”) as are necessary under applicable law to own its properties and conduct its businesses in the manner described in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, except for any of the foregoing that could not, in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or except as described in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus. Each of the Partnership Entities has fulfilled and performed all of its obligations with respect to the Permits, and no event has occurred that allows, or after notice or lapse of time would allow, revocation or termination thereof or results in any other impairment of the rights of the holder or any such Permits, except for any of the foregoing that could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or except as described in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus. None of the Partnership Entities has received notice of any revocation or modification of any such Permits or has any reason to believe that any such Permits will not be renewed in the ordinary course.

(nn) Each of the Partnership Entities owns or possesses adequate rights to use all material patents, patent applications, trademarks, service marks, trade names, trademark registrations, service mark registrations, copyrights, licenses, know-how, software, systems and technology (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures) necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses and have no reason to believe that the conduct of their respective businesses will conflict with, and have not received any notice of any claim of conflict with, any such rights of others.

(oo) Except as described in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which any of the Partnership Entities is a party or of which any property or assets of the Partnership Entities is the subject that could, in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or could, in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the performance of this Agreement, the Operative Agreements or to consummate the Transactions or any other transactions provided for in this Agreement or the Operative Agreements; and to the Partnership Parties’ knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities or others.

(pp) There are no contracts or other documents required to be described in the Registration Statement or the most recent Preliminary Prospectus or filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement, that are not described and filed as required. The statements made in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, insofar as they purport to constitute summaries of the terms of the contracts and other documents described and filed, constitute accurate summaries of the terms of such contracts and documents in all material respects. The Partnership Parties have no knowledge that any other party to any such contract or other document has any intention not to render full performance as contemplated by the terms thereof.

 

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(qq) The statements made in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus under the captions “Description of the Common Units,” and “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences,” insofar as they purport to constitute summaries of the terms of statutes, rules or regulations, legal or governmental proceedings or contracts and other documents, descriptions of the Common Units, Subordinated Units and Incentive Distribution Rights, summaries of provisions of the Operative Agreements or any other instruments, constitute accurate summaries of the terms of such statutes, rules and regulations, legal and governmental proceedings and contracts and other documents in all material respects.

(rr) The Partnership Entities carry, or are covered by, insurance from insurers of recognized financial responsibility in such amounts and covering such risks as is adequate for the conduct of their respective businesses and the value of their respective properties and as is customary for companies engaged in similar businesses in similar industries. All policies of insurance of the Partnership Entities are in full force and effect; the Partnership Entities are in compliance with the terms of such policies in all material respects; and neither the Partnership nor any of its subsidiaries has received notice from any insurer or agent of such insurer that capital improvements or other expenditures are required or necessary to be made in order to continue such insurance; there are no claims by the Partnership Entities under any such policy or instrument as to which any insurance company is denying liability or defending under a reservation of rights clause; and none of the Partnership Entities has any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(ss) No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among any of the Partnership Entities, on the one hand, and the directors, officers, equity holders, customers or suppliers of any of the Partnership Entities, on the other hand, that is required to be described in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus which is not so described. There are no outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business) or guarantees of indebtedness by any Partnership Entity to or for the benefit of any of the officers, directors or managers of any Partnership Entity or their respective family members.

(tt) No labor disturbance by or dispute with the employees of any of the Partnership Entities exists or, to the knowledge of the Partnership Entities, is imminent that could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(uu) None of the Partnership Entities (i) are in violation of their Organizational Agreements; (ii) are in default, and no event has occurred that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default, in the due performance or observance of any term, covenant, condition or other obligation contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, license or other agreement or instrument to which they are a party or by which they are bound or to which any of their properties or assets are subject; or (iii) are in violation of any statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over them or their property or assets or have failed to obtain any license, permit, certificate, franchise or other governmental authorization or permit necessary to the ownership of their property or to the conduct of their business, except in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), to the extent any such conflict, breach, violation or default could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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(vv) (i) The Partnership Entities (x) are in compliance with any and all applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws, rules, regulations, permits, decrees and orders relating to the protection of human health or safety, the environment, natural resources, hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), and all past noncompliance with Environmental Laws has been settled and resolved without future obligation, (y) have received and are in compliance with all permits, licenses, certificates or other authorizations or approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses and (z) have not received written notice and otherwise do not have knowledge of any actual or potential liability under or relating to any Environmental Laws, including for the investigation or remediation of any disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants; (ii) there are no costs or liabilities associated with Environmental Laws of or relating to the Partnership Entities, except, in the case of each of (i) and (ii) above, as described in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus or for any such failure to comply, or failure to receive required permits, licenses or approvals, notices of liability or cost or liability, as, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a Material Adverse Effect; and (iii) except as described in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, (x) there are no proceedings that are pending against any of the Partnership Entities under any Environmental Laws, other than such proceedings that, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a Material Adverse Effect, and (y) the Partnership Entities are not aware of any issues regarding compliance with Environmental Laws or concerning hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants, that, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a Material Adverse Effect.

(ww) (i) The Partnership Entities have filed all federal income tax returns and all other federal, state, local and foreign tax returns required to be filed prior to the date hereof, (ii) the Partnership Entities have paid all federal, state, local and foreign taxes shown as due on such tax return and required to be paid prior to the date hereof; and (iii) there is no tax deficiency that has been, or would reasonably be expected to be, asserted against the Partnership Entities or any of their respective properties or assets, in each of cases (i), (ii) and (iii), except as, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a Material Adverse Effect and would not result in a prospective Material Adverse Effect.

(xx) (i) Each “employee benefit plan” (within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ ERISA ”)) for which the Partnership or any member of its “Controlled Group” (defined as any organization which is a member of a controlled group of corporations within the meaning of Section 414 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “ Code ”)) would have any liability (each a “ Plan ”) has in all material respects been maintained in compliance with its terms and with the requirements of all applicable statutes, rules and regulations including ERISA and the Code; (ii) no material “prohibited transaction” (within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code), has occurred with respect to any Plan excluding transactions effected pursuant to a statutory or administrative exemption; (iii) with respect to each Plan subject to Title IV of ERISA (A) no “reportable event” (within the meaning of Section 4043(c) of ERISA) has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur that could reasonably be expected to result in any material loss; (B) no “accumulated funding deficiency” (within the meaning of Section 302 of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code), whether or not waived, has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur; and (C) neither the Partnership nor any member of its Controlled Group has

 

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incurred, or reasonably expects to incur, any liability under Title IV of ERISA (other than contributions to the Plan or premiums to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation in the ordinary course and without default) in respect of a Plan (including a “multiemployer plan”, within the meaning of Section 4001(c)(3) of ERISA); and (iv) each Plan that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code has received a determination letter, or its equivalent, from the Internal Revenue Service and nothing since the receipt of such letter has occurred that could reasonably be expected to result in a loss of the Plan’s qualified status, and the period for applying for a determination letter has not lapsed.

(yy) The statistical and market-related data included in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and the consolidated financial statements of the Partnership and its predecessor for accounting purposes in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Partnership Parties believe to be reliable in all material respects.

(zz) Neither the Partnership nor any of its subsidiaries is, and as of the applicable Delivery Date and, after giving effect to the offer and sale of the Units and the application of the proceeds therefrom as described under “Use of Proceeds” in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, none of them will be, (i) an “investment company” or a company “controlled” by an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “ Investment Company Act ”), and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder; or (ii) a “business development company” (as defined in Section 2(a)(48) of the Investment Company Act).

(aaa) Except as described in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the SunCoke Entities and any person granting such person the right to require the SunCoke Entities to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Partnership owned or to be owned by such person or to require the SunCoke Entities to include such securities in the securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement or in any securities being registered pursuant to any other registration statement filed by the Partnership under the Securities Act.

(bbb) Except as described in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, none of the SunCoke Entities are a party to any contract, agreement or understanding with any person (other than this Agreement) that would give rise to a valid claim against any of them or the Underwriters for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or like payment in connection with the offering and sale of the Units.

(ccc) The sale and issuance of the Sponsor Units to Sun Coal & Coke and the Incentive Distribution Rights and the GP Interest to the General Partner are exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and securities laws of any state having jurisdiction with respect thereto, and none of the SunCoke Entities has taken or will take any action that would cause the loss of such exemption. The Partnership has not sold or issued any securities that would be integrated with the offering of the Units contemplated by this Agreement pursuant to the Securities Act, the rules and regulations thereunder or the interpretations thereof by the Commission.

 

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(ddd) The Partnership and its affiliates have not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that has constituted or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Partnership in connection with the offering of the Units.

(eee) The Units have been approved for listing, subject to official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution on, the New York Stock Exchange.

(fff) The Partnership has not distributed and, prior to the later to occur of any Delivery Date and completion of the distribution of the Units, will not distribute any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Units other than any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to which the Representatives have consented in accordance with Section 5(a)(vi) and, in connection with the Directed Unit Program described in Section 3, the enrollment materials prepared by Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC on behalf of the Partnership.

(ggg) None of the Partnership Entities are in violation of or have received notice of any violation with respect to any federal or state law relating to discrimination in the hiring, promotion or pay of employees, nor any applicable federal or state wage and hour laws, nor any state law precluding the denial of credit due to the neighborhood in which a property is situated, the violation of any of which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(hhh) None of the Partnership Entities, nor, to the knowledge of the Partnership Parties, any director, officer, agent, employee or other person associated with or acting on behalf of any Partnership Entity, has (i) used any of its funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) made any direct or indirect unlawful payment to any foreign or domestic government official or employee from its funds; (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977; or (iv) made any bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment.

(iii) The operations of the Partnership Entities are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “ Money Laundering Laws ”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Partnership Entities with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Partnership Entities, threatened.

(jjj) None of the Partnership Entities nor, to the knowledge of the Partnership Parties, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of any Partnership Entity is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“ OFAC ”); and the Partnership will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.

 

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(kkk) None of the Operating Subsidiaries is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, from paying any distributions to the Partnership, from making any other distributions on such subsidiary’s equity interests, from repaying to the Partnership any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Partnership or from transferring any of such subsidiary’s property or assets to the Partnership or any other subsidiary of the Partnership, except for any prohibitions arising under or in connection with the Credit Agreement, Indenture or as described in the Registration Statement and the most recent Preliminary Prospectus.

(lll) None of the Directed Units distributed in connection with the Directed Unit Program (each as defined in Section 3) will be offered or sold outside of the United States.

(mmm) The Partnership has not offered, or caused Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC to offer, Units to any person pursuant to the Directed Unit Program (as defined in Section 3) with the specific intent to unlawfully influence (i) a customer or supplier of the Partnership to alter the customer’s or supplier’s level or type of business with the Partnership or (ii) a trade journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the Partnership, its business or its products.

(nnn) From the time of initial filing of the Registration Statement with the Commission (or, if earlier, the first date on which any of the Partnership Entities engaged directly or through any person authorized to act on its behalf in any Testing-the-Waters Communication) through the date hereof, the Partnership has been and is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act (an “ Emerging Growth Company ”).

(ooo) The Partnership (i) has not engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication and (ii) has not authorized anyone to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Partnership has not distributed any Written Testing-the-Waters Communications.

Any certificate signed by any officer of the SunCoke Parties and delivered to the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters in connection with the offering of the Units shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the SunCoke Parties, as to matters covered thereby, to each Underwriter.

2. Purchase of the Units by the Underwriters. On the basis of the representations, warranties and covenants contained in, and subject to the terms and conditions of, this Agreement, the Partnership agrees to sell 13,500,000 Firm Units to the several Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase the number of Firm Units set forth opposite that Underwriter’s name in Schedule I hereto. The respective purchase obligations of the Underwriters with respect to the Firm Units shall be rounded among the Underwriters to avoid fractional Common Units, as the Representatives may determine.

In addition, the Partnership grants to the Underwriters an option to purchase up to 2,025,000 additional Option Units. Such option is exercisable in the event that the Underwriters sell more Common Units than the number of Firm Units in the offering and as set forth in

 

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Section 4 hereof. Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase the number of Option Units (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional Common Units as the Representatives may determine) that bears the same proportion to the total number of Option Units to be sold on such Delivery Date as the number of Firm Units set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total number of Firm Units.

The purchase price payable by the Underwriters for both the Firm Units and any Option Units is $17.86 per unit.

The Partnership is not obligated to deliver any of the Firm Units or Option Units to be delivered on the applicable Delivery Date, except upon payment for all such Units to be purchased on such Delivery Date as provided herein.

3. Offering of Units by the Underwriters . Upon authorization by the Representatives of the release of the Firm Units, the several Underwriters propose to offer the Firm Units for sale upon the terms and conditions to be set forth in the Prospectus.

It is understood that approximately 675,000 of the Firm Units (the “ Directed Units ”) will initially be reserved by the several Underwriters for offer and sale upon the terms and conditions to be set forth in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and in accordance with the rules and regulations of FINRA to directors and executive officers of the General Partner and certain other employees of the Sponsor (collectively, the “ Directed Unit Participants ”) who have heretofore delivered to Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC offers or indications of interest to purchase Firm Units in form satisfactory to Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC (such program, the “ Directed Unit Program ”) and that any allocation of such Firm Units among such persons will be made in accordance with timely directions received by Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC from the Partnership; provided that under no circumstances will Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC or any Underwriter be liable to the Partnership or to any such person for any action taken or omitted in good faith in connection with such Directed Unit Program. It is further understood that any Directed Units not affirmatively reconfirmed for purchase by any participant in the Directed Unit Program by 8:30 A.M., New York City time, on the first business day following the date hereof or otherwise are not purchased by such persons will be offered by the Underwriters to the public upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Prospectus.

The Partnership agrees to pay all fees and disbursements incurred by the Underwriters in connection with the Directed Unit Program and any stamp duties or other taxes incurred by the Underwriters in connection with the Directed Unit Program.

4. Delivery of and Payment for the Units. Delivery of and payment for the Firm Units shall be made at 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on the third full business day following the date of this Agreement or at such other date or place as shall be determined by agreement between the Representatives and the Partnership. This date and time are sometimes referred to as the “ Initial Delivery Date .” Delivery of the Firm Units shall be made to the Representatives for the account of each Underwriter against payment by the several Underwriters through the Representatives of the respective aggregate purchase prices of the Firm Units being sold by the Partnership to or upon the order of the Partnership of the purchase price by wire transfer in immediately available funds to the accounts specified by the Partnership. Time shall be of the

 

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essence, and delivery at the time and place specified pursuant to this Agreement is a further condition of the obligation of each Underwriter hereunder. The Partnership shall deliver the Firm Units through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company (“ DTC ”) unless the Representatives shall otherwise instruct.

The option granted in Section 2 will expire 30 days after the date of this Agreement and may be exercised in whole or from time to time in part by written notice being given to the Partnership by the Representatives; provided that if such date falls on a day that is not a business day, the option granted in Section 2 will expire on the next succeeding business day. Such notice shall set forth the aggregate number of Option Units as to which the option is being exercised, the names in which the Option Units are to be registered, the denominations in which the Option Units are to be issued and the date and time, as determined by the Representatives, when the Option Units are to be delivered; provided, however , that the date and time when the Option Units are to be delivered shall not be earlier than the Initial Delivery Date nor earlier than the second business day after the date on which the option shall have been exercised nor later than the fifth business day after the date on which the option shall have been exercised; provided further, however, that if the option is exercised prior to the Initial Delivery Date, the date and time when the Option Units are to be delivered shall be the Initial Delivery Date. Each date and time the Option Units are delivered is sometimes referred to as an “ Option Units Delivery Date ,” and the Initial Delivery Date and any Option Units Delivery Date are sometimes each referred to as a “ Delivery Date .”

Delivery of the Option Units by the Partnership and payment for the Option Units by the several Underwriters through the Representatives shall be made at 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on the date specified in the corresponding notice described in the preceding paragraph or at such other date or place as shall be determined by agreement between the Representatives and the Partnership. On the Option Units Delivery Date, the Partnership shall deliver or cause to be delivered the Option Units to the Representatives for the account of each Underwriter against payment by the several Underwriters through the Representatives and of the respective aggregate purchase prices of the Option Units being sold by the Partnership to or upon the order of the Partnership of the purchase price by wire transfer in immediately available funds to the accounts specified by the Partnership. Time shall be of the essence, and delivery at the time and place specified pursuant to this Agreement is a further condition of the obligation of each Underwriter hereunder. The Partnership shall deliver the Option Units through the facilities of DTC unless the Representatives shall otherwise instruct.

5. Further Agreements of the Partnership Parties and the Underwriters .

(a) Each of the Partnership Parties, jointly and severally, covenants and agrees to cause the Partnership:

(i) To prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by the Representatives and to file such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act not later than the Commission’s close of business on the second business day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement; to make no further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus prior to the last Delivery Date except as provided herein; to advise the Representatives, promptly after it

 

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receives notice thereof, of the time when any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus has been filed and to furnish the Representatives with copies thereof; to advise the Representatives, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, of the suspension of the qualification of the Units for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding or examination for any such purpose or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or for additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or suspending any such qualification, to use promptly its best efforts to obtain its withdrawal.

(ii) To furnish promptly to each of the Representatives and to counsel for the Underwriters a signed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed with the Commission, and each amendment thereto filed with the Commission, including all consents and exhibits filed therewith.

(iii) To deliver promptly to the Representatives such number of the following documents as the Representatives shall reasonably request: (A) conformed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed with the Commission and each amendment thereto (in each case excluding exhibits other than this Agreement and the computation of per unit earnings); (B) each Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and any amended or supplemented Prospectus; (C) each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus; and (D) any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication; and, if the delivery of a prospectus is required at any time after the date hereof in connection with the offering or sale of the Units or any other securities relating thereto and if at such time any event shall have occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made when such Prospectus is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any other reason it shall be necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the Securities Act, to notify the Representatives and, upon their request, to file such document and to prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter and to any dealer in securities as many copies as the Representatives may from time to time reasonably request of an amended or supplemented Prospectus that will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance.

(iv) To file promptly with the Commission any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus that may, in the judgment of the Partnership or the Representatives, be required by the Securities Act or requested by the Commission.

(v) Prior to filing with the Commission any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, or the Prospectus, to furnish a copy thereof to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters and obtain the consent of the Representatives to the filing.

 

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(vi) Not to make any offer relating to the Units that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus without the prior written consent of the Representatives.

(vii) To comply with all applicable requirements of Rule 433 under the Securities Act with respect to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus. If at any time after the date hereof any event shall have occurred as a result of which any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented, would conflict with the information in the Registration Statement, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or, if for any other reason it shall be necessary to amend or supplement any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, to notify the Representatives and, upon their request, to file such document and to prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter as many copies as the Representatives may from time to time reasonably request of an amended or supplemented Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that will correct such conflict, statement or omission or effect such compliance.

(viii) As soon as practicable after the Effective Date (it being understood that the Partnership shall have until at least 410 days or, if the fourth quarter following the fiscal quarter that includes the Effective Date is the last fiscal quarter of the Partnership’s fiscal year, 455 days after the end of the Partnership’s current fiscal quarter), to make generally available to the Partnership’s security holders and to deliver to the Representatives an earnings statement of the Partnership and its subsidiaries (which need not be audited) complying with Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder (including, at the option of the Partnership, Rule 158).

(ix) Promptly from time to time to take such action as the Representatives may reasonably request to qualify the Units for offering and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of Canada and such other jurisdictions as the Representatives may request and to comply with such laws so as to permit the continuance of sales and dealings therein in such jurisdictions for as long as may be necessary to complete the distribution of the Units; provided that in connection therewith the Partnership shall not be required to (A) qualify as a foreign corporation in any jurisdiction in which it would not otherwise be required to so qualify; (B) file a general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction; or (C) subject itself to taxation in any jurisdiction in which it would not otherwise be subject.

(x) For a period commencing on the date hereof and ending on the 180th day after the date of the Prospectus (the “ Lock-Up Period ”), not to, directly or indirectly, (A) offer for sale, sell, pledge, or otherwise dispose of (or enter into any transaction or device that is designed to, or could be expected to, result in the disposition by any person at any time in the future of) any Common Units or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Units (other than the Common Units issued pursuant to employee benefit plans, qualified option plans or other employee

 

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compensation plans existing on the date hereof, provided that any recipient of such Common Units must agree in writing to be bound by the terms of this Section 5(x) for the remaining term of the Lock-Up Period), or sell or grant options, rights or warrants with respect to any Common Units or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Common Units (other than the grant of options pursuant to option plans existing on the date hereof); (B) enter into any swap or other derivatives transaction that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic benefits or risks of ownership of such Common Units, whether any such transaction described in clause (A) or (B) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Units or other securities, in cash or otherwise; (C) file or cause to be filed a registration statement, including any amendments thereto, with respect to the registration of any Common Units or securities convertible, exercisable or exchangeable into Common Units or any other securities of the Partnership (other than a registration statement on Form S-8); or (D) publicly disclose the intention to do any of the foregoing, in each case without the prior written consent of Barclays Capital Inc., on behalf of the Underwriters, and to cause each officer, director and unitholder of the Partnership set forth on Schedule IV hereto to furnish to the Representatives, prior to the Initial Delivery Date, a letter or letters, substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto (the “ Lock-Up Agreements ”).

(xi) If Barclays Capital Inc., in its sole discretion, agrees to release or waive the restrictions set forth in a Lock-Up Agreement for Sun Coal & Coke or an officer or director of the General Partner and provides the Partnership with notice of the impending release or waiver at least three business days before the effective date of the release or waiver, the Partnership agrees to announce the impending release or waiver by issuing a press release substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto, and containing such other information as Barclays Capital Inc. may require with respect to the circumstances of the release or waiver and/or the identity of the officer(s) and/or director(s) with respect to which the release or waiver applies, through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver.

(xii) To apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Units being sold by the Partnership substantially in accordance with the description as set forth in the Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds.”

(xiii) If the Partnership elects to rely upon Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, the Partnership shall file a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement with the Commission in compliance with Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act by 10:00 P.M., Washington, D.C. time, on the date of this Agreement, and the Partnership shall at the time of filing pay the Commission the filing fee for the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement.

(xiv) In connection with the Directed Unit Program, to ensure that the Directed Units will be restricted from sale, transfer, assignment, pledge or hypothecation to the same extent as sales and dispositions of Common Units by the Partnership are restricted pursuant to Section 5(a)(x), and Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC will notify the Partnership as to which Directed Unit Participants will need to be so restricted. At the request of Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, the Partnership will direct the transfer agent to place stop transfer restrictions upon such securities for such period of time as is consistent with Section 5(a)(x).

 

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(xv) The Partnership will promptly notify the Representatives if the Partnership ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (A) completion of the distribution of the Units within the meaning of the Securities Act; and (B) completion of the Lock-up Period.

(xvi) If at any time following the distribution of any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Partnership will promptly notify the Representatives and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication to eliminate or correct such untrue statement or omission.

(xvii) The Partnership and its affiliates will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that has constituted or that reasonably would be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Partnership in connection with the offering of the Units.

(xviii) The Partnership will do and perform all things required or necessary to be done and performed under this Agreement by it prior to each Delivery Date, and to satisfy all conditions precedent to the Underwriters’ obligations hereunder to purchase the Units.

(b) Each Underwriter severally agrees that such Underwriter shall not include any “issuer information” (as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act) in any “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) used or referred to by such Underwriter without the prior consent of the Partnership (any such issuer information with respect to whose use the Partnership has given its consent, “ Permitted Issuer Information ”); provided that (i) no such consent shall be required with respect to any such issuer information contained in any document filed by the Partnership with the Commission prior to the use of such free writing prospectus; and (ii) “issuer information”, as used in this Section 5(b), shall not be deemed to include information prepared by or on behalf of such Underwriter on the basis of or derived from issuer information.

6. Expenses. The Partnership agrees, whether or not the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, to pay all expenses, costs, fees and taxes incident to and in connection with (a) the authorization, issuance, sale and delivery of the Units and any stamp duties or other taxes payable in that connection, and the preparation and printing of certificates for the Units; (b) the preparation, printing and filing under the Securities Act of the Registration Statement (including any exhibits thereto), any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto; (c) the distribution of the Registration Statement (including any exhibits

 

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thereto), any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication and any amendment or supplement thereto, all as provided in this Agreement; (d) the production and distribution of this Agreement, any supplemental agreement among Underwriters, and any other related documents in connection with the offering, purchase, sale and delivery of the Units; (e) any required review by FINRA of the terms of sale of the Units (including related fees and expenses of counsel to the Underwriters in an amount that is not greater than $10,000); (f) the listing of the Units on the New York Stock Exchange; (g) the qualification of the Units under the securities laws of the several jurisdictions as provided in Section 5(a)(ix) and the preparation, printing and distribution of a Blue Sky Memorandum (including related fees and expenses of counsel to the Underwriters); (h) the preparation, printing and distribution of one or more versions of the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus for distribution in Canada, including in the form of a Canadian “wrapper” (including related fees and expenses of Canadian counsel to the Underwriters); (i) the offer and sale of shares of the Units by the Underwriters in connection with the Directed Unit Program, including the fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters related thereto, the costs and expenses of preparation, printing and distribution of the Directed Unit Program material and all stamp duties or other taxes incurred by the Underwriters in connection with the Directed Unit Program; (j) the investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the Units, including, without limitation, expenses associated with any electronic road show, travel and lodging expenses of the representatives and officers of the Partnership and one-half of the cost of any aircraft chartered in connection with the road show; and (k) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Partnership Parties under this Agreement; provided that, except as provided in this Section 6 and in Section 11, the Underwriters shall pay their own costs and expenses, including the costs and expenses of their counsel, any transfer taxes on the Units which they may sell and the expenses of advertising any offering of the Units made by the Underwriters.

7. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations . The respective obligations of the Underwriters hereunder are subject to the accuracy, when made and on each Delivery Date, of the representations and warranties of the Partnership Parties contained herein, to the performance by the Partnership Parties of their respective obligations hereunder, and to each of the following additional terms and conditions:

(a) The Prospectus shall have been timely filed with the Commission in accordance with Section 5(a)(i). The Partnership shall have complied with all filing requirements applicable to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus used or referred to after the date hereof; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or preventing or suspending the use of the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall have been issued and no proceeding or examination for such purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; and any request of the Commission for inclusion of additional information in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or otherwise shall have been complied with. If the Partnership has elected to rely upon Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement shall have become effective by 10:00 P.M., Washington, D.C. time, on the date of this Agreement.

 

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(b) No Underwriter shall have discovered and disclosed to the Partnership on or prior to such Delivery Date that the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Pricing Disclosure Package, or any amendment or supplement thereto, contains an untrue statement of a fact which, in the opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, is material or omits to state a fact which, in the opinion of such counsel, is material and is required to be stated therein or is necessary to make the statements therein (in the case of the Prospectus and the Pricing Disclosure Package, in the light of the circumstances under which such statements were made) not misleading.

(c) All limited partnership, limited liability company and corporate proceedings and other legal matters incident to the authorization, form and validity of this Agreement, the Units, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and all other legal matters relating to this Agreement and the Transactions (and any other transactions) contemplated by this Agreement and the Operative Agreements) shall be reasonably satisfactory in all material respects to counsel for the Underwriters, and the Partnership shall have furnished to such counsel all documents and information that they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.

(d) Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. shall have furnished to the Representatives its written opinion, as counsel to the Partnership Parties, addressed to the Underwriters and dated such Delivery Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit C-1.

(e) Denise R. Cade shall have furnished to the Representatives her written opinion, as general counsel to the General Partner, addressed to the Underwriters and dated such Delivery Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit C-2.

(f) The Representatives shall have received from Latham & Watkins LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, such opinion or opinions, dated such Delivery Date, with respect to the issuance and sale of the Units, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Pricing Disclosure Package and other related matters as the Representatives may reasonably require, and the Partnership shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they reasonably request for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon such matters.

(g) At the time of execution of this Agreement, the Representatives shall have received from Ernst & Young LLP a letter, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, addressed to the Underwriters and dated the date hereof (i) confirming that they are independent public accountants within the meaning of the Securities Act and are in compliance with the applicable requirements relating to the qualification of accountants under Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X of the Commission; and (ii) stating, as of the date hereof (or, with respect to matters involving changes or developments since the respective dates as of which specified financial information is given in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, as of a date not more than three days prior to the date hereof), the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial information and other matters ordinarily covered by accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters in connection with registered public offerings.

 

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(h) With respect to the letter of Ernst & Young LLP referred to in the preceding paragraph and delivered to the Representatives concurrently with the execution of this Agreement (the “ initial letter ”), the Partnership shall have furnished to the Representatives a letter (the “ bring-down letter ”) of such accountants, addressed to the Underwriters and dated such Delivery Date (i) confirming that they are independent public accountants within the meaning of the Securities Act and are in compliance with the applicable requirements relating to the qualification of accountants under Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X of the Commission; (ii) stating, as of the date of the bring-down letter (or, with respect to matters involving changes or developments since the respective dates as of which specified financial information is given in the Prospectus, as of a date not more than three days prior to the date of the bring-down letter), the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial information and other matters covered by the initial letter; and (iii) confirming in all material respects the conclusions and findings set forth in the initial letter.

(i) Each Partnership Party shall have furnished to the Representatives a certificate, dated such Delivery Date, of the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer of such Partnership Party as to such matters as the Representatives may reasonably request, including, without limitation, a statement that:

(i) The representations, warranties and agreements of such Partnership Party in Section 1 are true and correct on and as of such Delivery Date, and that such Partnership Party has complied with all its agreements contained herein and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to such Delivery Date;

(ii) No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued; and no proceedings or examination for that purpose have been instituted or, to the knowledge of such officers, threatened; and

(iii) They have examined the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Pricing Disclosure Package, and, in their opinion, (A) (1) the Registration Statement, as of the Effective Date; (2) the Prospectus, as of its date and on the applicable Delivery Date; and (3) the Pricing Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, did not and do not contain any untrue statement of a material fact and did not and do not omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (except in the case of the Registration Statement, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading; and (B) since the Effective Date, no event has occurred that should have been set forth in a supplement or amendment to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that has not been so set forth.

(j) The Representatives shall have received certificates, dated the date hereof and as of the Closing Date, of the Chief Financial Officer of the General Partner substantially in the form of Exhibit D hereto.

 

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(k) Except as described in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, (i) none of the Partnership Entities shall have sustained, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree; or (ii) since such date there shall not have been any change in the equity interests or long-term debt of any of the Partnership and its subsidiaries or any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, partners’ or members’ equity, as applicable, properties, management, business or prospects of the Partnership and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, the effect of which, in any such case described in clause (i) or (ii), is, individually or in the aggregate, in the judgment of the Representatives, so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Units being delivered on such Delivery Date on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus.

(l) Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement (i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating accorded the Partnership’s debt securities by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” (as that term is defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the Securities Act); and (ii) no such organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, with possible negative implications, its rating of any of the Partnership’s debt securities.

(m) Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement there shall not have occurred any of the following: (i) trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange, The NASDAQ Global Select Market, The NASDAQ Global Market, The NASDAQ Capital Market, or trading in any securities of the Partnership on any exchange or in the over-the-counter market, shall have been suspended or materially limited or the settlement of such trading generally shall have been materially disrupted or minimum prices shall have been established on any such exchange or such market by the Commission, by such exchange or by any other regulatory body or governmental authority having jurisdiction; (ii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by federal or state authorities; (iii) the United States shall have become engaged in hostilities, there shall have been an escalation in hostilities involving the United States or there shall have been a declaration of a national emergency or war by the United States; or (iv) there shall have occurred such a material adverse change in general economic, political or financial conditions, including, without limitation, as a result of terrorist activities after the date hereof (or the effect of international conditions on the financial markets in the United States shall be such), as to make it, in the judgment of the Representatives, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or delivery of the Units being delivered on such Delivery Date on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus.

(n) The New York Stock Exchange shall have approved the Units for listing, subject only to official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution.

(o) FINRA has confirmed that it has not raised any objection with respect to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements relating to the offering of the Units.

 

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(p) The Lock-Up Agreements between the Representatives and the officers and directors of the General Partner and the unitholders of the Partnership set forth on Schedule IV, delivered to the Representatives on or before the date of this Agreement, shall be in full force and effect on such Delivery Date.

(q) The Partnership Entities shall have furnished to the Representatives evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives that each of the Transactions shall have occurred or will occur as of the Closing Date, including the concurrent closing of the Credit Agreement and the closing of the Senior Notes on or prior to the Closing Date, in each case as described in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus without material modification, change or waiver, except for such material modifications, changes or waivers as have been specifically identified to the Representatives and which, in the judgment of the Representatives, do not make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering and delivery of the Units on the Closing Date on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Pricing Disclosure Package and Prospectus.

(r) On or prior to each Delivery Date, the Partnership shall have furnished to the Underwriters such further certificates and documents as the Representatives may reasonably request.

All opinions, letters, evidence and certificates mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall be deemed to be in compliance with the provisions hereof only if they are in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters.

8. Indemnification and Contribution.

(a) The Partnership Parties hereby agree, jointly and severally, to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates, directors, officers, employees, selling agents and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act from and against any loss, claim, damage or liability, joint or several, or any action in respect thereof (including, but not limited to, any loss, claim, damage, liability or action relating to purchases and sales of Units), to which that Underwriter, affiliate, director, officer, employee, selling agent or controlling person may become subject, under the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or action arises out of, or is based upon, (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in (A) any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto; (B) any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto; (C) any Permitted Issuer Information used or referred to in any “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) used or referred to by any Underwriter; (D) any materials or information provided to investors by, or with the approval of, the Partnership in connection with the marketing or the offering of the Units, including any “road show” (as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act) not constituting an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication (“ Marketing Materials ”); (E) any Blue Sky application or other document prepared or executed by the Partnership (or based upon any written information furnished by the Partnership for use therein) specifically for the purpose of qualifying any or all of the Units under the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction (any such application,

 

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document or information being hereinafter called a “ Blue Sky Application ”); or (F) any Testing-the-Waters Communication or (ii) the omission or alleged omission to state in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto or in any Permitted Issuer Information, any Marketing Materials or any Blue Sky Application, any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and shall reimburse each Underwriter and each such affiliate, director, officer, employee, selling agent or controlling person promptly upon demand for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by that Underwriter, affiliate, director, officer, employee, selling agent or controlling person in connection with investigating or defending or preparing to defend against any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action as such expenses are incurred; provided , however , that the Partnership Parties shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action arises out of, or is based upon, any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any such amendment or supplement thereto or in any Permitted Issuer Information, any Marketing Materials or any Blue Sky Application, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information concerning such Underwriter furnished to the Partnership through the Representatives by or on behalf of any Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information consists solely of the information specified in Section 8(e). The foregoing indemnity agreement is in addition to any liability which the Partnership may otherwise have to any Underwriter or to any affiliate, director, officer, employee, selling agent or controlling person of that Underwriter.

(b) Each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, shall indemnify and hold harmless each Partnership Party, its directors, officers and employees, and each person, if any, who controls such Partnership Party within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, from and against any loss, claim, damage or liability, joint or several, or any action in respect thereof, to which such Partnership Party or any such director, officer, employee or controlling person may become subject, under the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or action arises out of, or is based upon, (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto or in any Marketing Materials or Blue Sky Application; or (ii) the omission or alleged omission to state in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto or in any Marketing Materials or Blue Sky Application, any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, but in each case only to the extent that the untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information concerning such Underwriter furnished to the Partnership through the Representatives by or on behalf of that Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information is limited to the information set forth in Section 8(e). The foregoing indemnity agreement is in addition to any liability that any Underwriter may otherwise have to the Partnership Parties or any such director, officer, employee or controlling person.

 

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(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 8 of notice of any claim or the commencement of any action, the indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under this Section 8, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the claim or the commencement of that action; provided , however , that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have under this Section 8 except to the extent it has been materially prejudiced (through the forfeiture of substantive rights and defenses) by such failure and, provided , further , that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to an indemnified party otherwise than under this Section 8. If any such claim or action shall be brought against an indemnified party, and it shall notify the indemnifying party thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it wishes, jointly with any other similarly notified indemnifying party, to assume the defense thereof with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party. After notice from the indemnifying party to the indemnified party of its election to assume the defense of such claim or action, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to the indemnified party under this Section 8 for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by the indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation; provided, however , that the indemnified party shall have the right to employ counsel to represent jointly the indemnified party and those other indemnified parties and their respective directors, officers, employees and controlling persons who may be subject to liability arising out of any claim in respect of which indemnity may be sought under this Section 8 if (i) the indemnified party and the indemnifying party shall have so mutually agreed; (ii) the indemnifying party has failed within a reasonable time to retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party; (iii) the indemnified party and its directors, officers, employees, agents and controlling persons shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to them that are different from or in addition to those available to the indemnifying party; or (iv) the named parties in any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the indemnified parties or their respective directors, officers, employees or controlling persons, on the one hand, and the indemnifying party, on the other hand, and representation of both sets of parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them, and in any such event the fees and expenses of such separate counsel shall be paid by the indemnifying party. No indemnifying party shall (x) without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld), settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties to such claim or action) unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit or proceeding and does not include a statement as to, or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party, or (y) be liable for any settlement of any such action effected without its written consent (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld), but if settled with the consent of the indemnifying party or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff in any such action, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify and hold harmless any indemnified party from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by Section 8(a) hereof, the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 60

 

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days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior to such settlement being entered into, and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request or disputed in good faith the indemnified party’s entitlement to such reimbursement prior to the date of such settlement.

(d) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 8 shall for any reason be unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under Section 8(a) or 8(b) in respect of any loss, claim, damage or liability, or any action in respect thereof, referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party, contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such loss, claim, damage or liability, or action in respect thereof, (i) in such proportion as shall be appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Partnership Parties, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, from the offering of the Units; or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Partnership Parties, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, with respect to the statements or omissions that resulted in such loss, claim, damage or liability, or action in respect thereof, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Partnership Parties, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, with respect to such offering shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Units purchased under this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Partnership Parties, as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus, on the one hand, and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters with respect to the Units purchased under this Agreement, as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus, on the other hand. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Partnership Parties or the Underwriters, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Partnership Parties and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this Section 8(d) were to be determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to herein. The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the loss, claim, damage or liability, or action in respect thereof, referred to above in this Section 8(d) shall be deemed to include, for purposes of this Section 8(d), any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 8(d), in no event shall an Underwriter be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by such Underwriter with respect to the offering of the Units exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations to contribute as provided in this Section 8(d) are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.

 

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(e) The Underwriters severally confirm and the Partnership Parties acknowledge and agree that the statements regarding delivery of the Common Units by the Underwriters set forth on the cover page of, and the concession and reallowance figures and the paragraphs relating to stabilization by the Underwriters appearing under the caption “Underwriting” in, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus are correct and constitute the only information concerning such Underwriters furnished in writing to the Partnership Parties by or on behalf of the Underwriters specifically for inclusion in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto or in any Marketing Materials.

(f) The Partnership shall indemnify and hold harmless the Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC (including their affiliates, directors, officers and employees) and each person, if any, who controls Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act (“ Credit Suisse Entities ”), from and against any loss, claim, damage or liability or any action in respect thereof to which any of the Credit Suisse Entities may become subject, under the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or action (i) arises out of, or is based upon, any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any material prepared by or with the approval of the Partnership for distribution to Directed Unit Participants in connection with the Directed Unit Program or any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (ii) arises out of, or is based upon, the failure of the Directed Unit Participant to pay for and accept delivery of Directed Units that the Directed Unit Participant agreed to purchase, or (iii) is otherwise related to the Directed Unit Program; provided that the Partnership shall not be liable under this clause (iii) for any loss, claim, damage, liability or action that is determined in a final judgment by a court of competent jurisdiction to have resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Credit Suisse Entities. The Partnership shall reimburse the Credit Suisse Entities promptly upon demand for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending or preparing to defend against any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action as such expenses are incurred.

9. Defaulting Underwriters .

(a) If, on any Delivery Date, any Underwriter defaults in its obligations to purchase the Units that it has agreed to purchase under this Agreement, the remaining non-defaulting Underwriters may in their discretion arrange for the purchase of such Units by the non-defaulting Underwriters or other persons satisfactory to the Partnership on the terms contained in this Agreement. If, within 36 hours after any such default by any Underwriter, the non-defaulting Underwriters do not arrange for the purchase of such Units, then the Partnership shall be entitled to a further period of 36 hours within which to procure other persons satisfactory to the non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase such Units on such terms. In the event that within the respective prescribed periods, the non-defaulting Underwriters notify the Partnership that they have so arranged for the purchase of such Units, or the Partnership notifies the non-defaulting Underwriters that it has so arranged for the purchase of such Units, either the non-defaulting Underwriters or the Partnership may postpone such Delivery Date for up to seven full business days in order to effect any changes that in the opinion of counsel for the Partnership or counsel for the Underwriters may be necessary in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or

 

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in any other document or arrangement, and the Partnership agrees to promptly prepare any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or in any such other document or arrangement that effects any such changes. As used in this Agreement, the term “Underwriter” includes, for all purposes of this Agreement unless the context requires otherwise, any party not listed in Schedule I hereto that, pursuant to this Section 9, purchases Units that a defaulting Underwriter agreed but failed to purchase.

(b) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Units of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the non-defaulting Underwriters and the Partnership as provided in paragraph (a) above, the total number of Units that remains unpurchased does not exceed one-eleventh of the total number of all Units, then the Partnership shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the total number of Units that such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder plus such Underwriter’s pro rata share (based on the total number of Units that such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder) of the Units of such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made; provided that the non-defaulting Underwriters shall not be obligated to purchase more than 110% of the total number of Units that it agreed to purchase on such Delivery Date pursuant to the terms of Section 2.

(c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Units of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the non-defaulting Underwriters and the Partnership as provided in paragraph (a) above, the total number of Units that remains unpurchased exceeds one-eleventh of the total number of all the Units, or if the Partnership shall not exercise the right described in paragraph (b) above, then this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of the non-defaulting Underwriters. Any termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 9 shall be without liability on the part of the Partnership Parties, except that the Partnership Parties will continue to be liable for the payment of expenses as set forth in Sections 6 and 11 and except that the provisions of this Section 9 shall not terminate and shall remain in effect.

(d) Nothing contained herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter of any liability it may have to the Partnership or any non-defaulting Underwriter for damages caused by its default.

10. Termination. The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder may be terminated by the Representatives by notice given to and received by the Partnership prior to delivery of and payment for the Firm Units if, prior to that time, any of the events described in Sections 7(j), 7(k) and 7(l) shall have occurred or if the Underwriters shall decline to purchase the Units for any reason permitted under this Agreement.

11. Reimbursement of Underwriters’ Expenses. If the purchase of the Units by the Underwriters is not consummated for any reason other than (a) any event specified in Section 7(m) (other than by reason of trading in any securities of the Partnership on any exchange being suspended or materially limited), or (b) because of the termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 9, the Partnership will reimburse the Underwriters for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses (including fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters) incurred by the Underwriters in connection with this Agreement and the proposed purchase of the Units, and upon demand the Partnership shall pay the full amount thereof to the Representatives. If this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 9 by reason of the default of one or more Underwriters, the Partnership shall not be obligated to reimburse any defaulting Underwriter on account of those expenses.

 

35


12. Research Analyst Independence. The Partnership acknowledges that the Underwriters’ research analysts and research departments are required to be independent from their respective investment banking divisions and are subject to certain regulations and internal policies, and that such Underwriters’ research analysts may hold views and make statements or investment recommendations and/or publish research reports with respect to the Partnership and/or the offering that differ from the views of their respective investment banking divisions. The Partnership Parties hereby waive and release, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Partnership Parties may have against the Underwriters with respect to any conflict of interest that may arise from the fact that the views expressed by their independent research analysts and research departments may be different from or inconsistent with the views or advice communicated to the Partnership Parties by such Underwriters’ investment banking divisions. The Partnership Parties acknowledge that each of the Underwriters is a full service securities firm and as such from time to time, subject to applicable securities laws, may effect transactions for its own account or the account of its customers and hold long or short positions in debt or equity securities of the companies that may be the subject of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

13. No Fiduciary Duty . The Partnership Parties acknowledge and agree that in connection with this offering, sale of the Units or any other services the Underwriters may be deemed to be providing hereunder, notwithstanding any preexisting relationship, advisory or otherwise, between the parties or any oral representations or assurances previously or subsequently made by the Underwriters: (a) no fiduciary or agency relationship between the Partnership Parties and any other person, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, exists; (b) the Underwriters are not acting as advisors, expert or otherwise, to the Partnership Parties, including, without limitation, with respect to the determination of the public offering price of the Units, and such relationship between the Partnership Parties, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, is entirely and solely commercial, based on arms-length negotiations; (c) any duties and obligations that the Underwriters may have to the Partnership Parties shall be limited to those duties and obligations specifically stated herein; and (d) the Underwriters and their respective affiliates may have interests that differ from those of the Partnership Parties. The Partnership Parties hereby waive any claims that the Partnership Parties may have against the Underwriters with respect to any breach of fiduciary duty in connection with this offering.

14. Notices, etc. All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing, and:

(a) if to the Underwriters, shall be delivered or sent by mail or facsimile transmission to (i) Barclays Capital Inc., 745 Seventh Avenue, New York, New York 10019, Attention: Syndicate Registration (Fax: 646-834-8133), with a copy, in the case of any notice pursuant to Section 8, to the Director of Litigation, Office of the General Counsel, Barclays Capital Inc., 745 Seventh Avenue, New York, New York 10019 and (ii) J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, 383 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10179, Attention: Syndicate Desk (Fax: 212-622-8358); and

 

36


(b) if to any of the Partnership Parties, shall be delivered or sent by mail or facsimile transmission to the address of the Partnership set forth in the Registration Statement, Attention: General Counsel (Fax: 630-824-1001).

Any such statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect at the time of receipt thereof. The Partnership Parties shall be entitled to act and rely upon any request, consent, notice or agreement given or made on behalf of the Underwriters by Barclays Capital Inc. on behalf of the Representatives.

15. Persons Entitled to Benefit of Agreement . This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Underwriters, the Partnership Parties and their respective successors. This Agreement and the terms and provisions hereof are for the sole benefit of only those persons, except that (a) the representations, warranties, indemnities and agreements of the Partnership Parties contained in this Agreement shall also be deemed to be for the benefit of the directors, officers and employees of the Underwriters and each person or persons, if any, who control any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, and (b) the indemnity agreement of the Underwriters contained in Section 8(b) of this Agreement shall be deemed to be for the benefit of the directors of the General Partner, the officers of the General Partner who have signed the Registration Statement and any person controlling the Partnership within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act. Nothing in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, other than the persons referred to in this Section 15, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision contained herein.

16. Survival. The respective indemnities, representations, warranties and agreements of the Partnership Parties and the Underwriters contained in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of them, respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall survive the delivery of and payment for the Units and shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any of them or any person controlling any of them.

17. Definition of the Terms “Business Day”, “Affiliate” and “Subsidiary” . For purposes of this Agreement, (a) “ business day ” means each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday that is not a day on which banking institutions in New York are generally authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close, and (b) “ affiliate ” and “ subsidiary ” have the meanings set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act.

18. Governing Law . This Agreement, and any claim, controversy or dispute relating to or arising out of this Agreement, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

19. Waiver of Jury Trial . The Partnership Parties and the Underwriters hereby irrevocably waive, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.

 

37


20. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts and, if executed in more than one counterpart, the executed counterparts shall each be deemed to be an original but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument.

21. Headings. The headings herein are inserted for convenience of reference only and are not intended to be part of, or to affect the meaning or interpretation of, this Agreement.

[ Signature page follows ]

 

38


If the foregoing correctly sets forth the agreement among the Partnership Parties and the Underwriters, please indicate your acceptance in the space provided for that purpose below.

 

Very truly yours,
SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P.
By:   SunCoke Energy Partners GP LLC,
  its general partner
By:  

/s/ Mark E. Newman

  Name: Mark E. Newman
  Title: Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS GP LLC
By:  

/s/ Mark E. Newman

  Name: Mark E. Newman
  Title: Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
SUN COAL & COKE LLC
By:  

/s/ Mark E. Newman

  Name: Mark E. Newman
  Title: Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer
SUNCOKE ENERGY, INC.
By:  

/s/ Mark E. Newman

  Name: Mark E. Newman
  Title: Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

 

SIGNATURE PAGE TO UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT


Accepted:

B ARCLAYS C APITAL I NC .

M ERRILL L YNCH , P IERCE , F ENNER  & S MITH

I NCORPORATED

C ITIGROUP G LOBAL M ARKETS I NC .

C REDIT S UISSE S ECURITIES (USA) LLC

J.P. M ORGAN S ECURITIES LLC

For themselves and as Representatives

of the several Underwriters named

in Schedule I hereto

 

B ARCLAYS C APITAL I NC .
By:  

/s/ Victoria Hale

  Name: Victoria Hale
  Title: Authorized Representative

M ERRILL  L YNCH , P IERCE , F ENNER  & S MITH

I NCORPORATED

By:  

/s/ Mitchell Theis

  Name: Mitchell Theis
  Title: Authorized Representative
C ITIGROUP G LOBAL M ARKETS I NC .
By:  

/s/ Brennan Smith

  Name: Brennan Smith
  Title: Authorized Representative
C REDIT S UISSE S ECURITIES (USA) LLC
By:  

/s/ Robert Santangelo

  Name: Robert Santangelo
  Title: Authorized Representative
J.P. M ORGAN S ECURITIES LLC
By:  

/s/ Robert Birdsey

  Name: Robert Birdsey
  Title: Authorized Representative

 

SIGNATURE PAGE TO UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT


SCHEDULE I

 

Underwriters

   Number of Firm Units  

Barclays Capital Inc.

     2,295,000   

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated

     2,295,000   

Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

     2,295,000   

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC

     1,350,000   

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

     1,215,000   

Evercore Group L.L.C.

     1,012,500   

Goldman, Sachs & Co.

     1,012,500   

RBC Capital Markets, LLC

     1,012,500   

UBS Securities LLC

     1,012,500   
  

 

 

 

Total

     13,500,000   
  

 

 

 


SCHEDULE II

ORALLY CONVEYED PRICING INFORMATION

1. Public offering price $19.00 per Unit

2. Number of units offered —13,500,000 Common Units and an option to purchase up to an aggregate of 2,025,000 additional Common Units


SCHEDULE III

ISSUER FREE WRITING PROSPECTUSES

None.


SCHEDULE IV

PERSONS DELIVERING LOCK-UP AGREEMENTS

Sun Coal & Coke LLC

Frederick A. Henderson

Michael J. Thomson

Denise R. Cade

Mark E. Newman

Fay West


SCHEDULE V

LIST OF JURISDICTIONS OF FOREIGN QUALIFICATION

 

Entity

  

Jurisdiction of Organization

   Foreign Qualifications

SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P.

   Delaware    N/A

SunCoke Energy Partners GP LLC

   Delaware    N/A

Haverhill Coke Company LLC

   Delaware    Ohio

Middletown Coke Company, LLC

   Delaware    Ohio

Haverhill Cogeneration Company LLC

   Delaware    Ohio

Middletown Cogeneration Company LLC

   Delaware    Ohio

Sun Coal & Coke LLC

   Delaware    N/A

SunCoke Energy, Inc.

   Delaware    N/A


SCHEDULE VI

SUBSIDIARIES

Haverhill Coke Company LLC

Middletown Coke Company, LLC

Haverhill Cogeneration Company LLC

Middletown Cogeneration Company LLC

SunCoke Energy Partners Finance Corp.


EXHIBIT A

LOCK-UP LETTER AGREEMENT

B ARCLAYS C APITAL I NC .

M ERRILL L YNCH , P IERCE , F ENNER  & S MITH

I NCORPORATED

C ITIGROUP G LOBAL M ARKETS I NC .

C REDIT S UISSE S ECURITIES (USA) LLC

J.P. M ORGAN S ECURITIES LLC

As Representatives of the several

    Underwriters named in Schedule I,

c/o Barclays Capital Inc.

745 Seventh Avenue New York, New York 10019

Ladies and Gentlemen:

The undersigned understands that you and certain other firms (the “ Underwriters ”) propose to enter into an Underwriting Agreement (the “ Underwriting Agreement ”) providing for the purchase by the Underwriters of common units representing limited partner interests (the “ Units ”) of SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “ Partnership ”), and that the Underwriters propose to reoffer the Units to the public (the “ Offering ”).

In consideration of the execution of the Underwriting Agreement by the Underwriters, and for other good and valuable consideration, the undersigned hereby irrevocably agrees that, without the prior written consent of Barclays Capital Inc., on behalf of the Underwriters, the undersigned will not, directly or indirectly, (1) offer for sale, sell, pledge, or otherwise dispose of (or enter into any transaction or device that is designed to, or could be expected to, result in the disposition by any person at any time in the future of) any Units (including, without limitation, Units that may be deemed to be beneficially owned by the undersigned in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and Units that may be issued upon exercise of any options or warrants) or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Units, except for transfers of Units (i) to an affiliate or (ii) as a bona fide gift (provided that, in the case of any such transfer contemplated in clauses (i) or (ii), (A) the transferee or donee shall execute and deliver a lock-up letter agreement substantially in the form of this Lock-up Letter Agreement and (B) no filing or public announcement under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise, reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of Units shall be required or voluntarily made during the Lock-Up Period (as defined below), (2) enter into any swap or other derivatives transaction that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic benefits or risks of ownership of Units, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Units or other securities, in cash or otherwise, (3) make any demand for or exercise any right or cause to be filed a registration statement, including any amendments thereto, with respect to the registration of any Units or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Units or any other securities of the Partnership, or (4) publicly disclose the intention to do any of the foregoing for a period commencing on the date hereof and ending on the 180th day after the date of the Prospectus relating to the Offering (such 180-day period, the “ Lock-Up Period ”).

 

Exhibit A-1


If the undersigned is an officer or director of the general partner of the Partnership, (i) Barclays Capital Inc. agrees that, at least three business days before the effective date of any release or waiver of the foregoing restrictions in connection with a transfer of Units, Barclays Capital Inc. will notify the Partnership of the impending release or waiver, and (ii) the Partnership has agreed in the Underwriting Agreement to announce the impending release or waiver by issuing a press release through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver. Any release or waiver granted by Barclays Capital Inc. hereunder to any such officer or director shall only be effective two business days after the publication date of such press release. The provisions of this paragraph will not apply if both (a) the release or waiver is effected solely to permit a transfer not for consideration, and (b) the transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by the same terms described in this letter that are applicable to the transferor, to the extent and for the duration that such terms remain in effect at the time of the transfer.

In furtherance of the foregoing, the Partnership and its transfer agent are hereby authorized to decline to make any transfer of securities if such transfer would constitute a violation or breach of this Lock-Up Letter Agreement.

It is understood that, if the Partnership notifies the Underwriters that it does not intend to proceed with the Offering, if the Underwriting Agreement does not become effective, or if the Underwriting Agreement (other than the provisions thereof which survive termination) shall terminate or be terminated prior to payment for and delivery of the Units, the undersigned will be released from its obligations under this Lock-Up Letter Agreement.

The undersigned understands that the Partnership and the Underwriters will proceed with the Offering in reliance on this Lock-Up Letter Agreement.

Whether or not the Offering actually occurs depends on a number of factors, including market conditions. Any Offering will only be made pursuant to an Underwriting Agreement, the terms of which are subject to negotiation between the Partnership and the Underwriters.

[ Signature page follows ]

 

Exhibit A-2


The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power and authority to enter into this Lock-Up Letter Agreement and that, upon request, the undersigned will execute any additional documents necessary in connection with the enforcement hereof. Any obligations of the undersigned shall be binding upon the heirs, personal representatives, successors and assigns of the undersigned.

 

Very truly yours,
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

Dated:                     

 

Exhibit A-3


EXHIBIT B

FORM OF PRESS RELEASE

SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P.

[ Insert date ]

SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P. (the “ Partnership ”) announced today that Barclays Capital Inc., the lead book-running manager in the Partnership’s recent public sale of 13,500,000 Common Units is [waiving] [releasing] a lock-up restriction with respect to [•] of the Partnership’s Common Units held by [certain officers or directors] [an officer or director] 1 of the Partnership. 2 The [waiver] [release] will take effect on [ insert date ], and the Common Units may be sold or otherwise disposed of on or after such date.

This press release is not an offer for sale of the securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction where such offer is prohibited, and such securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

1   If Barclays Capital Inc. so requests in writing (either in or accompanying the notice to the Partnership about the impending release or waiver), the Partnership will include in the press release such other information as Barclays Capital Inc. may require regarding the circumstances of the release or waiver and/or the identity of the officer(s) or director(s) with respect to which the release or waiver applies
2   Depending on the circumstances, Barclays Capital Inc. may wish to consider whether it may be appropriate to include the names of the specific officers/directors for which a waiver or release has been granted.

 

Exhibit B-1


EXHIBIT C-1

FORM OF OPINION OF VINSON & ELKINS L.L.P.

 

Exhibit C-1-1


EXHIBIT C-2

FORM OF OPINION OF DENISE R. CADE

 

Exhibit C-2-1


EXHIBIT D

FORM OF CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER CERTIFICATE

 

Exhibit D-1

Exhibit 3.1

Execution Version

 

 

 

FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED

AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

OF

SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P.

 

 

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ARTICLE I   
DEFINITIONS   

Section 1.1 Definitions

     1   

Section 1.2 Construction

     24   
ARTICLE II   
ORGANIZATION   

Section 2.1 Formation

     24   

Section 2.2 Name

     24   

Section 2.3 Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices

     25   

Section 2.4 Purpose and Business

     25   

Section 2.5 Powers

     25   

Section 2.6 Term

     25   

Section 2.7 Title to Partnership Assets

     25   
ARTICLE III   
RIGHTS OF LIMITED PARTNERS   

Section 3.1 Limitation of Liability

     26   

Section 3.2 Management of Business

     26   

Section 3.3 Outside Activities of the Limited Partners

     26   

Section 3.4 Rights of Limited Partners

     27   
ARTICLE IV   
CERTIFICATES; RECORD HOLDERS; TRANSFER OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS; REDEMPTION OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS   

Section 4.1 Certificates

     28   

Section 4.2 Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates

     28   

Section 4.3 Record Holders

     29   

Section 4.4 Transfer Generally

     29   

Section 4.5 Registration and Transfer of Limited Partner Interests

     30   

Section 4.6 Transfer of the General Partner’s General Partner Interest

     31   

Section 4.7 Restrictions on Transfers

     31   
ARTICLE V   
CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND ISSUANCE OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS   

Section 5.1 Organizational Contributions

     32   

 

-i-


Section 5.2 Contributions by the General Partner and its Affiliates

     32   

Section 5.3 Contributions by Initial Limited Partners

     33   

Section 5.4 Interest and Withdrawal

     33   

Section 5.5 Capital Accounts

     34   

Section 5.6 Issuances of Additional Partnership Interests

     37   

Section 5.7 Conversion of Subordinated Units

     38   

Section 5.8 Limited Preemptive Right

     38   

Section 5.9 Splits and Combinations

     39   

Section 5.10 Fully Paid and Non-Assessable Nature of Limited Partner Interests

     39   

Section 5.11 Issuance of Common Units in Connection with Reset of Incentive Distribution Rights

     40   
ARTICLE VI   
ALLOCATIONS AND DISTRIBUTIONS   

Section 6.1 Allocations for Capital Account Purposes

     42   

Section 6.2 Allocations for Tax Purposes

     52   

Section 6.3 Distributions; Characterization of Distributions; Distributions to Record Holders

     54   

Section 6.4 Distributions from Operating Surplus

     54   

Section 6.5 Distributions from Capital Surplus

     56   

Section 6.6 Adjustment of Target Distribution Levels

     57   

Section 6.7 Special Provisions Relating to the Holders of Subordinated Units

     57   

Section 6.8 Special Provisions Relating to the Holders of IDR Reset Common Units

     58   

Section 6.9 Entity-Level Taxation

     58   
ARTICLE VII   
MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF BUSINESS   

Section 7.1 Management

     59   

Section 7.2 Replacement of Fiduciary Duties

     61   

Section 7.3 Certificate of Limited Partnership

     61   

Section 7.4 Restrictions on the General Partner’s Authority

     62   

Section 7.5 Reimbursement of the General Partner

     62   

Section 7.6 Outside Activities

     63   

Section 7.7 Indemnification

     64   

Section 7.8 Liability of Indemnitees

     66   

Section 7.9 Standards of Conduct and Modification of Duties

     67   

Section 7.10 Other Matters Concerning the General Partner and Indemnitees

     68   

Section 7.11 Purchase or Sale of Partnership Interests

     69   

Section 7.12 Registration Rights of the General Partner and its Affiliates

     69   

Section 7.13 Reliance by Third Parties

     71   

 

-ii-


ARTICLE VIII   
BOOKS, RECORDS, ACCOUNTING AND REPORTS   

Section 8.1 Records and Accounting

     72   

Section 8.2 Fiscal Year

     72   

Section 8.3 Reports

     72   
ARTICLE IX   
TAX MATTERS   

Section 9.1 Tax Returns and Information

     73   

Section 9.2 Tax Elections

     73   

Section 9.3 Tax Controversies

     74   

Section 9.4 Withholding; Tax Payments

     74   
ARTICLE X   
ADMISSION OF PARTNERS   

Section 10.1 Admission of Limited Partners

     75   

Section 10.2 Admission of Successor General Partner

     75   

Section 10.3 Amendment of Agreement and Certificate of Limited Partnership

     75   
ARTICLE XI   
WITHDRAWAL OR REMOVAL OF PARTNERS   

Section 11.1 Withdrawal of the General Partner

     75   

Section 11.2 Removal of the General Partner

     77   

Section 11.3 Interest of Departing General Partner and Successor General Partner

     78   

Section 11.4 Termination of Subordination Period, Conversion of Subordinated Units and Extinguishment of Cumulative Common Unit Arrearages

     79   

Section 11.5 Withdrawal of Limited Partners

     80   
ARTICLE XII   
DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION   

Section 12.1 Dissolution

     80   

Section 12.2 Continuation of the Business of the Partnership After Dissolution

     80   

Section 12.3 Liquidator

     81   

Section 12.4 Liquidation

     82   

Section 12.5 Cancellation of Certificate of Limited Partnership

     82   

Section 12.6 Return of Contributions

     83   

Section 12.7 Waiver of Partition

     83   

Section 12.8 Capital Account Restoration

     83   

 

-iii-


ARTICLE XIII   
AMENDMENT OF PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT; MEETINGS; RECORD DATE   

Section 13.1 Amendments to be Adopted Solely by the General Partner

     83   

Section 13.2 Amendment Procedures

     84   

Section 13.3 Amendment Requirements

     85   

Section 13.4 Special Meetings

     86   

Section 13.5 Notice of a Meeting

     86   

Section 13.6 Record Date

     87   

Section 13.7 Adjournment

     87   

Section 13.8 Waiver of Notice; Approval of Meeting; Approval of Minutes

     87   

Section 13.9 Quorum and Voting

     87   

Section 13.10 Conduct of a Meeting

     88   

Section 13.11 Action Without a Meeting

     88   

Section 13.12 Right to Vote and Related Matters

     89   

Section 13.14 Voting of Incentive Distribution Rights

     89   
ARTICLE XIV   
MERGER OR CONSOLIDATION   

Section 14.1 Authority

     90   

Section 14.2 Procedure for Merger or Consolidation

     90   

Section 14.3 Approval by Limited Partners

     92   

Section 14.4 Certificate of Merger

     93   

Section 14.5 Effect of Merger or Consolidation

     93   
ARTICLE XV   
RIGHT TO ACQUIRE LIMITED PARTNER INTERESTS   

Section 15.1 Right to Acquire Limited Partner Interests

     94   
ARTICLE XVI   
GENERAL PROVISIONS   

Section 16.1 Addresses and Notices; Written Communications

     95   

Section 16.2 Further Action

     96   

Section 16.3 Binding Effect

     96   

Section 16.4 Integration

     96   

Section 16.5 Creditors

     96   

Section 16.6 Waiver

     96   

Section 16.7 Third-Party Beneficiaries

     96   

Section 16.8 Counterparts

     97   

Section 16.9 Applicable Law; Forum, Venue and Jurisdiction

     97   

 

-iv-


Section 16.10 Invalidity of Provisions

     98   

Section 16.11 Consent of Partners

     98   

Section 16.12 Facsimile Signatures

     98   

 

-v-


FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT

OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP OF SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P.

THIS FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP OF SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P. dated as of January 24, 2013, is entered into by and between SunCoke Energy Partners GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, as the General Partner, and Sun Coal & Coke LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, as the Organizational Limited Partner, together with any other Persons 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:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

Section1.1 Definitions . The following definitions shall be for all purposes, unless otherwise clearly indicated to the contrary, applied to the terms used in this Agreement.

Additional Book Basis ” means the portion of any remaining Carrying Value of an Adjusted Property that is attributable to positive adjustments made to such Carrying Value as a result of Book-Up Events. For purposes of determining the extent that Carrying Value constitutes Additional Book Basis:

(a) Any negative adjustment made to the Carrying Value of an Adjusted Property as a result of either a Book-Down Event or a Book-Up Event shall first be deemed to offset or decrease that portion of the Carrying Value of such Adjusted Property that is attributable to any prior positive adjustments made thereto pursuant to a Book-Up Event or Book-Down Event.

(b) If Carrying Value that constitutes Additional Book Basis is reduced as a result of a Book-Down Event and the Carrying Value of other property is increased as a result of such Book-Down Event, an allocable portion of any such increase in Carrying Value shall be treated as Additional Book Basis; provided , that the amount treated as Additional Book Basis pursuant hereto as a result of such Book-Down Event shall not exceed the amount by which the Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments after such Book-Down Event exceeds the remaining Additional Book Basis attributable to all of the Partnership’s Adjusted Property after such Book-Down Event (determined without regard to the application of this clause (b) to such Book-Down Event).

Additional Book Basis Derivative Items ” means any Book Basis Derivative Items that are computed with reference to Additional Book Basis. To the extent that the Additional Book Basis attributable to all of the Partnership’s Adjusted Property as of the beginning of any taxable period exceeds the Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments as of the beginning of such period (the “ Excess Additional Book Basis ”), the Additional Book Basis Derivative Items for such period shall be reduced by the amount that bears the same ratio to the amount of Additional

 

S UN C OKE E NERGY P ARTNERS , L.P.

F IRST A MENDED AND R ESTATED A GREEMENT OF L IMITED P ARTNERSHIP

 

1


Book Basis Derivative Items determined without regard to this sentence as the Excess Additional Book Basis bears to the Additional Book Basis as of the beginning of such period. With respect to a Disposed of Adjusted Property, the Additional Book Basis Derivative Items shall be the amount of Additional Book Basis taken into account in computing gain or loss from the disposition of such Disposed of Adjusted Property.

Adjusted Capital Account ” means the Capital Account maintained for each Partner as of the end of each taxable period 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 taxable period, are reasonably expected to be allocated to such Partner in subsequent taxable periods 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 taxable period, are reasonably expected to be made to such Partner in subsequent taxable periods 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 taxable period 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(d)(i) or 6.1(d)(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. The “Adjusted Capital Account” of a Partner in respect of any Partnership Interest shall be the amount that such Adjusted Capital Account would be if such Partnership Interest were the only interest in the Partnership held by such Partner from and after the date on which such Partnership Interest was first issued.

Adjusted Operating Surplus ” means, with respect to any period, (a) Operating Surplus generated with respect to such period (excluding clause (i) of the definition thereof); (b) less (i) the amount of any net increase in Working Capital Borrowings (or the Partnership’s proportionate share of any net increase in Working Capital Borrowings in the case of Subsidiaries that are not wholly owned) with respect to that period; and (ii) the amount of any net decrease in cash reserves (or the Partnership’s proportionate share of any net decrease in cash reserves in the case of Subsidiaries that are not wholly owned) for Operating Expenditures with respect to such period not relating to an Operating Expenditure made with respect to such period; and (c) plus (i) the amount of any net decrease in Working Capital Borrowings (or the Partnership’s proportionate share of any net decrease in Working Capital Borrowings in the case of Subsidiaries that are not wholly owned) with respect to that period; (ii) the amount of any net increase in cash reserves (or the Partnership’s proportionate share of any net increase in cash reserves in the case of Subsidiaries that are not wholly owned) for Operating Expenditures with respect to such period required by any debt instrument for the repayment of principal, interest or premium; and (iii) the amount of any net decrease made in subsequent periods in cash reserves for Operating Expenditures initially established with respect to such period to the extent such decrease results in a reduction in Adjusted Operating Surplus in subsequent periods pursuant to clause (b)(ii). Adjusted Operating Surplus does not include that portion of Operating Surplus included in clause (a)(i) of the definition of Operating Surplus.

 

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Adjusted Property ” means any property the Carrying Value of which has been adjusted pursuant to Section 5.5(d).

Affiliate ” means, with respect to any Person, any other Person that directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries controls, is controlled by or is under common control with, 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.

Aggregate Quantity of IDR Reset Common Units ” is defined in Section 5.11(a).

Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments ” means, as of the end of any taxable period, the sum of the Remaining Net Positive Adjustments of all the Partners.

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 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 at the time of contribution and in the case of an Adjusted Property, the fair market value of such Adjusted Property on the date of the revaluation event as described in Section 5.5(d), in both cases as determined by the General Partner.

Agreement ” means this First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., as it may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

Associate ” means, when used to indicate a relationship with any Person, (a) any corporation or organization of which such Person is a director, officer, manager, general partner or managing member 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.

Board of Directors ” means the board of directors of the General Partner.

Book Basis Derivative Items ” means any item of income, deduction, gain or loss that is computed with reference to the Carrying Value of an Adjusted Property (e.g., depreciation, depletion, or gain or loss with respect to an Adjusted Property).

 

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Book-Down Event ” means an event that triggers a negative adjustment to the Capital Accounts of the Partners pursuant to Section 5.5(d).

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 U.S. 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 5.5 and the hypothetical balance of such Partner’s Capital Account computed as if it had been maintained strictly in accordance with U.S. federal income tax accounting principles.

Book-Up Event ” means an event that triggers a positive adjustment to the Capital Accounts of the Partners pursuant to Section 5.5(d).

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 State of New York shall not be regarded as a Business Day.

Capital Account ” means the capital account maintained for a Partner pursuant to Section 5.5. The “Capital Account” of a Partner in respect of any Partnership Interest shall be the amount that such Capital Account would be if such Partnership Interest were the only interest in the Partnership held by such Partner from and after the date on which such Partnership Interest was first issued.

Capital Contribution ” means any cash, cash equivalents or the Net Agreed Value of Contributed Property that a Partner contributes to the Partnership or that is contributed or deemed contributed to the Partnership on behalf of a Partner (including, in the case of an underwritten offering of Units, the amount of any underwriting discounts or commissions).

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, in each case if such addition, improvement, acquisition or construction is made to increase the long-term operating capacity or asset base of the Partnership Group from the long-term operating capacity or asset base of the Partnership Group existing immediately prior to such addition, improvement, acquisition or construction.

Capital Surplus ” means cash and cash equivalents distributed by the Partnership in excess of Operating Surplus, as described in Section 6.3(b).

Carrying Value ” means (a) with respect to a Contributed Property or an Adjusted Property, the Agreed Value of such property reduced (but not below zero) by all depreciation, amortization and cost recovery deductions charged to the Partners’ Capital Accounts in respect of such property, and (b) with respect to any other Partnership property, the adjusted basis of such property for U.S. federal income tax purposes, all as of the time of determination. The

 

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Carrying Value of any property shall be adjusted from time to time in accordance with Section 5.5(d) 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 is liable to the Partnership or any Limited Partner for actual fraud or willful or wanton misconduct in its capacity as a general partner of the Partnership.

Certificate ” means a certificate in such form (including in global form if permitted by applicable rules and regulations) as may be adopted by the General Partner, issued by the Partnership evidencing ownership of one or more Partnership Interests. The initial form of certificate approved by the General Partner for Common Units is attached as Exhibit A to this Agreement.

Certificate of Limited Partnership ” means the Certificate of Limited Partnership of the Partnership filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as referenced in Section 7.3, as such Certificate of Limited Partnership may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

claim ” (as used in Section 7.12(c)) is defined in Section 7.12(c).

Closing Date ” means the first date on which Common Units are issued and delivered by the Partnership to the Underwriters pursuant to the provisions of the Underwriting Agreement.

Closing Price ” means, in respect of any class of Limited Partner Interests, as of the date of determination, 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 to trading on the principal National Securities Exchange on which the respective Limited Partner Interests are listed or admitted to trading or, if such Limited Partner Interests are not listed or admitted to trading on any National Securities Exchange, 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 primary reporting system then in use in relation to such Limited Partner Interests of such class, 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 by the General Partner.

 

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Code ” means the U.S. 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 any successor law.

Combined Interest ” is defined in Section 11.3(a).

Commences Commercial Service ” means the date a Capital Improvement or Replacement Capital Asset is first put into commercial service by a Group Member following completion of construction or acquisition, as applicable.

Commission ” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

Common Unit ” means a Partnership Interest having the rights and obligations specified with respect to Common Units in this Agreement. The term “Common Unit” does not refer to or include any Subordinated Unit prior to its conversion into a Common Unit pursuant to the terms hereof.

Common Unit Arrearage ” means, with respect to any Common Unit, whenever issued, with respect to any Quarter within the Subordination Period, the excess, if any, of (a) the Minimum Quarterly Distribution with respect to a Common Unit in respect of such Quarter over (b) the sum of all cash and cash equivalents distributed with respect to a Common Unit in respect of such Quarter pursuant to Section 6.4(a)(i).

Common Unit Trading Price ” means current trading price of the Common Units as determined in the reasonable discretion of the General Partner.

Conflicts Committee ” means a committee of the Board of Directors composed entirely of two or more directors, each of whom (a) is not an officer or employee of the General Partner, (b) is not an officer or employee of any Affiliate of the General Partner or a director of any Affiliate of the General Partner (other than any Group Member), (c) is not a holder of any ownership interest in the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, including any Group Member, other than Common Units and awards that are granted to such director under the LTIP and (d) is determined by the Board of Directors to be independent under the independence standards for directors who serve on an audit committee of a board of directors established by the Securities Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and by the National Securities Exchange on which any class of Partnership Interests is listed or admitted to trading.

Contributed Property ” means each property, 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 5.5(d), such property shall no longer constitute a Contributed Property, but shall be deemed an Adjusted Property.

Contribution Agreement ” means that certain Contribution, Conveyance and Assumption Agreement, dated as of January 23, 2013, among the General Partner, the Partnership, Sun Coal & Coke LLC and certain other parties, together with the additional conveyance documents and instruments contemplated or referenced thereunder, as such may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

 

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Cumulative Common Unit Arrearage ” means, with respect to any Common Unit, whenever issued, and as of the end of any Quarter, the excess, if any, of (a) the sum of the Common Unit Arrearages with respect to an Initial Common Unit for each of the Quarters wholly within the Subordination Period ending on or before the last day of such Quarter over (b) the sum of any distributions theretofore made pursuant to Section 6.4(a)(ii) and the second sentence of Section 6.5 with respect to an Initial Common Unit (including any distributions to be made in respect of the last of such Quarters).

Curative Allocation ” means any allocation of an item of income, gain, deduction, loss or credit pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.1(d)(xi).

Current Market Price ” means, in respect of any class of Limited Partner Interests, as of the date of determination, the average of the daily Closing Prices per Limited Partner Interest of such class for the 20 consecutive Trading Days immediately prior to such date.

Deferred Issuance and Distribution ” means both (a) the issuance by the Partnership of a number of additional Common Units that is equal to the excess, if any, of (x) 2,025,000 over (y) the aggregate number, if any, of Common Units actually issued to the Underwriters pursuant to the Over-Allotment Option on the Option Closing Date(s), and (b) a distribution of cash contributed by the Underwriters to the Partnership on or in connection with any Option Closing Date with respect to Common Units issued by the Partnership upon the applicable exercise of the Over-Allotment Option as described in Section 5.3(b), if any.

Delaware Act ” means the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, 6 Del C. Section 17-101, et seq., as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time, and any successor to such statute.

Departing General 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.

Disposed of Adjusted Property ” is defined in Section 6.1(d)(xii)(B).

Economic Risk of Loss ” has the meaning set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-2(a).

Estimated Incremental Quarterly Tax Amount ” is defined in Section 6.9.

Estimated Replacement Capital Expenditures ” means an estimate made in good faith by the Board of Directors (with the concurrence of the Conflicts Committee) of the average quarterly Replacement Capital Expenditures that the Partnership will need to incur over the long term for Replacement Capital Assets (including the Partnership’s proportionate share of the

 

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average quarterly Replacement Capital Expenditures of its Subsidiaries that are not wholly owned) existing at the time the estimate is made. The Board of Directors (with the concurrence of the Conflicts Committee) will be permitted to make such estimate in any manner it determines reasonable. The estimate will be made at least annually and whenever an event occurs that is likely to result in a material adjustment to the amount of future Estimated Replacement Capital Expenditures. The Partnership shall disclose to its Partners any change in the amount of Estimated Replacement Capital Expenditures in its reports made in accordance with Section 8.3 to the extent not previously disclosed. Any adjustments to Estimated Replacement Capital Expenditures shall be prospective only.

Event of Withdrawal ” is defined in Section 11.1(a).

Excess Additional Book Basis ” is defined in the definition of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items.

Excess Distribution ” is defined in Section 6.1(d)(iii)(A).

Excess Distribution Unit ” is defined in Section 6.1(d)(iii)(A).

Expansion Capital Expenditures ” means cash expenditures for Capital Improvements, and shall not include Ongoing Capital Expenditures or Replacement Capital Expenditures. Expansion Capital Expenditures shall include interest (and related fees) on debt incurred and distributions on equity issued to finance all or any portion of the construction of a Capital Improvement and paid in respect of the period beginning on the date that a Group Member enters into a binding obligation to commence construction of a Capital Improvement and ending on the earlier to occur of (i) the date that such Capital Improvement Commences Commercial Service and (ii) the date that such Capital Improvement is abandoned or disposed of. Debt incurred to pay or equity issued to fund the construction period interest payments, or such construction period distributions on equity, shall also be deemed to be debt or equity, as the case may be, incurred to finance the construction of a Capital Improvement and the incremental Incentive Distributions paid relating to newly issued equity to finance the construction of a Capital Improvement. Where capital expenditures are made in part for Expansion Capital Expenditures and in part for other purposes, the General Partner shall determine the allocation between the amounts paid for each.

Final Subordinated Units ” is defined in Section 6.1(d)(x)(A).

First Liquidation Target Amount ” is defined in Section 6.1(c)(i)(D).

First Target Distribution ” means $   0.474375 per Unit per Quarter (or, with respect to periods of less than a full fiscal quarter, it means the product of such amount multiplied by a fraction of which the numerator is the number of days in such period, and the denominator is the total number of days in such fiscal quarter), subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 5.11, Section 6.6 and Section 6.9.

 

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Fully Diluted Weighted Average Basis ” means, when calculating the number of Outstanding Units for any period, a basis that includes (1) the weighted average number of Outstanding Units during such period plus (2) all Partnership Interests and options, rights, warrants, phantom units and appreciation rights relating to an equity interest in the Partnership (a) that are convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Units or for which Units are issuable, each case that are senior to or pari passu with the Subordinated Units, (b) whose conversion, exercise or exchange price is less than the Current Market Price on the date of such calculation, (c) that may be converted into or exercised or exchanged for such Units prior to or during the Quarter immediately following the end of the period for which the calculation is being made without the satisfaction of any contingency beyond the control of the holder other than the payment of consideration and the compliance with administrative mechanics applicable to such conversion, exercise or exchange and (d) that were not converted into or exercised or exchanged for such Units during the period for which the calculation is being made; provided , however , that for purposes of determining the number of Outstanding Units on a Fully Diluted Weighted Average Basis when calculating whether the Subordination Period has ended or the Subordinated Units are entitled to convert into Common Units pursuant to Section 5.7, such Partnership Interests, options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights shall be deemed to have been Outstanding Units only for the four Quarters that comprise the last four Quarters of the measurement period; provided , further , that if consideration will be paid to any Group Member in connection with such conversion, exercise or exchange, the number of Units to be included in such calculation shall be that number equal to the difference between (i) the number of Units issuable upon such conversion, exercise or exchange and (ii) the number of Units that such consideration would purchase at the Current Market Price.

General Partner ” means SunCoke Energy Partners GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and its successors and permitted assigns that are admitted to the Partnership as general partner of the Partnership, in their capacities as general partner of the Partnership (except as the context otherwise requires).

General Partner Interest ” means the interest of the General Partner in the Partnership (in its capacity as a general partner and without reference to any Limited Partner Interest held by it) and includes any and all rights, powers and 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.

Gross Liability Value ” means, with respect to any Liability of the Partnership described in Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-7(b)(3)(i), the amount of cash that a willing assignor would pay to a willing assignee to assume such Liability in an arm’s-length transaction.

Group ” means two or more Persons that with or through any of their respective Affiliates or Associates have any contract, arrangement, understanding or relationship 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), exercising investment power or disposing of any Partnership Interests.

 

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Group Member ” means a member of the Partnership Group.

Group Member Agreement ” means the partnership agreement of any Group Member, other than the Partnership, that is a limited or general partnership, the limited liability company agreement of any Group Member that is a limited liability company, the certificate of incorporation and bylaws or similar organizational documents of any Group Member that is a corporation, the joint venture agreement or similar governing document of any Group Member that is a joint venture and the governing or organizational or similar documents of any other Group Member that is a Person other than a limited or general partnership, limited liability company, corporation or joint venture, as such may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

Hedge Contract ” means any exchange, swap, forward, cap, floor, collar, option or other similar agreement or arrangement entered into for the purpose of reducing the exposure of the Partnership Group to fluctuations in the price of hydrocarbons or interest rates, basis differentials or currency exchange rates in their operations or financing activities, in each case, other than for speculative purposes.

Holder ” as used in Section 7.12, is defined in Section 7.12(a).

IDR Reset Common Unit ” is defined in Section 5.11(a).

IDR Reset Election ” is defined in Section 5.11(a).

Incentive Distribution Right ” means a Limited Partner Interest having the rights and obligations specified with respect to Incentive Distribution Rights in this Agreement.

Incentive Distributions ” means any amount of cash distributed to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights pursuant to Section 6.4.

Incremental Income Taxes ” is defined in Section 6.9.

Indemnified Persons ” is defined in Section 7.12(c).

Indemnitee ” means (a) any General Partner, (b) any Departing General Partner, (c) any Person who is or was an Affiliate of the General Partner or any Departing General Partner, (d) any Person who is or was a manager, managing member, general partner, director, officer, employee, agent, fiduciary or trustee of any Group Member, a General Partner, any Departing General Partner or any of their respective Affiliates, (e) any Person who is or was serving at the request of a General Partner, any Departing General Partner or any of their respective Affiliates as an officer, director, manager, managing member, general partner, employee, agent, fiduciary or trustee of another Person owing a fiduciary or similar duty to any Group Member; provided that a Person shall not be an Indemnitee by reason of providing, on a fee-for-services basis, trustee, fiduciary or custodial services, (f) any Person who controls a General Partner or Departing General Partner and (g) any Person the General Partner designates as an “Indemnitee”

 

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for purposes of this Agreement because such Person’s service, status or relationship exposes such Person to potential claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings relating to the Partnership Group’s business and affairs.

Initial Common Units ” means the Common Units sold in the Initial Offering.

Initial Limited Partners ” means the Organizational Limited Partner (with respect to the Common Units and Subordinated Units received by it pursuant to Section 5.2(a)), the General Partner (with respect to the Incentive Distribution Rights) and the Underwriters, in each case upon being admitted to the Partnership in accordance with Section 10.1.

Initial Offering ” means the initial offering and sale of Common Units to the public, as described in the Registration Statement, including any Common Units issued pursuant to the exercise of the Over-Allotment Option.

Initial Unit Price ” means (a) with respect to the Common Units and the Subordinated Units, the initial public offering price per Common Unit at which the Underwriters offered the Common Units to the public for sale as set forth on the cover page of the prospectus included as part of the Registration Statement and first issued at or after the time the Registration Statement first became effective or (b) with respect to any other class or series of Units, the price per Unit at which such class or series of Units is initially sold by the Partnership, as determined by the General Partner, in each case adjusted as the General Partner determines to be appropriate to give effect to any distribution, subdivision or combination of Units.

Interim Capital Transactions ” means the following transactions if they occur prior to the Liquidation Date: (a) borrowings, refinancings or refundings of indebtedness (other than Working Capital Borrowings and other than for items purchased on open account or for a deferred purchase price in the ordinary course of business) by any Group Member and sales of debt securities of any Group Member; (b) sales of equity interests of any Group Member, (c) sales or other voluntary or involuntary dispositions of any assets of any Group Member other than (i) sales or other dispositions of inventory, accounts receivable and other assets in the ordinary course of business, and (ii) sales or other dispositions of assets as part of normal retirements or replacements and (d) capital contributions received, except for cash payments received by any Group Member pursuant to Section 4.1 of the Omnibus Agreement.

Investment Capital Expenditures ” means capital expenditures other than Ongoing Capital Expenditures, Replacement Capital Expenditures and Expansion Capital Expenditures.

Liability ” means any liability or obligation of any nature, whether accrued, contingent or otherwise.

Limited Partner ” means, unless the context otherwise requires, each Initial Limited Partner, each additional Person that becomes a Limited Partner pursuant to the terms of this Agreement and any Departing General Partner upon the change of its status from General Partner to Limited Partner pursuant to Section 11.3, in each case, in such Person’s capacity as a limited partner of the Partnership.

 

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Limited Partner Interest ” means the ownership interest of a Limited Partner in the Partnership, which may be evidenced by Common Units, Subordinated Units, Incentive Distribution Rights or other Partnership Interests or a combination thereof or interest therein, and includes any and all benefits to which such Limited Partner is entitled as provided in this Agreement, together with all obligations of such Limited Partner 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 holders of Outstanding Units have the right to elect to continue the business of the Partnership 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 12.4 as liquidating trustee of the Partnership within the meaning of the Delaware Act.

LTIP ” means the Long-Term Incentive Plan of the General Partner, as may be amended, or any equity compensation plan successor thereto.

Merger Agreement ” is defined in Section 14.1.

Minimum Quarterly Distribution ” means $0.4125 per Unit per Quarter (or with respect to periods of less than a full fiscal quarter, it means the product of such amount multiplied by a fraction of which the numerator is the number of days in such period and the denominator is the total number of days in such fiscal quarter), subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 5.11, Section 6.6 and Section 6.9.

National Securities Exchange ” means an exchange registered with the Commission under Section 6(a) of the Securities Exchange Act (or any successor to such Section) and any other securities exchange (whether or not registered with the Commission under Section 6(a) (or successor to such Section) of the Securities Exchange Act) that the General Partner shall designate as a National Securities Exchange for purposes of this Agreement.

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 by the Partnership, the Partnership’s Carrying Value of such property (as adjusted pursuant to Section 5.5(d)(ii)) at the time such property is distributed, reduced by any Liabilities either assumed by such Partner upon such distribution or to which such property is subject at the time of distribution.

 

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Net Income ” means, for any taxable period, the excess, if any, of the Partnership’s items of income and gain (other than those items taken into account in the computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for such taxable period over the Partnership’s items of loss and deduction (other than those items taken into account in the computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for such taxable period. The items included in the calculation of Net Income shall be determined in accordance with Section 5.5 but shall not include any items specially allocated under Section 6.1(d); provided , that the determination of the items that have been specially allocated under Section 6.1(d) shall be made without regard to any reversal of such items under Section 6.1(d)(xii).

Net Loss ” means, for any taxable period, the excess, if any, of the Partnership’s items of loss and deduction (other than those items taken into account in the computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for such taxable period over the Partnership’s items of income and gain (other than those items taken into account in the computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for such taxable period. The items included in the calculation of Net Loss shall be determined in accordance with Section 5.5 but shall not include any items specially allocated under Section 6.1(d); provided , that the determination of the items that have been specially allocated under Section 6.1(d) shall be made without regard to any reversal of such items under Section 6.1(d)(xii).

Net Positive Adjustments ” means, with respect to any Partner, the excess, if any, of the total positive adjustments over the total negative adjustments made to the Capital Account of such Partner pursuant to Book-Up Events and Book-Down Events.

Net Termination Gain ” means, for any taxable period, the sum, if positive, of all items of income, gain, loss or deduction (determined in accordance with Section 5.5) that are (a) recognized (i) after the Liquidation Date or (ii) upon the sale, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Partnership Group, taken as a whole, in a single transaction or a series of related transactions (excluding any disposition to a member of the Partnership Group), or (b) deemed recognized by the Partnership pursuant to Section 5.5(d); provided , however , the items included in the determination of Net Termination Gain shall not include any items of income, gain or loss specially allocated under Section 6.1(d).

Net Termination Loss ” means, for any taxable period, the sum, if negative, of all items of income, gain, loss or deduction (determined in accordance with Section 5.5) that are (a) recognized (i) after the Liquidation Date or (ii) upon the sale, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Partnership Group, taken as a whole, in a single transaction or a series of related transactions (excluding any disposition to a member of the Partnership Group), or (b) deemed recognized by the Partnership pursuant to Section 5.5(d); provided , however , items included in the determination of Net Termination Loss shall not include any items of income, gain or loss specially allocated under Section 6.1(d).

 

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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 Section 6.2(b) 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 expenditure (including 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 ” is defined in Section 15.1(b).

“Notional General Partner Units” means notional units used solely to calculate the General Partner’s Percentage Interest. Notional General Partner Units shall not constitute “Units” for any purpose of this Agreement. There shall initially be 641, 212 Notional General Partner Units (resulting in the General Partner’s Percentage Interest being 2.0% after giving effect to any exercise of the Over-Allotment Option and the Deferred Issuance and Distribution). If the General Partner makes additional Capital Contributions pursuant to Section 5.2(a) to maintain its Percentage Interest, the number of Notional General Partner Units shall be increased proportionally to reflect the maintenance of such Percentage Interest.

Omnibus Agreement ” means that Omnibus Agreement dated January 24, 2013, among SunCoke Energy, Inc., a Delaware corporation, the General Partner and the Partnership, as such may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

Ongoing Capital Expenditures ” means cash expenditures (including expenditures for the addition or improvement to the capital assets owned by any Group Member or for the acquisition of existing, or the construction of new, capital assets) if such expenditures are made to maintain the operating capacity of the Partnership Group’s existing assets or to extend the useful life of such assets. Ongoing Capital Expenditures shall also include expenditures for the acquisition of new equipment that improves the efficiency, reliability or effectiveness of the Partnership Group’s existing assets. Ongoing Capital Expenditures shall not include (a) normal repairs and maintenance, which are expensed as incurred or (b) Replacement Capital Expenditures.

Operating Expenditures ” means all Partnership Group cash expenditures (or the Partnership’s proportionate share of expenditures in the case of Subsidiaries that are not wholly owned), including taxes, reimbursements of expenses of the General Partner and its Affiliates, payments made in the ordinary course of business under any Hedge Contracts, officer compensation, repayment of Working Capital Borrowings, debt service payments, Ongoing Capital Expenditures and Estimated Replacement Capital Expenditures, subject to the following:

 

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(a) repayments of Working Capital Borrowings deducted from Operating Surplus pursuant to clause (b)(iii) of the definition of “Operating Surplus” shall not constitute Operating Expenditures when actually repaid;

(b) payments (including prepayments and prepayment penalties and the purchase price of indebtedness that is repurchased and cancelled) of principal of and premium on indebtedness other than Working Capital Borrowings shall not constitute Operating Expenditures;

(c) Operating Expenditures shall not include (i) Expansion Capital Expenditures, (ii) actual Replacement Capital Expenditures, (iii) Investment Capital Expenditures, (iv) payment of transaction expenses (including taxes) relating to Interim Capital Transactions, (v) distributions to Partners (including in respect of Incentive Distribution Rights), (vi) repurchases of Partnership Interests, other than repurchases of Partnership Interests to satisfy obligations under employee benefit plans, or reimbursements of expenses of the General Partner for such purchases, or (vii) environmental capital expenditures to the extent such expenditures are funded with proceeds of the Initial Offering retained for identified environmental capital expenditures as described in the Registration Statement under “Use of Proceeds.” Where capital expenditures are made in part for actual Replacement Capital Expenditures and in part for other purposes, the General Partner shall determine the allocation between the amounts paid for each; and

(d) (i) payments made in connection with the initial purchase of any Hedge Contract shall be amortized over the life of such Hedge Contract and (ii) payments made in connection with the termination of any Hedge Contract prior to the expiration of its stipulated settlement or termination date shall be included in equal quarterly installments over what would have been the remaining scheduled term of such Hedge Contract had it not been so terminated.

Operating Surplus ” means, with respect to any period ending prior to the Liquidation Date, on a cumulative basis and without duplication,

(a) the sum of (i) $26.5 million, (ii) all cash receipts of the Partnership Group (or the Partnership’s proportionate share of cash receipts in the case of Subsidiaries that are not wholly owned) for the period beginning on the Closing Date and ending on the last day of such period, including amounts received pursuant to the Omnibus Agreement to the extent such amounts offset Operating Expenditures or lost revenue of the Partnership, and excluding cash receipts from Interim Capital Transactions and provided that cash receipts from the termination of any Hedge Contract prior to its stipulated settlement or termination date shall be included in equal quarterly installments over what would have been the remaining scheduled life of such Hedge Contract had it not been so terminated, (iii) all cash receipts of the Partnership Group (or the Partnership’s proportionate share of cash receipts in the case of Subsidiaries that are not wholly owned) after the end of such period but on or before the date of determination of Operating Surplus with respect to such period resulting from Working Capital Borrowings, (iv) the amount of cash distributions paid (including incremental Incentive Distributions) in respect

 

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of equity issued, other than equity issued in the Initial Offering, to finance all or a portion of the Expansion Capital Expenditures and paid in respect of the period beginning on the date that the Group Member enters into a binding obligation to commence the construction, acquisition or improvement of a Capital Improvement and ending on the earlier to occur of the date the Capital Improvement Commences Commercial Service and the date that it is abandoned or disposed of (equity issued, other than equity issued in the Initial Offering, to fund the construction period interest payments on debt incurred, or construction period distributions on equity issued, to finance the Expansion Capital Expenditures shall also be deemed to be equity issued to finance the construction, acquisition or improvement of a Capital Improvement for purposes of this clause (iv)), and (v) any portion of the proceeds of the Initial Offering retained to offset discounts related to tax credits (as described in the Registration Statement under “Use of Proceeds”) equal to the aggregate amount of such discounts provided to customers during such period less

(b) the sum of (i) Operating Expenditures for the period beginning on the Closing Date and ending on the last day of such period; (ii) the amount of cash reserves established by the General Partner (or the Partnership’s proportionate share of cash reserves in the case of Subsidiaries that are not wholly owned) to provide funds for future Operating Expenditures; (iii) all Working Capital Borrowings not repaid within twelve (12) months after having been incurred or repaid within such twelve-month period with the proceeds of additional Working Capital Borrowings and (iv) any cash loss realized on disposition of an Investment Capital Expenditure;

provided , however , that the General Partner’s estimates of disbursements made (including contributions to a Group Member or disbursements on behalf of a Group Member), the General Partner’s estimates of cash received, or cash reserves established, increased or reduced after the end of such period but on or before the date of determination of cash or cash equivalents to be distributed with respect to such period shall be deemed to have been made, received, established, increased or reduced, for purposes of determining Operating Surplus, within such period if the General Partner so determines; provided, further , that the amount of cash receipts equal to the Partnership’s proportionate share of any accounts receivable existing on the Closing Date that are retained by the Organizational Limited Partner shall be included in Operating Surplus when collected.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, “ Operating Surplus ” with respect to the Quarter in which the Liquidation Date occurs and any subsequent Quarter shall equal zero. Cash receipts from an Investment Capital Expenditure shall be treated as cash receipts only to the extent they are a return on principal, but in no event shall a return of principal be treated as cash receipts. Customer payments that are paid no more than several days after their due date will be treated as paid on their due date.

Opinion of Counsel ” means a written opinion of counsel (who may be regular counsel to the Partnership or the General Partner or any of its Affiliates) acceptable to the General Partner.

 

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Option Closing Date ” means the date or dates on which any Common Units are sold by the Partnership to the Underwriters upon exercise of the Over-Allotment Option.

Organizational Limited Partner ” means Sun Coal & Coke LLC, in its capacity as the organizational limited partner of the Partnership pursuant to this Agreement.

Outstanding ” means, with respect to Partnership Interests, all Partnership Interests 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 the Outstanding Partnership Interests of any class then Outstanding, none of the Partnership Interests owned by such Person or Group shall be entitled to be voted on any matter or 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 Partnership Interests so owned shall be considered to be Outstanding for purposes of Section 11.1(b)(iv) (such Partnership Interests shall not, however, be treated as a separate class of Partnership Interests for purposes of this Agreement or the Delaware Act); provided , further , that the foregoing limitation shall not apply to (i) any Person or Group who acquired 20% or more of the Outstanding Partnership Interests of any class then Outstanding directly from the General Partner or its Affiliates (other than the Partnership), (ii) any Person or Group who acquired 20% or more of the Outstanding Partnership Interests of any class then Outstanding directly or indirectly from a Person or Group described in clause (i)  provided that the General Partner shall have notified such Person or Group in writing that such limitation shall not apply, or (iii) any Person or Group who acquired 20% or more of any Partnership Interests issued by the Partnership provided that the General Partner shall have notified such Person or Group in writing that such limitation shall not apply.

Over-Allotment Option ” means the over-allotment option granted to the Underwriters by the Partnership pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement.

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 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.

Partners ” means the General Partner and the Limited Partners.

Partnership ” means SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership.

 

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Partnership Group ” means, collectively, the Partnership and its Subsidiaries.

Partnership Interest ” means any class or series of equity interest in the Partnership, which shall include any General Partner Interest and Limited Partner Interests but shall exclude any options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to an equity interest in the Partnership.

Partnership Minimum Gain ” means that amount determined in accordance with the principles of Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(b)(2) and 1.704-2(d).

Percentage Interest ” means as of any date of determination (a) as to the General Partner, with respect to the General Partner Interest (calculated based upon a number of Notional General Partner Units), and as to any Unitholder with respect to Units, the product obtained by multiplying (i) 100% less the percentage applicable to clause (b) below by (ii) the quotient obtained by dividing (A) the number of Notional General Partner Units deemed held by the General Partner or the number of Units held by such Unitholder, as the case may be, by (B) the total number of Outstanding Units and Notional General Partner Units, and (b) as to the holders of other Partnership Interests issued by the Partnership in accordance with Section 5.6, the percentage established as a part of such issuance. The Percentage Interest with respect to an Incentive Distribution Right shall at all times be zero.

Person ” means an individual or a corporation, firm, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, unincorporated organization, association, government agency or political subdivision thereof or other entity.

Per Unit Capital Amount ” means, as of any date of determination, the Capital Account, stated on a per Unit basis, underlying any class of Units held by a Person other than the General Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner who holds Units.

Pro Rata ” means (a) when used with respect to Units or any class thereof, apportioned equally among all designated Units in accordance with their relative Percentage Interests, (b) when used with respect to Partners or Record Holders, apportioned among all Partners or Record Holders in accordance with their relative Percentage Interests and (c) when used with respect to holders of Incentive Distribution Rights, apportioned equally among all holders of Incentive Distribution Rights in accordance with the relative number or percentage of Incentive Distribution Rights held by each such holder.

Purchase Date ” means the date determined by the General Partner as the date for purchase of all Outstanding 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 fiscal quarter of the Partnership, or, with respect to the fiscal quarter of the Partnership in which the Closing Date, the portion of such fiscal quarter after the Closing Date.

 

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Recapture Income ” means any gain recognized by the Partnership (computed without regard to any adjustment required by Section 734 or Section 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 or otherwise in accordance with this Agreement 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 to participate in any offer.

Record Holder ” means (a) with respect to any class of Partnership Interests for which a Transfer Agent has been appointed, the Person in whose name a Partnership Interest of such class is registered on the books of the Transfer Agent as of the closing of business on a particular Business Day, or (b) with respect to other classes of Partnership Interests, the Person in whose name any such other Partnership Interest is registered on the books that the General Partner has caused to be kept as of the closing of business on such Business Day.

Registration Statement ” means the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-183162) as it has been or as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, 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.

Remaining Net Positive Adjustments ” means as of the end of any taxable period, (i) with respect to the Unitholders holding Common Units or Subordinated Units, the excess of (a) the Net Positive Adjustments of the Unitholders holding Common Units or Subordinated Units as of the end of such period over (b) the sum of those Partners’ Share of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items for each prior taxable period, (ii) with respect to the General Partner (as holder of the General Partner Interest), the excess of (a) the Net Positive Adjustments of the General Partner as of the end of such period over (b) the sum of the General Partner’s Share of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items with respect to the General Partner Interest for each prior taxable period, and (iii) with respect to the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights, the excess of (a) the Net Positive Adjustments of the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights as of the end of such period over (b) the sum of the Share of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items of the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights for each prior taxable period.

“Replacement Capital Asset ” means any acquisition of existing or the construction of a new facility or other major capital asset by the Partnership Group or any Group Member, in each case if such acquisition or construction is made to replace or rebuild a facility or other major capital asset of the Partnership Group or any Group Member at the end of its working life.

 

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“Replacement Capital Expenditures ” means cash expenditures for Replacement Capital Assets. Replacement Capital Expenditures shall include interest (and related fees) on debt incurred and distributions in respect of equity issued, in each case, to finance all or a portion of the construction of a Replacement Capital Asset and paid in respect of the period beginning on the date that a Group Member enters into a binding obligation to commence constructing a Replacement Capital Asset and ending on the earlier to occur of the date that such Replacement Capital Asset Commences Commercial Service and the date that such Replacement Capital Asset is abandoned or disposed of. Debt incurred to pay or equity issued to fund the construction period interest payments, or such construction period distributions on equity, shall also be deemed to be debt or equity, as the case may be, incurred to finance the construction of a Replacement Capital Asset and the incremental Incentive Distributions paid relating to newly issued equity shall be deemed to be distributions paid on equity issued to finance the construction of a Replacement Capital Asset.

Required Allocations ” means any allocation of an item of income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(i), Section 6.1(d)(ii), Section 6.1(d)(iv), Section 6.1(d)(v), Section 6.1(d)(vi), Section 6.1(d)(vii) or Section 6.1(d)(ix).

Reset MQD ” is defined in Section 5.11(a).

Reset Notice ” is defined in Section 5.11(b).

Second Liquidation Target Amount ” is defined in Section 6.1(c)(i)(E).

Second Target Distribution ” means $0.4744 per Unit per Quarter (or, with respect to periods of less than a full fiscal quarter, it means the product of such amount multiplied by a fraction of which the numerator is the number of days in such period, and the denominator is the total number of days in such fiscal quarter), subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 5.11, Section 6.6 and Section 6.9.

Securities Act ” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time and any successor to such statute.

Securities Exchange Act ” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time and any successor to such statute.

Share of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items ” means in connection with any allocation of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items for any taxable period, (i) with respect to the Unitholders holding Common Units or Subordinated Units, the amount that bears the same ratio to such Additional Book Basis Derivative Items as the Unitholders’ Remaining Net Positive Adjustments as of the end of such taxable period bears to the Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments as of that time, (ii) with respect to the General Partner (in respect of the General Partner Interest), the amount that bears the same ratio to such Additional Book Basis Derivative Items as the General Partner’s Remaining Net Positive Adjustments as of the end of such taxable period bears to the Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustment as of that time, and (iii) with respect to the Partners holding Incentive Distribution Rights, the amount that bears the same ratio to such Additional Book Basis Derivative Items as the Remaining Net Positive Adjustments of the Partners holding the Incentive Distribution Rights as of the end of such period bears to the Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments as of that time.

 

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Special Approval ” means approval by a majority of the members of the Conflicts Committee.

Subordinated Unit ” means a Partnership Interest having the rights and obligations specified with respect to Subordinated Units in this Agreement. The term “Subordinated Unit” does not refer to or include a Common Unit. A Subordinated Unit that is convertible into a Common Unit shall not constitute a Common Unit until such conversion occurs.

Subordination Period ” means the period commencing on the Closing Date and ending on the first to occur of the following dates:

(a) the first Business Day following the distribution pursuant to Section 6.3(a) in respect of any Quarter beginning with the Quarter ending December 31, 2015 in respect of which (i) (A) distributions from Operating Surplus on each of (I) the Outstanding Common Units and Subordinated Units and any other Outstanding Units that are senior or equal in right of distribution to the Subordinated Units, and (II) the General Partner Interest, in each case with respect to each of the three consecutive, non-overlapping four-Quarter periods immediately preceding such date equaled or exceeded the sum of the Minimum Quarterly Distribution on (I) all Outstanding Common Units and Subordinated Units and any other Outstanding Units that are senior or equal in right of distribution to the Subordinated Units and (II) the General Partner Interest, in each case in respect of such periods and (B) the Adjusted Operating Surplus for each of the three consecutive, non-overlapping four-Quarter periods immediately preceding such date equaled or exceeded the sum of the Minimum Quarterly Distribution on (I) all of the Common Units, Subordinated Units and any other Units that are senior or equal in right of distribution to the Subordinated Units and (II) General Partner Interest, in each case that were Outstanding during such periods on a Fully Diluted Weighted Average Basis, and (ii) there are no Cumulative Common Unit Arrearages;

(b) the first Business Day following the distribution pursuant to Section 6.3(a) in respect of any Quarter beginning with the quarter ended December 31, 2013 in respect of which (i) (A) distributions from Operating Surplus on each of (I) the Outstanding Common Units and Subordinated Units and any other Outstanding Units that are senior or equal in right of distribution to the Subordinated Units, (II) the General Partner Interest and (III) the Incentive Distribution Rights, in each case with respect to the four-Quarter period immediately preceding such date equaled or exceeded (I) 150% of the Minimum Quarterly Distribution on all of the Outstanding Common Units and Subordinated Units and (II) any related distributions on (a) any other Outstanding Units that are senior or equal in right of distribution to the Subordinated Units, (b) the General Partner Interest, and (c) the Incentive Distribution Rights, in each case in respect of such period, and (B) the Adjusted Operating Surplus for the four-Quarter period immediately preceding such date equaled or exceeded (I) 150% of the sum of the Minimum Quarterly Distribution on all of the Common Units and Subordinated Units and (II) any related

 

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distributions on (a) any other Units that are senior or equal in right of distribution to the Subordinated Units, (b) the General Partner Interest, in each case that were Outstanding during such period on a Fully Diluted Weighted Average Basis and (c) the Incentive Distribution Rights and (ii) there are no Cumulative Common Unit Arrearages; and

(c) the first date on which there are no longer outstanding any Subordinated Units due to the conversion of Subordinated Units into Common Units pursuant to Section 5.7(b).

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 partner of such partnership, but only if such Person, directly or by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person, or a combination thereof, controls such partnership on the date of determination or (c) any other Person 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.

Surviving Business Entity ” is defined in Section 14.2(b)(ii).

Target Distribution ” means each of the Minimum Quarterly Distribution, the First Target Distribution, Second Target Distribution and Third Target Distribution.

Third Target Distribution ” means $0.5156 per Unit per Quarter (or, with respect to periods of less than a full fiscal quarter, it means the product of such amount multiplied by a fraction of which the numerator is the number of days in such period, and the denominator is the total number of days in such fiscal quarter), subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 5.11, Section 6.6 and Section 6.9.

Trading Day ” means, for the purpose of determining the Current Market Price of any class of Limited Partner Interests, a day on which the principal National Securities Exchange on which such class of Limited Partner Interests is 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.

transfer ” is defined 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 may be appointed from time to time by the Partnership to act as registrar and transfer agent for any class of Partnership Interests; provided , that if no Transfer Agent is specifically designated for any class of Partnership Interests, the General Partner shall act in such capacity.

 

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Underwriter ” means each Person named as an underwriter in Schedule I to the Underwriting Agreement who purchases Common Units pursuant thereto.

Underwriting Agreement ” means that certain Underwriting Agreement, dated as of January 17, 2013, among the Underwriters, the Partnership, the General Partner and the other parties thereto, providing for the purchase of Common Units by the Underwriters.

Unit ” means a Partnership Interest that is designated as a “Unit” and shall include Common Units and Subordinated Units but shall not include (i) the General Partner Interest or (ii) Incentive Distribution Rights.

Unitholders ” means the holders of Units.

Unit Majority ” means (i) during the Subordination Period, at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units (excluding Common Units owned by the General Partner and its Affiliates), voting as a class, and at least a majority of the Outstanding Subordinated Units, voting as a class, and (ii) after the end of the Subordination Period, at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units, voting as a single class.

Unpaid MQD ” is defined in Section 6.1(c)(i)(B).

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 5.5(d)) over (b) the Carrying Value of such property as of such date (prior to any adjustment to be made pursuant to Section 5.5(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 5.5(d) as of such date) over (b) the fair market value of such property as of such date (as determined under Section 5.5(d)).

Unrecovered Initial Unit Price ” means at any time, with respect to a Unit, the Initial Unit Price less the sum of all distributions constituting Capital Surplus theretofore made in respect of an Initial Common Unit and any distributions of cash (or the Net Agreed Value of any distributions in kind) in connection with the dissolution and liquidation of the Partnership theretofore made in respect of an Initial Common Unit, adjusted as the General Partner determines to be appropriate to give effect to any distribution, subdivision, or combination of such Units.

Unrestricted Person ” means (a) each Indemnitee, (b) each Partner, (c) each Person who is or was a member, partner, director, officer, employee or agent of any Group Member, a General Partner or any Departing General Partner or any Affiliate of any Group Member, a General Partner or any Departing General Partner and (d) any Person the General Partner designates as an “Unrestricted Person” for purposes of this Agreement.

 

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U.S. GAAP ” means United States generally accepted accounting principles, as in effect from time to time, consistently applied.

Withdrawal Opinion of Counsel ” is defined in Section 11.1(b).

Working Capital Borrowings ” means borrowings used solely for working capital purposes or to pay distributions to Partners, made pursuant to a credit facility, commercial paper facility or other similar financing arrangement; provided that when incurred it is the intent of the borrower to repay such borrowings within 12 months from sources other than additional Working Capital Borrowings.

Section 1.2 Construction . Unless the context requires otherwise: (a) any pronoun used in this Agreement shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine or neuter forms; (b) references to Articles and Sections refer to Articles and Sections of this Agreement; (c) the terms “include”, “includes”, “including” and words of like import shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation”; and (d) the terms “hereof”, “herein” and “hereunder” refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision of this Agreement. The table of contents and headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only, and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

ARTICLE II

ORGANIZATION

Section 2.1 Formation . The General Partner and the Organizational Limited Partner have previously formed the Partnership as a limited partnership pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act. 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.

Section 2.2 Name . The name of the Partnership shall be “SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P.” The Partnership’s business may be conducted under any other name or names as determined by the General Partner, including the name of the General Partner. The words “Limited Partnership,” “LP,” “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 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.

 

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Section 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 Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange Street, 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 The Corporation Trust Company. The principal office of the Partnership shall be located at 1011 Warrenville Road, Suite 600, Lisle, Illinois 60532, 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 determines to be necessary or appropriate. The address of the General Partner shall be 1011 Warrenville Road, Suite 600, Lisle, Illinois 60532, or such other place as the General Partner may from time to time designate by notice to the Limited Partners.

Section 2.4 Purpose and Business . The purpose and nature of the business to be conducted by the Partnership shall be to (a) engage directly in, or enter into or form, hold and dispose of 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, in its sole discretion, and that 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 (b) do anything necessary or appropriate to the foregoing, including the making of capital contributions or loans to a Group Member; provided , however , that the General Partner shall not cause the Partnership to engage, directly or indirectly, in any business activity that the General Partner determines would be reasonably likely to cause the Partnership to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxable as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the General Partner shall have no duty or obligation to propose or approve, and may, in its sole discretion, decline to propose or approve, the conduct by the Partnership of any business.

Section 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.

Section 2.6 Term . The term of the Partnership commenced upon the filing of the Certificate of Limited Partnership in accordance with the Delaware Act and shall continue in existence until the 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.

Section 2.7 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, 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

 

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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 or one or more of the Partnership’s designated Affiliates 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

Section 3.1 Limitation of Liability . The Limited Partners shall have no liability under this Agreement except as expressly provided in this Agreement or the Delaware Act.

Section 3.2 Management of Business . No Limited Partner, 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. All actions taken by any Affiliate of the General Partner or any officer, director, employee, manager, member, general partner, agent or trustee of the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, or any officer, director, employee, manager, member, general partner, agent or trustee of a Group Member, in its capacity as such, shall not be deemed to be participating 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 under this Agreement.

Section 3.3 Outside Activities of the Limited Partners . Subject to (i) the provisions of Section 7.6, which shall continue to be applicable to the Persons referred to therein, regardless of whether such Persons shall also be Limited Partners, and (ii) the terms of the Omnibus Agreement, each Limited Partner 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 shall have any rights by virtue of this Agreement in any business ventures of any Limited Partner.

 

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Section 3.4 Rights of Limited Partners .

(a) Each Limited Partner shall have the right, for a purpose that is reasonably related, as determined by the General Partner, to such Limited Partner’s interest as a Limited Partner in the Partnership, upon reasonable written demand stating the purpose of such demand and at such Limited Partner’s own expense, to obtain:

(i) true and full information regarding the status of the business and financial condition of the Partnership (provided that the requirements of this Section 3.4(a)(i) shall be satisfied to the extent the Limited Partner is furnished the Partnership’s most recent annual report and any subsequent quarterly or periodic reports required to be filed (or which would be required to be filed) with the Commission pursuant to Section 13 of the Exchange Act);

(ii) a current list of the name and last known business, residence or mailing address of each Record Holder;

(iii) a copy of this Agreement and the Certificate of Limited Partnership and all amendments thereto, together with copies 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;

(iv) information as to the amount of cash, and a description and statement of the agreed value of any other capital contribution, contributed or to be contributed by each Partner and the date on which each became a Partner; and

(v) such other information regarding the affairs of the Partnership as the General Partner determines is just and reasonable.

(b) The General Partner may keep confidential from the Limited Partners, 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 believes (A) is not in the best interests of the Partnership Group, (B) could damage the Partnership Group or its business 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).

(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement or Section 17-305 of the Delaware Act, each of the Partners, each other Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest and each other Person bound by this Agreement hereby agrees to the fullest extent permitted by law that they do not have rights to receive information from the Partnership or any Indemnitee for the purpose of determining whether to pursue litigation or assist in pending litigation against the Partnership or any Indemnitee relating to the affairs of the Partnership except pursuant to the applicable rules of discovery relating to litigation commenced by such Person.

 

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ARTICLE IV

CERTIFICATES; RECORD HOLDERS; TRANSFER OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS;

REDEMPTION OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS

Section 4.1 Certificates . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, unless the General Partner shall determine otherwise in respect of some or all of any or all classes of Partnership Interests, Partnership Interests shall not be evidenced by certificates. Certificates that may be issued shall be executed on behalf of the Partnership by the Chairman of the Board, President or any Executive Vice President or Vice President and the Chief Financial Officer or the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary of the General Partner. No Certificate for a class of Partnership Interests shall be valid for any purpose until it has been countersigned by the Transfer Agent for such class of Partnership Interests; provided , however , that if the General Partner elects to cause the Partnership to issue Partnership Interests of such class in global form, the Certificate shall be valid upon receipt of a certificate from the Transfer Agent certifying that the Partnership Interests have been duly registered in accordance with the directions of the Partnership. Subject to the requirements of Section 6.7(c), if Common Units are evidenced by Certificates, on or after the date on which Subordinated Units are converted into Common Units, the Record Holders of such Subordinated Units (i) if the Subordinated Units are evidenced by Certificates, may exchange such Certificates for Certificates evidencing Common Units or (ii) if the Subordinated Units are not evidenced by Certificates, shall be issued Certificates evidencing Common Units.

Section 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 the Transfer Agent shall countersign and deliver in exchange therefor, a new Certificate evidencing the same number and type of Partnership Interests as the Certificate so surrendered.

(b) The appropriate officers of the General Partner on behalf of the Partnership shall execute and deliver, and the Transfer Agent shall countersign, 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 General Partner, that a previously issued Certificate has been lost, destroyed or stolen;

(ii) requests the issuance of a new Certificate before the General Partner has notice that the Certificate has been acquired by a purchaser for value in good faith and without notice of an adverse claim;

 

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(iii) if requested by the General Partner, delivers to the General Partner a bond, in form and substance satisfactory to the General Partner, with surety or sureties and with fixed or open penalty as the General Partner may direct to indemnify the Partnership, the Partners, 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 General Partner or the Transfer Agent.

If a Limited Partner fails to notify the General Partner within a reasonable period of time after such Limited Partner 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 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 General Partner 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.

Section 4.3 Record Holders . The Partnership shall be entitled to recognize the Record Holder as the Partner 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 such Partnership Interests are listed or admitted to 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 Partnership Interests, as between the Partnership on the one hand, and such other Persons on the other, such representative Person shall be (a) the Record Holder of such Partnership Interest and (b) bound by this Agreement and shall have the rights and obligations of a Partner hereunder as, and to the extent, provided herein.

Section 4.4 Transfer Generally .

(a) The term “transfer,” when used in this Agreement with respect to a Partnership Interest, shall mean a transaction (i) by which the General Partner assigns its General Partner Interest to another Person, and includes a sale, assignment, gift, pledge, encumbrance, hypothecation, mortgage, exchange or any other disposition by law or otherwise or (ii) by which the holder of a Limited Partner Interest assigns such Limited Partner Interest to another Person who is or becomes a Limited Partner, and includes a sale, assignment, gift, exchange or any other disposition by law or otherwise, excluding a pledge, encumbrance, hypothecation or mortgage but including any transfer upon foreclosure of any pledge, encumbrance, hypothecation or mortgage.

 

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(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, to the fullest extent permitted by law, null and void.

(c) Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed to prevent a disposition by any stockholder, member, partner or other owner of any Partner of any or all of the shares of stock, membership or limited liability company interests, partnership interests or other ownership interests in such Partner and the term “transfer” shall not mean any such disposition.

Section 4.5 Registration and Transfer of Limited Partner Interests .

(a) The General Partner 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.

(b) The Partnership shall not recognize any transfer of Limited Partner Interests evidenced by Certificates until the Certificates evidencing such Limited Partner Interests are surrendered for registration of transfer. No charge shall be imposed by the General Partner for such transfer; provided , that as a condition to the issuance of any new Certificate under this Section 4.5, the General Partner may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed with respect thereto. Upon surrender of a Certificate for registration of transfer of any Limited Partner Interests evidenced by a Certificate, and subject to the provisions hereof, the appropriate officers of the General Partner on behalf of the Partnership shall execute and deliver, and in the case of Certificates evidencing Limited Partner Interests, the Transfer Agent shall countersign and deliver, 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.

(c) By acceptance of the transfer of any Limited Partner Interests in accordance with this Section 4.5, each transferee of a Limited Partner Interest (including any nominee holder or an agent or representative acquiring such Limited Partner Interests for the account of another Person) (i) shall be admitted to the Partnership as a Limited Partner with respect to the Limited Partner Interests so transferred to such Person when any such transfer or admission is reflected in the books and records of the Partnership and such Limited Partner becomes the Record Holder of the Limited Partner Interests so transferred, (ii) shall become bound by the terms of this Agreement, (iii) represents that the transferee has the capacity, power and authority to enter into this Agreement and (iv) makes the consents, acknowledgements and waivers contained in this Agreement, all with or without execution of this Agreement by such Person. The transfer of any Limited Partner Interests and the admission of any new Limited Partner shall not constitute an amendment to this Agreement.

 

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(d) Subject to (i) the foregoing provisions of this Section 4.5, (ii) Section 4.3, (iii) Section 4.7, (iv) with respect to any class or series of Limited Partner Interests, the provisions of any statement of designations or an amendment to this Agreement establishing such class or series, (v) any contractual provisions binding on any Limited Partner and (vi) provisions of applicable law including the Securities Act, Limited Partner Interests shall be freely transferable.

(e) The General Partner and its Affiliates shall have the right at any time to transfer their Subordinated Units, Common Units and Incentive Distribution Rights to one or more Persons.

Section 4.6 Transfer of the General Partner’s General Partner Interest .

(a) The General Partner may at its option transfer all or any part of its General Partner Interest without Unitholder approval.

(b) 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 (i) the transferee agrees to assume the rights and duties of the General Partner under this Agreement and to be bound by the provisions of this Agreement, (ii) the Partnership receives an Opinion of Counsel that such transfer would not result in the loss of limited liability under the Delaware Act of any Limited Partner or cause the Partnership to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes (to the extent not already so treated or taxed) and (iii) such transferee also agrees to purchase all (or the appropriate portion thereof, if applicable) of the partnership or membership interest held by the General Partner as the general partner or managing member, if any, 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 10.2, be admitted to the Partnership as the General Partner effective immediately prior to the transfer of the General Partner Interest, and the business of the Partnership shall continue without dissolution.

Section 4.7 Restrictions on Transfers .

(a) Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Article IV, no transfer of any Partnership Interests 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 under the laws of the jurisdiction of its formation, or (iii) cause the Partnership to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes (to the extent not already so treated or taxed).

 

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(b) The General Partner may impose restrictions on the transfer of Partnership Interests if it determines, with the advice of counsel, that such restrictions are necessary or advisable to (i) avoid a significant risk of the Partnership becoming taxable as a corporation or otherwise becoming taxable as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes or (ii) preserve the uniformity of the Limited Partner Interests (or any class or classes thereof). The General Partner may impose such restrictions by amending this Agreement; provided , however , that any amendment that would 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 listed or admitted to trading 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 Agreement, other than Section 4.7(a), 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 or admitted to trading.

(d) The transfer of a Subordinated Unit that has converted into a Common Unit shall be subject to the restrictions imposed by Section 6.7.

ARTICLE V

CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND ISSUANCE OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS

Section 5.1 Organizational Contributions . In connection with the formation of the Partnership under the Delaware Act, the General Partner made an initial Capital Contribution in the amount of $20.00 in exchange for a General Partner Interest equal to a 2.0% Percentage Interest and was admitted as the General Partner of the Partnership. The Organizational Limited Partner made an initial Capital Contribution to the Partnership in the amount of $980.00 in exchange for a Limited Partner Interest equal to a 98.0% Percentage Interest and was admitted as a Limited Partner of the Partnership. As of the Closing Date, and effective with the admission of another Limited Partner to the Partnership, the interests of the Organizational Limited Partner shall be redeemed as provided in the Contribution Agreement and the initial Capital Contributions of (i) the Organizational Limited Partner and (ii) the General Partner will be refunded. Ninety-eight percent of any interest or other profit that may have resulted from the investment or other use of such initial Capital Contributions will be allocated and distributed to the Organizational Limited Partner, and the balance thereof will be allocated and distributed to the General Partner.

Section 5.2 Contributions by the General Partner and its Affiliates .

(a) On the Closing Date and pursuant to the Contribution Agreement, the Organizational Limited Partner will contribute to the Partnership an interest in each of Haverhill Coke Company LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Haverhill ”) and Middletown Coke Company, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Middletown ”) which will result

 

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in the Partnership owning a 65% interest in each of Haverhill and Middletown, and in exchange (1) the General Partner will continue to hold a General Partner Interest equal to a 2.0% Percentage Interest (after giving effect to any exercise of the Over-Allotment Option and the Deferred Issuance and Distribution), subject to all of the rights, privileges and duties of the General Partner under this Agreement, (2) the Partnership shall issue to the General Partner the Incentive Distribution Rights, (3) the Partnership shall issue to the Organizational Limited Partner 184,697 Common Units, 15,709,697 Subordinated Units and the right to receive the Deferred Issuance and Distribution, (4) the Partnership will assume and promptly repay $225.0 million of debt under the SunCoke Credit Agreement (as defined in the Contribution Agreement), and (5) the Partnership will pay 100% of (A) an aggregate of $67.0 million of environmental capital expenditures of Haverhill and Middletown, (B) an aggregate of approximately $12.4 million sale discounts related to tax credits owed to customers of Haverhill and Middletown, and (C) $49.3 million to replenish the Partnership’s working capital;

(b) Upon the issuance of any Limited Partner Interests by the Partnership (other than the Common Units issued in the Initial Offering, the Common Units and Subordinated Units issued pursuant to Section 5.2(a) (including any Common Units issued pursuant to the Deferred Issuance and Distribution), the Common Units issued upon conversion of the Subordinated Units and any Common Units issued pursuant to Section 5.11), the General Partner may, in order to maintain its Percentage Interest, make additional Capital Contributions in an amount equal to the product obtained by multiplying (i) the quotient determined by dividing (A) the General Partner’s Percentage Interest by (B) 100% less the General Partner’s Percentage Interest times (ii) the amount contributed to the Partnership by the Limited Partners in exchange for such additional Limited Partner Interests. Except as set forth in Section 12.8, the General Partner shall not be obligated to make any additional Capital Contributions to the Partnership.

Section 5.3 Contributions by Initial Limited Partners .

(a) On the Closing Date and pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, each Underwriter shall contribute cash to the Partnership in exchange for the issuance by the Partnership of Common Units to each Underwriter, all as set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.

(b) Upon the exercise, if any, of the Over-Allotment Option, each Underwriter shall contribute cash to the Partnership in exchange for the issuance by the Partnership of Common Units to each Underwriter, all as set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.

Section 5.4 Interest and Withdrawal . No interest shall be paid by the Partnership on Capital Contributions. No Partner 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 liquidation 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 shall have priority over any other Partner 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 agree within the meaning of Section 17-502(b) of the Delaware Act.

 

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Section 5.5 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) 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 and (ii) all items of Partnership income and gain (including income and gain exempt from tax) computed in accordance with Section 5.5(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 and (y) all items of Partnership deduction and loss computed in accordance with Section 5.5(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 that 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 U.S. federal income tax purposes (including any method of depreciation, cost recovery or amortization used for that purpose), provided , that:

(i) Solely for purposes of this Section 5.5, the Partnership shall be treated as owning directly its proportionate share (as determined by the General Partner based upon the provisions of the applicable Group Member Agreement) of all property owned by (x) any other Group Member that is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and (y) any other partnership, limited liability company, unincorporated business or other entity classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes of which a Group Member is, directly or indirectly, a partner, member or other equity holder.

(ii) All fees and other expenses incurred by the Partnership to promote the sale of (or to sell) a Partnership Interest 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 that may be made by

 

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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 U.S. 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 property’s Carrying Value as of such date.

(v) Any deductions for depreciation, cost recovery or amortization attributable to any Contributed Property or Adjusted Property shall be determined under the rules prescribed by Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-3(d)(2) as if the adjusted basis of such property were equal to the Carrying Value of such property immediately following such adjustment.

(vi) The Gross Liability Value of each Liability of the Partnership described in Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-7(b)(3)(i) shall be adjusted at such times as provided in this Agreement for an adjustment to Carrying Values. The amount of any such adjustment shall be treated for purposes hereof as an item of loss (if the adjustment increases the Carrying Value of such Liability of the Partnership) or an item of gain (if the adjustment decreases the Carrying Value of such Liability of the Partnership).

(c) (i) Except as provided in this Section 5.5(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.

(ii) Subject to Section 6.7(b), immediately prior to the transfer of a Subordinated Unit or of a Subordinated Unit that has converted into a Common Unit pursuant to Section 5.7 by a holder thereof, (in each case, other than a transfer to an Affiliate unless the General Partner elects to have this subparagraph 5.5(c)(ii) apply), the Capital Account maintained for such Person with respect to its Subordinated Units or converted Subordinated Units will (A) first, be allocated to the Subordinated Units or converted Subordinated Units to be transferred in an amount equal to the product of (x) the number of such Subordinated Units or converted Subordinated Units to be transferred and (y) the Per Unit Capital Amount for a Common Unit, and (B) second, any remaining balance in such Capital Account will be retained by the transferor, regardless of whether it has retained any Subordinated Units or converted Subordinated Units. Following any such allocation, the transferor’s Capital Account, if any, maintained with respect to the retained Subordinated Units or retained converted Subordinated Units, if any, will have a

 

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balance equal to the amount allocated under clause (B) above, and the transferee’s Capital Account established with respect to the transferred Subordinated Units or transferred converted Subordinated Units will have a balance equal to the amount allocated under clause (A) above.

(iii) Subject to Section 6.8(b), immediately prior to the transfer of an IDR Reset Common Unit by a holder thereof (other than a transfer to an Affiliate unless the General Partner elects to have this subparagraph 5.5(c)(iii) apply), the Capital Account maintained for such Person with respect to its IDR Reset Common Units will (A) first, be allocated to the IDR Reset Common Units to be transferred in an amount equal to the product of (x) the number of such IDR Reset Common Units to be transferred and (y) the Per Unit Capital Amount for a Common Unit, and (B) second, any remaining balance in such Capital Account will be retained by the transferor, regardless of whether it has retained any IDR Reset Common Units. Following any such allocation, the transferor’s Capital Account, if any, maintained with respect to the retained IDR Reset Common Units, if any, will have a balance equal to the amount allocated under clause (B) hereinabove, and the transferee’s Capital Account established with respect to the transferred IDR Reset Common Units will have a balance equal to the amount allocated under clause (A) above.

(d) (i) Consistent with Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f), on an issuance of additional Partnership Interests for cash or Contributed Property, the issuance of Partnership Interests as consideration for the provision of services, or the conversion of the Combined Interest to Common Units pursuant to Section 11.3(b), 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, and any such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss shall be treated, for purposes of maintaining Capital Accounts, as if it had been recognized on an actual sale of each such property for an amount equal to its fair market value immediately prior to such issuance and had been allocated among the Partners at such time pursuant to Section 6.1(c) in the same manner as any item of gain or loss actually recognized following an event giving rise to the dissolution of the Partnership would have been allocated; provided, however , that in the event of an issuance of Partnership Interests for a de minimis amount of cash or Contributed Property, or in the event of an issuance of a de minimis amount of Partnership Interests as consideration for the provision of services, the General Partner may determine that such adjustments are unnecessary for the proper administration of the Partnership. In determining such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss, the aggregate fair market value of all Partnership property (including cash or cash equivalents) immediately prior to the issuance of additional Partnership Interests shall be determined by the General Partner using such method of valuation as it may adopt. In making its determination of the fair market values of individual properties, the General Partner may determine that it is appropriate to first determine an aggregate value for the Partnership, based on the current trading price of the Common Units, and taking fully into account the fair market value of the Partnership Interests of all Partners at such time, and then allocate such aggregate value among the individual properties of the Partnership (in such manner as it determines appropriate).

 

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(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 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, and any such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss shall be treated, for purposes of maintaining Capital Accounts, as if it had been recognized on an actual sale of each such property immediately prior to such distribution for an amount equal to its fair market value, and had been allocated among the Partners, at such time, pursuant to Section 6.1(c) in the same manner as any item of gain or loss actually recognized following an event giving rise to the dissolution of the Partnership would have been allocated. In determining such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss the aggregate fair market value of all Partnership property (including cash or cash equivalents) immediately prior to a distribution shall (A) in the case of an actual or deemed distribution other than a distribution made pursuant to Section 12.4, be determined in the same manner as that provided in Section 5.5(d)(i) or (B) in the case of a liquidating distribution pursuant to Section 12.4, be determined by the Liquidator using such method of valuation as it may adopt.

Section 5.6 Issuances of Additional Partnership Interests .

(a) The Partnership may issue additional Partnership Interests and options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to the Partnership Interests 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 the General Partner shall determine, all without the approval of any Limited Partners.

(b) Each additional Partnership Interest authorized to be issued by the Partnership pursuant to Section 5.6(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 Interests), as shall be fixed by the General Partner, including (i) the right to share in 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 or shall be required to redeem the Partnership Interest (including sinking fund provisions); (v) whether such Partnership Interest 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 each Partnership Interest will be issued, evidenced by certificates and assigned or transferred; (vii) the method for determining the Percentage Interest as to such Partnership Interest; and (viii) the right, if any, of each such Partnership Interest to vote on Partnership matters, including matters relating to the relative rights, preferences and privileges of such Partnership Interest.

 

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(c) The General Partner shall take all actions that it determines to be necessary or appropriate in connection with (i) each issuance of Partnership Interests and options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to Partnership Interests pursuant to this Section 5.6, including Common Units issued in connection with the Deferred Issuance and Distribution, (ii) the conversion of the Combined Interest into Units pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, (iii) the issuance of Common Units pursuant to Section 5.11, (iv) reflecting admission of such additional Limited Partners in the books and records of the Partnership as the Record Holder of such Limited Partner Interest and (v) all additional issuances of Partnership Interests. The General Partner shall determine the relative rights, powers and duties of the holders of the Units or other Partnership Interests 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 that it determines to be necessary or appropriate in connection with any future issuance of Partnership Interests or in connection with the conversion of the Combined Interest into 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 Units or other Partnership Interests are listed or admitted to trading.

(d) No fractional Units shall be issued by the Partnership.

Section 5.7 Conversion of Subordinated Units .

(a) All of the Subordinated Units shall convert into Common Units on a one-for-one basis on the first Business Day following the distribution pursuant to Section 6.3(a) in respect of the final Quarter of the Subordination Period.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, all of the then Outstanding Subordinated Units may convert into Common Units on a one-for-one basis as set forth in, and pursuant to the terms of, Section 11.4.

Section 5.8 Limited Preemptive Right . Except as provided in this Section 5.8 or as otherwise provided in a separate agreement by the Partnership, no Person shall have any preemptive, preferential or other similar right with respect to the issuance of any Partnership Interest, whether unissued, held in the treasury or hereafter created. 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 Interests from the Partnership or to make additional Capital Contributions to the Partnership whenever, and on the same terms that, the Partnership issues Partnership Interests 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 Interests.

 

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Section 5.9 Splits and Combinations .

(a) Subject to Section 5.9(d), the Partnership may make a Pro Rata distribution of Partnership Interests to all Record Holders or may effect a subdivision or combination of Partnership Interests 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 (including any Common Unit Arrearage or Cumulative Common Unit Arrearage) 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 Interests 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 Interests 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 Interests as of the applicable Record Date representing the new number of Partnership Interests held by such Record Holders, or the General Partner may adopt such other procedures that it determines to be necessary or appropriate to reflect such changes. If any such combination results in a smaller total number of Partnership Interests 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 Units upon any distribution, subdivision or combination of Units. If a distribution, subdivision or combination of Units would result in the issuance of fractional Units but for the provisions of Section 5.6(d) and this Section 5.9(d), each fractional Unit shall be rounded to the nearest whole Unit (and a 0.5 Unit shall be rounded to the next higher Unit).

Section 5.10 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 or 17-804 of the Delaware Act.

 

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Section 5.11 Issuance of Common Units in Connection with Reset of Incentive Distribution Rights .

(a) Subject to the provisions of this Section 5.11, the holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights (or, if there is more than one holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights, the holders of a majority in interest of the Incentive Distribution Rights) shall have the right, at any time when there are no Subordinated Units outstanding and the Partnership has made a distribution pursuant to Section 6.4(b)(v) for each of the four most recently completed Quarters, to make an election (the “ IDR Reset Election ”) to cause the Target Distributions to be reset in accordance with the provisions of Section 5.11(e) and, in connection therewith, the holder or holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights will become entitled to receive their respective proportionate share of a number of Common Units (the “ IDR Reset Common Units ”) derived by dividing (i) the amount of cash distributions made by the Partnership for the two-Quarter period immediately preceding the giving of the Reset Notice (as defined in Section 5.11(b)) in respect of the Incentive Distribution Rights by (ii) the average of the cash distributions made by the Partnership in respect of each Common Unit during each of the two Quarters immediately preceding the giving of the Reset Notice (the “ Reset MQD ”) (the number of Common Units determined by such quotient is referred to herein as the “ Aggregate Quantity of IDR Reset Common Units ”). If at the time of any IDR Reset Election the General Partner and its Affiliates are not the holders of a majority in interest of the Incentive Distribution Rights, then the IDR Reset Election shall be subject to the prior written concurrence of the General Partner that the conditions described in the immediately preceding sentence have been satisfied. The Percentage Interest of the General Partner, with respect to the General Partner Interest, after the issuance of the Aggregate Quantity of IDR Reset Common Units shall equal the Percentage Interest of the General Partner, with respect to the General Partner Interest, prior to the issuance of the Aggregate Quantity of IDR Reset Common Units, and the General Partner shall not be obligated to make any additional Capital Contribution to the Partnership in order to maintain its Percentage Interest in connection therewith. The making of the IDR Reset Election in the manner specified in Section 5.11(b) shall cause the Target Distributions to be reset in accordance with the provisions of Section 5.11(e) and, in connection therewith, the holder or holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights will become entitled to receive Common Units on the basis specified above, without any further approval required by the General Partner or the Unitholders, at the time specified in Section 5.11(c) unless the IDR Reset Election is rescinded pursuant to Section 5.11(d).

(b) To exercise the right specified in Section 5.11(a), the holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights (or, if there is more than one holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights, the holders of a majority in interest of the Incentive Distribution Rights) shall deliver a written notice (the “ Reset Notice ”) to the Partnership. Within 10 Business Days after the receipt by the Partnership of such Reset Notice, the Partnership shall deliver a written notice to the holder or holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights of the Partnership’s determination of the aggregate number of Common Units that each holder of Incentive Distribution Rights will be entitled to receive.

 

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(c) The holder or holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights will be entitled to receive the Aggregate Quantity of IDR Reset Common Units on the fifteenth Business Day after receipt by the Partnership of the Reset Notice; provided, however, that the issuance of Common Units to the holder or holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights shall not occur prior to the approval of the listing or admission for trading of such Common Units by the principal National Securities Exchange upon which the Common Units are then listed or admitted for trading if any such approval is required pursuant to the rules and regulations of such National Securities Exchange.

(d) If the principal National Securities Exchange upon which the Common Units are then traded has not approved the listing or admission for trading of the Common Units to be issued pursuant to this Section 5.11 on or before the 30th calendar day following the Partnership’s receipt of the Reset Notice and such approval is required by the rules and regulations of such National Securities Exchange, then the holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights (or, if there is more than one holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights, the holders of a majority in interest of the Incentive Distribution Rights) shall have the right to either rescind the IDR Reset Election or elect to receive other Partnership Interests having such terms as the General Partner may approve, with the approval of the Conflicts Committee, that will provide (i) the same economic value, in the aggregate, as the Aggregate Quantity of IDR Reset Common Units would have had at the time of the Partnership’s receipt of the Reset Notice, as determined by the General Partner, and (ii) for the subsequent conversion (on terms acceptable to the National Securities Exchange upon which the Common Units are then traded) of such Partnership Interests into Common Units within not more than 12 months following the Partnership’s receipt of the Reset Notice upon the satisfaction of one or more conditions that are reasonably acceptable to the holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights (or, if there is more than one holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights, the holders of a majority in interest of the Incentive Distribution Rights).

(e) The Target Distributions shall be adjusted at the time of the issuance of Common Units or other Partnership Interests pursuant to this Section 5.11 such that (i) the Minimum Quarterly Distribution shall be reset to be equal to the Reset MQD, (ii) the First Target Distribution shall be reset to equal 115% of the Reset MQD, (iii) the Second Target Distribution shall be reset to equal 125% of the Reset MQD and (iv) the Third Target Distribution shall be reset to equal 150% of the Reset MQD.

(f) Upon the issuance of IDR Reset Common Units pursuant to Section 5.11(a) (or other Partnership Interests as described in Section 5.11(d)), the Capital Account maintained with respect to the Incentive Distribution Rights shall (A) first, be allocated to IDR Reset Common Units (or other Partnership Interests) in an amount equal to the product of (x) the Aggregate Quantity of IDR Reset Common Units (or other Partnership Interests) and (y) the Per Unit Capital Amount for an Initial Common Unit, and (B) second, any remaining balance in such Capital Account will be retained by the holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights. In the event that there is not a sufficient Capital Account associated with the Incentive Distribution Rights to allocate the full Per Unit Capital Amount for an Initial Common Unit to the IDR Reset Common Units in accordance with clause (A) of this Section 5.11(f), the IDR Reset Common Units shall be subject to Sections 6.1(d)(x)(B) and (C).

 

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ARTICLE VI

ALLOCATIONS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

Section 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 5.5(b)) for each taxable period shall be allocated among the Partners as provided herein below.

(a) Net Income . Net Income for each taxable period (including a pro rata part of each item of income, gain, loss and deduction taken into account in computing Net Income for such taxable period) shall be allocated as follows:

(i) First, to the General Partner until the aggregate of the Net Income allocated to the General Partner pursuant to this Section 6.1(a)(i) and the Net Termination Gain allocated to the General Partner pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(i)(A) or Section 6.1(c)(iv)(A) for the current and all previous taxable periods is equal to the aggregate of the Net Loss allocated to the General Partner pursuant to Section 6.1(b)(ii) for all previous taxable periods and the Net Termination Loss allocated to the General Partner pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(ii)(D) or Section 6.1(c)(iii)(B) for the current and all previous taxable periods; and

(ii) The balance, if any, to the General Partner and the Unitholders, Pro Rata.

(b) Net Loss . Net Loss for each taxable period (including a pro rata part of each item of income, gain, loss and deduction taken into account in computing Net Loss for such taxable period) shall be allocated as follows:

(i) First, to the General Partner and the Unitholders, Pro Rata; 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 Unitholder to have a deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account at the end of such taxable period (or increase any existing deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account); and

(ii) The balance, if any, 100% to the General Partner.

(c) Net Termination Gains and Losses. Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss for each taxable period shall be allocated in the manner set forth in this Section 6.1(c). All allocations under this Section 6.1(c) shall be made after Capital Account balances have been adjusted by all other allocations provided under this Section 6.1 and after all distributions of cash and cash equivalents provided under Section 6.4 and Section 6.5 have been made; provided , however , that solely for purposes of this Section 6.1(c), Capital Accounts shall not be adjusted for distributions made pursuant to Section 12.4.

 

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(i) Except as provided in Section 6.1(c)(iv), Net Termination Gain (including a pro rata part of each item of income, gain, loss, and deduction taken into account in computing Net Termination Gain) shall be allocated:

(A) First, to the General Partner until the aggregate of the Net Termination Gain allocated to the General Partner pursuant to this Section 6.1(c)(i)(A) or Section 6.1(c)(iv)(A) and the Net Income allocated to the General Partner pursuant to Section 6.1(a)(i) for the current and all previous taxable periods is equal to the aggregate of the Net Loss allocated to the General Partner pursuant to Section 6.1(b)(ii) for all previous taxable periods and the Net Termination Loss allocated to the General Partner pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(ii)(D) or Section 6.1(c)(iii)(B) for all previous taxable periods;

(B) Second, (x) to the General Partner in accordance with its Percentage Interest and (y) to all Unitholders holding Common Units, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to100% less the General Partner’s Percentage Interest, until the Capital Account in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding is equal to the sum of (1) its Unrecovered Initial Unit Price, (2) the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for the Quarter during which the Liquidation Date occurs, reduced by any distribution pursuant to Section 6.4(a)(i) or Section 6.4(b)(i) with respect to such Common Unit for such Quarter (the amount determined pursuant to this clause (2) is hereinafter referred to as the “ Unpaid MQD ”) and (3) any then existing Cumulative Common Unit Arrearage;

(C) Third, if such Net Termination Gain is recognized (or is deemed to be recognized) prior to the conversion of the last Outstanding Subordinated Unit into a Common Unit, (x) to the General Partner in accordance with its Percentage Interest and (y) to all Unitholders holding Subordinated Units, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the General Partner’s Percentage Interest, until the Capital Account in respect of each Subordinated Unit then Outstanding equals the sum of (1) its Unrecovered Initial Unit Price, determined for the taxable period (or portion thereof) to which this allocation of gain relates, and (2) the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for the Quarter during which the Liquidation Date occurs, reduced by any distribution pursuant to Section 6.4(a)(iii) with respect to such Subordinated Unit for such Quarter;

(D) Fourth, to the General Partner and all Unitholders, Pro Rata, until the Capital Account in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding is equal to the sum of (1) its Unrecovered Initial Unit Price, (2) the Unpaid MQD, (3) any then existing Cumulative Common Unit Arrearage, and (4) the excess of (aa) the First Target Distribution less the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for each

 

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Quarter of the Partnership’s existence over (bb) the cumulative per Unit amount of any distributions of cash or cash equivalents that are deemed to be Operating Surplus made pursuant to Section 6.4(a)(iv) and Section 6.4(b)(ii) (the sum of (1), (2), (3) and (4) is hereinafter referred to as the “First Liquidation Target Amount”);

(E) Fifth, (x) to the General Partner in accordance with its Percentage Interest, (y) 13% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and (z) to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the sum of the percentages applicable to subclauses (x) and (y) of this clause (E), until the Capital Account in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding is equal to the sum of (1) the First Liquidation Target Amount, and (2) the excess of (aa) the Second Target Distribution less the First Target Distribution for each Quarter of the Partnership’s existence over (bb) the cumulative per Unit amount of any distributions of cash or cash equivalents that are deemed to be Operating Surplus made pursuant to Section 6.4(a)(v) and Section 6.4(b)(iii) (the sum of (1) and (2) is hereinafter referred to as the “ Second Liquidation Target Amount ”);

(F) Sixth, (x) to the General Partner in accordance with its Percentage Interest, (y) 23% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and (z) to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the sum of the percentages applicable to subclauses (x) and (y) of this clause (F), until the Capital Account in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding is equal to the sum of (1) the Second Liquidation Target Amount, and (2) the excess of (aa) the Third Target Distribution less the Second Target Distribution for each Quarter of the Partnership’s existence over (bb) the cumulative per Unit amount of any distributions of cash or cash equivalents that are deemed to be Operating Surplus made pursuant to Section 6.4(a)(vi) and Section 6.4(b)(iv); and

(G) Finally, (x) to the General Partner in accordance with its Percentage Interest, (y) 48% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and (z) to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the sum of the percentages applicable to subclauses (x) and (y) of this clause (G).

(ii) Except as otherwise provided by Section 6.1(c)(iii) Net Termination Loss (including a pro rata part of each item of income, gain, loss and deduction taken into account in computing Net Termination Loss) shall be allocated:

(A) First, if Subordinated Units remain Outstanding, (x) to the General Partner in accordance with its Percentage Interest and (y) to all Unitholders holding Subordinated Units, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the General Partner’s Percentage Interest, until the Capital Account in respect of each Subordinated Unit then Outstanding has been reduced to zero;

 

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(B) Second, (x) to the General Partner in accordance with its Percentage Interest and (y) to all Unitholders holding Common Units, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the General Partner’s Percentage Interest, until the Capital Account in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding has been reduced to zero;

(C) Third, to the General Partner and the Unitholders, Pro Rata; provided that Net Termination Loss shall not be allocated pursuant to this Section 6.1(c)(ii)(C) to the extent such allocation would cause any Unitholder to have a deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account (or increase any existing deficit in its Adjusted Capital Account); and

(D) Fourth, the balance, if any, 100% to the General Partner.

(iii) Any Net Termination Loss deemed recognized pursuant to Section 5.5(d) during the Subordination Period and prior to the Liquidation Date shall be allocated:

(A) First, to the General Partner and the Unitholders, Pro Rata until the Capital Account in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding is not more than the Common Unit Trading Price; provided that Net Termination Loss shall not be allocated pursuant to this Section 6.1(c)(iii)(A) to the extent such allocation would cause any Unitholder to have a deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account at the end of such taxable period (or increase any existing deficit in its Adjusted Capital Account); and

(B) Second, to the General Partner in accordance with its Percentage Interest and the Unitholders holding Subordinated Units, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the General Partner’s Percentage Interest; provided that Net Termination Loss shall not be allocated pursuant to this Section 6.1(c)(iii)(B) to the extent such allocation would cause any Unitholder to have a deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account at the end of such taxable period (or increase any existing deficit in its Adjusted Capital Account);

(C) The balance, if any, to the General Partner.

(iv) If a Net Termination Loss has been allocated pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(iii), any subsequent Net Termination Gain deemed recognized pursuant to Section 5.5(d) prior to the Liquidation Date shall be allocated:

(A) First, to the General Partner until the aggregate Net Termination Gain allocated to the General Partner pursuant to this Section 6.1(c)(iv)(A) is equal to the aggregate Net Termination Loss previously allocated pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(iii)(B);

 

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(B) Second, to the General Partner and the Unitholders, Pro Rata, until the aggregate Net Termination Gain allocated pursuant to this Section 6.1(c)(iv)(B) is equal to the aggregate Net Termination Loss previously allocated pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(iii)(A); and

(C) The balance, if any, pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.1(c)(i).

(d) Special Allocations. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 6.1, the following special allocations shall be made for each 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(d), 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(d) with respect to such taxable period (other than an allocation pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(vi) and Section 6.1(d)(vii)). This Section 6.1(d)(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(d)(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(d), 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(d), other than Section 6.1(d)(i) and other than an allocation pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(vi) and Section 6.1(d)(vii), with respect to such taxable period. This Section 6.1(d)(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) Priority Allocations.

(A) If the amount of cash or the Net Agreed Value of any property distributed (except cash or property distributed pursuant to Section 12.4) with

 

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respect to a Unit exceeds the amount of cash or the Net Agreed Value of property distributed with respect to another Unit (the amount of the excess, an “ Excess Distribution ” and the Unit with respect to which the greater distribution is paid, an “ Excess Distribution Unit ”), then (1) there shall be allocated gross income and gain to each Unitholder receiving an Excess Distribution with respect to the Excess Distribution Unit until the aggregate amount of such items allocated with respect to such Excess Distribution Unit pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(iii)(A) for the current taxable period and all previous taxable periods is equal to the amount of the Excess Distribution; and (2) the General Partner shall be allocated gross income and gain with respect to each such Excess Distribution in an amount equal to the product of (aa) the quotient determined by dividing (x) the General Partner’s Percentage Interest at the time when the Excess Distribution occurs by (y) a percentage equal to 100% less the General Partner’s Percentage Interest at the time when the Excess Distribution occurs, multiplied by (bb) the total amount allocated in clause (1) above with respect to such Excess Distribution.

(B) After the application of Section 6.1(d)(iii)(A), the remaining items of Partnership gross income or gain for the taxable period, if any, shall be allocated (1) to the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, until the aggregate amount of such items allocated to the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(iii)(B) for the current taxable period and all previous taxable periods is equal to the cumulative amount of all Incentive Distributions made to the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights from the Closing Date to a date 45 days after the end of the current taxable period; and (2) to the General Partner an amount equal to the product of (aa) an amount equal to the quotient determined by dividing (x) the General Partner’s Percentage Interest by (y) the sum of 100% less the General Partner’s Interest, multiplied by (bb) the sum of the amounts allocated in clause (1) above.

(iv) Qualified Income Offset. In the event any Partner unexpectedly receives any adjustments, allocations or distributions described in Treasury Regulation Sections 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 gross 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; provided , that an allocation pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(iv) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Partner would have a deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account after all other allocations provided for in this Section 6.1 have been tentatively made as if this Section 6.1(d)(iv) were not in this Agreement.

(v) Gross Income Allocation. In the event any Partner has a deficit balance in its Capital Account at the end of any taxable period in excess of the sum of (A) the amount such Partner is required to restore pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement

 

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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(d)(v) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Partner would have a deficit balance in its Capital Account after all other allocations provided for in this Section 6.1 have been tentatively made as if Section 6.1(d)(iv) and this Section 6.1(d)(v) were not in this Agreement.

(vi) Nonrecourse Deductions. Nonrecourse Deductions for any taxable period shall be allocated to the Partners Pro Rata. If the General Partner determines that the Partnership’s Nonrecourse Deductions should 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 to revise the prescribed ratio to the numerically closest ratio that does satisfy such requirements.

(vii) 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, the 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.

(viii) 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 Pro Rata.

(ix) 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(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 as a result of a distribution to a Partner in complete liquidation of such Partner’s interest in the Partnership, 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) taken into account pursuant to Section 5.5, 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.

(x) Economic Uniformity; Changes in Law.

(A) At the election of the General Partner with respect to any taxable period ending upon, or after, the termination of the Subordination Period, all or a

 

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portion of the remaining items of Partnership gross income or gain for such taxable period, after taking into account allocations pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(iii), shall be allocated 100% to each Partner holding Subordinated Units that are Outstanding as of the termination of the Subordination Period (“ Final Subordinated Units ”) in the proportion of the number of Final Subordinated Units held by such Partner to the total number of Final Subordinated Units then Outstanding, until each such Partner has been allocated an amount of gross income or gain that increases the Capital Account maintained with respect to such Final Subordinated Units to an amount that after taking into account the other allocations of income, gain, loss and deduction to be made with respect to such taxable period will equal the product of (A) the number of Final Subordinated Units held by such Partner and (B) the Per Unit Capital Amount for a Common Unit. The purpose of this allocation is to establish uniformity between the Capital Accounts underlying Final Subordinated Units and the Capital Accounts underlying Common Units held by Persons other than the General Partner and its Affiliates immediately prior to the conversion of such Final Subordinated Units into Common Units. This allocation method for establishing such economic uniformity will be available to the General Partner only if the method for allocating the Capital Account maintained with respect to the Subordinated Units between the transferred and retained Subordinated Units pursuant to Section 5.5(c)(ii) does not otherwise provide such economic uniformity to the Final Subordinated Units.

(B) With respect to an event triggering an adjustment to the Carrying Value of Partnership property pursuant to Section 5.5(d) during any taxable period of the Partnership ending upon, or after, the issuance of IDR Reset Common Units pursuant to Section 5.11, after the application of Section 6.1(d)(x)(A), any Unrealized Gains and Unrealized Losses shall be allocated among the Partners in a manner that to the nearest extent possible results in the Capital Accounts maintained with respect to such IDR Reset Common Units issued pursuant to Section 5.11 equaling the product of (A) the Aggregate Quantity of IDR Reset Common Units and (B) the Per Unit Capital Amount for an Initial Common Unit.

(C) With respect to any taxable period during which an IDR Reset Unit is transferred to any Person who is not an Affiliate of the transferor, all or a portion of the remaining items of Partnership gross income or gain for such taxable period shall be allocated 100% to the transferor Partner of such transferred IDR Reset Unit until such transferor Partner has been allocated an amount of gross income or gain that increases the Capital Account maintained with respect to such transferred IDR Reset Unit to an amount equal to the Per Unit Capital Amount for an Initial Common Unit.

 

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(D) 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 (i) adopt such conventions as it deems appropriate in determining the amount of depreciation, amortization and cost recovery deductions; (ii) make special allocations of income, gain, loss, deduction, Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss; 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 Section 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 6.1(d)(x)(D) 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 Outstanding Limited Partner Interests or the Partnership.

(xi) 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 gross 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. In exercising its discretion under this Section 6.1(d)(xi)(A), the General Partner may take into account future Required Allocations that, although not yet made, are likely to offset other Required Allocations previously made. Allocations pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(xi)(A) shall only be made with respect to Required Allocations to the extent the General Partner determines that such allocations will otherwise be inconsistent with the economic agreement among the Partners.

(B) The General Partner shall, with respect to each taxable period, (1) apply the provisions of Section 6.1(d)(xi)(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(d)(xi)(A) among the Partners in a manner that is likely to minimize such economic distortions.

(xii) Corrective and Other Allocations. In the event of any allocation of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items or any Book-Down Event or any recognition of a Net Termination Loss, the following rules shall apply:

 

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(A) Except as provided in Section 6.1(d)(xii)(B), in the case of any allocation of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items (other than an allocation of Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss under Section 5.5(d) hereof), the General Partner shall allocate such Additional Book Basis Derivative Items to (1) the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights and the General Partner to the same extent that the Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss giving rise to such Additional Book Basis Derivative Items was allocated to them pursuant to Section 5.5(d) and (2) all Unitholders, Pro Rata, to the extent that the Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss giving rise to such Additional Book Basis Derivative Items was allocated to any Unitholders pursuant to Section 5.5(d).

(B) In the case of any allocation of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items (other than an allocation of Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss under Section 5.5(d) hereof or an allocation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss pursuant to Section 6.1(c) hereof) as a result of a sale or other taxable disposition of any Partnership asset that is an Adjusted Property (“ Disposed of Adjusted Property ”), the General Partner shall allocate (1) additional items of gross income and gain (aa) away from the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights and (bb) to the Unitholders, or (2) additional items of deduction and loss (aa) away from the Unitholders and (bb) to the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights, to the extent that the Additional Book Basis Derivative Items allocated to the Unitholders exceed their Share of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items with respect to such Disposed of Adjusted Property. Any allocation made pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(xii)(B) shall be made after all of the other Agreed Allocations have been made as if this Section 6.1(d)(xii) were not in this Agreement and, to the extent necessary, shall require the reallocation of items that have been allocated pursuant to such other Agreed Allocations.

(C) In the case of any negative adjustments to the Capital Accounts of the Partners resulting from a Book-Down Event or from the recognition of a Net Termination Loss, such negative adjustment (1) shall first be allocated, to the extent of the Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments, in such a manner, as determined by the General Partner, that to the extent possible the aggregate Capital Accounts of the Partners will equal the amount that would have been the Capital Account balances of the Partners if no prior Book-Up Events had occurred, and (2) any negative adjustment in excess of the Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments shall be allocated pursuant to Section 6.1(c) hereof.

(D) For purposes of this Section 6.1(d)(xii), the Unitholders shall be treated as being allocated Additional Book Basis Derivative Items to the extent that such Additional Book Basis Derivative Items have reduced the amount of income that would otherwise have been allocated to the Unitholders under this Agreement. In making the allocations required under this Section 6.1(d)(xii), the General Partner may apply whatever conventions or other methodology it

 

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determines will satisfy the purpose of this Section 6.1(d)(xii). Without limiting the foregoing, if an Adjusted Property is contributed by the Partnership to another entity classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes (the “lower tier partnership”), the General Partner may make allocations similar to those described in Sections 6.1(d)(xii)(A)–(C) to the extent the General Partner determines such allocations are necessary to account for the Partnership’s allocable share of income, gain, loss and deduction of the lower tier partnership that relate to the contributed Adjusted Property in a manner that is consistent with the purpose of this Section 6.1(d)(xii).

(xiii) Special Curative Allocation in Event of Liquidation Prior to End of Subordination Period. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 6.1 (other than the Required Allocations), if the Liquidation Date occurs prior to the conversion of the last Outstanding Subordinated Unit, then items of income, gain, loss and deduction for the taxable period that includes the Liquidation Date (and, if necessary, items arising in previous taxable periods to the extent the General Partner determines such items may be so allocated), shall be specially allocated among the Partners in the manner determined appropriate by the General Partner so as to cause, to the maximum extent possible, the Capital Account in respect of each Common Unit to equal the amount such Capital Account would have been if all prior allocations of Net Termination Gain and Net Termination Loss had been made pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(i) or Section 6.1(c)(ii), as applicable.

Section 6.2 Allocations for Tax Purposes .

(a) Except as otherwise provided herein, for U.S. 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 U.S. federal income tax purposes among the Partners in the manner provided under Section 704(c) of the Code, and the Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 704(b) and 704(c) of the Code, as determined appropriate by the General Partner (taking into account the General Partner’s discretion under Section 6.1(d)(x)(D)); provided , that the General Partner shall apply the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-3(d) in all events.

(c) The General Partner 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 unamortized Book-Tax Disparity of such property, despite any inconsistency of such approach

 

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with Treasury Regulation Section 1.167(c)-l(a)(6) or any successor regulations thereto. 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 depreciation and amortization conventions to preserve the uniformity of the intrinsic tax characteristics of any Limited Partner Interests, so long as such conventions would not have a material adverse effect on the Limited Partners or the Record Holders of any class or classes of Limited Partner Interests.

(d) In accordance with Treasury Regulation Sections 1.1245-1(e) and 1.1250-1(f), 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.

(e) All items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit recognized by the Partnership for U.S. 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 that may be made by the Partnership; provided, however, that such allocations, once made, shall be adjusted (in the manner determined by the General Partner) to take into account those adjustments permitted or required by Sections 734 and 743 of the Code.

(f) Each item of Partnership income, gain, loss and deduction shall, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, be determined for each taxable period and prorated on a monthly basis and shall be allocated to the Partners as of the opening of the National Securities Exchange on which Partnership Interests are listed or admitted to trading on the first Business Day of each month; provided , however , such items for the period beginning on the Closing Date and ending on the last day of the month in which the Closing Date occurs shall be allocated to the Partners who are issued Units as a result of the transactions contemplated by the Contribution Agreement or the Underwriting Agreement; and provided , further , that gain or loss on a sale or other disposition of any assets of the Partnership or any other extraordinary item of income, gain, loss or deduction as determined by the General Partner, shall be allocated to the Partners as of the opening of the National Securities Exchange on which Partnership Interests are listed or admitted to trading on the first Business Day of the month in which such item is recognized for federal income tax purposes. The General Partner may revise, alter or otherwise modify such methods of allocation to the extent the General Partner determines necessary or appropriate to comply with Section 706 of the Code and the regulations or rulings promulgated thereunder or for the proper administration of the Partnership.

 

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(g) 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 determined by the General Partner.

Section 6.3 Distributions; Characterization of Distributions; Distributions to Record Holders .

(a) The Board of Directors may adopt a cash distribution policy, which it may change from time to time without amendment to this Agreement. Distributions will be made as and when declared by the General Partner.

(b) All amounts of cash and cash equivalents distributed by the Partnership on any date from any source shall be deemed to be Operating Surplus until the sum of all amounts of cash and cash equivalents theretofore distributed by the Partnership to the Partners pursuant to Section 6.4 equals the Operating Surplus from the Closing Date through the close of the immediately preceding Quarter. Any remaining amounts of cash and cash equivalents distributed by the Partnership on such date shall, except as otherwise provided in Section 6.5, be deemed to be “ Capital Surplus .” All distributions required to be made under this Agreement or otherwise made by the Partnership shall be made subject to Sections 17-607 and 17-804 of the Delaware Act.

(c) Notwithstanding Section 6.3(b), in the event of the dissolution and liquidation of the Partnership, all Partnership assets shall be applied and distributed solely in accordance with, and subject to the terms and conditions of, Section 12.4.

(d) Each distribution in respect of a Partnership Interest shall be paid by the Partnership, directly or through any 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.

Section 6.4 Distributions from Operating Surplus .

(a) During Subordination Period . Cash and cash equivalents distributed in respect of any Quarter wholly within the Subordination Period that is deemed to be Operating Surplus pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.3 or 6.5 shall be distributed as follows, except as otherwise contemplated by Section 5.6(b) in respect of additional Partnership Interests issued pursuant thereto:

(i) First, (x) to the General Partner in accordance with its Percentage Interest and (y) to the Unitholders holding Common Units, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the General Partner’s Percentage Interest, until there has been distributed in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for such Quarter;

 

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(ii) Second, (x) to the General Partner in accordance with its Percentage Interest and (y) to the Unitholders holding Common Units, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the General Partner’s Percentage Interest, until there has been distributed in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the Cumulative Common Unit Arrearage existing with respect to such Quarter;

(iii) Third, (x) to the General Partner in accordance with its Percentage Interest and (y) to the Unitholders holding Subordinated Units, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the General Partner’s Percentage Interest, until there has been distributed in respect of each Subordinated Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for such Quarter;

(iv) Fourth, to the General Partner and all Unitholders, Pro Rata, until there has been distributed in respect of each Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the excess of the First Target Distribution over the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for such Quarter;

(v) Fifth, (A) to the General Partner in accordance with its Percentage Interest; (B) 13% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata; and (C) to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the sum of the percentages applicable to subclauses (A) and (B) of this clause (v) until there has been distributed in respect of each Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the excess of the Second Target Distribution over the First Target Distribution for such Quarter;

(vi) Sixth, (A) to the General Partner in accordance with its Percentage Interest, (B) 23% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata; and (C) to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the sum of the percentages applicable to subclauses (A) and (B) of this clause (vi) until there has been distributed in respect of each Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the excess of the Third Target Distribution over the Second Target Distribution for such Quarter; and

(vii) Thereafter, (A) to the General Partner in accordance with its Percentage Interest; (B) 48% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata; and (C) to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the sum of the percentages applicable to subclauses (A) and (B) of this clause (vii);

provided , however , if the Target Distributions have been reduced to zero pursuant to the second sentence of Section 6.6(a), the distribution of cash and cash equivalents that are deemed to be Operating Surplus with respect to any Quarter will be made solely in accordance with Section 6.4(a)(vii).

(b) After Subordination Period . Cash and cash equivalents distributed in respect of any Quarter ending after the Subordination Period has ended that is deemed to be Operating Surplus pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.3 or Section 6.5 shall be distributed as follows, except as otherwise contemplated by Section 5.6(b) in respect of additional Partnership Interests issued pursuant thereto:

 

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(i) First, 100% to the General Partner and the Unitholders, Pro Rata, until there has been distributed in respect of each Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for such Quarter;

(ii) Second, 100% to the General Partner and the Unitholders, Pro Rata, until there has been distributed in respect of each Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the excess of the First Target Distribution over the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for such Quarter;

(iii) Third, (A) to the General Partner in accordance with its Percentage Interest; (B) 13% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata; and (C) to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the sum of the percentages applicable to subclauses (A) and (B) of this clause (iii), until there has been distributed in respect of each Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the excess of the Second Target Distribution over the First Target Distribution for such Quarter;

(iv) Fourth, (A) to the General Partner in accordance with its Percentage Interest; (B) 23% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata; and (C) to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the sum of the percentages applicable to subclauses (A) and (B) of this clause (iv), until there has been distributed in respect of each Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the excess of the Third Target Distribution over the Second Target Distribution for such Quarter; and

(v) Thereafter, (A) to the General Partner in accordance with its Percentage Interest; (B) 48% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata; and (C) to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the sum of the percentages applicable to subclauses (A) and (B) of this clause (v);

provided , however , if the Target Distributions have been reduced to zero pursuant to the second sentence of Section 6.6(a), the distribution of cash or cash equivalents that are deemed to be Operating Surplus with respect to any Quarter will be made solely in accordance with Section 6.4(b)(v).

Section 6.5 Distributions from Capital Surplus . Cash and cash equivalents that are distributed and deemed to be Capital Surplus pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.3(a) shall be distributed, unless the provisions of Section 6.3 require otherwise, 100% to the General Partner and the Unitholders, Pro Rata, until the Minimum Quarterly Distribution has been reduced to zero pursuant to the second sentence of Section 6.6(a). Cash and cash equivalents that are distributed and deemed to be Capital Surplus shall then be distributed (a) to the General Partner in accordance with its Percentage Interest and (b) to all Unitholders holding Common Units, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the General Partner’s Percentage Interest until there has been distributed in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the Cumulative Common Unit Arrearage. Thereafter, all cash and cash equivalents shall be distributed as if it were Operating Surplus and shall be distributed in accordance with Section 6.4.

 

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Section 6.6 Adjustment of Target Distribution Levels .

(a) The Target Distributions, Common Unit Arrearages and Cumulative Common Unit Arrearages shall be proportionately adjusted in the event of any distribution, combination or subdivision (whether effected by a distribution payable in Units or otherwise) of Units or other Partnership Interests. In the event of a distribution of cash or cash equivalents that is deemed to be from Capital Surplus, the then applicable Target Distributions shall be reduced in the same proportion that the distribution had to the fair market value of the Common Units immediately prior to the announcement of the distribution. If the Common Units are publicly traded on a National Securities Exchange, the fair market value will be the Current Market Price before the ex-dividend date. If the Common Units are not publicly traded, the fair market value will be determined by the Board of Directors.

(b) The Target Distributions shall also be subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 5.11 and Section 6.9.

Section 6.7 Special Provisions Relating to the Holders of Subordinated Units .

(a) Except with respect to the right to vote on or approve matters requiring the vote or approval of a percentage of the holders of Outstanding Common Units and the right to participate in allocations of income, gain, loss and deduction and distributions made with respect to Common Units, the holder of a Subordinated Unit shall have all of the rights and obligations of a Unitholder holding Common Units hereunder; provided , however , that immediately upon the conversion of Subordinated Units into Common Units pursuant to Section 5.7, the Unitholder holding Subordinated Units shall possess all of the rights and obligations of a Unitholder holding Common Units hereunder with respect to such converted Subordinated Units, including the right to vote as a Common Unitholder and the right to participate in allocations of income, gain, loss and deduction and distributions made with respect to Common Units; provided , however , that such converted Subordinated Units shall remain subject to the provisions of Section 5.5(c)(ii), Section 6.1(d)(x), Section 6.7(b) and Section 6.7(c).

(b) A Unitholder shall not be permitted to transfer a Subordinated Unit or a Subordinated Unit that has converted into a Common Unit pursuant to Section 5.7 (other than a transfer to an Affiliate) if the remaining balance in the transferring Unitholder’s Capital Account with respect to the retained Subordinated Units or retained converted Subordinated Units would be negative after giving effect to the allocation under Section 5.5(c)(ii)(B).

(c) The Unitholder holding a Common Unit that has resulted from the conversion of a Subordinated Unit pursuant to Section 5.7 shall not be issued a Common Unit Certificate pursuant to Section 4.1, if the Common Units are evidenced by Certificates, and shall not be permitted to transfer such Common Unit to a Person that is not an Affiliate of the holder until

 

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such time as the General Partner determines, based on advice of counsel, that each such Common Unit should have, as a substantive matter, like intrinsic economic and federal income tax characteristics, in all material respects, to the intrinsic economic and federal income tax characteristics of an Initial Common Unit. In connection with the condition imposed by this Section 6.7(c), the General Partner may take whatever steps are required to provide economic uniformity to such Common Units in preparation for a transfer of such Common Units, including the application of Sections 5.5(c)(ii), 6.1(d)(x) and 6.7(b); provided, however, that no such steps may be taken that would have a material adverse effect on the Unitholders holding a Common Unit.

Section 6.8 Special Provisions Relating to the Holders of IDR Reset Common Units .

(a) A Unitholder shall not be permitted to transfer an IDR Reset Common Unit (other than a transfer to an Affiliate) if the remaining balance in the transferring Unitholder’s Capital Account with respect to the retained IDR Reset Common Units would be negative after giving effect to the allocation under Section 5.5(c)(iii).

(b) A Unitholder holding an IDR Reset Common Unit shall not be permitted to transfer such Common Unit to a Person that is not an Affiliate of the holder until such time as the General Partner determines, based on advice of counsel, that upon transfer each such Common Unit should have, as a substantive matter, like intrinsic economic and U.S. federal income tax characteristics to the transferee, in all material respects, to the intrinsic economic and U.S. federal income tax characteristics of an Initial Common Unit to such transferee. In connection with the condition imposed by this Section 6.8(b), the General Partner may apply Sections 5.5(c)(iii), 6.1(d)(x) and 6.8(a) or, to the extent not resulting in a material adverse effect on the Unitholders holding Common Units, take whatever steps are required to provide economic uniformity to such Common Units in preparation for a transfer of such IDR Reset Common Units.

Section 6.9 Entity-Level Taxation . If legislation is enacted or the official interpretation of existing legislation is modified by a governmental authority, which after giving effect to such enactment or modification, results in a Group Member becoming subject to federal, state or local or non-U.S. income or withholding taxes in excess of the amount of such taxes due from the Group Member prior to such enactment or modification (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any increase in the rate of such taxation applicable to the Group Member), then the General Partner may, in its sole discretion, reduce the Target Distributions by the amount of income or withholding taxes that are payable by reason of any such new legislation or interpretation (the “ Incremental Income Taxes ”), or any portion thereof selected by the General Partner, in the manner provided in this Section 6.9. If the General Partner elects to reduce the Target Distributions for any Quarter with respect to all or a portion of any Incremental Income Taxes, the General Partner shall estimate for such Quarter the Partnership Group’s aggregate liability (the “ Estimated Incremental Quarterly Tax Amount ”) for all (or the relevant portion of) such Incremental Income Taxes; provided that any difference between such estimate and the actual liability for Incremental Income Taxes (or the relevant portion thereof) for

 

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such Quarter may, to the extent determined by the General Partner, be taken into account in determining the Estimated Incremental Quarterly Tax Amount with respect to each Quarter in which any such difference can be determined. For each such Quarter, the Target Distributions, shall be the product obtained by multiplying (a) the amounts therefor that are set out herein prior to the application of this Section 6.9 times (b) the quotient obtained by dividing (i) cash and cash equivalents with respect to such Quarter by (ii) the sum of cash and cash equivalents with respect to such Quarter and the Estimated Incremental Quarterly Tax Amount for such Quarter, as determined by the General Partner. For purposes of the foregoing, cash and cash equivalents with respect to a Quarter will be deemed reduced by the Estimated Incremental Quarterly Tax Amount for that Quarter.

ARTICLE VII

MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF BUSINESS

Section 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, but without limitation on the ability of the General Partner to delegate its rights and powers to other Persons, all management powers over the business and affairs of the Partnership shall be exclusively vested in the General Partner, and no other Partner shall have any management power over the business and affairs of the Partnership. In addition to the powers now or hereafter granted to a general partner of a limited partnership under applicable law or that are granted to the General Partner under any other provision of this Agreement, the General Partner, subject to Section 7.4, shall have full power and authority to do all things and on such terms as it determines to be 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 or exchangeable into Partnership Interests, 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 7.4 or Article XIV);

 

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(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; the lending of funds to other Persons (including other Group Members); the repayment or guarantee of obligations of 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 cash or cash equivalents by the Partnership;

(vii) the selection, employment, retention and dismissal of employees (including employees having titles such as “president,” “vice president,” “secretary” and “treasurer”) and agents, outside attorneys, accountants, consultants and contractors of the General Partner or the Partnership Group and the determination of their compensation and other terms of employment or hiring;

(viii) the maintenance of insurance for the benefit of the Partnership Group, the Partners and Indemnitees;

(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, limited liability companies or other Persons (including the acquisition of interests in, and the contributions of property to, any Group Member from time to time);

(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, arbitration or mediation 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;

(xiii) the purchase, sale or other acquisition or disposition of Partnership Interests, or the issuance of options, rights, warrants, appreciation rights, phantom or tracking interests relating to Partnership Interests;

 

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(xiv) the undertaking of any action in connection with the Partnership’s participation in the management of any Group Member; and

(xv) the entering into of agreements with any of its Affiliates to render services to a Group Member or to itself in the discharge of its duties as General Partner of the Partnership.

(b) Each of the Partners and each other Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest and each other Person who is otherwise bound by this Agreement hereby (i) approves, ratifies and confirms the execution, delivery and performance by the parties thereto of this Agreement, the Underwriting Agreement, the Contribution Agreement, the Omnibus Agreement and the other agreements described in or filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are related to the transactions contemplated by the Registration Statement (in the case of each agreement other than this Agreement, without giving effect to any amendments, supplements or restatements after the date hereof); (ii) agrees that the General Partner (on its own behalf or on behalf 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 Registration Statement on behalf of the Partnership without any further act, approval or vote of the Partners, the other Persons who acquire a Partnership Interest and the Persons who are otherwise bound by this Agreement; 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 fiduciary or other duty existing at law, in equity or otherwise that the General Partner may owe the Partnership, the Limited Partners, the other Persons who acquire a Partnership Interest or the Persons who are otherwise bound by this Agreement.

Section 7.2 Replacement of Fiduciary Duties . Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, to the extent that any provision of this Agreement purports or is interpreted (a) to have the effect of replacing, restricting or eliminating the duties that might otherwise, as a result of Delaware or other applicable law, be owed by the General Partner or any other Indemnitee to the Partnership, the Limited Partners, any other Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest or any other Person who is bound by this Agreement, or (b) to constitute a waiver or consent by the Partnership, the Limited Partners, any other Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest or any other Person who is bound by this Agreement to any such replacement or restriction, such provision shall be deemed to have been approved by the Partnership, all the Partners, each other Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest and each other Person who is bound by this Agreement.

Section 7.3 Certificate of Limited Partnership . The General Partner has caused the Certificate of Limited Partnership to be filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as required by the Delaware Act. The General Partner shall use all reasonable efforts to cause to

 

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be filed such other certificates or documents that the General Partner determines to be 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 the General Partner determines such action to be 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 Partner.

Section 7.4 Restrictions on the General Partner’s Authority . Except as provided in Article XII and Article XIV, the General Partner may not sell, exchange or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the assets of the Partnership Group, taken as a whole, in a single transaction or a series of related transactions without the approval of a Unit Majority; 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.

Section 7.5 Reimbursement of the General Partner .

(a) The General Partner shall be reimbursed on a monthly basis, or such other basis as the General Partner may determine, for (i) all direct and indirect expenses it incurs or payments it makes on behalf of the Partnership Group (including salary, bonus, incentive compensation and other amounts paid to any Person (including Affiliates of the General Partner), to perform services for the Partnership Group or for the General Partner in the discharge of its duties to the Partnership Group), and (ii) all other expenses allocable to the Partnership Group or otherwise incurred by the General Partner in connection with operating the Partnership Group’s business (including expenses allocated to the General Partner by its Affiliates). The General Partner shall determine in good faith the expenses that are allocable to the General Partner or any member of the Partnership Group. Reimbursements pursuant to this Section 7.5 shall be in addition to any reimbursement to the General Partner as a result of indemnification pursuant to Section 7.7. The General Partner and its Affiliates may charge any member of the Partnership Group a management fee to the extent necessary to allow the Partnership Group to reduce the amount of any state franchise or income tax or any tax based upon revenues or gross margin of any member of the Partnership Group if the tax benefit produced by the payment for such management fee exceeds the amount of such fee.

 

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(b) The General Partner, 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 benefit plans, programs and practices (including the SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P. Long-Term Incentive Plan and other plans, programs and practices involving the issuance of Partnership Interests), or cause the Partnership to issue Partnership Interests (or other awards under the SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P. Long-Term Incentive Plan) in connection with, or pursuant to, any benefit plan, program or practice maintained or sponsored by the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, in each case for the benefit of employees, officers, consultants and directors of the General Partner or its Affiliates, in respect of services performed, directly or indirectly, for the benefit of the Partnership Group. The Partnership agrees to issue or sell to the General Partner or any of its Affiliates any Partnership Interests that the General Partner or such Affiliates are obligated to provide to any employees, officers, consultants and directors pursuant to any such benefit plans, programs or 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 Affiliates of Partnership Interests purchased by the General Partner or such Affiliates, from the Partnership or otherwise, to fulfill awards under such plans, programs and practices) shall be reimbursed in accordance with Section 7.5(a). Any and all obligations of the General Partner under any benefit plans, programs or practices adopted by the General Partner as permitted by this Section 7.5(b) shall constitute obligations of the General Partner hereunder and shall be assumed by any successor General Partner approved pursuant to Section 11.1 or Section 11.2 or the transferee of or successor to all of the General Partner’s General Partner Interest pursuant to Section 4.6.

Section 7.6 Outside Activities.

(a) 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 and any other partnership or limited liability company of which the Partnership is, directly or indirectly, a partner or member and to undertake activities that are ancillary or related thereto (including being a Limited Partner in the Partnership) and (ii) shall not 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, if any, of one or more Group Members or as described in or contemplated by the Registration Statement, (B) the acquiring, owning or disposing of debt securities or equity interests in any Group Member or (C) the guarantee of, and mortgage, pledge, or encumbrance of any or all of its assets in connection with, any indebtedness of any Group Member.

(b) Subject to the terms of the Omnibus Agreement, each Unrestricted Person (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. No such business interest or activity shall constitute a breach of this Agreement, any fiduciary or other duty existing at law, in equity or otherwise, or obligation of any type whatsoever to the Partnership or other Group Member, any Partner, any Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest or any Person who is otherwise bound by this Agreement.

 

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(c) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the doctrine of corporate opportunity, or any analogous doctrine, shall not apply to any Unrestricted Person (including the General Partner). Except as set forth in the Omnibus Agreement, no Unrestricted Person (including the General Partner) who acquires knowledge of a potential transaction, agreement, arrangement or other matter that may be an opportunity for the Partnership, shall have any duty to communicate or offer such opportunity to any Group Member, and such Unrestricted Person (including the General Partner) shall not be liable to the Partnership or any other Group Member, any Partner any person who acquires a Partnership Interest or any other Person who is otherwise bound by this Agreement for breach of any fiduciary or other duty existing at law, in equity or otherwise by reason of the fact that such Unrestricted Person (including the General Partner) pursues or acquires such opportunity for itself, directs such opportunity to another Person or does not communicate such opportunity information to any Group Member.

(d) The General Partner and each of its Affiliates may acquire Units or other Partnership Interests in addition to those acquired on the Closing Date and, except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, shall be entitled to exercise, at their option, all rights relating to all Units or other Partnership Interests acquired by them. The term “Affiliates” when used in this Section 7.6(d) with respect to the General Partner shall not include any Group Member.

Section 7.7 Indemnification.

(a) To the fullest extent permitted by law, 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 threatened pending or completed claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, and whether formal or informal and including appeals, 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 and acting (or refraining to act) in such capacity; provided, that the Indemnitee shall not be indemnified and held harmless if there has been a final and non-appealable judgment entered by a court of competent jurisdiction determining that, in respect of the matter for which the Indemnitee is seeking indemnification pursuant to this Agreement, the Indemnitee acted in bad faith or, in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful. 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.

 

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(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 appearing at, participating in or defending any claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding shall, from time to time, be advanced by the Partnership prior to a final and non-appealable judgment entered by a court of competent jurisdiction determining that, in respect of the matter for which the Indemnitee is seeking indemnification pursuant to this Section 7.7, the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified upon receipt by the Partnership of any undertaking by or on behalf of the Indemnitee to repay such amount if it shall be ultimately determined that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified as authorized by 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, in equity or otherwise, both as to actions in the Indemnitee’s capacity as an Indemnitee and as to actions in any other capacity, 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 an Indemnitee 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 Indemnitee in connection with the Partnership’s activities or such Indemnitee’s activities on behalf of the Partnership, regardless of whether the Partnership would have the power to indemnify such Indemnitee 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 an Indemnitee with respect to any employee benefit plan in the performance of its duties for a purpose reasonably believed by it to be in the best interest of the participants and beneficiaries of the plan shall be deemed to be for a purpose that is in 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.

 

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(h) The provisions of this Section 7.7 are for the benefit of the Indemnitees and their heirs, successors, assigns, executors 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.

Section 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 Partners or any other Persons who have acquired interests in a Partnership Interest or is otherwise bound by this Agreement, for losses sustained or liabilities incurred as a result of any act or omission of an Indemnitee unless there has been a final and non-appealable judgment entered by a court of competent jurisdiction determining that, in respect of the matter in question, the Indemnitee acted in bad faith or, in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the Indemnitee’s conduct was criminal. In the case where an Indemnitee is liable for damages, those damages shall only be direct damages and shall not include punitive damages, consequential damages or lost profits.

(b) 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, the Partners, any Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest or is otherwise bound by this Agreement, the General Partner and any other Indemnitee acting in connection with the Partnership’s business or affairs shall not be liable, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to the Partnership, the Partners, any Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest or is otherwise bound by this Agreement, for its reliance on the provisions of this Agreement.

(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.

 

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Section 7.9 Standards of Conduct and Modification of Duties .

(a) Whenever the General Partner, the Board of Directors or any committee of the Board of Directors (including the Conflicts Committee), makes a determination or takes or declines to take any other action, or any Affiliates of the General Partner cause the General Partner to do so, in its capacity as the general partner of the Partnership as opposed to in its individual capacity, whether under this Agreement, any Group Member Agreement or any other agreement contemplated hereby or otherwise, then, unless another express standard is provided for in this Agreement, the General Partner, the Board of Directors, such committee or such Affiliates causing the General Partner to do so, shall make such determination or take or decline to take such other action in good faith and shall not be subject to any higher standard contemplated hereby or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity. A determination, other action or failure to act by the General Partner, the Board of Directors of the General Partner or any committee thereof (including the Conflicts Committee) will be deemed to be in good faith unless the General Partner, the Board of Directors of the General Partner or any committee thereof (including the Conflicts Committee) believed such determination, other action or failure to act was adverse to the interests of the Partnership. In any proceeding brought by the Partnership, any Limited Partner, or any Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest or any other Person who is bound by this Agreement challenging such action, determination or failure to act, the Person bringing or prosecuting such proceeding shall have the burden of proving that such determination, action or failure to act was not in good faith.

(b) Whenever the General Partner makes a determination or takes or declines to take any other action, or any of its Affiliates causes it to do so, in its individual capacity as opposed to in its capacity as the general partner of the Partnership, whether under this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated hereby or otherwise, then the General Partner, or such Affiliates causing it to do so, are entitled, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to make such determination or to take or decline to take such other action free of any fiduciary duty or other duty existing at law, in equity or otherwise or obligation whatsoever to the Partnership, any Limited Partner, any other Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest or any other Person who otherwise is bound by this Agreement, and the General Partner, or such Affiliates causing it to do so, shall not, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be required to act in good faith or pursuant to any other standard imposed by this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated hereby or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity. By way of illustration and not of limitation, whenever the phrases, “at the option of the General Partner,” “in its sole discretion” or some variation of those phrases, are used in this Agreement, it indicates that the General Partner is acting in its individual capacity. For the avoidance of doubt, whenever the General Partner votes or transfers its Partnership Interests, or refrains from voting or transferring its Partnership Interests, it shall be acting in its individual capacity.

(c) Whenever a potential conflict of interest exists or arises between the General Partner or any Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Partnership, any Group Member or any Partner, any other Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest or any other Person

 

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who is bound by this Agreement on the other hand, the General Partner may in its discretion submit any resolution or course of action with respect to such conflict of interest for (i) Special Approval or (ii) approval by the vote of a majority of the Common Units (excluding Common Units owned by the General Partner and its Affiliates). If such course of action or resolution receives Special Approval or approval of a majority of the Common Units (excluding Common Units owned by the General Partner and its Affiliates), then such course of action or resolution shall be conclusively deemed approved by the Partnership, all the Partners, each Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest and each other Person who is bound by this Agreement, and shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement, of any Group Member Agreement, of any agreement contemplated herein or therein, or of any fiduciary or other duty existing at law, in equity or otherwise or obligation of any type whatsoever.

(d) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the General Partner and its Affiliates or any other Indemnitee shall have no duty or obligation, express or implied, to (i) sell or otherwise dispose of any asset of the Partnership Group other than in the ordinary course of business or (ii) 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. Any determination by the General Partner or any of its Affiliates to enter into such contracts shall be in its sole discretion.

(e) The Partners, each Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest or is otherwise bound by this Agreement hereby authorize the General Partner, on behalf of the Partnership as a partner or member of a Group Member, to approve actions by the general partner or managing member of such Group Member similar to those actions permitted to be taken by the General Partner pursuant to this Section 7.9.

Section 7.10 Other Matters Concerning the General Partner and Indemnitees .

(a) The General Partner and any other Indemnitee may rely upon, 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 and any other Indemnitee 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 in reliance upon the advice or 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 advice or 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 any Group Member.

 

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Section 7.11 Purchase or Sale of Partnership Interests . The General Partner may cause the Partnership to purchase or otherwise acquire Partnership Interests. As long as Partnership Interests are held by any Group Member, such Partnership Interests shall not be considered Outstanding for any purpose, except as otherwise provided herein. The General Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner may also purchase or otherwise acquire and sell or otherwise dispose of Partnership Interests for its own account, subject to the provisions of Articles IV and X.

Section 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 Interests 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 Interests (the “ Holder ”) to dispose of the number of Partnership Interests it desires to sell at the time it desires to do so without registration under the Securities Act, then at the option and upon the request of the Holder, the Partnership shall file with the Commission as promptly as practicable after receiving such request, and use all commercially 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 Interests 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 Interests 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 General Partner determines that a postponement of the requested registration 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 (i) promptly prepare and file (A) such documents as may be necessary to register or qualify the 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 (B) such documents as may be necessary to apply for listing or to list the Partnership Interests subject to such registration on such National Securities Exchange as the Holder shall reasonably request, and (ii) do any and all other acts and things that may be necessary or appropriate to enable the Holder to consummate a public sale of such Partnership Interests 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.

 

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(b) If the Partnership shall at any time propose to file a registration statement under the Securities Act for an offering of Partnership Interests for cash (other than an offering relating solely to a benefit plan), the Partnership shall use all commercially reasonable efforts to include such number or amount of Partnership Interests held by any Holder in such registration statement as the Holder shall request; provided , that the Partnership is not required to make any effort or take any action to so include the Partnership Interests of the Holder once the registration statement becomes or is declared effective by the Commission, including any registration statement providing for the offering from time to time of Partnership Interests pursuant to Rule 415 of the Securities Act. 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 that in their opinion the inclusion of all or some of the Holder’s Partnership Interests would adversely and materially affect the timing or success of the offering, the Partnership shall include in such offering only that number or amount, if any, of Partnership Interests held by the Holder that, 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 ”) 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 Indemnified Person may be involved, or is threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, 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 Interests 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 issuer free writing 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 free writing prospectus or such

 

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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 Section 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 Interests 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 Interests for which registration was demanded during such two-year period. The provisions of Section 7.12(c) shall continue in effect thereafter.

(e) The rights to cause the Partnership to register Partnership Interests pursuant to this Section 7.12 may be assigned (but only with all related obligations) by a Holder to a transferee or assignee of such Partnership Interests, provided (i) the Partnership is, within a reasonable time after such transfer, furnished with written notice of the name and address of such transferee or assignee and the Partnership Interests with respect to which such registration rights are being assigned; and (ii) such transferee or assignee agrees in writing to be bound by and subject to the terms set forth in this Section 7.12.

(f) Any request to register Partnership Interests pursuant to this Section 7.12 shall (i) specify the Partnership Interests intended to be offered and sold by the Person making the request, (ii) express such Person’s present intent to offer such Partnership Interests for distribution, (iii) describe the nature or method of the proposed offer and sale of Partnership Interests, 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 Interests.

Section 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, to the fullest extent permitted by law, 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 this Agreement have been complied with or to inquire into the necessity or expedience of any act or action of the General Partner or

 

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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

Section 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 of Units or other Partnership Interests, books of account and records of Partnership proceedings, may be kept on, or be in the form of, computer disks, hard drives, 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. The Partnership shall not be required to keep books maintained on a cash basis and the General Partner shall be permitted to calculate cash-based measures, including Operating Surplus and Adjusted Operating Surplus, by making such adjustments to its accrual basis books to account for non-cash items and other adjustments as the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate.

Section 8.2 Fiscal Year . The fiscal year of the Partnership shall be a fiscal year ending December 31.

Section 8.3 Reports .

(a) As soon as practicable, but in no event later than 105 days after the close of each fiscal year of the Partnership, the General Partner shall cause to be mailed or made available, by any reasonable means, to each Record Holder of a Unit or other Partnership Interest as of a date selected by the General Partner, 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, and such other information as may be required by applicable law, regulation or rule of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed or admitted to trading, or as the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate.

 

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(b) As soon as practicable, but in no event later than 50 days after the close of each Quarter except the last Quarter of each fiscal year, the General Partner shall cause to be mailed or made available, by any reasonable means to each Record Holder of a Unit or other Partnership Interest, as of a date selected by the General Partner, 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 the Units are listed or admitted to trading, or as the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate.

(c) The General Partner shall be deemed to have made a report available to each Record Holder as required by this Section 8.3 if it has either (i) filed such report with the Commission via its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system and such report is publicly available on such system or (ii) made such report available on any publicly available website maintained by the Partnership.

ARTICLE IX

TAX MATTERS

Section 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 the taxable period or year that it is required by law to adopt, from time to time, as determined by the General Partner. In the event the Partnership is required to use a taxable period other than a year ending on December 31, the General Partner shall use reasonable efforts to change the taxable period of the Partnership to a year ending on December 31. The tax information reasonably required by Record Holders for federal, state and local income tax reporting purposes with respect to a taxable period shall be furnished to them within 90 days of the close of the calendar year in which the Partnership’s taxable period ends. The classification, realization and recognition of income, gain, losses and deductions and other items shall be on the accrual method of accounting for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Section 9.2 Tax Elections .

(a) The Partnership shall make 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 the Limited Partner Interests on any National Securities Exchange on which such Limited Partner Interests are listed or admitted to trading during the calendar month in which such transfer is deemed to occur pursuant to Section 6.2(f) without regard to the actual price paid by such transferee.

 

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(b) Except as otherwise provided herein, the General Partner shall determine whether the Partnership should make any other elections permitted by the Code.

Section 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.

Section 9.4 Withholding; Tax Payments .

(a) The General Partner may treat taxes paid by the Partnership on behalf of, all or less than all of the Partners, either as a distribution of cash to such Partners or as a general expense of the Partnership, as determined appropriate under the circumstances by the General Partner.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the General Partner is authorized to take any action that may be required to cause the Partnership and other Group Members to comply with any withholding requirements established under the Code or any other federal, state or local law including 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 or from a distribution to any Partner (including by reason of Section 1446 of the Code), the General Partner may treat the amount withheld as a distribution of cash pursuant to Section 6.3 in the amount of such withholding from such Partner.

ARTICLE X

ADMISSION OF PARTNERS

Section 10.1 Admission of Limited Partners .

(a) A Person shall be admitted as a Limited Partner and shall become bound by the terms of this Agreement if such Person purchases or otherwise lawfully acquires any Limited Partner Interest and becomes the Record Holder of such Limited Partner Interests in accordance with the provisions of Article IV or Article V hereof. A Person may become a Record Holder of a Unit without the consent or approval of any of the Partners. A Person may not become a Limited Partner without acquiring a Limited Partner Interest and until reflected on the books and records of the Partnership as the Record Holder of such Limited Partner Interest. Upon the issuance by the Partnership of Common Units, Subordinated Units and Incentive Distribution

 

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Rights to the General Partner, the Organizational Limited Partner and the Underwriters as described in Article V in connection with the Initial Offering, such parties will be automatically admitted to the Partnership as Initial Limited Partners in respect of the Common Units, Subordinated Units or Incentive Distribution Rights issued to them.

(b) The name and mailing address of each Record Holder shall be listed on the books and records of the Partnership maintained for such purpose by the Partnership or the Transfer Agent. The General Partner shall update the books and records of the Partnership from time to time as necessary to reflect accurately the information therein (or shall cause the Transfer Agent to do so, as applicable). A Limited Partner Interest may be represented by a Certificate, as provided in Section 4.1.

(c) Any transfer of a Limited Partner Interest shall not entitle the transferee to share in the profits and losses, to receive distributions, to receive allocations of income, gain, loss, deduction or credit or any similar item or to any other rights to which the transferor was entitled until the transferee becomes a Limited Partner pursuant to Section 10.1(b).

Section 10.2 Admission of Successor General Partner . A successor General Partner approved pursuant to Section 11.1 or Section 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 predecessor or transferring 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 members of the Partnership Group without dissolution.

Section 10.3 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 or 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.

ARTICLE XI

WITHDRAWAL OR REMOVAL OF PARTNERS

Section 11.1 Withdrawal of the General Partner .

(a) The General Partner shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the Partnership upon the occurrence of any one of the following events (each such event herein referred to as an “ Event of Withdrawal ”);

 

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(i) The General Partner voluntarily withdraws from the Partnership by giving written notice to the other Partners;

(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 Closing Date and ending at 11:59 pm, prevailing Central Time, on September 30, 2022, 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 Unitholders holding at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units

 

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(excluding Common Units held by the General Partner and its Affiliates) 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 under the Delaware Act of any Limited Partner or cause any Group Member to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes (to the extent not already so treated or taxed); (ii) at any time after 11:59 pm, prevailing Central Time, on September 30, 2022, the General Partner voluntarily withdraws by giving at least 90 days’ advance notice to the Unitholders, 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 Units. 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, if any, to the extent applicable, of the other Group Members. If the General Partner gives a notice of withdrawal pursuant to Section 11.1(a)(i), a Unit Majority, 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 the successor general partner or managing member, to the extent applicable, of the other Group Members of which the General Partner is a general partner or a managing member. If, prior to the effective date of the General Partner’s withdrawal pursuant to Section 11.1(a)(i), a successor is not selected by the Unitholders 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 unless the business of the Partnership is continued pursuant to Section 12.2. 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.

Section 11.2 Removal of the General Partner . The General Partner may be removed if such removal is approved by the Unitholders holding at least 66 2/3% of the Outstanding Units (including Units held by the General Partner and its Affiliates) voting as a single class. 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 Unitholders holding a majority of the Outstanding Common Units, voting as a class, and a majority of the Outstanding Subordinated Units, voting as a class (including, in each case, Units 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 10.2. The removal of the General Partner shall also automatically constitute the removal of the General Partner as general partner or managing member, to the extent applicable, of the other Group Members of which the General Partner is a general partner or a managing member. 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 10.2, automatically become a successor general partner or managing member, to the extent applicable, of the other

 

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Group Members of which the General Partner is a general partner or a managing member. The right of the holders of Outstanding Units to remove the General Partner 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 10.2.

Section 11.3 Interest of Departing General Partner and Successor General Partner .

(a) In the event of (i) withdrawal of the General Partner under circumstances where such withdrawal does not violate this Agreement or (ii) removal of the General Partner by the holders of Outstanding Units under circumstances where Cause does not exist, if the successor General Partner is elected in accordance with the terms of Section 11.1 or Section 11.2, the Departing General Partner shall have the option, exercisable prior to the effective date of the withdrawal or removal of such Departing General Partner, to require its successor to purchase its General Partner Interest and its or its Affiliates’ general partner interest (or equivalent interest), if any, in the other Group Members and all of its or its Affiliates’ Incentive Distribution Rights (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 withdrawal or removal. If the General Partner is removed by the Unitholders under circumstances where Cause exists or if the General Partner withdraws under circumstances where such withdrawal violates this Agreement, and if a successor General Partner is elected in accordance with the terms of Section 11.1 or Section 11.2 (or if the business of the Partnership is continued pursuant to Section 12.2 and the successor General Partner is not the former General Partner), such successor shall have the option, exercisable prior to the effective date of the withdrawal or removal of such Departing General Partner (or, in the event the business of the Partnership is continued, prior to the date the business of the Partnership is continued), to purchase the Combined Interest for such fair market value of such Combined Interest. In either event, the Departing General Partner shall be entitled to receive all reimbursements due such Departing General Partner pursuant to Section 7.5, including any employee-related liabilities (including severance liabilities), incurred in connection with the termination of any employees employed by the Departing General Partner or its Affiliates (other than any Group Member) 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 Combined Interest shall be determined by agreement between the Departing General Partner and its successor or, failing agreement within 30 days after the effective date of such Departing General Partner’s withdrawal or removal, by an independent investment banking firm or other independent expert selected by the Departing General 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 withdrawal or removal, then the Departing General Partner shall designate an independent investment banking firm or other independent expert, the Departing General 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

 

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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 value of the Units, including the then current trading price of Units on any National Securities Exchange on which Units are then listed or admitted to trading, the value of the Partnership’s assets, the rights and obligations of the Departing General Partner, the value of the Incentive Distribution Rights and the General Partner Interest 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 General Partner (and its Affiliates, if applicable) shall become a Limited Partner and the 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 Partnership Interest (but subject to proportionate dilution by reason of the admission of its successor). Any successor General Partner shall indemnify the Departing General Partner as to all debts and liabilities of the Partnership arising on or after the date on which the Departing General Partner becomes a Limited Partner. For purposes of this Agreement, conversion of the Combined Interest to Common Units will be characterized as if the Departing General Partner (and its Affiliates, if applicable) contributed the 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 Section 11.2 (or if the business of the Partnership is continued pursuant to Section 12.2 and the successor General Partner is not the former General Partner) 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 equal to the product of (x) the quotient obtained by dividing (A) the Percentage Interest of the General Partner Interest of the Departing General Partner by (B) a percentage equal to 100% less the Percentage Interest of the General Partner Interest of the Departing General Partner and (y) the Net Agreed Value of the Partnership’s assets on such date. In such event, such successor General Partner shall, subject to the following sentence, be entitled to its Percentage Interest of all Partnership allocations and distributions to which the Departing General Partner was entitled. In addition, the successor General Partner shall cause this Agreement to be amended to reflect that, from and after the date of such successor General Partner’s admission, the successor General Partner’s interest in all Partnership distributions and allocations shall be its Percentage Interest.

Section 11.4 Termination of Subordination Period, Conversion of Subordinated Units and Extinguishment of Cumulative Common Unit Arrearages . Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement, if the General Partner is removed as general partner of the Partnership under circumstances where Cause does not exist:

(a) the Subordinated Units held by any Person will immediately and automatically convert into Common Units on a one-for-one basis, provided (i) neither such Person nor any of its Affiliates voted any of its Units in favor of the removal and (ii) such Person is not an Affiliate of the successor General Partner; and

 

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(b) if all of the Subordinated Units convert into Common Units pursuant to Section 11.4(a), all Cumulative Common Unit Arrearages on the Common Units will be extinguished and the Subordination Period will end;

provided , however , that such converted Subordinated Units shall remain subject to the provisions of Sections 5.5(c)(ii), 6.1(d)(x), Section 6.7(b) and Section 6.7(c).

Section 11.5 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

Section 12.1 Dissolution . The Partnership shall not be dissolved by the admission of 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, 11.2 or 12.2, the Partnership shall not be dissolved and such successor General Partner is hereby authorized to, and shall, continue the business of the Partnership. Subject to Section 12.2, the Partnership shall dissolve, and its affairs shall be wound up, upon:

(a) 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 such successor is admitted to the Partnership pursuant to this Agreement;

(b) an election to dissolve the Partnership by the General Partner that is approved by a Unit Majority;

(c) the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Partnership pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act; or

(d) at any time there are no Limited Partners, unless the Partnership is continued without dissolution in accordance with the Delaware Act.

Section 12.2 Continuation of the Business of the Partnership After Dissolution . Upon (a) 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 General Partner pursuant to Section 11.1 or Section 11.2, then within 90 days

 

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thereafter, or (b) 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, a Unit Majority may elect in writing to continue the business of the Partnership on the same terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement by appointing as a successor General Partner a Person approved by a Unit Majority. 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 Partnership shall continue without dissolution 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) the successor General Partner shall be admitted to the Partnership as General Partner, effective as of the Event of Withdrawal, by agreeing in writing to be bound by this Agreement; provided , that the right of a Unit Majority to approve a successor General Partner 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 under the Delaware Act of any Limited Partner and (y) neither the Partnership nor any Group Member would be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise be taxable as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes upon the exercise of such right to continue (to the extent not already so treated or taxed).

Section 12.3 Liquidator . Upon dissolution of the Partnership, unless the business of the Partnership is continued 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 holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units and Subordinated Units, voting as a single class. 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 holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units and Subordinated Units, voting as a single class. 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 holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units and Subordinated Units, voting as a single class. 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

 

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the exercise of such powers, other than the limitation on sale set forth in Section 7.4) necessary or appropriate to carry out the duties and functions of the Liquidator hereunder for and during the period of time required to complete the winding up and liquidation of the Partnership as provided for herein.

Section 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 determined by the Liquidator, subject to Section 17-804 of the Delaware Act and the following:

(a) 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 defer liquidation or distribution of the Partnership’s assets for a reasonable time if it determines that an immediate sale or distribution of all or some of the Partnership’s assets would be impractical or would cause undue loss to the Partners. The Liquidator may 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) Liabilities of the Partnership include amounts owed to the Liquidator as compensation for serving in such capacity (subject to the terms of Section 12.3) and amounts 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 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) 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 period 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 period (or, if later, within 90 days after said date of such occurrence).

Section 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 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.

 

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Section 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 Unitholders, or any portion thereof, it being expressly understood that any such return shall be made solely from Partnership assets.

Section 12.7 Waiver of Partition . To the maximum extent permitted by law, each Partner hereby waives any right to partition of the Partnership property.

Section 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 period 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

Section 13.1 Amendments to be Adopted Solely by the General Partner . Each Partner agrees that the General Partner, without the approval of any Partner, 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 the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate 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 the Group Members will not be treated as associations taxable as corporations or otherwise taxed as entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes;

(d) a change that the General Partner determines (i) does not adversely affect the Limited Partners (including any particular class of Partnership Interests as compared to other classes of Partnership Interests) in any material respect, (ii) to be necessary or appropriate to (A) 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) or (B) facilitate the trading of the Units (including the division of any class or classes of Outstanding Units into different classes to

 

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facilitate uniformity of tax consequences within such classes of Units) or comply with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are or will be listed or admitted to trading, (iii) to be necessary or appropriate in connection with action taken by the General Partner pursuant to Section 5.9 or (iv) is required to effect the intent expressed in the Registration 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 period of the Partnership and any other changes that the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate as a result of a change in the fiscal year or taxable period 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 the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate in connection with the creation, authorization or issuance of any class or series of Partnership Interests and options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to the Partnership Interests pursuant to Section 5.6;

(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 the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate to reflect and account for 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 or 7.1(a);

(k) a merger, conveyance or conversion pursuant to Section 14.3(d); or

(l) any other amendments substantially similar to the foregoing.

Section 13.2 Amendment Procedures . Amendments to this Agreement may be proposed only by the General Partner. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the General Partner shall have no duty or obligation to propose or approve any amendment to this Agreement

 

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and may decline to do so in its sole discretion, and, in declining to propose or approve an amendment, to the fullest extent permitted by law shall not be required to act in good faith or pursuant to any other standard imposed by this Agreement, any Group Member Agreement, any other agreement contemplated hereby or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity. An amendment shall be effective upon its approval by the General Partner and, except as otherwise provided by Section 13.1 or 13.3, a Unit Majority, 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 Units 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 Units or call a meeting of the Unitholders to consider and vote on such proposed amendment. The General Partner shall notify all Record Holders upon final adoption of any amendments. The General Partner shall be deemed to have notified all Record Holders as required by this Section 13.2 if it has either (i) filed such amendment with the Commission via its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system and such amendment is publicly available on such system or (ii) made such amendment available on any publicly available website maintained by the Partnership

Section 13.3 Amendment Requirements .

(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 13.1 and Section 13.2, no provision of this Agreement (other than Section 11.2 or Section 13.4) that establishes a percentage of Outstanding Units (including Units deemed owned by the General Partner) or requires a vote or approval of Partners (or a subset of Partners) holding a specified Percentage Interest required to take any action shall be amended, altered, changed, repealed or rescinded in any respect that would have the effect of in the case of any provision of this Agreement reducing such percentage, unless such amendment is approved by the written consent or the affirmative vote of holders of Outstanding Units whose aggregate Outstanding Units constitute not less than the voting requirement sought to be reduced or increased, as applicable or the affirmative vote of Partners whose aggregate Percentage Interests constitute not less than the voting requirement sought to be reduced, as applicable.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 13.1 and Section 13.2, no amendment to this Agreement may (i) enlarge the obligations of (including requiring any holder of a class of Partnership Interests to make additional Capital Contributions to the Partnership) 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), or (ii) enlarge the obligations of, restrict, change or modify 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 consent may be given or withheld at its option.

(c) Except as provided in Section 14.3 or 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

 

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than a majority of the Outstanding Partnership Interests of the class affected. If the General Partner determines an amendment does not satisfy the requirements of Section 13.1(d)(i) because it adversely affects one or more classes of Partnership Interests, as compared to other classes of Partnership Interests, in any material respect, such amendment shall only be required to be approved by the adversely affected class or classes.

(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, except for amendments pursuant to Section 13.1 and except as otherwise provided by Section 14.3(b), no amendments shall become effective without the approval of the holders of at least 90% of the Percentage Interests of all Limited Partners voting as a single class 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 partnership law of the state under whose laws the Partnership is organized.

(e) Except as provided in Section 13.1, this Section 13.3 shall only be amended with the approval of Partners (including the General Partner and its Affiliates) holding at least 90% of the Percentage Interests of all Limited Partners.

Section 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 Units of the class or classes for which a meeting is proposed. 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 time notice of the meeting is given as provided in Section 16.1. 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.

Section 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 Units 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.

 

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Section 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 the Units are listed or admitted to trading or U.S. federal securities laws, in which case the rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of such National Securities Exchange or U.S. federal securities laws 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. If the General Partner does not set a Record Date, then (a) the Record Date for determining the Limited Partners entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of the Limited Partners shall be the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which notice is given, and (b) the Record Date for determining the Limited Partners entitled to give approvals without a meeting shall be the date the first written approval is deposited with the Partnership in care of the General Partner in accordance with Section 13.11.

Section 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.

Section 13.8 Waiver of Notice; Approval of Meeting; Approval of Minutes . The transaction of business at any meeting of Limited Partners, however called and noticed, and whenever held, shall be as valid as if it had occurred at a meeting duly held after regular call and notice, if a quorum is present either in person or by proxy. Attendance of a Limited Partner at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of the meeting, except when the Limited Partner attends the meeting for the express purpose of objecting, at the beginning of the meeting, to 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.

Section 13.9 Quorum and Voting . The holders of a majority, by Percentage Interest, of Partnership Interests of the class or classes for which a meeting has been called (including Partnership Interests deemed owned by the General Partner) represented in person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum at a meeting of Partners of such class or classes unless any such action by the Partners requires approval by holders of a greater Percentage Interest, in which case the quorum shall be such greater Percentage Interest. At any meeting of the Partners duly called and held in accordance with this Agreement at which a quorum is present, the act of Partners holding Partnership Interests that, in the aggregate, represent a majority of the Percentage Interest of those present in person or by proxy at such meeting shall be deemed to constitute the act of all

 

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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 Partners holding Partnership Interests that in the aggregate represent at least such greater or different percentage shall be required; provided , however , that if, as a matter of law or amendment to this Agreement, approval by plurality vote of Partners (or any class thereof) is required to approve any action, no minimum quorum shall be required. The 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 Partners to leave less than a quorum, if any action taken (other than adjournment) is approved by Partners holding the required Percentage Interest specified in this Agreement. In the absence of a quorum any meeting of Partners may be adjourned from time to time by the affirmative vote of Partners with at least a majority, by Percentage Interest, of the Partnership Interests entitled to vote at such meeting (including Partnership Interests deemed owned by the General Partner) represented either in person or by proxy, but no other business may be transacted, except as provided in Section 13.7.

Section 13.10 Conduct of a Meeting . The General Partner shall have full power and authority concerning the manner of conducting any meeting of the Limited 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 Limited 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.

Section 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, without a vote and without prior notice, if an approval in writing setting forth the action so taken is signed by Limited Partners owning not less than the minimum percentage, by Percentage Interest, of the Partnership Interests of the class or classes for which a meeting has been called (including Partnership Interests deemed owned by the General Partner), as the case may be, that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all the Limited Partners entitled to vote at such meeting were present and voted (unless such provision conflicts with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed or admitted to trading, in which case the rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of such National Securities 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, if any, submitted to Limited Partners for the purpose of taking any action without a meeting shall be returned to the

 

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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 Units held by the Limited Partners, the Partnership shall be deemed to have failed to receive a ballot for the Units 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 and (b) 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. Nothing contained in this Section 13.11 shall be deemed to require the General Partner to solicit all Limited Partners in connection with a matter approved by the holders of the requisite percentage of Units acting by written consent without a meeting.

Section 13.12 Right to Vote and Related Matters . Section 13.13 Only those Record Holders of the Outstanding Units on the Record Date set pursuant to Section 13.6 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 Units 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 Units shall be deemed to be references to the votes or acts of the Record Holders of such Outstanding Units.

(a) With respect to Units 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 Units are registered, such other Person shall, in exercising the voting rights in respect of such Units on any matter, and unless the arrangement between such Persons provides otherwise, vote such Units 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 13.13(a) (as well as all other provisions of this Agreement) are subject to the provisions of Section 4.3.

Section 13.14 Voting of Incentive Distribution Rights .

(a) For so long as a majority of the Incentive Distribution Rights are held by the General Partner and its Affiliates, the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights shall not be entitled to vote such Incentive Distribution Rights on any Partnership matter except as may otherwise be required by law and the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, in their capacity as such, shall be deemed to have approved any matter approved by the General Partner.

(b) If less than a majority of the Incentive Distribution Rights are held by the General Partner and its Affiliates, the Incentive Distribution Rights will be entitled to vote on all matters submitted to a vote of Unitholders, other than amendments and other matters that the General

 

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Partner determines do not adversely affect the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights as a whole in any material respect. On any matter in which the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights are entitled to vote, such holders will vote together with the Subordinated Units, prior to the end of the Subordination Period, or together with the Common Units, thereafter, in either case as a single class except as otherwise required by Section 13.3(c), and such Incentive Distribution Rights shall be treated in all respects as Subordinated Units or Common Units, as applicable, 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. The relative voting power of the Incentive Distribution Rights and the Subordinated Units or Common Units, as applicable, will be set in the same proportion as cumulative cash distributions, if any, in respect of the Incentive Distribution Rights for the four consecutive Quarters prior to the record date for the vote bears to the cumulative cash distributions in respect of such class of Units for such four Quarters.

(c) In connection with any equity financing, or anticipated equity financing, by the Partnership of an Expansion Capital Expenditure, the General Partner may, without the approval of the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, temporarily or permanently reduce the amount of Incentive Distributions that would otherwise be distributed to such holders, provided that in the judgment of the General Partner, such reduction will be in the long-term best interest of such holders.

ARTICLE XIV

MERGER OR CONSOLIDATION

Section 14.1 Authority . The Partnership may merge or consolidate with or into one or more corporations, limited liability companies, statutory trusts or associations, real estate investment trusts, common law trusts or unincorporated businesses, including a partnership (whether general or limited (including a limited liability partnership)) or convert into any such entity, whether such entity is formed under the laws of the State of Delaware or any other state of the United States of America, pursuant to a written plan of merger or consolidation (“ Merger Agreement ”) in accordance with this Article XIV.

Section 14.2 Procedure for Merger or Consolidation .

(a) Merger or consolidation of the Partnership pursuant to this Article XIV requires the prior consent of the General Partner, provided , however , that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the General Partner shall have no duty or obligation to consent to any merger or consolidation of the Partnership and may decline to do so free of any fiduciary duty or obligation whatsoever to the Partnership, any Limited Partner and, in declining to consent to a merger or consolidation, shall not be required to act in good faith or pursuant to any other standard imposed by this Agreement, any other agreement contemplated hereby or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity.

 

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(b) If the General Partner shall determine to consent to the merger or consolidation, the General Partner shall approve the Merger Agreement, which shall set forth:

(i) the name and jurisdiction of formation or organization of each of the business entities proposing to merge or consolidate;

(ii) 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 ”);

(iii) the terms and conditions of the proposed merger or consolidation;

(iv) the manner and basis of exchanging or converting the equity interests of each constituent business entity for, or into, cash, property or interests, rights, securities or obligations of the Surviving Business Entity; and (i) if any interests, securities or rights of any constituent business entity are not to be exchanged or converted solely for, or into, cash, property or interests, rights, securities or obligations of the Surviving Business Entity, then the cash, property or interests, rights, securities or obligations of any general or limited partnership, corporation, trust, limited liability company, unincorporated business or other entity (other than the Surviving Business Entity) which the holders of such interests, securities or rights are to receive in exchange for, or upon conversion of their interests, securities or rights, and (ii) in the case of equity interests represented by certificates, upon the surrender of such certificates, which cash, property or interests, rights, securities or obligations of the Surviving Business Entity or any general or limited partnership, corporation, trust, limited liability company, unincorporated business or other entity (other than the Surviving Business Entity), or evidences thereof, are to be delivered;

(v) 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;

(vi) 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 such certificate of merger, the effective time shall be fixed at a date or time certain and stated in the certificate of merger); and

(vii) such other provisions with respect to the proposed merger or consolidation that the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate.

 

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Section 14.3 Approval by Limited Partners .

(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 and the merger or consolidation contemplated thereby, as applicable, be submitted to a vote of 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, as the case may be, shall be included in or enclosed with the notice of a special meeting or the written consent.

(b) Except as provided in Sections 14.3(d) and 14.3(e), the Merger Agreement shall be approved upon receiving the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of a Unit Majority 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 for its approval the vote or consent of a greater percentage of the Outstanding Units 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 Sections 14.3(d) and 14.3(e), 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, without Limited Partner approval, to convert the Partnership or any Group Member into a new limited liability entity, to merge the Partnership or any Group Member into, or convey all of the Partnership’s assets to, another limited liability entity that shall be newly formed and shall have no assets, liabilities or operations at the time of such merger or conveyance 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 under the Delaware Act of any Limited Partner or cause the Partnership or any Group Member to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes (to the extent not already 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 substantially the same rights and obligations as are herein contained.

(e) Additionally, notwithstanding anything else contained in this Article XIV or in this Agreement, the General Partner is permitted, without Limited Partner approval, to merge or consolidate the Partnership with or into another entity if (A) the General Partner has received an Opinion of Counsel that the merger or consolidation, as the case may be, would not result in the loss of the limited liability under the Delaware Act of any Limited Partner or cause the Partnership or any Group Member to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or

 

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otherwise to be taxed as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes (to the extent not already treated as such), (B) the merger or consolidation would not result in an amendment to this Agreement, other than any amendments that could be adopted pursuant to Section 13.1, (C) the Partnership is the Surviving Business Entity in such merger or consolidation, (D) each Partnership Interest outstanding immediately prior to the effective date of the merger or consolidation is to be an identical Partnership Interest of the Partnership after the effective date of the merger or consolidation, and (E) the number of Partnership Interests to be issued by the Partnership in such merger or consolidation does not exceed 20% of the Partnership Interests (other than Incentive Distribution Rights) Outstanding immediately prior to the effective date of such merger or consolidation.

(f) Pursuant to Section 17-211(g) of the Delaware Act, an agreement of merger or consolidation approved in accordance with this Article XIV may (a) effect any amendment to this Agreement or (b) effect the adoption of a new partnership agreement for the Partnership if it is the Surviving Business Entity. Any such amendment or adoption made pursuant to this Section 14.3 shall be effective at the effective time or date of the merger or consolidation.

Section 14.4 Certificate of Merger . Upon the required approval by the General Partner and the Unitholders 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.

Section 14.5 Effect of Merger or Consolidation .

(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.

 

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ARTICLE XV

RIGHT TO ACQUIRE LIMITED PARTNER INTERESTS

Section 15.1 Right to Acquire Limited Partner Interests .

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, if at any time the General Partner and its Affiliates hold more than 80% of the total Limited Partner Interests of any class then Outstanding, 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.

(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 the case of Limited Partner Interests evidenced by Certificates, 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

 

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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 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 in the case of Limited Partner Interests evidenced by Certificates, 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.

(c) In the case of Limited Partner Interests evidenced by Certificates, 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

Section 16.1 Addresses and Notices; Written Communications .

(a) Any notice, demand, request, report or proxy materials required or permitted to be given or made to a Partner 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 at the address described below. Any notice, payment or report to be given or made to a Partner 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 Interests 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 Interests by reason of any assignment or otherwise. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if (i) a Partner shall consent to receiving notices, demands, requests, reports or proxy materials via electronic mail or by the Internet or (ii) the rules of the Commission shall permit any report or proxy materials to be delivered electronically or made available via the Internet, any such notice, demand, request, report or proxy materials shall be deemed given or made when delivered or made available via such mode of delivery. 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 given or made in accordance with the provisions of this Section 16.1 is returned marked to indicate that such

 

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notice, payment or report was unable to be delivered, such notice, payment or report and, in the case of notices, payments or reports returned by the United States Postal Service (or other physical mail delivery mail service outside the United States of America), 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) or other delivery if they are available for the Partner 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. 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 or other Person if believed by it to be genuine.

(b) The terms “in writing”, “written communications,” “written notice” and words of similar import shall be deemed satisfied under this Agreement by use of e-mail and other forms of electronic communication.

Section 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.

Section 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.

Section 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.

Section 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.

Section 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.

Section 16.7 Third-Party Beneficiaries . Each Partner agrees that (a) any Indemnitee shall be entitled to assert rights and remedies hereunder as a third-party beneficiary hereto with respect to those provisions of this Agreement affording a right, benefit or privilege to such Indemnitee and (b) any Unrestricted Person shall be entitled to assert rights and remedies hereunder as a third-party beneficiary hereto with respect to those provisions of this Agreement affording a right, benefit or privilege to such Unrestricted Person.

 

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Section 16.8 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, pursuant to Section 10.1(a) without execution hereof.

Section 16.9 Applicable Law; Forum, Venue and Jurisdiction .

(a) 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.

(b) Each of the Partners and each Person holding any beneficial interest in the Partnership (whether through a broker, dealer, bank, trust company or clearing corporation or an agent of any of the foregoing or otherwise):

(i) irrevocably agrees that any claims, suits, actions or proceedings (A) arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement (including any claims, suits or actions to interpret, apply or enforce the provisions of this Agreement or the duties, obligations or liabilities among Partners or of Partners to the Partnership, or the rights or powers of, or restrictions on, the Partners or the Partnership), (B) brought in a derivative manner on behalf of the Partnership, (C) asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, or other employee of the Partnership or the General Partner, or owed by the General Partner, to the Partnership or the Partners, (D) asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware Act or (E) asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine shall be exclusively brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, any other court located in the State of Delaware with subject matter jurisdiction), in each case regardless of whether such claims, suits, actions or proceedings sound in contract, tort, fraud or otherwise, are based on common law, statutory, equitable, legal or other grounds, or are derivative or direct claims;

(ii) irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, any other court located in the State of Delaware with subject matter jurisdiction) in connection with any such claim, suit, action or proceeding;

(iii) agrees not to, and waives any right to, assert in any such claim, suit, action or proceeding that (A) it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or of any other court to which proceedings in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware may be appealed, (B) such claim, suit, action or proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum, or (C) the venue of such claim, suit, action or proceeding is improper;

 

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(iv) expressly waives any requirement for the posting of a bond by a party bringing such claim, suit, action or proceeding; and

(v) consents to process being served in any such claim, suit, action or proceeding by mailing, certified mail, return receipt requested, a copy thereof to such party at the address in effect for notices hereunder, and agrees that such services shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof; provided , nothing in clause (v) hereof shall affect or limit any right to serve process in any other manner permitted by law.

Section 16.10 Invalidity of Provisions . If any provision or part of a provision of this Agreement is or becomes for any reason, invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions and part thereof contained herein shall not be affected thereby and this Agreement shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be reformed and construed as if such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision, or part of a provision, had never been contained herein, and such provision or part reformed so that it would be valid, legal and enforceable to the maximum extent possible.

Section 16.11 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.

Section 16.12 Facsimile Signatures . The use of facsimile signatures affixed in the name and on behalf of the transfer agent and registrar of the Partnership on Certificates representing Units is expressly permitted by this Agreement.

[ REMAINDER OF THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK. ]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

GENERAL PARTNER:
SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS GP LLC
By:  

/s/ Mark E. Newman

  Name:   Mark E. Newman
  Title:   Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
ORGANIZATIONAL LIMITED PARTNER:
SUN COAL & COKE LLC
By:  

/s/ Mark E. Newman

  Name:   Mark E. Newman
  Title:   Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer

 

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EXHIBIT A

to the First Amended and Restated

Agreement of Limited Partnership of

SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P.

Certificate Evidencing Common Units

Representing Limited Partner Interests in

SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P.

 

No.             

                Common Units

In accordance with Section 4.1 of the First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time (the “ Partnership Agreement ”), SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “ Partnership ”), hereby certifies that                      (the “ Holder ”) is the registered owner of              Common Units representing limited partner interests in the Partnership (the “ Common Units ”) transferable on the books of the Partnership, in person or by duly authorized attorney, upon surrender of this Certificate properly endorsed. The rights, preferences and limitations of the Common Units are set forth in, and this Certificate and the Common Units represented hereby are issued and shall in all respects be subject to the terms and provisions of, the Partnership Agreement. Copies of the Partnership Agreement are on file, and will be furnished without charge on delivery of written request to the Partnership, at the principal office of the Partnership located at 1011 Warrenville Road, Suite 600, Lisle, Illinois 60532. Capitalized terms used herein but not defined shall have the meanings given them in the Partnership Agreement.

THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY ACKNOWLEDGES FOR THE BENEFIT OF SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P. THAT THIS SECURITY MAY NOT BE SOLD, OFFERED, RESOLD, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED IF SUCH TRANSFER WOULD (A) VIOLATE THE THEN APPLICABLE FEDERAL OR STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION OR ANY OTHER GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY WITH JURISDICTION OVER SUCH TRANSFER, (B) TERMINATE THE EXISTENCE OR QUALIFICATION OF SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P. UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE, OR (C) CAUSE SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P. 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). SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS GP LLC, THE GENERAL PARTNER OF SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P., MAY IMPOSE ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS ON THE TRANSFER OF THIS SECURITY IF IT RECEIVES AN OPINION OF COUNSEL THAT SUCH RESTRICTIONS ARE NECESSARY TO AVOID A SIGNIFICANT RISK OF SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P. BECOMING TAXABLE AS A CORPORATION OR OTHERWISE BECOMING TAXABLE AS AN ENTITY FOR U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX PURPOSES. THE RESTRICTIONS SET FORTH ABOVE SHALL NOT PRECLUDE THE SETTLEMENT OF ANY TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING THIS SECURITY ENTERED INTO THROUGH THE FACILITIES OF ANY NATIONAL SECURITIES EXCHANGE ON WHICH THIS SECURITY IS LISTED OR ADMITTED TO TRADING.

 

A-1


The Holder, by accepting this Certificate, (i) shall be admitted to the Partnership as a Limited Partner with respect to the Limited Partner Interests so transferred to such person when any such transfer or admission is reflected on the books and records of the Partnership and such Limited Partner becomes the Record Holder of the Limited Partner Interests so transferred, (ii) shall become bound by the terms of the Partnership Agreement, (iii) represents that the transferee has the capacity, power and authority to enter into the Partnership Agreement and (iv) makes the consents, acknowledgements and waivers contained in the Partnership Agreement, with or without the execution of the Partnership Agreement by the Holder.

This Certificate shall not be valid for any purpose unless it has been countersigned and registered by the Transfer Agent and Registrar.

 

Dated:  

 

    SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P.
Countersigned and Registered by:     By:    SunCoke Energy Partners GP LLC

Computershare Trust Company, N.A.,

As Transfer Agent and Registrar

    By:   

 

      Name:   

 

      Title:   

 

      By:   

 

      Name:   

 

      Title:    Secretary

 

A-2


[ Reverse of Certificate ]

ABBREVIATIONS

The following abbreviations, when used in the inscription on the face of this Certificate, shall be construed as follows according to applicable laws or regulations:

 

TEN COM—as tenants in common

TEN ENT—as tenants by the entireties

JT TEN—    as joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as tenants in common

  

UNIF GIFT/TRANSFERS MIN ACT

             Custodian             

(Cust)                         (Minor)

Under Uniform Gifts/Transfers to CD Minors Act

(State)

Additional abbreviations, though not in the above list, may also be used.

ASSIGNMENT OF COMMON UNITS OF

SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P.

FOR VALUE RECEIVED,              hereby assigns, conveys, sells and transfers unto

 

 

  

 

(Please print or typewrite name and address of assignee)    (Please insert Social Security or other identifying number of assignee)
                     Common Units representing limited partner interests evidenced by this Certificate, subject to the Partnership Agreement, and does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint                      as its attorney-in-fact with full power of substitution to transfer the same on the books of SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P.
Date:                                     NOTE: The signature to any endorsement hereon must correspond with the name as written upon the face of this Certificate in every particular. without alteration, enlargement or change.
THE SIGNATURE(S) MUST BE GUARANTEED BY AN   

 

ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION (BANKS,    (Signature)
STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN   
ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH   

 

MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE    (Signature)
GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM), PURSUANT TO S.E.C. RULE 17Ad-15   

 

  

 

A-3

Exhibit 4.1

Execution Version

 

 

SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P.

SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS FINANCE CORP.

AND EACH OF THE GUARANTORS PARTY HERETO

7.375% SENIOR NOTES DUE 2020

 

 

INDENTURE

Dated as of January 24, 2013

 

 

THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.

As Trustee

 

 

 

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

         Page  

ARTICLE 1

  

DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION

  

BY REFERENCE

  

Section 1.01

  Definitions      1   

Section 1.02

  Other Definitions      32   

Section 1.03

  Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act      33   

Section 1.04

  Rules of Construction      34   

ARTICLE 2

  

THE NOTES

  

Section 2.01

  Form and Dating      34   

Section 2.02

  Execution and Authentication      35   

Section 2.03

  Registrar and Paying Agent      35   

Section 2.04

  Paying Agent to Hold Money in Trust      36   

Section 2.05

  Holder Lists      36   

Section 2.06

  Transfer and Exchange      36   

Section 2.07

  Replacement Notes      48   

Section 2.08

  Outstanding Notes      49   

Section 2.09

  Treasury Notes      49   

Section 2.10

  Temporary Notes      49   

Section 2.11

  Cancellation      50   

Section 2.12

  Defaulted Interest      50   

Section 2.13

  CUSIP Numbers      50   

ARTICLE 3

  

REDEMPTION AND PREPAYMENT

  

Section 3.01

  Notices to Trustee      50   

Section 3.02

  Selection of Notes to Be Redeemed      51   

Section 3.03

  Notice of Redemption      51   

Section 3.04

  Effect of Notice of Redemption      52   

Section 3.05

  Deposit of Redemption or Purchase Price      52   

Section 3.06

  Notes Redeemed or Purchased in Part      53   

Section 3.07

  Optional Redemption      53   

Section 3.08

  Mandatory Redemption      54   

Section 3.09

  Offer to Purchase by Application of Excess Proceeds      54   

ARTICLE 4

  

COVENANTS

  

Section 4.01

  Payment of Notes      56   

Section 4.02

  Maintenance of Office or Agency      56   

Section 4.03

  Reports      57   

Section 4.04

  Compliance Certificate      58   

Section 4.05

  Taxes      58   

 

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         Page  

Section 4.06

  Stay, Extension and Usury Laws      58   

Section 4.07

  Restricted Payments      58   

Section 4.08

  Dividend and Other Payment Restrictions Affecting Restricted Subsidiaries      63   

Section 4.09

  Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock      66   

Section 4.10

  Asset Sales      70   

Section 4.11

  Transactions with Affiliates      72   

Section 4.12

  Liens      74   

Section 4.13

  Business Activities      75   

Section 4.14

  Organizational Existence      75   

Section 4.15

  Offer to Repurchase Upon Change of Control      75   

Section 4.16

  Additional Note Guarantees      77   

Section 4.17

  Designation of Restricted and Unrestricted Subsidiaries      77   

Section 4.18

  Covenant Termination      78   

ARTICLE 5

  

SUCCESSORS

  

Section 5.01

  Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets      78   

Section 5.02

  Successor Issuer Substituted      80   

ARTICLE 6

  

DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES

  

Section 6.01

  Events of Default      81   

Section 6.02

  Acceleration      83   

Section 6.03

  Other Remedies      83   

Section 6.04

  Waiver of Past Defaults      83   

Section 6.05

  Control by Majority      84   

Section 6.06

  Limitation on Suits      84   

Section 6.07

  Rights of Holders of Notes to Receive Payment      84   

Section 6.08

  Collection Suit by Trustee      84   

Section 6.09

  Trustee May File Proofs of Claim      85   

Section 6.10

  Priorities      85   

Section 6.11

  Undertaking for Costs      86   

ARTICLE 7

  

TRUSTEE

  

Section 7.01

  Duties of Trustee      86   

Section 7.02

  Rights of Trustee      87   

Section 7.03

  Individual Rights of Trustee      88   

Section 7.04

  Trustee’s Disclaimer      88   

Section 7.05

  Notice of Defaults      89   

Section 7.06

  Reports by Trustee to Holders of the Notes      89   

Section 7.07

  Compensation and Indemnity      89   

Section 7.08

  Replacement of Trustee      90   

Section 7.09

  Successor Trustee by Merger, etc.      91   

Section 7.10

  Eligibility; Disqualification      91   

Section 7.11

  Preferential Collection of Claims Against Issuers      91   

 

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         Page  

ARTICLE 8

  

LEGAL DEFEASANCE AND COVENANT DEFEASANCE

  

Section 8.01

  Option to Effect Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance      92   

Section 8.02

  Legal Defeasance and Discharge      92   

Section 8.03

  Covenant Defeasance      92   

Section 8.04

  Conditions to Legal or Covenant Defeasance      93   

Section 8.05

  Deposited Money and Government Securities to be Held in Trust; Other Miscellaneous Provisions      94   

Section 8.06

  Repayment to Issuers      95   

Section 8.07

  Reinstatement      95   

ARTICLE 9

  

AMENDMENT, SUPPLEMENT AND WAIVER

  

Section 9.01

  Without Consent of Holders of Notes      96   

Section 9.02

  With Consent of Holders of Notes      97   

Section 9.03

  Compliance with Trust Indenture Act      98   

Section 9.04

  Revocation and Effect of Consents      98   

Section 9.05

  Notation on or Exchange of Notes      98   

Section 9.06

  Trustee to Sign Amendments, etc.      99   

ARTICLE 10

  

NOTE GUARANTEES

  

Section 10.01

  Guarantee      99   

Section 10.02

  Limitation on Guarantor Liability      100   

Section 10.03

  Execution and Delivery of Note Guarantee      100   

Section 10.04

  Guarantors May Consolidate, etc., on Certain Terms      101   

Section 10.05

  Releases      102   

ARTICLE 11

  

SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE

  

Section 11.01

  Satisfaction and Discharge      103   

Section 11.02

  Application of Trust Money      104   

ARTICLE 12

  

MISCELLANEOUS

  

Section 12.01

  Trust Indenture Act Controls      104   

Section 12.02

  Notices      104   

Section 12.03

  Communication by Holders of Notes with Other Holders of Notes      106   

Section 12.04

  Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent      106   

Section 12.05

  Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion      106   

Section 12.06

  Rules by Trustee and Agents      107   

Section 12.07

  No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees and Unitholders      107   

Section 12.08

  Governing Law      107   

Section 12.09

  No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements      107   

Section 12.10

  Successors      107   

 

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         Page  

Section 12.11

  Severability      107   

Section 12.12

  Counterpart Originals      108   

Section 12.13

  Table of Contents, Headings, etc.      108   

Section 12.14

  Payment Date Other Than a Business Day      108   

Section 12.15

  Evidence of Action by Holders      108   

Section 12.16

  Force Majeure      108   

EXHIBITS

 

Exhibit A   FORM OF NOTE
Exhibit B   FORM OF CERTIFICATE OF TRANSFER
Exhibit C   FORM OF CERTIFICATE OF EXCHANGE
Exhibit D   FORM OF CERTIFICATE OF ACQUIRING INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITED INVESTOR
Exhibit E   FORM OF NOTATION OF GUARANTEE
Exhibit F   FORM OF SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE

 

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INDENTURE dated as of January 24, 2013 among SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “ Partnership ”), SunCoke Energy Partners Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation (“ Finance Corp.” and, together with the Partnership, the “ Issuers ”), the Guarantors (as defined) and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., a national banking association, as trustee (the “ Trustee ”).

The Issuers, the Guarantors and the Trustee agree as follows for the benefit of each other and for the equal and ratable benefit of the Holders (as defined) of the 7.375% Senior Notes due 2020 (the “ Notes ”):

ARTICLE 1

DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION

BY REFERENCE

Section 1.01 Definitions.

144A Global Note ” means a Global Note substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto bearing the Global Note Legend and the Private Placement Legend and deposited with or on behalf of, and registered in the name of, the Depositary or its nominee that will be issued in a denomination equal to the outstanding principal amount of the Notes initially sold in reliance on Rule 144A.

Acquired Debt ” means, with respect to any specified Person:

(1) Indebtedness of any other Person existing at the time such other Person is merged with or into or became a Subsidiary of such specified Person, whether or not such Indebtedness is incurred in connection with, or in contemplation of, such other Person merging with or into, or becoming a Restricted Subsidiary of, such specified Person; and

(2) Indebtedness secured by a Lien encumbering any asset acquired by such specified Person.

Additional Notes ” means additional Notes (other than the Initial Notes) issued under this Indenture in accordance with Sections 2.02 and Section 4.09 hereof, as part of the same series as the Initial Notes.

“Affiliate” of any specified Person means any other Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with such specified Person. For purposes of this definition, “control,” as used with respect to any Person, means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of such Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by agreement or otherwise. For purposes of this definition, the terms “controlling,” “controlled by” and “under common control with” have correlative meanings.

Agent ” means any Registrar or Paying Agent.

Applicable Premium ” means, with respect to any Note on any redemption date, the greater of:

 

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(1) 1.0% of the principal amount of the Note; or

(2) the excess of:

(a) the present value at such redemption date of (i) the redemption price of the Note at February 1, 2016 (such redemption price being set forth in the table appearing in Section 3.07 hereof) plus (ii) all required interest payments due on the Note through February 1, 2016 (excluding accrued but unpaid interest to the redemption date), computed using a discount rate equal to the Treasury Rate as of such redemption date plus 50 basis points, over

(b) the principal amount of the Note.

Applicable Procedures ” means, with respect to any transfer or exchange of or for beneficial interests in any Global Note, the rules and procedures of the Depositary, Euroclear and Clearstream that apply to such transfer or exchange.

Asset Sale ” means:

(1) the sale, lease, conveyance or other disposition of any assets or rights by the Partnership or any of the Partnership’s Restricted Subsidiaries; provided that the sale, lease, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole will be governed by Section 4.15 and/or by Section 5.01 and not by the provisions of Section 4.10 hereof; and

(2) the issuance of Equity Interests by any of the Partnership’s Restricted Subsidiaries or the sale by the Partnership or any of the Partnership’s Restricted Subsidiaries of Equity Interests in any of the Partnership’s Subsidiaries.

Notwithstanding the preceding, none of the following items will be deemed to be an Asset Sale:

(1) any single transaction or series of related transactions that involves assets having a Fair Market Value of less than $10.0 million;

(2) a transfer of assets between or among the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(3) an issuance or sale of Equity Interests by a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership to the Partnership or to a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership;

(4) the sale, lease or other transfer of inventory, products, services or accounts receivable in the ordinary course of business and any sale or other disposition of damaged, worn-out or obsolete assets in the ordinary course of business (including the abandonment or other disposition of intellectual property that is, in the reasonable judgment of the Partnership, no longer economically practicable to maintain or useful in the conduct of the business of the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries taken as whole);

 

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(5) licenses and sublicenses by the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of software or intellectual property in the ordinary course of business;

(6) any surrender or waiver of contract rights or settlement, release, recovery on or surrender of contract, tort or other claims in the ordinary course of business;

(7) the granting of Liens not prohibited by Section 4.12 hereof;

(8) the sale or other disposition of cash or Cash Equivalents;

(9) any asset sold in connection with a sale and leaseback transaction in compliance with Section 4.09(b)(12) hereof;

(10) the sale of assets by the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries consisting of leases and subleases of real property solely to the extent that such real property is not necessary for the normal conduct of operations of the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(11) foreclosure of assets of the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(12) the unwinding of any Hedging Obligations;

(13) the issuance of Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) or Preferred Stock pursuant to Section 4.09 hereof;

(14) the issuance of Equity Interests in any of the Partnership’s Restricted Subsidiaries to the extent consisting of directors’ qualifying shares or shares required by applicable law to be held by a Person;

(15) the sale or discounting of receivables in the ordinary course of business;

(16) a Restricted Payment that does not violate Section 4.07 hereof or a Permitted Investment; and

(17) any payment or transfer of assets pursuant to or contemplated by (i) the Collections Agreements as in effect on the date of this Indenture or (ii) the Omnibus Agreement or the Contribution Agreement as in effect on the date of this Indenture, and as amended or modified thereafter on terms that are not materially less favorable to the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, considered in the aggregate taking into account all such substantially contemporaneous amendments and modifications of such agreements, as reasonably determined by the Partnership.

Attributable Debt ” in respect of a sale and leaseback transaction means, at the time of determination, the present value of the obligation of the lessee for net rental payments during the remaining term of the lease included in such sale and leaseback transaction including any period for which such lease has been extended or may, at the option of the lessor, be extended. Such present value shall be calculated using a discount rate equal to the rate of interest implicit in such

 

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transaction, determined in accordance with GAAP; provided, however , that if such sale and leaseback transaction results in a Capital Lease Obligation, the amount of Indebtedness represented thereby will be determined in accordance with the definition of Capital Lease Obligation.

Bankruptcy Law ” means Title 11, U.S. Code or any similar federal or state law for the relief of debtors.

Beneficial Owner ” has the meaning assigned to such term in Rule 13d-3 and Rule 13d-5 under the Exchange Act, except that in calculating the beneficial ownership of any particular “person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), such “person” will be deemed to have beneficial ownership of all securities that such “person” has the right to acquire by conversion or exercise of other securities, whether such right is currently exercisable or is exercisable only after the passage of time. The terms “Beneficially Owns” and “Beneficially Owned” have a corresponding meaning. For purposes of this definition, a Person shall be deemed not to Beneficially Own securities that are subject to a securities purchase agreement, merger agreement or similar agreement until the consummation of the transactions or, as applicable, the series of related transactions contemplated thereby.

Board of Directors ” means:

(1) with respect to a corporation, the board of directors of the corporation or any committee thereof duly authorized to act on behalf of such board;

(2) with respect to a partnership, the board of directors of the general partner of the partnership;

(3) with respect to a limited liability company, the board of directors or other governing body, and in the absence of the same, the manager or board of managers or the managing member or members or any controlling committee of managing members thereof; and

(4) with respect to any other Person, the board or committee of such Person serving a similar function.

So long as the Partnership is organized as a limited partnership, references to its Board of Directors are to the Board of Directors of the General Partner.

Business Day ” means any day other than a Legal Holiday.

Capital Lease Obligation ” means, at the time any determination is to be made, the amount of the liability in respect of a capital lease that would at that time be required to be capitalized on a balance sheet prepared in accordance with GAAP, and the Stated Maturity thereof shall be the date of the last payment of rent or any other amount due under such lease prior to the first date upon which such lease may be prepaid by the lessee without payment of a penalty. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any lease (whether entered into before or after the date of this Indenture) that would have been classified as an operating lease pursuant to GAAP as in effect on the date of this Indenture will be deemed not to represent a Capital Lease Obligation.

 

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Capital Stock ” means:

(1) in the case of a corporation, corporate stock;

(2) in the case of an association or business entity, any and all shares, interests, participations, rights or other equivalents (however designated) of corporate stock;

(3) in the case of a partnership or limited liability company, partnership interests (whether general or limited) or membership interests; and

(4) any other interest or participation that confers on a Person the right to receive a share of the profits and losses of, or distributions of assets of, the issuing Person, but excluding from all of the foregoing any debt securities convertible into Capital Stock, whether or not such debt securities include any right of participation with Capital Stock.

Cash Equivalents ” means:

(1) marketable direct obligations issued by, or unconditionally guaranteed by, the government of the United States of America or issued by any agency thereof and backed by the full faith and credit of the United States of America in each case maturing within one year from the date of acquisition;

(2) certificates of deposit, time deposits, eurodollar time deposits or overnight bank deposits having maturities of six months or less from the date of acquisition issued by any commercial bank organized under the laws of the United States of America or any state thereof having combined capital and surplus of not less than $500.0 million;

(3) commercial paper of an issuer rated at least A-1 by S&P or P-1 by Moody’s, or carrying an equivalent rating by a nationally recognized rating agency, if both of the two named rating agencies cease publishing ratings of commercial paper issuers generally, and maturing within six months from the date of acquisition;

(4) repurchase obligations of any commercial bank satisfying the requirements of clause (2) of this definition, having a term of not more than 30 days, with respect to securities issued or fully guaranteed or insured by the government of the United States of America;

(5) securities with maturities of one year or less from the date of acquisition issued or fully guaranteed by any state, commonwealth or territory of the United States of America, by any political subdivision or taxing authority of any such state, commonwealth or territory or by any foreign government, the securities of which state, commonwealth, territory, political subdivision, taxing authority or foreign government (as the case may be) are rated at least A by S&P or A by Moody’s;

 

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(6) securities with maturities of six months or less from the date of acquisition backed by standby letters of credit issued by any commercial bank satisfying the requirements of clause (2) of this definition;

(7) money market mutual or similar funds that invest exclusively in assets satisfying the requirements of clauses (1) through (6) of this definition; or

(8) money market funds that (i) comply with the criteria set forth in SEC Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, (ii) are rated AAA by S&P and Aaa by Moody’s and (iii) have portfolio assets of at least $5.0 billion.

Change of Control ” means the occurrence of any of the following:

(1) the direct or indirect sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition (other than by way of merger or consolidation), in one or a series of related transactions, of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of the Partnership (including Equity Interests of Restricted Subsidiaries) and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole to any Person (including any “person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act)) other than any Permitted Holder;

(2) the adoption of a plan relating to the liquidation or dissolution of the Partnership;

(3) the consummation of any transaction (including, without limitation, any merger or consolidation) the result of which is that any Person (including any “person” (as defined above)) other than any Permitted Holder other than the underwriter(s) in connection with a bona fide public offering becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of more than 50% of the Voting Stock of the General Partner (measured by voting power rather than number of shares, units or the like);

(4) the removal of the General Partner by the limited partners in accordance with the Partnership Agreement;

(5) the first day on which a majority of the members of the Board of Directors of the General Partner are not Continuing Directors; or

(6) the first day on which the Partnership ceases to own at least 100% of the issued and outstanding Equity Interests of Finance Corp., except as a result of a transaction in compliance with Section 5.01 hereof.

Notwithstanding the preceding, a conversion of the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries from a limited partnership, corporation, limited liability company or other form of entity to a limited liability company, corporation, limited partnership or other form of entity or an exchange of all of the outstanding Equity Interests in one form of entity for Equity Interests in another form of entity shall not constitute a Change of Control, so long as following such conversion or exchange the “persons” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) who Beneficially Owned the Capital Stock of the Partnership immediately prior to such

 

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transactions continue to Beneficially Own in the aggregate more than 50% of the Voting Stock of such entity, or continue to Beneficially Own sufficient Equity Interests in such entity or its general partner, as applicable, to elect a majority of its directors, managers, trustees or other persons serving in a similar capacity for such entity or its general partner, as applicable, and, in either case no “person,” other than any Permitted Holder, Beneficially Owns more than 50% of the Voting Stock of such entity or its general partner, as applicable.

Clearstream ” means Clearstream Banking, S.A.

Closing Date Transactions ” means the transactions described in the Offering Memorandum occurring on the date of this Indenture.

Code ” means the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and any successor statute thereto, in each case as amended from time to time.

Collections Agreements ” means each of the following: (i) the Collections Agreement, dated as of January 23, 2013, among Haverhill Coke Company LLC, Haverhill Cogeneration Company LLC, and Sun Coal & Coke LLC and (ii) the Collections Agreement, dated as of January 23, 2013, among Middletown Coke Company, LLC, Middletown Cogeneration Company LLC, and Sun Coal & Coke LLC.

Consolidated EBITDA ” means, the Consolidated Net Income for such period plus the sum of:

(1) provision for taxes, based on income or profits of the Partnership and the Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, to the extent that such amounts were deducted in computing Consolidated Net Income, plus

(2) Fixed Charges of the Partnership and the Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, to the extent that any such Fixed Charges were deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income, plus

(3) depreciation, amortization (including amortization of intangibles but excluding amortization of prepaid cash expenses that were paid in a prior period) and other non-cash charges or expenses (excluding any such non-cash charge or expense to the extent that it represents an accrual of or reserve for cash expenses in any future period or amortization of a prepaid cash charge or expense that was paid in a prior period) of the Partnership and the Restricted Subsidiaries for such period to the extent that such depreciation, amortization and other non-cash expenses were deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income, plus

(4) the “run-rate” Consolidated Net Income plus amounts added to Consolidated Net Income in accordance with clauses (1) through (3) of this definition to calculate Consolidated EBITDA (the “ Operational EBITDA ”) of any asset acquired, constructed, designed, installed or improved that has not been fully constructed, complete and operational in the business of the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries for at least four full fiscal quarters; provided that (A) the Operational EBITDA of such asset

 

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shall be determined based upon the annualized Operational EBITDA of such asset projected in good faith by a responsible financial or accounting officer of the General Partner to be realized no later than 12 months after such asset is fully constructed, complete and operational in the business of the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries and (B) the aggregate amount by which Consolidated EBITDA is increased pursuant to this clause (4) shall not exceed 10% of Consolidated Net Income for any period of four consecutive fiscal quarters, plus

(5) any extraordinary loss or net loss realized by the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in connection with any Asset Sale, to the extent such losses were deducted in computing Consolidated Net Income, minus or plus, as the case may be, plus

(6) all extraordinary, unusual or non-recurring items of gain (loss) or expense to the extent deducted or added in computing Consolidated Net Income, minus or plus, as the case may be, plus

(7) non-cash items increasing or decreasing such Consolidated Net Income for such period, other than the accrual of revenue or expense in the ordinary course of business, plus

(8) sales discounts provided by the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary to customers due to sharing of nonconventional fuels tax credits, in each case, on a consolidated basis and determined in accordance with GAAP, minus

(9) the pro rata portion of the amount determined pursuant to the foregoing clauses (1) through (8) that is attributable to minority interests in each Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership that are owned by a Person other than the Partnership or a wholly-owned Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provision for taxes based on the income or profits of, and the depreciation and amortization and other non-cash expenses of, a Restricted Subsidiary will be added to Consolidated Net Income to compute Consolidated EBITDA only to the extent that a corresponding amount would be permitted at the date of determination to be dividended or distributed to the Partnership by such Restricted Subsidiary without prior governmental approval (that has not been obtained), and without direct or indirect restriction pursuant to the terms of its charter or any agreements, instruments, judgments, decrees, orders, statutes, rules and governmental regulations applicable to that Restricted Subsidiary or its stockholders.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, for the purposes of determining Consolidated EBITDA for any period that includes any of the fiscal quarters ended June 30, 2012, September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2012, Consolidated EBITDA for such fiscal quarters shall be $19.5 million, $23.0 million and $23.1 million, respectively.

Consolidated Net Income ” means for any period, the aggregate of the net income (loss) of the Partnership and the Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, on a consolidated basis, determined in accordance with GAAP; provided that:

 

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(1) the net income of any Person that is not a Restricted Subsidiary or that is accounted for by the equity method of accounting will be included only to the extent of the amount of dividends or distributions paid in cash to the Partnership or a Restricted Subsidiary (subject, in the case of dividends or distributions paid to a Restricted Subsidiary, to the limitations contained in clause (2) hereof);

(2) the net income (but not the net loss) of any Restricted Subsidiary will be excluded to the extent that the declaration or payment of dividends or similar distributions by that Restricted Subsidiary of that net income is not at the date of determination permitted without any prior governmental approval (that has not been obtained) or, directly or indirectly, by operation of the terms of its charter or any agreement, instrument, judgment, decree, order, statute, rule or governmental regulation applicable to that Person or its stockholders;

(3) the net income (loss) of any Person acquired during the specified period for any period prior to the date of the acquisition will be excluded (except to the extent, for any calculation done giving pro forma effect to such acquisition, such net income (loss) is intended to be included);

(4) any gain or loss, together with any related provision for taxes on such gain or loss, realized in connection with: (i) any sale of assets outside the ordinary course of business of the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary; or (ii) the disposition of any securities by the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary or the extinguishment of any Indebtedness of the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary, will be excluded;

(5) any extraordinary, non-recurring or unusual gain or loss, together with any related provision for taxes on such extraordinary, non-recurring or unusual gain or loss will be excluded;

(6) any unrealized gain or loss included in net income due to marking Hedging Obligations to market shall be excluded;

(7) any non-cash compensation expense realized for grants of performance shares, stock options or other rights of officers, directors and employees of the Partnership and any Restricted Subsidiary will be excluded; provided that such shares, options or other rights can be redeemed at the option of the holder only for Capital Stock (other than Disqualified Stock) of the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary;

(8) the cumulative effect of a change in accounting principles will be excluded; and

(9) to the extent deducted in the calculation of net income, any non-recurring charges associated with any premium or penalty paid, write-offs of deferred financing costs or other financial recapitalization charges in connection with redeeming or retiring any Indebtedness prior to its Stated Maturity will be added back to arrive at Consolidated Net Income.

 

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Consolidated Net Tangible Assets ” of the Partnership as of any date means the total assets of the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries as of the most recent fiscal quarter end for which a consolidated balance sheet of the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries is available, minus all current liabilities of the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries reflected on such balance sheet and minus total goodwill and other intangible assets of the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries reflected on such balance sheet, all calculated on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP.

continuing ” means, with respect to any Default or Event of Default, that such Default or Event of Default has not been cured or waived.

Continuing Directors ” means, as of any date of determination, any member of the Board of Directors of the General Partner who:

(1) was a member of such Board of Directors on the date of this Indenture; or

(2) was nominated for election or elected to such Board of Directors with the approval of a majority of the Continuing Directors who were members of such Board of Directors at the time of such nomination or election.

Contribution Agreement ” means the Contribution Agreement, dated as of January 23, 2013, among Sun Coal and Coke LLC, the Partnership, and the General Partner, as the same may be further amended or supplemented from time to time.

Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee ” will be at the address of the Trustee specified in Section 12.02 hereof.

Credit Agreement ” means that certain Credit Agreement, dated as of January 24, 2013, by and among the Partnership, Haverhill Coke Company LLC, Haverhill Cogeneration Company LLC, Middletown Coke Company, LLC, and Middletown Cogeneration Company LLC, as borrowers, J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, and the lenders party thereto, including any related notes, Guarantees, collateral documents, instruments and agreements executed in connection therewith, and, in each case, as amended, restated, modified, renewed, refunded, replaced in any manner (whether upon or after termination or otherwise) or refinanced (including by means of sales of debt securities) in whole or in part from time to time.

Credit Facilities ” means, one or more credit or debt facilities (including, without limitation, the Credit Agreement), indentures or commercial paper facilities, in each case, with banks or other institutional lenders, accredited investors or institutional investors providing for revolving credit loans, term loans, term debt, debt securities, receivables financing (including through the sale of receivables to such lenders or to special purpose entities formed to borrow from such lenders against such receivables) or letters of credit, in each case, as amended, restated, modified, renewed, extended, increased, refunded, replaced in any manner (whether upon or after termination or otherwise) or refinanced (including by means of sales of debt securities) in whole or in part from time to time.

 

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Custodian ” means the Trustee, as custodian with respect to the Notes in global form, or any successor entity thereto.

Customary Recourse Exceptions ” means, with respect to any Non-Recourse Debt of an Unrestricted Subsidiary, exclusions from the exculpation provisions with respect to such Non-Recourse Debt for the voluntary bankruptcy of such Unrestricted Subsidiary, fraud, misapplication of cash, environmental claims, waste, willful destruction and other circumstances customarily excluded by lenders from exculpation provisions or included in separate indemnification agreements in non-recourse financings.

Default ” means any event that is, or with the passage of time or the giving of notice or both would be, an Event of Default.

Definitive Note ” means a certificated Note registered in the name of the Holder thereof and issued in accordance with Section 2.06 hereof, substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto except that such Note shall not bear the Global Note Legend and shall not have the “Schedule of Exchanges of Interests in the Global Note” attached thereto.

Depositary ” means, with respect to the Notes issuable or issued in whole or in part in global form, the Person specified in Section 2.03 hereof as the Depositary with respect to the Notes, and any and all successors thereto appointed as depositary hereunder and having become such pursuant to the applicable provision of this Indenture.

Designated Non-Cash Consideration ” means the Fair Market Value of non-cash consideration received by the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in connection with an Asset Sale that is so designated as Designated Non-Cash Consideration pursuant to an Officers’ Certificate, less the amount of cash or Cash Equivalents received in connection with a subsequent sale of or collection on such Designated Non-Cash Consideration.

Disqualified Stock ” means any Capital Stock that, by its terms (or by the terms of any security into which it is convertible, or for which it is exchangeable, in each case, at the option of the holder of the Capital Stock), or upon the happening of any event, matures or is mandatorily redeemable, pursuant to a sinking fund obligation or otherwise, or redeemable at the option of the holder of the Capital Stock, in whole or in part, on or prior to the date that is 91 days after the date on which the Notes mature. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, any Capital Stock that would constitute Disqualified Stock solely because the holders of the Capital Stock have the right to require the Partnership to repurchase or redeem such Capital Stock upon the occurrence of a change of control or an asset sale will not constitute Disqualified Stock if the terms of such Capital Stock provide that the Partnership may not repurchase or redeem any such Capital Stock pursuant to such provisions unless such repurchase or redemption complies with Section 4.07 hereof. The amount of Disqualified Stock deemed to be outstanding at any time for purposes of this Indenture will be the maximum amount that the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries may become obligated to pay upon the maturity of, or pursuant to any mandatory redemption provisions of, such Disqualified Stock, exclusive of accrued dividends.

Domestic Subsidiary ” means any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership that was formed under the laws of the United States or any state of the United States or the District of Columbia and that guarantees or otherwise provides direct credit support for any Indebtedness of the Partnership.

 

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Equity Interests ” means Capital Stock and all warrants, options or other rights to acquire Capital Stock (but excluding any debt security that is convertible into, or exchangeable for, Capital Stock).

Equity Offering ” means a public or private sale either (1) of Equity Interests of the Partnership by the Partnership (other than Disqualified Stock and other than to a Subsidiary of the Partnership) or (2) of Equity Interests of a direct or indirect parent entity of the Partnership (other than to the Partnership or a Subsidiary of the Partnership) to the extent that the net proceeds therefrom are contributed to, or used to acquire, common equity capital of the Partnership.

Euroclear ” means Euroclear Bank, S.A./N.V., as operator of the Euroclear system.

Exchange Act ” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Existing Indebtedness ” means all Indebtedness of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries (other than Indebtedness under any Credit Agreement) in existence on the date of this Indenture, until such amounts are repaid.

Fair Market Value ” means the value that would be paid by a willing buyer to an unaffiliated willing seller in a transaction not involving distress or necessity of either party, determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the General Partner in the case of amounts of $25.0 million or more and otherwise by an officer of the General Partner (unless otherwise provided in this Indenture).

Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio ” means with respect to any specified Person for any period, the ratio of the Consolidated EBITDA of such Person for such period to the Fixed Charges of such Person for such period. In the event that the specified Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries incurs, assumes, guarantees, repays, repurchases, redeems, defeases or otherwise discharges any Indebtedness (other than ordinary working capital borrowings not constituting a permanent commitment reduction) or issues, repurchases or redeems Preferred Stock subsequent to the commencement of the period for which the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio is being calculated and on or prior to the date on which the event for which the calculation of the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio is made (the “ Calculation Date ”), then the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio will be calculated giving pro forma effect (in accordance with Regulation S-X under the Securities Act) to such incurrence, assumption, Guarantee, repayment, repurchase, redemption, defeasance or other discharge of Indebtedness, or such issuance, repurchase or redemption of Preferred Stock, and the use of the proceeds therefrom, as if the same had occurred at the beginning of the applicable four-quarter reference period.

 

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In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio:

(1) acquisitions that have been made by the specified Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, including through mergers or consolidations, or any Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries acquired by the specified Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, and including all related financing transactions and including increases in ownership of Restricted Subsidiaries, during the four-quarter reference period or subsequent to such reference period and on or prior to the Calculation Date, or that are to be made on the Calculation Date, will be given pro forma effect as if they had occurred on the first day of the four-quarter reference period, including any pro forma expense and cost reductions and other operating improvements that have occurred or are reasonably expected to occur within the next 18 months, in the reasonable judgment of the chief financial or accounting officer of the General Partner (regardless of whether those cost savings or operating improvements could then be reflected in pro forma financial statements in accordance with Regulation S-X promulgated under the Securities Act or any other regulation or policy of the SEC related thereto);

(2) the Consolidated EBITDA attributable to discontinued operations, as determined in accordance with GAAP, and operations or businesses (and ownership interests therein) disposed of prior to the Calculation Date, will be excluded;

(3) the Fixed Charges attributable to discontinued operations, as determined in accordance with GAAP, and operations or businesses (and ownership interests therein) disposed of prior to the Calculation Date, will be excluded, but only to the extent that the obligations giving rise to such Fixed Charges will not be obligations of the specified Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries following the Calculation Date;

(4) any Person that is a Restricted Subsidiary on the Calculation Date will be deemed to have been a Restricted Subsidiary at all times during such four-quarter period;

(5) any Person that is not a Restricted Subsidiary on the Calculation Date will be deemed not to have been a Restricted Subsidiary at any time during such four-quarter period;

(6) if any Indebtedness bears a floating rate of interest, the interest expense on such Indebtedness will be calculated as if the rate in effect on the Calculation Date had been the applicable rate for the entire period (taking into account any Hedging Obligation applicable to such Indebtedness if such Hedging Obligation has a remaining term as at the Calculation Date in excess of 12 months); and

(7) if any Indebtedness is incurred under a revolving credit facility and is being given pro forma effect, interest expense for borrowings under the revolving credit facility will be computed based upon the average daily balance of such Indebtedness during the applicable period.

Fixed Charges ” means, with respect to any specified Person for any period, the sum, without duplication, of:

(1) the consolidated interest expense of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, whether paid or accrued, including, without limitation original issue discount, non-cash interest payments (other than as provided in clause (2)

 

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below), the interest component of any deferred payment obligations, the interest component of all payments associated with Capital Lease Obligations, imputed interest with respect to Attributable Debt, commissions, discounts and other fees and charges incurred in respect of letter of credit or bankers’ acceptance financings, and net of the effect of all payments made or received pursuant to Hedging Obligations in respect of interest rates; plus

(2) the consolidated interest expense of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries that was capitalized during such period; plus

(3) any interest on Indebtedness of another Person that is Guaranteed by such Person or one of its Restricted Subsidiaries or secured by a Lien on assets of such Person or one of its Restricted Subsidiaries, whether or not such Guarantee or Lien is called upon; plus

(4) all dividends, whether paid or accrued and whether or not in cash, on any series of Disqualified Stock of such Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, other than dividends on Equity Interests payable solely in Equity Interests of such Person (other than Disqualified Stock) or to such Person or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership;

provided that consolidated interest expense shall not include (a) amortization of deferred financing fees, debt issuance costs and commissions, fees and expenses and the expensing of any bridge, commitment or other financing fees, commissions, discounts, yield and other fees and charges (including any interest expense) and (b) non-cash interest expense attributable to movement in mark-to-market valuation of Hedging Obligations or other derivatives under GAAP. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Indenture, for the purposes of determining Fixed Charges for any period ending prior to the first anniversary of the date of this Indenture, Fixed Charges shall be an amount equal to actual Fixed Charges from the date of this Indenture through the date of determination multiplied by a fraction the numerator of which is 365 and the denominator of which is the number of days from the date of this Indenture through the date of determination.

Foreign Subsidiary ” means any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership that is not a Domestic Subsidiary.

GAAP ” means generally accepted accounting principles set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or in such other statements by such other entity as have been approved by a significant segment of the accounting profession, which are in effect from time to time.

General Partner ” means SunCoke Energy Partners GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and its successors and permitted assigns under the Partnership Agreement as general partner of the Partnership.

 

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Global Note Legend ” means the legend set forth in Section 2.06(f)(2) hereof, which is required to be placed on all Global Notes issued under this Indenture.

Global Notes ” means, individually and collectively, each of the Restricted Global Notes and the Unrestricted Global Notes deposited with or on behalf of and registered in the name of the Depository or its nominee, substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto and that bears the Global Note Legend and that has the “Schedule of Exchanges of Interests in the Global Note” attached thereto issued in accordance with Section 2.01, 2.06(b)(3), 2.06(b)(4) or 2.06(d)(2) hereof.

Government Securities ” means direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed by, the United States of America, and the payment for which the United States pledges its full faith and credit.

Guarantee ” means a guarantee other than by endorsement of negotiable instruments for collection in the ordinary course of business, direct or indirect, in any manner including, without limitation, by way of a pledge of assets or through letters of credit or reimbursement agreements in respect thereof, of all or any part of any Indebtedness (whether arising by virtue of partnership arrangements, or by agreements to keep-well, to purchase assets, goods, securities or services, to take or pay or to maintain financial statement conditions or otherwise). When used as a verb, “ Guarantee ” has a correlative meaning.

Guarantors ” means any Subsidiary of the Partnership that Guarantees the Notes in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture, and its successors and assigns, in each case, until the Note Guarantee of such Person has been released in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture.

Hedging Obligations ” means, with respect to any specified Person, the obligations of such Person under:

(1) interest rate swap agreements (whether from fixed to floating or from floating to fixed), interest rate cap agreements and interest rate collar agreements;

(2) other agreements or arrangements designed to manage interest rates or interest rate risk;

(3) any agreements or arrangements designed to protect such Person against fluctuations in currency exchange rates; and

(4) any commodity or raw material futures contract, commodity hedge agreement, any actual or synthetic forward sale contract or other similar device or instrument or any other agreement designed to protect such Person against, or mitigate, commodity or raw material price risk.

Holder ” means a Person in whose name a Note is registered.

IAI Global Note ” means a Global Note substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto bearing the Global Note Legend and the Private Placement Legend and deposited with or on behalf of and registered in the name of the Depositary or its nominee that will be issued in a denomination equal to the outstanding principal amount of the Notes resold to Institutional Accredited Investors .

 

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Immaterial Subsidiary ” means, as of any date, any Restricted Subsidiary whose total assets, as of that date, are less than $5.0 million and whose total revenues for the most recent 12-month period do not exceed $5.0 million; provided that a Restricted Subsidiary will not be considered to be an Immaterial Subsidiary if it, directly or indirectly, guarantees or otherwise provides direct credit support for any Indebtedness of the Partnership.

Indebtedness ” means, with respect to any specified Person, any indebtedness of such Person (excluding accrued expenses and trade payables), whether or not contingent:

(1) in respect of borrowed money;

(2) evidenced by or issued in exchange for bonds, notes, debentures or similar instruments;

(3) in respect of letters of credit (or reimbursement agreements in respect thereof), bankers’ acceptances or other similar instruments (solely to the extent such letters of credit, bankers’ acceptances or other similar instruments have been drawn);

(4) representing Capital Lease Obligations or Attributable Debt in respect of sale and leaseback transactions;

(5) representing the balance deferred and unpaid of the purchase price of any property or services due more than six months after such property is acquired or such services are completed; or

(6) representing any Hedging Obligations,

if and to the extent any of the preceding items (other than letters of credit, Attributable Debt and Hedging Obligations) would appear as a liability upon a balance sheet of the specified Person prepared in accordance with GAAP. In addition, the term “Indebtedness” includes all Indebtedness of others secured by a Lien on any asset of the specified Person (whether or not such Indebtedness is assumed by the specified Person) and, to the extent not otherwise included, the Guarantee by the specified Person of any Indebtedness of any other Person. Indebtedness shall be calculated without giving effect to the effects of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 133 and related interpretations to the extent such effects would otherwise increase or decrease an amount of Indebtedness for any purpose under this Indenture as a result of accounting for any embedded derivatives created by the terms of such Indebtedness.

In addition, “Indebtedness” of any Person shall include Indebtedness described in the preceding paragraph that would not appear as a liability on the balance sheet of such Person if:

 

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(1) such Indebtedness is the obligation of a partnership or joint venture that is not a Restricted Subsidiary (a “ Joint Venture ”);

(2) such Person or a Restricted Subsidiary of such Person is a general partner of the Joint Venture (a “ Joint Venture General Partner ”); and

(3) there is recourse, by contract or operation of law, with respect to the payment of such Indebtedness to property or assets of such Person or a Restricted Subsidiary of such Person; and then such Indebtedness shall be included in an amount not to exceed:

(a) the lesser of (i) the net assets of the Joint Venture General Partner and (ii) the amount of such obligations to the extent that there is recourse, by contract or operation of law, to the property or assets of such Person or a Restricted Subsidiary of such Person; or

(b) if less than the amount determined pursuant to clause (a) immediately above, the actual amount of such Indebtedness that is recourse to such Person or a Restricted Subsidiary of such Person, if the Indebtedness is evidenced by a writing and is for a determinable amount and the related interest expense shall be included in Fixed Charges to the extent actually paid by such Person or its Restricted Subsidiaries.

Indebtedness shall not include (x) obligations (other than obligations with respect to Indebtedness for borrowed money) related to surface rights under an agreement for the acquisition of surface rights for the production of coal reserves in the ordinary course of business in a manner consistent with historical practice of the Partnership (including SunCoke Energy Inc. and its Subsidiaries, as its predecessor) and its Restricted Subsidiaries, (y) minimum payment, supply or take-or-pay obligations contained in supply or other arrangements of the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries, or (z) any Indebtedness that has been defeased in accordance with GAAP or defeased pursuant to the irrevocable deposit of cash or securities referred to in clause (1) of the definition of Cash Equivalents (in an amount sufficient to satisfy all such Indebtedness at fixed maturity or redemption, as applicable, and all payments of interest and premium, if any) in a trust or account created or pledged for the sole benefit of the holders of such Indebtedness and subject to no other Liens, and the other applicable terms of the instrument governing such Indebtedness

Indenture ” means this Indenture, as amended or supplemented from time to time.

Indirect Participant ” means a Person who holds a beneficial interest in a Global Note through a Participant.

Initial Notes ” means the first $150.0 million aggregate principal amount of Notes issued under this Indenture on the date hereof.

Institutional Accredited Investor ” means an institution that is an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501(a)(1), (2), (3) or (7) under the Securities Act, who are not also QIBs.

 

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Investments ” means, with respect to any Person, all direct or indirect investments by such Person in other Persons (including Affiliates) in the forms of loans (including Guarantees or other obligations), advances or capital contributions (excluding (i) advances to customers, suppliers, joint venture partners or the like in the ordinary course of business that are, in conformity with GAAP, recorded as accounts receivables, prepaid expenses or deposits on the balance sheet of the Partnership or its Restricted Subsidiaries, (ii) endorsements for collection or deposit arising in the ordinary course of business and (iii) commission, travel and similar advances to officers and employees of the General Partner, the Partnership and any Restricted Subsidiary made in the ordinary course of business), purchases or other acquisitions for consideration of Indebtedness, Equity Interests or other securities, together with all items that are or would be classified as investments on a balance sheet prepared in accordance with GAAP. If the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership sells or otherwise disposes of any Equity Interests of any direct or indirect Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership such that, after giving effect to any such sale or disposition, such Person is no longer a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership, the Partnership will be deemed to have made an Investment on the date of any such sale or disposition equal to the Fair Market Value of the Partnership’s Investments in such Subsidiary that were not sold or disposed of in an amount determined as provided in the final paragraph of Section 4.07 hereof. The acquisition by the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership of a Person that holds an Investment in a third Person will be deemed to be an Investment by the Partnership or such Restricted Subsidiary in such third Person in an amount equal to the Fair Market Value of the Investments held by the acquired Person in such third Person in an amount determined as provided in the final paragraph of Section 4.07 hereof. Except as otherwise provided in this Indenture, the amount of an Investment will be determined at the time the Investment is made and without giving effect to subsequent changes in value.

Legal Holiday ” means a Saturday, a Sunday or a day on which banking institutions in the City of New York, New York are authorized by law, regulation or executive order to remain closed.

Lien ” means, with respect to any asset, any mortgage, lien, pledge, charge, security interest or encumbrance of any kind in respect of such asset, whether or not filed, recorded or otherwise perfected under applicable law, including any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, any lease in the nature thereof, any option or other agreement to sell or give a security interest in and any filing of or agreement to give any financing statement under the Uniform Commercial Code (or equivalent statutes) of any jurisdiction.

Moody’s ” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and any successor to its ratings business.

Net Proceeds ” means the aggregate cash proceeds and Cash Equivalents received by the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in respect of any Asset Sale (including, without limitation, any cash or Cash Equivalents received upon the sale or other disposition of any non-cash consideration received in any Asset Sale), net of (i) the direct costs relating to such Asset Sale, including, without limitation, legal, accounting and investment banking fees, and sales commissions, and any relocation expenses incurred as a result of the Asset Sale, (ii) taxes paid or payable as a result of the Asset Sale, in each case, after taking into account any available tax

 

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credits or deductions and any tax sharing arrangements, (iii) amounts required to be applied to the repayment of Indebtedness, other than Indebtedness under a Credit Facility, secured by a Lien on the asset or assets that were the subject of such Asset Sale, (iv) in the case of any Asset Sale by a non-wholly owned Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership, the pro rata portion of the Net Proceeds thereof (calculated without regard to this clause (iv)) attributable to minority interests and not available for distribution to or for the account of the Partnership or a wholly-owned Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership as a result thereof and (v) any amounts to be set aside in any reserve established in accordance with GAAP or any amount placed in escrow, in either case for adjustment in respect of the sale price of such asset or for liabilities associated with such Asset Sale and retained by the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries until such time as such reserve is reversed or such escrow arrangement is terminated, in which case Net Proceeds shall include only the amount of the reserve so reversed or the amount returned to the Partnership or its Restricted Subsidiaries from such escrow arrangement, as the case may be.

Non-Recourse Debt ” means Indebtedness:

(1) as to which neither the Partnership nor any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (a) provides credit support of any kind (including any undertaking, agreement or instrument that would constitute Indebtedness) or (b) is directly or indirectly liable as a guarantor or otherwise, except for Customary Recourse Exceptions; and

(2) as to which the lenders have been notified in writing that they will not have any recourse to the Capital Stock or assets of the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (other than the Equity Interests of an Unrestricted Subsidiary), except for Customary Recourse Exceptions.

Non-U.S. Person ” means a Person who is not a U.S. Person.

Note Guarantee ” means the Guarantee by each Guarantor of the Issuers’ obligations under this Indenture and the Notes as provided in Article 10 hereof.

Notes ” has the meaning assigned to it in the preamble to this Indenture. The Initial Notes and the Additional Notes shall be treated as a single class for all purposes under this Indenture, and unless the context otherwise requires, all references to the Notes shall include the Initial Notes and any Additional Notes.

Obligations ” means any principal, interest, penalties, fees, indemnifications, reimbursements, damages and other liabilities payable under the documentation governing any Indebtedness.

Offering Memorandum ” means the Issuers’ Offering Memorandum dated January 17, 2013, relating to the initial offering of the Notes.

Officer ” means, with respect to any Person, the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Chief Operating Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the Treasurer, any Assistant Treasurer, the Controller, the Secretary or any Vice-President of such Person.

 

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Officers’ Certificate ” means a certificate signed on behalf of each of the Partnership and Finance Corp., in the case of the Partnership by two of the Officers of the General Partner and in the case of Finance Corp. by two of its Officers, one of whom must be the principal executive officer, the principal financial officer or the principal accounting officer of the General Partner or Finance Corp, as the case may be, that meets the requirements of Section 12.05 hereof.

Omnibus Agreement ” means the Omnibus Agreement, dated as of January 24, 2013, among the Partnership, the General Partner, and SunCoke Energy, Inc., as the same may be further amended or supplemented from time to time.

Operating LLCs ” means, collectively, Haverhill Coke Company LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and Middletown Coke Company, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company.

Operating Surplus ” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Partnership Agreement, as in effect on the date of this Indenture.

Opinion of Counsel ” means an opinion from legal counsel who is reasonably acceptable to the Trustee, that meets the requirements of Section 12.05 hereof, which counsel may be an employee of or counsel to the Partnership or any Subsidiary of the Partnership.

Participant ” means, with respect to the Depositary, Euroclear or Clearstream, a Person who has an account with the Depositary, Euroclear or Clearstream, respectively (and, with respect to DTC, shall include Euroclear and Clearstream).

Partnership Agreement ” means the First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Partnership, dated as of January 24, 2013, as in effect on the date of this Indenture and as the same may be further amended, modified or supplemented from time to time.

Permitted Acquisition Indebtedness ” means Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock of the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to the extent such Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock (i) was Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock of any other Person existing at the time (a) such Person became a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership or (b) such Person was merged or consolidated with or into the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, or (ii) such Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock was incurred to finance the acquisition of such Person or to finance such merger or consolidation, provided that on the date such Person became a Restricted Subsidiary or the date such Person was merged or consolidated with or into the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, as applicable, either of:

(1) immediately after giving effect to such transaction and any related financing transaction on a pro forma basis as if the same had occurred at the beginning of the applicable four-quarter period, the Partnership or such Person (if the Partnership is not the survivor in the transaction) would be permitted to incur at least $1.00 of additional Indebtedness pursuant to the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio test set forth in Section 4.09(a) hereof; or

 

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(2) immediately after giving effect to such transaction and any related financing transaction on a pro forma basis as if the same had occurred at the beginning of the applicable four-quarter period, the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of the Partnership or such Person (if the Partnership is not the survivor in the transaction) is (i) greater than 1.5 to 1.0 and (ii) equal to or greater than the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of the Partnership immediately prior to such transaction.

Permitted Business ” means any business that (i) is the same as, or reasonably related, ancillary or complementary to, or is a reasonable extension, expansion or development of, any of the businesses in which the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries are engaged on the date of this Indenture and (ii) any other business that generates gross income which constitutes “qualifying income” under Section 7704(d) of the Code.

Permitted Business Investments ” means Investments by the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in any Unrestricted Subsidiary of the Partnership or in any Joint Venture, provided that:

(1) either (a) at the time of such Investment and immediately thereafter, the Partnership would be permitted to incur at least $1.00 of additional Indebtedness under the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio test set forth in Section 4.09(a) hereof or (b) such Investment does not exceed the aggregate amount of Incremental Funds not previously expended at the time of making such Investment;

(2) if such Unrestricted Subsidiary or Joint Venture has outstanding Indebtedness at the time of such Investment, either (a) all such Indebtedness is Non-Recourse Debt or (b) any such Indebtedness of such Unrestricted Subsidiary or Joint Venture that is recourse to the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (which shall include, without limitation, all Indebtedness of such Unrestricted Subsidiary or Joint Venture for which the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries may be directly or indirectly, contingently or otherwise, obligated to pay, whether pursuant to the terms of such Indebtedness, by law or pursuant to any Guarantee, including, without limitation, any “claw-back,” “make-well” or “keep-well” arrangement) could, at the time such Investment is made, be incurred at that time by the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries under the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio test set forth in Section 4.09(a) hereof; and

(3) such Unrestricted Subsidiary’s or Joint Venture’s activities are not outside the scope of the Permitted Business.

Permitted Holder ” means (i) SunCoke Energy, Inc.; and (ii) any other Person that is controlled by the Person in the preceding clause (i).

Permitted Investments ” means:

(1) any Investment in the Partnership or in a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership;

 

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(2) any Investment in Cash Equivalents;

(3) any Investment by the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership in a Person, if as a result of such Investment:

(a) such Person becomes a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership; or

(b) such Person is merged, consolidated or amalgamated with or into, or transfers or conveys substantially all of its assets to, or is liquidated into, the Partnership or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership;

and, in each case, any Investment held by such Person;

(4) any Investment made as a result of the receipt of non-cash consideration from an Asset Sale that was made pursuant to and in compliance with Section 4.10 hereof;

(5) any acquisition of assets or Capital Stock as a capital contribution to the Partnership or solely in exchange for the issuance of Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) of the Partnership;

(6) any Investments received in compromise or resolution of (A) obligations of trade creditors or customers that were incurred in the ordinary course of business of the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, including pursuant to any plan of reorganization or similar arrangement upon the bankruptcy or insolvency of any trade creditor or customer; or (B) litigation, arbitration or other disputes;

(7) Investments represented by Hedging Obligations;

(8) loans or advances to officers, directors or employees of the General Partner, the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership in the ordinary course of business or consistent with past practice of the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership (or their predecessors) or guarantees in respect thereof or otherwise made on their behalf (including payment on such guarantees) in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $5.0 million at any one time outstanding;

(9) repurchases of the Notes;

(10) any Guarantee of Indebtedness permitted to be incurred by Section 4.09 hereof other than a Guarantee of Indebtedness of an Affiliate of the Partnership that is not a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership;

(11) any Investment existing on, or made pursuant to binding commitments existing on, the date of this Indenture and any Investment consisting of an extension, modification or renewal of any Investment existing on, or made pursuant to a binding commitment existing on, the date of this Indenture; provided that the amount of any such Investment may be increased (a) as required by the terms of such Investment as in existence on the date of this Indenture or (b) as otherwise permitted under this Indenture;

 

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(12) Investments acquired after the date of this Indenture as a result of the acquisition by the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership of another Person, including by way of a merger, amalgamation or consolidation with or into the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in a transaction that is not prohibited by Section 5.01 hereof after the date of this Indenture to the extent that such Investments were not made in contemplation of such acquisition, merger, amalgamation or consolidation and were in existence on the date of such acquisition, merger, amalgamation or consolidation;

(13) Permitted Business Investments;

(14) (i) receivables owing to the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary if created or acquired in the ordinary course of business, and (ii) endorsements for collection or deposit in the ordinary course of business;

(15) extensions of credit to customers, suppliers and joint venture partners in the ordinary course of business;

(16) Investments consisting of purchases and acquisitions, in the ordinary course of business, of inventory, supplies, material or equipment or the licensing or contribution of intellectual property;

(17) Investments made pursuant to surety bonds, reclamation bonds, performance bonds, bid bonds, appeal bonds and similar obligations, in each case, to the extent such surety bonds, reclamation bonds, performance bonds, bid bonds, appeal bonds and similar obligations are otherwise permitted under this Indenture;

(18) Investments resulting from pledges and deposits permitted under the definition of Permitted Liens;

(19) Guarantees of performance or other obligations (other than Indebtedness) arising in the ordinary course of business or consistent with past practice of the Partnership or its Restricted Subsidiaries (or their predecessors);

(20) Investments pursuant to or contemplated by any contractual obligations in respect of the Partnership Agreement, the Omnibus Agreement or the Contribution Agreement as in effect on the date of this Indenture, and as amended or modified thereafter on terms that are not materially less favorable to the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, considered in the aggregate taking into account all such substantially contemporaneous amendments and modifications to such agreements, as reasonably determined by the Partnership; and

(21) other Investments in any Person other than an Affiliate of the Partnership that is not a Subsidiary of the Partnership having an aggregate Fair Market Value (measured on the date each such Investment was made and without giving effect to subsequent changes in value), when taken together with all other Investments made pursuant to this clause (21) that are at the time outstanding do not exceed the greater of $75.0 million or 8.5% of the Partnership’s Consolidated Net Tangible Assets.

 

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Permitted Liens ” means:

(1) Liens on assets of the Partnership or any Guarantor securing Indebtedness and other Obligations under (i) Credit Facilities that were permitted by the terms of this Indenture to be incurred pursuant to Section 4.09(b)(1) and (ii) Hedging Obligations and other agreements, including in respect of cash management services provided by lenders of the Indebtedness referred to in the preceding clause (i) or their affiliates;

(2) Liens in favor of the Partnership or the Guarantors;

(3) Liens on property of a Person existing at the time such Person becomes a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership or is merged with or into or consolidated with the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership; provided that such Liens were in existence prior to the contemplation of such Person becoming a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership or such merger or consolidation and do not extend to any assets other than those of the Person that becomes a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership or is merged with or into or consolidated with the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership;

(4) Liens on property (including Capital Stock) existing at the time of acquisition of the property by the Partnership or any Subsidiary of the Partnership; provided that such Liens were in existence prior to such acquisition and not incurred in contemplation of, such acquisition;

(5) Liens or deposits to secure the performance of public or statutory obligations, insurance, surety or appeal bonds, reclamation bonds, custom duties and the like, workers compensation obligations, performance bonds, contractual obligations with suppliers, the payment of rent, or other obligations of a like nature incurred in the ordinary course of business (including Liens to secure letters of credit issued to assure payment of such obligations);

(6) Liens to secure Indebtedness (including Capital Lease Obligations) permitted by Section 4.09(b)(4) covering only the assets acquired with or financed by such Indebtedness;

(7) Liens existing on the date of this Indenture (other than Liens described in clause (1) of this definition of Permitted Liens);

(8) Liens for taxes, assessments or governmental charges or claims that are not yet delinquent or that are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings promptly instituted and diligently concluded; provided that any reserve or other appropriate provision as is required in conformity with GAAP has been made therefor;

 

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(9) Liens imposed by law, such as carriers’, warehousemen’s, landlord’s and mechanics’ Liens, in each case, incurred in the ordinary course of business;

(10) survey exceptions, easements or reservations of, or rights of others for, licenses, rights-of-way, sewers, electric lines, telegraph and telephone lines and other similar purposes, or zoning or other restrictions as to the use of real property that were not incurred in connection with Indebtedness and that do not in the aggregate materially adversely affect the value of said properties or materially impair their use in the operation of the business of such Person;

(11) Liens created for the benefit of (or to secure) the Notes (or the Note Guarantees);

(12) Liens to secure any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness permitted to be incurred under this Indenture; provided, however , that

(a) the new Lien is limited to all or part of the same property and assets that secured or, under the written agreements pursuant to which the original Lien arose, could secure the original Lien (plus improvements and accessions to, such property or proceeds or distributions thereof); and

(b) the Indebtedness secured by the new Lien is not increased to any amount greater than the sum of (x) the outstanding principal amount, or, if greater, committed amount, of the Indebtedness renewed, refunded, refinanced, replaced, defeased or discharged with such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness and (y) an amount necessary to pay any fees and expenses, including premiums, related to such renewal, refunding, refinancing, replacement, defeasance or discharge;

(13) Liens on insurance policies and proceeds thereof, or other deposits, to secure insurance premium financings;

(14) filing of Uniform Commercial Code financing statements as a precautionary measure in connection with operating leases;

(15) customary Liens in favor of trustees or escrow agents, bankers’ Liens, rights of setoff, Liens arising out of judgments or awards not constituting an Event of Default and notices of lis pendens and associated rights related to litigation being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which adequate reserves have been made;

(16) Liens on cash, Cash Equivalents or other property arising in connection with the defeasance, discharge or redemption of Indebtedness;

(17) Liens on specific items of inventory or other goods (and the proceeds thereof) of any Person securing such Person’s obligations in respect of bankers’ acceptances issued or created in the ordinary course of business for the account of such Person to facilitate the purchase, shipment or storage of such inventory or other goods;

 

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(18) grants of software and other technology licenses in the ordinary course of business;

(19) Liens arising out of conditional sale, title retention, consignment or similar arrangements for the sale of goods entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(20) Liens incurred in connection with sale and leaseback transactions incurred pursuant to Section 4.09(b)(12);

(21) Liens incurred in the ordinary course of business of the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership with respect to obligations that do not exceed the greater of $50.0 million and 5.0% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets (determined at the time of incurrence) at any one time outstanding;

(22) Liens on assets pursuant to merger agreements, stock or asset purchase agreements and similar agreements in respect of the disposition of such assets;

(23) options, put and call arrangements, rights of first refusal and similar rights relating to Investments in joint ventures, partnerships and the like and Liens on joint venture interests in favor of joint venture partners to secure obligations arising under the respective joint venture agreements;

(24) Liens incurred in the ordinary course of business securing obligations not constituting Indebtedness for borrowed money and not in the aggregate materially detracting from the value of the properties or their use in the operation of the business of the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(25) Liens securing obligations in respect of trade-related letters of credit permitted under Section 4.09(b)(10) covering only the goods (or the documents of title in respect of such goods) financed by such letters of credit and the proceeds and products thereof;

(26) Liens on and pledges of the Equity Interests of any Unrestricted Subsidiary or any Joint Venture owned by the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership to the extent securing Non-Recourse Debt or other Indebtedness of such Unrestricted Subsidiary or Joint Venture;

(27) Liens pursuant to or contemplated by the Contribution Agreement and the Collections Agreements in effect on the date of this Indenture, and as amended or modified thereafter on terms that are not materially less favorable to the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, considered in the aggregate taking into account all such substantially contemporaneous amendments and modifications of such documents, as reasonably determined by the Partnership;

 

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(28) existing or future grants of coal bed methane leases or oil and gas or other hydrocarbon leases granted by any governmental authority or other third party and associated pipelines, collection facilities, accessways and easements pertaining to the same;

(29) surface use agreements, mining agreements, easements, covenants, conditions, restrictions, declarations, zoning restrictions, rights of way, minor defects in title, encroachments, pipelines, leases (other than Capital Lease Obligations), licenses, special assessments, railroad trackage, siding and spur rights and agreements, transmission and transportation lines, related to real property (and together with all the foregoing Liens in this clause (29), collectively, “ Real Property Liens ”), (A) which are in existence on the date of this Indenture or with respect to after-acquired property, which are in existence on the date of such acquisition (as the same may be amended or modified from time to time), or (B) imposed by law or arising in the ordinary course of business, in each case that do not secure any monetary obligation, and in each case do not materially detract from the value of the affected real property for the purpose for which it is being used at the time of evaluation (subject to and taking into account any implied, express or historical consent, permission or other acquiescence by the holder of any Real Property Lien) and do not materially interfere with the ordinary conduct of business of the Partnership or any Subsidiary as actually conducted at the time of evaluation;

(30) rights of owners of interests in overlying, underlying or intervening strata and/or mineral interests not owned by the Partnership or one of its Subsidiaries, with respect to real property where the Partnership or applicable Subsidiary’s ownership is only surface or severed mineral or is otherwise subject to mineral severances in favor of one or more third parties;

(31) layback arrangements, joint operation arrangements and similar arrangements with adjoining coal operators;

(32) with respect to water rights, Liens imposed by the doctrine of prior appropriation (including seniority of water rights), the necessity to put the water to a beneficial use, restrictions imposed by the applicable governmental authority and the actual availability of water (including restrictions on the use of ground water);

(33) farm, grazing, hunting, recreational and residential leases with respect to which the Partnership or any Subsidiary is a lessor encumbering portions of any property to the extent such leases would be granted or permitted by a prudent operator of mining properties similar in use and configuration to real properties;

(34) encumbrances typically found upon real property used for mining purposes in the applicable jurisdiction in which the applicable real property is located to the extent such encumbrances would be permitted or granted by a prudent operator of mining property similar in use and configuration to such real property (e.g., surface rights agreements, wheelage agreements and reconveyance agreements);

 

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(35) rights and easements of owners (i) of undivided interests in any of the real property where the Partnership or its Subsidiaries own less than 100% of the fee interest, (ii) of interests in the surface of any real property where the Partnership or its Subsidiaries do not own or lease such surface interest, (iii) and lessees, if any, of coal or other minerals (including oil, gas and coalbed methane) where the Partnership or its Subsidiaries do not own such coal or other minerals, and (iv) and lessees of other coal seams and other minerals (including oil, gas and coalbed methane) not owned or leased by the Partnership or its Subsidiaries;

(36) with respect to any real property in which the Partnership or any Subsidiary holds a leasehold interest, terms, agreements, provisions, conditions, and limitations (other than royalty and other payment obligations which are otherwise permitted hereunder) contained in the leases granting such leasehold interest and the rights of lessors thereunder (and their heirs, executors, administrators, successors, and assigns);

(37) rights of others to subjacent or lateral support and absence of subsidence rights or to the maintenance of barrier pillars or restrictions on mining within certain areas as provided by any mining lease, unless in each case waived by such other person; and

(38) extensions, renewals or replacements of any Liens referred to in clause (1), (3), (4), (6), (7) or (25) of this definition of Permitted Liens in connection with any refinancing of the obligations secured thereby, provided that (a) the principal amount of the Indebtedness secured by such Lien is not increased except by an amount equal to a reasonable premium or other reasonable amount paid, and fees and expenses reasonably incurred, in connection therewith and by an amount equal to any existing commitments unutilized thereunder and (b) no assets encumbered by any such Lien other than the assets permitted to be encumbered immediately prior to such renewal, extension, refinance or refund are encumbered thereby (other than improvements thereon, accessions thereto and proceeds thereof).

Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness ” means any Indebtedness of the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries issued in exchange for, or the net proceeds of which are used to renew, refund, refinance, replace, defease or discharge other Indebtedness of the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (other than intercompany Indebtedness); provided that:

(1) the principal amount (or accreted value, if applicable) of such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness does not exceed the principal amount (or accreted value, if applicable) of the Indebtedness renewed, refunded, refinanced, replaced, defeased or discharged (plus all accrued interest on the Indebtedness and the amount of all fees and expenses, including premiums, incurred in connection therewith);

(2) such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness has a final maturity date no earlier than the final maturity date of the Indebtedness being renewed, refunded, refinanced, replaced, defeased or discharged;

 

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(3) such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness has a Weighted Average Life to Maturity at the time such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness is incurred that is no shorter than the Weighted Average Life to Maturity of the portion of the Indebtedness being renewed, refunded, refinanced, replaced, defeased or discharged;

(4) if the Indebtedness being renewed, refunded, refinanced, replaced, defeased or discharged is subordinated in right of payment to the Notes or the Note Guarantees, such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness is subordinated in right of payment to the Notes or the Note Guarantees on terms at least as favorable to the Holders of Notes as those contained in the documentation governing the Indebtedness being renewed, refunded, refinanced, replaced, defeased or discharged; and

(5) such Indebtedness is incurred either by the Partnership or by the Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership that was the obligor on the Indebtedness being renewed, refunded, refinanced, replaced, defeased or discharged and is Guaranteed only by Persons who were obligors on the Indebtedness being renewed, refunded, refinanced, replaced, defeased or discharged.

Person ” means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, association, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization, limited liability company or government or other entity.

Preferred Stock means, with respect to any Person, any and all preferred or preference stock, units or other similar Equity Interests (however designated) of such Person whether outstanding or issued after the date of this Indenture.

Private Placement Legend ” means the legend set forth in Section 2.06(f)(1) hereof to be placed on all Notes issued under this Indenture except where otherwise permitted by the provisions of this Indenture.

QIB ” means a “qualified institutional buyer” as defined in Rule 144A.

Regulation S ” means Regulation S promulgated under the Securities Act.

Regulation S Global Note ” means a Global Note substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto bearing the Global Note Legend and the Private Placement Legend and deposited with or on behalf of and registered in the name of the Depositary or its nominee, issued in a denomination equal to the outstanding principal amount of the Notes sold in reliance on Rule 903 of Regulation S.

Reporting Default ” means a Default described in Section 6.01(d) hereof.

Responsible Officer ,” when used with respect to the Trustee, means any officer within the Corporate Trust Administration of the Trustee (or any successor group of the Trustee) or any other officer of the Trustee customarily performing functions similar to those performed by any of the above designated officers and also means, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer to whom such matter is referred because of his knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject and who shall have direct responsibility for the administration of this Indenture.

 

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Restricted Definitive Note ” means a Definitive Note bearing the Private Placement Legend.

Restricted Global Note ” means a Global Note bearing the Private Placement Legend.

Restricted Investment ” means an Investment other than a Permitted Investment.

Restricted Subsidiary ” of a Person means any Subsidiary of the referent Person that is not an Unrestricted Subsidiary. Notwithstanding anything in this Indenture to the contrary, Finance Corp. shall be a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership.

Rule 144 ” means Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act.

Rule 144A ” means Rule 144A promulgated under the Securities Act.

Rule 903 ” means Rule 903 promulgated under the Securities Act.

Rule 904 ” means Rule 904 promulgated under the Securities Act.

“S&P” means Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services and any successor to its ratings business.

SEC ” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Securities Act ” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Significant Subsidiary ” means any Restricted Subsidiary that would be a “significant subsidiary” as defined in Article 1, Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X, promulgated pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Regulation is in effect on the date of this Indenture.

Stated Maturity ” means, with respect to any installment of interest or principal on any series of Indebtedness, the date on which the payment of interest or principal was scheduled to be paid in the documentation governing such Indebtedness as of the first date it was incurred in compliance with the terms of this Indenture, and will not include any contingent obligations to repay, redeem or repurchase any such interest or principal prior to the date originally scheduled for the payment thereof.

Subsidiary ” means, with respect to any specified Person:

(1) any corporation, association or other business entity of which more than 50% of the total voting power of its Voting Stock is at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by that Person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that Person (or a combination thereof); and

 

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(2) any partnership or limited liability company of which (a) more than 50% of the capital accounts, distribution rights, total equity and voting interests or general and limited partnership interests, as applicable, are owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such Person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that Person or a combination thereof, whether in the form of membership, general, special or limited partnership interests or otherwise, and (b) such Person or any Subsidiary of such Person is a controlling general partner or otherwise controls such entity.

TIA ” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (15 U.S.C. §§ 77aaa-77bbbb).

Treasury Rate ” means, as of any redemption date, the yield to maturity as of such redemption date of the most recently issued United States Treasury securities with a constant maturity (as compiled and published in the most recent Federal Reserve Statistical Release H.15 (519) that has become publicly available at least two Business Days prior to the redemption date (or, if such Statistical Release is no longer published, any publicly available source of similar market data)) most nearly equal to the period from the redemption date to February 1, 2016; provided, however , that if the period from the redemption date to February 1, 2016, is less than one year, the weekly average yield on actually traded United States Treasury securities adjusted to a constant maturity of one year will be used.

“Trustee ” means The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., until a successor replaces it in accordance with the applicable provisions of this Indenture and thereafter means the successor serving hereunder.

Unrestricted Definitive Note ” means a Definitive Note that does not bear and is not required to bear the Private Placement Legend.

Unrestricted Global Note ” means a Global Note that does not bear and is not required to bear the Private Placement Legend.

Unrestricted Subsidiary ” means any Subsidiary of the Partnership that is designated by the Board of Directors of the Partnership as an Unrestricted Subsidiary pursuant to a resolution of the Board of Directors, but only to the extent that such Subsidiary:

(1) has no Indebtedness other than Non-Recourse Debt;

(2) except as permitted by Section 4.11 hereof, is not party to any agreement, contract, arrangement or understanding with the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership unless the terms of any such agreement, contract, arrangement or understanding are no less favorable to the Partnership or such Restricted Subsidiary than those that might be obtained at the time from Persons who are not Affiliates of the Partnership;

(3) is a Person with respect to which neither the Partnership nor any of its Restricted Subsidiaries has any direct or indirect obligation (a) to subscribe for additional Equity Interests or (b) to maintain or preserve such Person’s financial condition or to cause such Person to achieve any specified levels of operating results; and

 

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(4) has not guaranteed or otherwise directly or indirectly provided credit support for any Indebtedness of the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries.

U.S. Person ” means a U.S. Person as defined in Rule 902(k) promulgated under the Securities Act.

Voting Stock ” of any specified Person as of any date means the Capital Stock of such Person that is at the time entitling the holders thereof (whether at all times or only so long as no senior class of Capital Stock has voting power by reason of any contingency) to vote in the election of members of the Board of Directors of such Person; provided that with respect to a limited partnership or other entity which does not have a Board of Directors, “Voting Stock” means the Capital Stock of the general partner of such limited partnership or other business entity with the ultimate authority to manage the business and operations of such Person.

Weighted Average Life to Maturity ” means, when applied to any Indebtedness at any date, the number of years obtained by dividing:

(1) the sum of the products obtained by multiplying (a) the amount of each then remaining installment, sinking fund, serial maturity or other required payments of principal, including payment at final maturity, in respect of the Indebtedness, by (b) the number of years (calculated to the nearest one-twelfth) that will elapse between such date and the making of such payment; by

(2) the then outstanding principal amount of such Indebtedness.

Section 1.02 Other Definitions.

 

Term    Defined in
Section

“Affiliate Transaction”

   4.11

“Alternate Offer”

   4.15

“Asset Sale Offer”

   4.10

“Authentication Order”

   2.02

“Calculation Date”

   1.01

“Change of Control Offer”

   4.15

“Change of Control Payment”

   4.15

“Change of Control Purchase Date”

   4.15

“Covenant Defeasance”

   8.03

“DTC”

   2.03

“Event of Default”

   6.01

“Excess Proceeds”

   4.10

“Finance Corp.”

   Preamble

“Incremental Funds”

   4.07

“incur”

   4.09

 

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Term    Defined in
Section

“Joint Venture”

   1.01

“Joint Venture General Partner”

   1.01

“Issuers”

   Preamble

“Legal Defeasance”

   8.02

“Offer Amount”

   3.09

“Offer Period”

   3.09

“Operational EBITDA”

   1.01

“Partnership”

   Preamble

“Paying Agent”

   2.03

“Payment Default”

   6.01

“Permitted Debt”

   4.09

“Purchase Date”

   3.09

“Real Property Liens”

   1.01

“Registrar”

   2.03

“Restricted Payments”

   4.07

“Trailing Four Quarters”

   4.07

Section 1.03 Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act.

Whenever this Indenture refers to a provision of the TIA, the provision is incorporated by reference in and made a part of this Indenture.

The following TIA terms used in this Indenture have the following meanings:

indenture securities ” means the Notes and the Note Guarantees;

indenture security Holder ” means a Holder of a Note;

indenture to be qualified ” means this Indenture;

indenture trustee ” or “ institutional trustee ” means the Trustee; and

obligor ” on the Notes and the Note Guarantees means the Issuers and the Guarantors, respectively, and any successor obligor upon the Notes and the Note Guarantees, respectively.

All other terms used in this Indenture that are defined by the TIA, defined by TIA reference to another statute or defined by SEC rule under the TIA have the meanings so assigned to them.

 

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Section 1.04 Rules of Construction.

Unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) a term has the meaning assigned to it;

(b) an accounting term not otherwise defined has the meaning assigned to it in accordance with GAAP;

(c) “or” is not exclusive;

(d) words in the singular include the plural, and in the plural include the singular;

(e) “will” shall be interpreted to express a command;

(f) provisions apply to successive events and transactions; and

(g) references to sections of or rules under the Securities Act will be deemed to include substitute, replacement of successor sections or rules adopted by the SEC from time to time.

ARTICLE 2

THE NOTES

Section 2.01 Form and Dating.

(a) General . The Notes and the Trustee’s certificate of authentication will be substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto. The Notes may have notations, legends or endorsements required by law, stock exchange rule or usage. Each Note will be dated the date of its authentication. The Notes shall be in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof.

The terms and provisions contained in the Notes will constitute, and are hereby expressly made, a part of this Indenture and the Issuers, the Guarantors and the Trustee, by their execution and delivery of this Indenture, expressly agree to such terms and provisions and to be bound thereby. However, to the extent any provision of any Note conflicts with the express provisions of this Indenture, the provisions of this Indenture shall govern and be controlling.

(b) Global Notes . Notes issued in global form will be substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto (including the Global Note Legend thereon and the “Schedule of Exchanges of Interests in the Global Note” attached thereto). Notes issued in definitive form will be substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto (but without the Global Note Legend thereon and without the “Schedule of Exchanges of Interests in the Global Note” attached thereto). Each Global Note will represent such of the outstanding Notes as will be specified therein and each shall provide that it represents the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Notes from time to time endorsed thereon and that the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Notes represented thereby may from time to time be reduced or increased, as appropriate, to

 

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reflect exchanges and redemptions. Any endorsement of a Global Note to reflect the amount of any increase or decrease in the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Notes represented thereby will be made by the Registrar or the Paying Agent (each as defined below), at the direction of the Trustee, in accordance with instructions given by the Holder thereof as required by Section 2.06 hereof.

(c) Euroclear and Clearstream Procedures Applicable. The provisions of the “Operating Procedures of the Euroclear System” and “Terms and Conditions Governing Use of Euroclear” and the “General Terms and Conditions of Clearstream Banking” and “Customer Handbook” of Clearstream will be applicable to transfers of beneficial interests in the Regulation S Global Note that are held by Participants through Euroclear or Clearstream.

Section 2.02 Execution and Authentication.

At least one Officer must sign the Notes for each Issuer by manual, facsimile or electronically transmitted signature.

If an Officer whose signature is on a Note no longer holds that office at the time a Note is authenticated, the Note will nevertheless be valid.

A Note will not be valid until authenticated by the manual signature of the Trustee. The signature will be conclusive evidence that the Note has been authenticated under this Indenture.

The Trustee will, upon receipt of a written order of the Issuers signed by an Officer of each Issuer (an “ Authentication Order ”), authenticate Notes for original issue that may be validly issued under this Indenture, including any Additional Notes. The aggregate principal amount of Notes outstanding at any time may not exceed the aggregate principal amount of Notes authorized for issuance by the Issuers pursuant to one or more Authentication Orders, except as provided in Section 2.07 hereof.

The Trustee may appoint an authenticating agent acceptable to the Issuers to authenticate Notes. An authenticating agent may authenticate Notes whenever the Trustee may do so. Each reference in this Indenture to authentication by the Trustee includes authentication by such agent. An authenticating agent has the same rights as an Agent to deal with Holders or an Affiliate of the Partnership.

Section 2.03 Registrar and Paying Agent.

The Issuers will maintain an office or agency where Notes may be presented for registration of transfer or for exchange (“ Registrar ”) and an office or agency where Notes may be presented for payment (“ Paying Agent ”). The Registrar will keep a register of the Notes and of their transfer and exchange. The Issuers may appoint one or more co-registrars and one or more additional paying agents. The term “Registrar” includes any co-registrar and the term “Paying Agent” includes any additional paying agent. The Issuers may change any Paying Agent or Registrar without notice to any Holder. The Issuers will notify the Trustee in writing of the name and address of any Agent not a party to this Indenture. If the Issuers fail to appoint or maintain another entity as Registrar or Paying Agent, the Trustee shall act as such. The Issuers or any of the Partnership’s Subsidiaries may act as Paying Agent or Registrar.

 

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The Issuers initially appoint The Depository Trust Company (“ DTC ”) to act as Depositary with respect to the Global Notes.

The Issuers initially appoint the Trustee to act as the Registrar and Paying Agent and to act as Custodian with respect to the Global Notes.

Section 2.04 Paying Agent to Hold Money in Trust.

The Issuers will require each Paying Agent other than the Trustee to agree in writing that the Paying Agent will hold in trust for the benefit of Holders or the Trustee all money held by the Paying Agent for the payment of principal of, premium on, if any, and interest on the Notes, and will notify the Trustee of any default by the Issuers in making any such payment. While any such default continues, the Trustee may require a Paying Agent to pay all money held by it to the Trustee. The Issuers at any time may require a Paying Agent to pay all money held by it to the Trustee. Upon payment over to the Trustee, the Paying Agent (if other than the Issuers or a Subsidiary) will have no further liability for the money. If the Issuers or a Subsidiary acts as Paying Agent, it will segregate and hold in a separate trust fund for the benefit of the Holders all money held by it as Paying Agent. Upon any bankruptcy or reorganization proceedings relating to the Issuers, the Trustee will serve as Paying Agent for the Notes.

Section 2.05 Holder Lists.

The Trustee will preserve in as current a form as is reasonably practicable the most recent list available to it of the names and addresses of all Holders and shall otherwise comply with TIA §312(a). If the Trustee is not the Registrar, the Issuers will furnish to the Trustee at least seven Business Days before each interest payment date and at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing, a list in such form and as of such date as the Trustee may reasonably require of the names and addresses of the Holders of the Notes and the Issuers shall otherwise comply with TIA §312(a).

Section 2.06 Transfer and Exchange.

(a) Transfer and Exchange of Global Notes . A Global Note may not be transferred except as a whole by the Depositary to a nominee of the Depositary, by a nominee of the Depositary to the Depositary or to another nominee of the Depositary, or by the Depositary or any such nominee to a successor Depositary or a nominee of such successor Depositary. All Global Notes will be exchanged by the Issuers for Definitive Notes if:

(1) the Depositary (A) notifies the Issuers that it is unwilling or unable to continue to act as Depositary or that it is no longer a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act and, in either case, a successor Depositary is not appointed by the Issuers within 90 days after the date of such notice from the Depositary;

 

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(2) the Issuers, at their option but subject to the Depositary’s requirements, notify the Trustee in writing that they elect to cause the issuance of the Definitive Notes; or

(3) there has occurred and is continuing an Event of Default and the Depositary notifies the Trustee of its decision to exchange such Global Note for Definitive Notes.

Upon the occurrence of the preceding events in (1), (2) or (3) above, Definitive Notes shall be issued in such names as the Depositary shall instruct the Trustee. Global Notes also may be exchanged or replaced, in whole or in part, as provided in Sections 2.07 and 2.10 hereof. Every Note authenticated and delivered in exchange for, or in lieu of, a Global Note or any portion thereof, pursuant to this Section 2.06 or Section 2.07 or 2.10 hereof, shall be authenticated and delivered in the form of, and shall be, a Global Note. A Global Note may not be exchanged for another Note other than as provided in this Section 2.06(a); however, beneficial interests in a Global Note may be transferred and exchanged as provided in Section 2.06(b) or (c) hereof.

(b) Transfer and Exchange of Beneficial Interests in the Global Notes . The transfer and exchange of beneficial interests in the Global Notes will be effected through the Depositary, in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture and the Applicable Procedures. Beneficial interests in the Restricted Global Notes will be subject to restrictions on transfer comparable to those set forth herein to the extent required by the Securities Act. Transfers of beneficial interests in the Global Notes also will require compliance with either subparagraph (1) or (2) below, as applicable, as well as one or more of the other following subparagraphs, as applicable:

(1) Transfer of Beneficial Interests in the Same Global Note . Beneficial interests in any Restricted Global Note may be transferred to Persons who take delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in the same Restricted Global Note in accordance with the transfer restrictions set forth in the Private Placement Legend. Beneficial interests in any Unrestricted Global Note may be transferred to Persons who take delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note. No written orders or instructions shall be required to be delivered to the Registrar to effect the transfers described in this Section 2.06(b)(1).

(2) All Other Transfers and Exchanges of Beneficial Interests in Global Notes. In connection with all transfers and exchanges of beneficial interests that are not subject to Section 2.06(b)(1) above, the transferor of such beneficial interest must deliver to the Registrar either:

(A) both:

(i) a written order from a Participant or an Indirect Participant given to the Depositary in accordance with the Applicable Procedures directing the Depositary to credit or cause to be credited a beneficial interest in another Global Note in an amount equal to the beneficial interest to be transferred or exchanged; and

 

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(ii) instructions given in accordance with the Applicable Procedures containing information regarding the Participant account to be credited with such increase; or

(B) both:

(i) a written order from a Participant or an Indirect Participant given to the Depositary in accordance with the Applicable Procedures directing the Depositary to cause to be issued a Definitive Note in an amount equal to the beneficial interest to be transferred or exchanged; and

(ii) instructions given by the Depositary to the Registrar containing information regarding the Person in whose name such Definitive Note shall be registered to effect the transfer or exchange referred to in (1) above.

Upon satisfaction of all of the requirements for transfer or exchange of beneficial interests in Global Notes contained in this Indenture and the Notes or otherwise applicable under the Securities Act, the Trustee shall adjust the principal amount of the relevant Global Note(s) pursuant to Section 2.06(g) hereof.

(3) Transfer of Beneficial Interests to Another Restricted Global Note. A beneficial interest in any Restricted Global Note may be transferred to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in another Restricted Global Note if the transfer complies with the requirements of Section 2.06(b)(2) above and the Registrar receives the following:

(A) if the transferee will take delivery in the form of a beneficial interest in the 144A Global Note, then the transferor must deliver a certificate in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (1) thereof;

(B) if the transferee will take delivery in the form of a beneficial interest in the Regulation S Global Note, then the transferor must deliver a certificate in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (2) thereof; and

(C) if the transferee will take delivery in the form of a beneficial interest in the IAI Global Note, then the transferor must deliver a certificate in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications, certificates and Opinion of Counsel required by item (3)(d) thereof, if applicable.

 

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(4) Transfer and Exchange of Beneficial Interests in a Restricted Global Note for Beneficial Interests in an Unrestricted Global Note. A beneficial interest in any Restricted Global Note may be exchanged by any holder thereof for a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note or transferred to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note if the exchange or transfer complies with the requirements of Section 2.06(b)(2) above and the Registrar receives the following:

(A) the holder of such beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to exchange such beneficial interest for a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note, a certificate from such holder in the form of Exhibit C hereto, including the certifications in item (1)(a) thereof; or

(B) if the holder of such beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to transfer such beneficial interest to a Person who shall take delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note, a certificate from such holder in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (4) thereof;

and, in each such case, if the Registrar so requests or if the Applicable Procedures so require, an Opinion of Counsel in form reasonably acceptable to the Registrar to the effect that such exchange or transfer is in compliance with the Securities Act and that the restrictions on transfer contained herein and in the Private Placement Legend are no longer required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act.

If any such transfer is effected pursuant to paragraph (4) above at a time when an Unrestricted Global Note has not yet been issued, the Issuers shall issue and, upon receipt of an Authentication Order in accordance with Section 2.02 hereof, the Trustee shall authenticate one or more Unrestricted Global Notes in an aggregate principal amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of beneficial interests transferred pursuant to Section 2.06(b)(4) above.

Beneficial interests in an Unrestricted Global Note cannot be exchanged for, or transferred to Persons who take delivery thereof in the form of, a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note.

(c) Transfer or Exchange of Beneficial Interests for Definitive Notes.

(1) Beneficial Interests in Restricted Global Notes to Restricted Definitive Notes. If any holder of a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to exchange such beneficial interest for a Restricted Definitive Note or to transfer such beneficial interest to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a Restricted Definitive Note, then, upon receipt by the Registrar of the following documentation:

(A) if the holder of such beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to exchange such beneficial interest for a Restricted Definitive Note, a certificate from such holder in the form of Exhibit C hereto, including the certifications in item (2)(a) thereof;

 

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(B) if such beneficial interest is being transferred to a QIB in accordance with Rule 144A, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (1) thereof;

(C) if such beneficial interest is being transferred to a Non-U.S. Person in an offshore transaction in accordance with Rule 903 or Rule 904, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (2) thereof;

(D) if such beneficial interest is being transferred pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act in accordance with Rule 144, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (3)(a) thereof;

(E) if such beneficial interest is being transferred to an Institutional Accredited Investor in reliance on an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act other than those listed in subparagraphs (B) through (D) above, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications, certificates and Opinion of Counsel required by item (3)(d) thereof, if applicable;

(F) if such beneficial interest is being transferred to the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (3)(b) thereof; or

(G) if such beneficial interest is being transferred pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (3)(c) thereof,

the Trustee shall cause the aggregate principal amount of the applicable Global Note to be reduced accordingly pursuant to Section 2.06(g) hereof, and the Issuers shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the Person designated in the instructions a Definitive Note in the appropriate principal amount. Any Definitive Note issued in exchange for a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note pursuant to this Section 2.06(c) shall be registered in such name or names and in such authorized denomination or denominations as the holder of such beneficial interest shall instruct the Registrar through instructions from the Depositary and the Participant or Indirect Participant. The Trustee shall deliver such Definitive Notes to the Persons in whose names such Notes are so registered. Any Definitive Note issued in exchange for a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note pursuant to this Section 2.06(c)(1) shall bear the Private Placement Legend and shall be subject to all restrictions on transfer contained therein.

 

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(2) Beneficial Interests in Restricted Global Notes to Unrestricted Definitive Notes. A holder of a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note may exchange such beneficial interest for an Unrestricted Definitive Note or may transfer such beneficial interest to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of an Unrestricted Definitive Note only if the Registrar receives the following:

(A) if the holder of such beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to exchange such beneficial interest for an Unrestricted Definitive Note, a certificate from such holder in the form of Exhibit C hereto, including the certifications in item (1)(b) thereof; or

(B) if the holder of such beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to transfer such beneficial interest to a Person who shall take delivery thereof in the form of an Unrestricted Definitive Note, a certificate from such holder in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (4) thereof;

and, in each such case, if the Registrar so requests or if the Applicable Procedures so require, an Opinion of Counsel in form reasonably acceptable to the Registrar to the effect that such exchange or transfer is in compliance with the Securities Act and that the restrictions on transfer contained herein and in the Private Placement Legend are no longer required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act.

(3) Beneficial Interests in Unrestricted Global Notes to Unrestricted Definitive Notes. If any holder of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note proposes to exchange such beneficial interest for a Definitive Note or to transfer such beneficial interest to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a Definitive Note, then, upon satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 2.06(b)(2) hereof, the Trustee will cause the aggregate principal amount of the applicable Global Note to be reduced accordingly pursuant to Section 2.06(g) hereof, and the Issuers will execute and the Trustee will authenticate and deliver to the Person designated in the instructions a Definitive Note in the appropriate principal amount. Any Definitive Note issued in exchange for a beneficial interest pursuant to this Section 2.06(c)(3) will be registered in such name or names and in such authorized denomination or denominations as the holder of such beneficial interest requests through instructions to the Registrar from or through the Depositary and the Participant or Indirect Participant. The Trustee will deliver such Definitive Notes to the Persons in whose names such Notes are so registered. Any Definitive Note issued in exchange for a beneficial interest pursuant to this Section 2.06(c)(3) will not bear the Private Placement Legend.

(d) Transfer and Exchange of Definitive Notes for Beneficial Interests.

(1) Restricted Definitive Notes to Beneficial Interests in Restricted Global Notes. If any Holder of a Restricted Definitive Note proposes to exchange such Note for a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note or to transfer such Restricted Definitive Notes to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note, then, upon receipt by the Registrar of the following documentation:

 

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(A) if the Holder of such Restricted Definitive Note proposes to exchange such Note for a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note, a certificate from such Holder in the form of Exhibit C hereto, including the certifications in item (2)(b) thereof;

(B) if such Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred to a QIB in accordance with Rule 144A, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (1) thereof;

(C) if such Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred to a Non-U.S. Person in an offshore transaction in accordance with Rule 903 or Rule 904, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (2) thereof;

(D) if such Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act in accordance with Rule 144, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (3)(a) thereof;

(E) if such Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred to an Institutional Accredited Investor in reliance on an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act other than those listed in subparagraphs (B) through (D) above, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications, certificates and Opinion of Counsel required by item (3)(d) thereof, if applicable;

(F) if such Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred to the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (3)(b) thereof; or

(G) if such Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (3)(c) thereof,

the Trustee will cancel the Restricted Definitive Note, increase or cause to be increased the aggregate principal amount of, in the case of clause (A) above, the appropriate Restricted Global Note, in the case of clause (B) above, the 144A Global Note, in the case of clause (C) above, the Regulation S Global Note, and in all other cases, the IAI Global Note.

(2) Restricted Definitive Notes to Beneficial Interests in Unrestricted Global Notes. A Holder of a Restricted Definitive Note may exchange such Note for a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note or transfer such Restricted Definitive Note to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note only if the Registrar receives the following:

 

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(A) if the Holder of such Definitive Notes proposes to exchange such Notes for a beneficial interest in the Unrestricted Global Note, a certificate from such Holder in the form of Exhibit C hereto, including the certifications in item (1)(c) thereof; or

(B) if the Holder of such Definitive Notes proposes to transfer such Notes to a Person who shall take delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in the Unrestricted Global Note, a certificate from such Holder in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (4) thereof;

and, in each such case, if the Registrar so requests or if the Applicable Procedures so require, an Opinion of Counsel in form reasonably acceptable to the Registrar to the effect that such exchange or transfer is in compliance with the Securities Act and that the restrictions on transfer contained herein and in the Private Placement Legend are no longer required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act.

Upon satisfaction of the conditions of either of the subparagraphs in this Section 2.06(d)(2), the Trustee will cancel the Definitive Notes and increase or cause to be increased the aggregate principal amount of the Unrestricted Global Note.

(3) Unrestricted Definitive Notes to Beneficial Interests in Unrestricted Global Notes. A Holder of an Unrestricted Definitive Note may exchange such Note for a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note or transfer such Definitive Notes to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note at any time. Upon receipt of a request for such an exchange or transfer, the Trustee will cancel the applicable Unrestricted Definitive Note and increase or cause to be increased the aggregate principal amount of one of the Unrestricted Global Notes.

If any such exchange or transfer from a Definitive Note to a beneficial interest is effected pursuant to subparagraphs (2) or (3) above at a time when an Unrestricted Global Note has not yet been issued, the Issuers will issue and, upon receipt of an Authentication Order in accordance with Section 2.02 hereof, the Trustee will authenticate one or more Unrestricted Global Notes in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of Definitive Notes so transferred.

(e) Transfer and Exchange of Definitive Notes for Definitive Notes. Upon request by a Holder of Definitive Notes and such Holder’s compliance with the provisions of this Section 2.06(e), the Registrar will register the transfer or exchange of Definitive Notes. Prior to such registration of transfer or exchange, the requesting Holder must present or surrender to the Registrar the Definitive Notes duly endorsed or accompanied by a written instruction of transfer in form satisfactory to the Registrar duly executed by such Holder or by its attorney, duly authorized in writing. In addition, the requesting Holder must provide any additional certifications, documents and information, as applicable, required pursuant to the following provisions of this Section 2.06(e).

 

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(1) Restricted Definitive Notes to Restricted Definitive Notes. Any Restricted Definitive Note may be transferred to and registered in the name of Persons who take delivery thereof in the form of a Restricted Definitive Note if the Registrar receives the following:

(A) if the transfer will be made pursuant to Rule 144A, then the transferor must deliver a certificate in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (1) thereof;

(B) if the transfer will be made pursuant to Rule 903 or Rule 904, then the transferor must deliver a certificate in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (2) thereof; and

(C) if the transfer will be made pursuant to any other exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act, then the transferor must deliver a certificate in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications, certificates and Opinion of Counsel required by item (3)(d) thereof, if applicable.

(2) Restricted Definitive Notes to Unrestricted Definitive Notes. Any Restricted Definitive Note may be exchanged by the Holder thereof for an Unrestricted Definitive Note or transferred to a Person or Persons who take delivery thereof in the form of an Unrestricted Definitive Note if the Registrar receives the following:

(A) if the Holder of such Restricted Definitive Notes proposes to exchange such Notes for an Unrestricted Definitive Note, a certificate from such Holder in the form of Exhibit C hereto, including the certifications in item (1)(d) thereof; or

(B) if the Holder of such Restricted Definitive Notes proposes to transfer such Notes to a Person who shall take delivery thereof in the form of an Unrestricted Definitive Note, a certificate from such Holder in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (4) thereof;

and, in each such case, if the Registrar so requests, an Opinion of Counsel in form reasonably acceptable to the Registrar to the effect that such exchange or transfer is in compliance with the Securities Act and that the restrictions on transfer contained herein and in the Private Placement Legend are no longer required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act.

(3) Unrestricted Definitive Notes to Unrestricted Definitive Notes. A Holder of Unrestricted Definitive Notes may transfer such Notes to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of an Unrestricted Definitive Note. Upon receipt of a request to register such a transfer, the Registrar shall register the Unrestricted Definitive Notes pursuant to the instructions from the Holder thereof.

 

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(f) Legends. The following legends will appear on the face of all Global Notes and Definitive Notes issued under this Indenture unless specifically stated otherwise in the applicable provisions of this Indenture.

(1) Private Placement Legend .

(A) Except as permitted by subparagraph (B) below, each Global Note and each Definitive Note (and all Notes issued in exchange therefor or substitution thereof) shall bear the legend in substantially the following form:

“THE NOTES EVIDENCED HEREBY HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS. NEITHER SUCH NOTES NOR ANY INTEREST OR PARTICIPATION HEREIN MAY BE OFFERED, SOLD, ASSIGNED, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED, ENCUMBERED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH REGISTRATION OR UNLESS SUCH TRANSACTION IS EXEMPT FROM, OR NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT. THE HOLDER OF ANY NOTE EVIDENCED HEREBY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF (1) REPRESENTS THAT (A) IT IS A “QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER” (AS DEFINED IN RULE 144A UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT) OR (B) IT IS NOT A U.S. PERSON AND IS ACQUIRING SUCH NOTE IN AN “OFFSHORE TRANSACTION” PURSUANT TO RULE 904 OF REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (2) AGREES THAT IT WILL NOT, PRIOR TO THE DATE WHICH IS ONE YEAR AFTER THE LATER OF THE ORIGINAL ISSUE DATE HEREOF (OR OF ANY PREDECESSOR OF SUCH NOTE) OR THE LAST DAY ON WHICH WE OR ANY OF OUR AFFILIATES WERE THE OWNERS OF SUCH NOTE (OR ANY PREDECESSOR OF SUCH NOTE) (THE “RESALE RESTRICTION TERMINATION DATE”), OFFER, SELL OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER SUCH NOTE EXCEPT (A) TO AN ISSUER OR ANY SUBSIDIARY THEREOF, (B) FOR SO LONG AS THE NOTES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR RESALE PURSUANT TO RULE 144A UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT (“RULE 144A”), TO A PERSON IT REASONABLY BELIEVES IS A “QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER” AS DEFINED IN RULE 144A THAT PURCHASES FOR ITS OWN ACCOUNT OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OF A QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER TO WHOM NOTICE IS GIVEN THAT THE TRANSFER IS BEING MADE IN RELIANCE ON RULE 144A, (C) PURSUANT TO OFFERS AND SALES TO NON-U.S. PERSONS THAT OCCUR OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES WITHIN THE MEANING OF REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (D) PURSUANT TO RULE 144 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR (E) PURSUANT TO ANOTHER AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND (3) AGREES THAT IT WILL GIVE TO EACH PERSON TO WHOM SUCH NOTE IS TRANSFERRED PRIOR TO THE RESALE RESTRICTION TERMINATION DATE A NOTICE SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE EFFECT OF THIS LEGEND, SUBJECT TO THE ISSUERS’ AND THE TRUSTEE’S RIGHT PRIOR TO ANY SUCH OFFER, SALE OR TRANSFER (i) THAT IS (A) PURSUANT TO CLAUSE (2)(C) PRIOR TO THE END OF THE 40 DAY DISTRIBUTION COMPLIANCE PERIOD WITHIN THE MEANING OF

 

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REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR (B) PURSUANT TO CLAUSE (2)(E) PRIOR TO THE RESALE RESTRICTION TERMINATION DATE TO REQUIRE THE DELIVERY OF AN OPINION OF COUNSEL, CERTIFICATION AND/OR OTHER INFORMATION SATISFACTORY TO EACH OF THEM, AND (ii) IN EACH OF THE FOREGOING CASES IN CLAUSE (2)(B) OR (D), TO REQUIRE THAT A CERTIFICATE OF TRANSFER IN THE FORM SPECIFIED IN THE INDENTURE IS COMPLETED AND DELIVERED BY THE TRANSFEROR TO THE TRUSTEE. THIS LEGEND WILL BE REMOVED AS TO ANY NOTE EVIDENCED HEREBY UPON DELIVERY TO THE TRUSTEE BY US OR THE HOLDER THEREOF OF A WRITTEN REQUEST FOR THE REMOVAL HEREOF, IN ANY CASE AT ANY TIME AFTER THE RESALE RESTRICTION TERMINATION DATE. AS USED HEREIN, THE TERMS “OFFSHORE TRANSACTION,” “UNITED STATES” AND “U.S. PERSON” HAVE THE MEANINGS GIVEN TO THEM BY REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT.

DURING THE PERIOD ENDING ONE YEAR AFTER THE LAST DATE OF ORIGINAL ISSUANCE OF THE NOTES, NO “AFFILIATE” (AS DEFINED IN RULE 144) WILL BE PERMITTED TO RESELL ANY OF THE NOTES THAT CONSTITUTE “RESTRICTED SECURITIES” UNDER RULE 144 THAT HAVE BEEN REACQUIRED BY ANY OF THEM.”

(B) Notwithstanding the foregoing, any Global Note or Definitive Note issued pursuant to subparagraphs (b)(4), (c)(2), (c)(3), (d)(2), (d)(3), (e)(2), or (e)(3) of this Section 2.06 (and all Notes issued in exchange therefor or substitution thereof) will not bear the Private Placement Legend.

(2) Global Note Legend . Each Global Note will bear a legend in substantially the following form:

“THIS GLOBAL NOTE IS HELD BY THE DEPOSITARY (AS DEFINED IN THE INDENTURE GOVERNING THIS NOTE) OR ITS NOMINEE IN CUSTODY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE BENEFICIAL OWNERS HEREOF, AND IS NOT TRANSFERABLE TO ANY PERSON UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES EXCEPT THAT (1) THE TRUSTEE MAY MAKE SUCH NOTATIONS HEREON AS MAY BE REQUIRED PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.06 OF THE INDENTURE, (2) THIS GLOBAL NOTE MAY BE EXCHANGED IN WHOLE BUT NOT IN PART PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.06(a) OF THE INDENTURE, (3) THIS GLOBAL NOTE MAY BE DELIVERED TO THE TRUSTEE FOR CANCELLATION PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.11 OF THE INDENTURE AND (4) THIS GLOBAL NOTE MAY BE TRANSFERRED TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY WITH THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE ISSUERS.

UNLESS AND UNTIL IT IS EXCHANGED IN WHOLE OR IN PART FOR NOTES IN DEFINITIVE FORM, THIS NOTE MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT AS A WHOLE BY THE DEPOSITARY TO A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR BY A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE DEPOSITARY OR ANOTHER NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR BY THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY SUCH NOMINEE TO A

 

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SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF SUCH SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY. UNLESS THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY (55 WATER STREET, NEW YORK, NEW YORK) (“DTC”), TO THE ISSUERS OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT, AND ANY CERTIFICATE ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF CEDE & CO. OR SUCH OTHER NAME AS MAY BE REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC (AND ANY PAYMENT IS MADE TO CEDE & CO. OR SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS MAY BE REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL INASMUCH AS THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, CEDE & CO., HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.”

(g) Cancellation and/or Adjustment of Global Notes. At such time as all beneficial interests in a particular Global Note have been exchanged for beneficial interests in another Global Note or Definitive Notes, or a particular Global Note has been redeemed, repurchased or canceled in whole and not in part, each such Global Note will be returned to or retained and canceled by the Trustee in accordance with Section 2.11 hereof. At any time prior to such cancellation, if any beneficial interest in a Global Note is exchanged for or transferred to a Person who will take delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in another Global Note or for Definitive Notes, the principal amount of Notes represented by such Global Note will be reduced accordingly and an endorsement will be made on such Global Note by the Trustee or by the Depositary at the direction of the Trustee to reflect such reduction; and if the beneficial interest is being exchanged for or transferred to a Person who will take delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in another Global Note, such other Global Note will be increased accordingly and an endorsement will be made on such Global Note by the Trustee or by the Depositary at the direction of the Trustee to reflect such increase.

(h) General Provisions Relating to Transfers and Exchanges.

(1) To permit registrations of transfers and exchanges, the Issuers will execute and the Trustee will authenticate Global Notes and Definitive Notes upon receipt of an Authentication Order in accordance with Section 2.02 hereof or at the Registrar’s request.

(2) No service charge will be made to a Holder of a beneficial interest in a Global Note or to a Holder of a Definitive Note for any registration of transfer or exchange, but the Issuers may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any transfer tax or similar governmental charge payable in connection therewith (other than any such transfer taxes or similar governmental charge payable upon exchange or transfer pursuant to Sections 2.10, 3.06, 3.09, 4.10, 4.15 and 9.05 hereof).

(3) The Registrar will not be required to register the transfer of or exchange of any Note selected for redemption in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any Note being redeemed in part.

 

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(4) All Global Notes and Definitive Notes issued upon any registration of transfer or exchange of Global Notes or Definitive Notes will be the valid obligations of the Issuers, evidencing the same debt, and entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture, as the Global Notes or Definitive Notes surrendered upon such registration of transfer or exchange.

(5) Neither the Registrar nor the Issuers will be required:

(A) to issue, to register the transfer of or to exchange any Notes during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of any selection of Notes for redemption under Section 3.02 hereof and ending at the close of business on the day of selection;

(B) to register the transfer of or to exchange any Note selected for redemption in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any Note being redeemed in part; or

(C) to register the transfer of or to exchange a Note between a record date and the next succeeding interest payment date.

(6) Prior to due presentment for the registration of a transfer of any Note, the Trustee, any Agent and the Issuers may deem and treat the Person in whose name any Note is registered as the absolute owner of such Note for the purpose of receiving payment of principal of and interest on such Notes and for all other purposes, and none of the Trustee, any Agent or the Issuers shall be affected by notice to the contrary.

(7) The Trustee will authenticate Global Notes and Definitive Notes in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.02 hereof.

(8) All certifications, certificates and Opinions of Counsel required to be submitted to the Registrar pursuant to this Section 2.06 to effect a registration of transfer or exchange may be submitted by facsimile or electronic image scan.

Section 2.07 Replacement Notes.

If any mutilated Note is surrendered to the Trustee or the Issuers and the Trustee receives evidence to its satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Note, the Issuers will issue and the Trustee, upon receipt of an Authentication Order, will authenticate a replacement Note if the Trustee’s requirements are met. If required by the Trustee or the Issuers, an indemnity bond must be supplied by the Holder that is sufficient in the judgment of the Trustee and the Issuers to protect the Issuers, the Trustee, any Agent and any authenticating agent from any loss that any of them may suffer if a Note is replaced. The Issuers may charge for their expenses in replacing a Note.

 

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Every replacement Note is an additional obligation of the Issuers and will be entitled to all of the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with all other Notes duly issued hereunder.

Section 2.08 Outstanding Notes.

The Notes outstanding at any time are all the Notes authenticated by the Trustee except for those canceled by it, those delivered to it for cancellation, those reductions in the interest in a Global Note effected by the Trustee in accordance with the provisions hereof, and those described in this Section 2.08 as not outstanding. Except as set forth in Section 2.09 hereof, a Note does not cease to be outstanding because the Issuers or an Affiliate of the Issuers holds the Note; however, Notes held by the Partnership or a Subsidiary of the Partnership shall not be deemed to be outstanding for purposes of Section 3.07(a) hereof.

If a Note is replaced pursuant to Section 2.07 hereof, it ceases to be outstanding unless the Trustee receives proof satisfactory to it that the replaced Note is held by a protected purchaser.

If the principal amount of any Note is considered paid under Section 4.01 hereof, it ceases to be outstanding and interest on it ceases to accrue.

If the Paying Agent (other than the Issuers, a Subsidiary or an Affiliate of any thereof) holds, by 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on a redemption date or other maturity date, money sufficient to pay Notes payable on that date, then on and after that date such Notes will be deemed to be no longer outstanding and will cease to accrue interest.

Section 2.09 Treasury Notes.

In determining whether the Holders of the required principal amount of Notes have concurred in any direction, waiver or consent, Notes owned by the Issuers or any Guarantor, or by any Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with the Issuers or any Guarantor, will be considered as though not outstanding, except that for the purposes of determining whether the Trustee will be protected in relying on any such direction, waiver or consent, only Notes that the Trustee knows are so owned will be so disregarded.

Section 2.10 Temporary Notes.

Until certificates representing Notes are ready for delivery, the Issuers may prepare and the Trustee, upon receipt of an Authentication Order, will authenticate temporary Notes. Temporary Notes will be substantially in the form of certificated Notes but may have variations that the Issuers consider appropriate for temporary Notes and as may be reasonably acceptable to the Trustee. Without unreasonable delay, the Issuers will prepare and the Trustee will authenticate definitive Notes in exchange for temporary Notes.

Holders of temporary Notes will be entitled to all of the benefits of this Indenture.

 

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Section 2.11 Cancellation.

The Issuers at any time may deliver Notes to the Trustee for cancellation. The Registrar and Paying Agent will forward to the Trustee any Notes surrendered to them for registration of transfer, exchange or payment. The Trustee and no one else will cancel all Notes surrendered for registration of transfer, exchange, payment, replacement or cancellation and will dispose of the canceled Notes (subject to the record retention requirement of the Exchange Act). The Issuers may not issue new Notes to replace Notes that it has paid or that have been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation.

Section 2.12 Defaulted Interest.

If the Issuers default in a payment of interest on the Notes, they will pay the defaulted interest in any lawful manner plus, to the extent lawful, interest payable on the defaulted interest, to the Persons who are Holders on a subsequent special record date, in each case at the rate provided in the Notes and in Section 4.01 hereof. The Issuers will notify the Trustee in writing of the amount of defaulted interest proposed to be paid on each Note and the date of the proposed payment. The Issuers will fix or cause to be fixed each such special record date and payment date; provided that no such special record date may be less than 10 days prior to the related payment date for such defaulted interest. At least 15 days before the special record date, the Issuers (or, upon the written request of the Issuers, the Trustee in the name and at the expense of the Issuers) will give to Holders a notice that states the special record date, the related payment date and the amount of such interest to be paid.

Section 2.13 CUSIP Numbers.

The Issuers in issuing the Notes may use “CUSIP” numbers (if then generally in use), and, if so, the Trustee shall use “CUSIP” numbers in notices of redemption as a convenience to Holders; provided that any such notice may state that no representation is made as to the correctness of such numbers either as printed on the Notes or as contained in any notice of a redemption and that reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers printed on the Notes, and any such redemption shall not be affected by any defect in or omission of such numbers. The Issuers will promptly notify the Trustee in writing of any change in the “CUSIP” numbers.

ARTICLE 3

REDEMPTION AND PREPAYMENT

Section 3.01 Notices to Trustee.

If the Issuers elect to redeem Notes pursuant to the optional redemption provisions of Section 3.07 hereof, they must furnish to the Trustee, at least five Business Days prior to the giving of notice of a redemption, a written statement setting forth:

(a) the clause of this Indenture pursuant to which the redemption shall occur;

(b) the redemption date;

 

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(c) the principal amount of Notes to be redeemed;

(d) the redemption price (if then determined and otherwise the method of determination);

(e) the CUSIP number(s), if any; and

(f) the other information required by Section 3.03 to be included in the notice of such redemption.

Section 3.02 Selection of Notes to Be Redeemed.

If less than all of the Notes are to be redeemed at any time, the Notes will be selected by lot or such other method as DTC may require.

In the event of partial redemption by lot, the particular Notes to be redeemed will be selected, unless otherwise provided herein, not less than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the redemption date by the Trustee from the outstanding Notes not previously called for redemption.

The Trustee will promptly notify the Issuers in writing of the Notes selected for redemption and, in the case of any Note selected for partial redemption, the principal amount thereof to be redeemed. Notes and portions of Notes selected will be in amounts of $2,000 or whole multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof. Except as provided in the preceding sentence, provisions of this Indenture that apply to Notes called for redemption also apply to portions of Notes called for redemption.

Section 3.03 Notice of Redemption.

At least 30 days but not more than 60 days before a redemption date, the Issuers will give a notice of redemption to each Holder whose Notes are to be redeemed at its registered address, except that redemption notices may be given more than 60 days prior to a redemption date if the notice is issued in connection with a defeasance of the Notes or a satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture pursuant to Article 8 or 11 hereof.

The notice will identify the Notes to be redeemed and will state:

(a) the redemption date;

(b) the redemption price (if then determined and otherwise the method of determination);

(c) if any Note is being redeemed in part, the portion of the principal amount of such Note to be redeemed and that, after the redemption date upon surrender of such Note, a new Note or Notes in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion will be issued in the name of the Holder thereof upon cancellation of the original Note;

(d) the name and address of the Paying Agent;

 

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(e) that Notes called for redemption must be surrendered to the Paying Agent to collect the redemption price;

(f) that, unless the Issuers default in making such redemption payment, interest on Notes or portions thereof called for redemption ceases to accrue on and after the redemption date;

(g) the paragraph of the Notes and/or Section of this Indenture pursuant to which the Notes called for redemption are being redeemed; and

(h) that no representation is made as to the correctness or accuracy of the CUSIP or ISIN number, if any, listed in such notice or printed on the Notes.

At the Issuers’ request, the Trustee will give the notice of redemption in the Issuers’ names and at the Issuers’ expense; provided, however , that the written statement delivered to the Trustee pursuant to Section 3.01 hereof requests that the Trustee give such notice and sets forth the information to be stated in such notice as provided in the preceding paragraph.

Section 3.04 Effect of Notice of Redemption.

Once notice of redemption is given in accordance with Section 3.03 hereof, Notes called for redemption become irrevocably due and payable (subject to the provisions of the next succeeding sentence) on the redemption date at the redemption price. A notice of redemption may not be conditional, except that any redemption pursuant to Section 3.07(a) hereof may, at the Partnership’s discretion, be subject to completion of the related Equity Offering.

Section 3.05 Deposit of Redemption or Purchase Price.

No later than 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the redemption or purchase date, the Issuers will deposit with the Trustee or with the Paying Agent money sufficient to pay the redemption or purchase price of and accrued interest on all Notes to be redeemed or purchased on that date. The Trustee or the Paying Agent will promptly return to the Issuers any money deposited with the Trustee or the Paying Agent by the Issuers in excess of the amounts necessary to pay the redemption or purchase price of and accrued interest on all Notes to be redeemed or purchased.

If the Issuers comply with the provisions of the preceding paragraph, on and after the redemption or purchase date, interest will cease to accrue on the Notes or the portions of Notes called for redemption or accepted for purchase. If a Note is redeemed or purchased on or after an interest record date but on or prior to the related interest payment date, then any accrued and unpaid interest shall be paid to the Person in whose name such Note was registered at the close of business on such record date. If any Note called for redemption or tendered for purchase is not so paid upon surrender for redemption or purchase because of the failure of the Issuers to comply with the preceding paragraph, interest shall be paid on the unpaid principal, from the redemption or purchase date until such principal is paid, and to the extent lawful on any interest not paid on such unpaid principal, in each case at the rate provided in the Notes and in Section 4.01 hereof.

 

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Section 3.06 Notes Redeemed or Purchased in Part.

Upon surrender of a Note that is redeemed or purchased in part, the Issuers will issue and, upon receipt of an Authentication Order, the Trustee will authenticate for the Holder at the expense of the Issuers a new Note equal in principal amount to the unredeemed or unpurchased portion of the Note surrendered.

Section 3.07 Optional Redemption.

(a) At any time prior to February 1, 2016, the Issuers may on any one or more occasions redeem up to 35% of the aggregate principal amount of Notes issued under this Indenture, upon notice as provided in this Indenture, at a redemption price equal to 107.375% of the principal amount of the Notes redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of redemption (subject to the rights of Holders of Notes on the relevant record date to receive interest on the relevant interest payment date), in an amount not to exceed the net proceeds from an Equity Offering by the Partnership; provided that:

(1) at least 65% of the aggregate principal amount of Notes originally issued under this Indenture (excluding Notes held by the Partnership and its Subsidiaries) remains outstanding immediately after the occurrence of such redemption; and

(2) the redemption occurs within 180 days of the date of the closing of such Equity Offering.

(b) At any time prior to February 1, 2016, the Issuers may on any one or more occasions redeem all or a part of the Notes, upon notice as provided in this Indenture, at a redemption price equal to the sum of:

(1) 100% of the principal amount thereof, plus

(2) the Applicable Premium as of the redemption date,

plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date (subject to the rights of Holders on the relevant record date to receive interest due on the relevant interest payment date).

(c) Except pursuant to clauses (a), (b) or (e) hereof, the Notes will not be redeemable at the Issuers’ option prior to February 1, 2016.

(d) On and after February 1, 2016, the Issuers may on any one or more occasions redeem all or a part of the Notes, upon notice as provided in this Indenture, at the redemption prices (expressed as percentages of principal amount) set forth below, plus accrued and unpaid interest on the Notes redeemed, to the applicable redemption date, subject to the rights of Holders on the relevant record date to receive interest on the relevant interest payment date, if redeemed during the twelve-month period beginning on February 1 of the years indicated below:

 

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Year

   Percentage

2016

   105.531%

2017

   103.688%

2018

   101.844%

2019

   100.000%

(e) The Issuers may redeem all (but not a portion of) the Notes when permitted by, and pursuant to the conditions in, Section 4.15(f) hereof.

(f) Any redemption pursuant to this Section 3.07 shall be made pursuant to the provisions of Sections 3.01 through 3.06 hereof.

Section 3.08 Mandatory Redemption.

The Issuers are not required to make mandatory redemption or sinking fund payments with respect to the Notes.

Section 3.09 Offer to Purchase by Application of Excess Proceeds.

In the event that, pursuant to Section 4.10 hereof, the Partnership is required to commence an Asset Sale Offer to all Holders to purchase Notes, it will follow the procedures specified below.

The Asset Sale Offer shall be made to all Holders and all holders of other Indebtedness that is pari passu with the Notes containing provisions similar to those set forth in this Indenture with respect to offers to purchase, prepay or redeem with the proceeds of sales of assets. The Asset Sale Offer will remain open for a period of at least 20 Business Days following its commencement and not more than 30 Business Days, except to the extent that a longer period is required by applicable law (the “ Offer Period ”). No later than three Business Days after the termination of the Offer Period (the “ Purchase Date ”), the Partnership will apply all Excess Proceeds (the “ Offer Amount ”) to the purchase of Notes and such other pari passu Indebtedness (on a pro rata basis based on the principal amount of Notes and such other pari passu Indebtedness surrendered, if applicable) or, if less than the Offer Amount has been tendered, all Notes and other Indebtedness tendered in response to the Asset Sale Offer. Payment for any Notes so purchased will be made in the same manner as interest payments are made.

If the Purchase Date is on or after an interest record date and on or before the related interest payment date, any accrued and unpaid interest will be paid to the Person in whose name a Note is registered at the close of business on such record date, and no additional interest will be payable to Holders who tender Notes pursuant to the Asset Sale Offer.

Upon the commencement of an Asset Sale Offer, the Partnership will give a notice to the Trustee and each of the Holders, with a copy to the Trustee. The notice will contain all instructions and materials necessary to enable such Holders to tender Notes pursuant to the Asset Sale Offer. The notice, which will govern the terms of the Asset Sale Offer, will state:

 

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(a) that the Asset Sale Offer is being made pursuant to this Section 3.09 and Section 4.10 hereof and the length of time the Asset Sale Offer will remain open;

(b) the Offer Amount, the purchase price and the Purchase Date;

(c) that any Note not tendered or accepted for payment will continue to accrue interest;

(d) that, unless the Partnership defaults in making such payment, any Note accepted for payment pursuant to the Asset Sale Offer will cease to accrue interest on and after the Purchase Date;

(e) that Holders electing to have a Note purchased pursuant to an Asset Sale Offer may elect to have Notes purchased in denominations of $2,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof;

(f) that Holders electing to have Notes purchased pursuant to any Asset Sale Offer will be required to surrender the Note, with the form entitled “Option of Holder to Elect Purchase” attached to the Notes completed, or transfer by book-entry transfer, to the Partnership, a depositary, if appointed by the Partnership, or a Paying Agent at the address specified in the notice at least three days before the Purchase Date;

(g) that Holders will be entitled to withdraw their election if the Partnership, the Depositary or the Paying Agent, as the case may be, receives, not later than the expiration of the Offer Period, a telegram, electronic image scan, facsimile transmission or letter setting forth the name of the Holder, the principal amount of the Note the Holder delivered for purchase and a statement that such Holder is withdrawing his election to have such Note purchased;

(h) that, if the aggregate principal amount of Notes surrendered by Holders thereof exceeds the Offer Amount allocated to the purchase of Notes in the Asset Sale Offer, the Notes to be purchased shall be selected by such method as DTC may require based on the principal amount of Notes surrendered (with such adjustments as may be deemed appropriate by the Partnership so that only Notes in denominations of $2,000, or an integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof, will be purchased); and

(i) that Holders whose Notes were purchased only in part will be issued new Notes equal in principal amount to the unpurchased portion of the Notes surrendered (or transferred by book-entry transfer).

On or before the Purchase Date, the Partnership will, to the extent lawful, accept for payment, on a pro rata basis to the extent necessary, the Notes or portions thereof tendered pursuant to the Asset Sale Offer and required to be purchased pursuant to this Section 3.09 and Section 4.10 hereof, or if Notes in an aggregate principal amount less than the Offer Amount allocated to the purchase of Notes in the Asset Sale Offer have been tendered, all Notes tendered, and will deliver or cause to be delivered to the Trustee the Notes properly accepted together with an Officers’ Certificate stating that such Notes or portions thereof were accepted for payment by the Partnership in accordance with the terms of this Section 3.09. The Partnership, the

 

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depositary for the Asset Sale Offer or the Paying Agent, as the case may be, will promptly (but in any case not later than five days after the Purchase Date) mail or deliver to each tendering Holder an amount equal to the purchase price of the Notes tendered by such Holder and accepted by the Partnership for purchase, and the Issuers will promptly issue a new Note, and the Trustee, upon written request from the Partnership, will authenticate and mail or deliver (or cause to be transferred by book entry) such new Note to such Holder, in a principal amount equal to any unpurchased portion of the Note surrendered. Any Note not so accepted shall be promptly mailed or delivered by the Partnership to the Holder thereof. The Partnership will publicly announce the results of the Asset Sale Offer on the Purchase Date.

ARTICLE 4

COVENANTS

Section 4.01 Payment of Notes.

The Issuers will pay or cause to be paid the principal of, premium on, if any, and interest on the Notes on the dates and in the manner provided in the Notes. Principal, premium, if any, and interest will be considered paid on the date due if the Paying Agent, if other than the Issuers or a Subsidiary of the Partnership, holds as of 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the due date money deposited by the Issuers in immediately available funds and designated for and sufficient to pay all principal, premium, if any, and interest then due.

The Issuers will pay interest (including post-petition interest in any proceeding under any Bankruptcy Law) on overdue principal at a rate that is 1% higher than the then applicable interest rate on the Notes to the extent lawful; they will pay interest (including post-petition interest in any proceeding under any Bankruptcy Law) on overdue installments of interest (without regard to any applicable grace period), at the same rate to the extent lawful.

Section 4.02 Maintenance of Office or Agency.

The Issuers will maintain in the City of Pittsburgh, in the State of Pennsylvania, an office or agency (which may be an office of the Trustee or an affiliate of the Trustee) where Notes may be surrendered for registration of transfer or for exchange and where notices and demands to or upon the Issuers in respect of the Notes and this Indenture may be served. The Issuers will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of the location, and any change in the location, of such office or agency. If at any time the Issuers fail to maintain any such required office or agency or fail to furnish the Trustee with the address thereof, such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands may be made or served at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee.

The Issuers may also from time to time designate one or more other offices or agencies where the Notes may be presented or surrendered for any or all such purposes and may from time to time rescind such designations; provided, however , that no such designation or rescission will in any manner relieve the Issuers of their obligation to maintain an office or agency in the City of Pittsburgh in the State of Pennsylvania for such purposes. The Issuers will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of any such designation or rescission and of any change in the location of any such other office or agency.

 

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Section 4.03 Reports.

(a) Whether or not required by the rules and regulations of the SEC and subject to the other paragraphs set forth in this Section 4.03, so long as any Notes are outstanding, the Partnership will furnish to the Holders of Notes (or file with the SEC for public availability), within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and regulations:

(1) all quarterly and annual reports that would be required to be filed with the SEC on Forms 10-Q and 10-K if the Partnership were required to file such reports, including a “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and, with respect to the annual information only, a report thereon by the Partnership’s certified independent accountants; and

(2) all current reports that would be required to be filed with the SEC on Form 8-K if the Partnership were required to file such reports,

provided that the time period for filing obligations on Form 8-K shall be ten (10) Business Days after the event giving rise to the obligation to file such report.

All such reports will be prepared in all material respects in accordance with all of the rules and regulations of the SEC applicable to such reports, provided that in no event shall any of such reports be required to contain separate financial information or statements for guarantors or subsidiaries that would be required under Rule 3-10 of Regulation S-X. If, notwithstanding the foregoing, the SEC will not accept the Partnership’s filings for any reason, the Partnership will post the reports referred to in Section 4.03(a) above on its website within the time periods contemplated above. The Partnership will at all times comply with TIA §314(a).

(b) Any and all Defaults or Events of Default arising from a failure to file in a timely manner any information or report required by this Section 4.03 shall be deemed cured (and the Partnership shall be deemed to be in compliance with this Section 4.03 upon filing such information or report as contemplated by this Section 4.03 (but without regard to the date on which such information or report is so filed); provided that such cure shall not otherwise affect the rights of the Holders under Article 6 hereof if the principal, premium, if any, and interest have been accelerated in accordance with the terms of this Indenture and such acceleration has not been rescinded or cancelled prior to such cure.

(c) For so long as any Notes remain outstanding, the Issuers and the Guarantors will furnish to the Holders and Beneficial Owners of the Notes, upon their request, the information required to be delivered pursuant to Rule 144A(d)(4) under the Securities Act.

(d) Delivery of such reports, information and documents to the Trustee is for informational purposes only and the Trustee’s receipt of such shall not constitute constructive notice of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including the Issuers’ compliance with any of their covenants hereunder (as to which the Trustee is entitled to rely exclusively on Officers’ Certificates).

 

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Section 4.04 Compliance Certificate.

(a) The Issuers and each Guarantor (to the extent that such Guarantor is so required under the TIA) shall deliver to the Trustee, within 90 days after the end of each fiscal year, beginning with the fiscal year ending December 31, 2013, an Officers’ Certificate stating that a review of the activities of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries during the preceding fiscal year has been made under the supervision of the signing Officers with a view to determining whether the Issuers have kept, observed, performed and fulfilled their obligations under this Indenture, and further stating, as to each such Officer signing such certificate, that to the best of his or her knowledge the Issuers have kept, observed, performed and fulfilled each and every covenant contained in this Indenture and are not in default in the performance or observance of any of the terms, provisions and conditions of this Indenture (or, if a Default or Event of Default has occurred, describing all such Defaults or Events of Default of which he or she may have knowledge and what action the Issuers are taking or propose to take with respect thereto).

(b) So long as any of the Notes are outstanding, the Issuers will deliver to the Trustee, forthwith upon any Officer of the General Partner or Finance Corp. becoming aware of any Default or Event of Default, a written statement specifying such Default or Event of Default and what action the Issuers are taking or propose to take with respect thereto.

Section 4.05 Taxes.

The Partnership will pay, and will cause each of its Subsidiaries to pay, prior to delinquency, all material taxes, assessments, and governmental levies except such as are contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings or where the failure to effect such payment is not adverse in any material respect to the Holders of the Notes.

Section 4.06 Stay, Extension and Usury Laws.

Each of the Issuers and each of the Guarantors covenants (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) that it will not at any time insist upon, plead, or in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any stay, extension or usury law wherever enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, that may affect the covenants or the performance of this Indenture; and each of the Issuers and each of the Guarantors (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) hereby expressly waives all benefit or advantage of any such law, and covenants that it will not, by resort to any such law, hinder, delay or impede the execution of any power herein granted to the Trustee, but will suffer and permit the execution of every such power as though no such law has been enacted.

Section 4.07 Restricted Payments.

(a) The Partnership will not, and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly:

(1) declare or pay any dividend or make any other payment or distribution on account of the Partnership’s or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries’ Equity Interests (including, without limitation, any payment in connection with any merger or

 

58


consolidation involving the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries) or to the direct or indirect holders of the Partnership’s or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries’ Equity Interests in their capacity as such (other than dividends or distributions payable in Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) of the Partnership and other than dividends or distributions payable to the Partnership or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership);

(2) repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire or retire for value (including, without limitation, in connection with any merger or consolidation involving the Partnership) any Equity Interests of the Partnership or any direct or indirect parent of the Partnership;

(3) make any payment on or with respect to, or repurchase, redeem, defease or otherwise acquire or retire for value any Indebtedness of the Issuers or any Guarantor that is contractually subordinated to the Notes or to any Note Guarantee (excluding (a) any intercompany Indebtedness between or among the Partnership and any of its Restricted Subsidiaries and (b) the repurchase or other acquisition or retirement for value of any such Indebtedness in anticipation of satisfying a sinking fund or other payment obligation due within one year of the date of such repurchase or other acquisition or retirement for value), except a payment of interest or principal at the Stated Maturity thereof; or

(4) make any Restricted Investment (all such payments and other actions set forth in these clauses (1) through (4) being collectively referred to as “ Restricted Payments ”),

unless, at the time of and after giving effect to such Restricted Payment, no Default that could become an Event of Default pursuant to clause (h) or (i) of Section 6.01 hereof and no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would occur as a consequence of such Restricted Payment and either:

(A) if the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio for the Partnership’s most recently ended four full fiscal quarters for which internal financial statements are available at the time of such Restricted Payment (the “ Trailing Four Quarters ”) is more than 1.75 to 1.0, such Restricted Payment, together with the aggregate amount of all other Restricted Payments made by the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries pursuant to this clause (A) (excluding Restricted Payments permitted by clauses Section 4.07(b)(2) through (b)(13) of Section 4.07(b) below) since the date of this Indenture, is less than the sum, without duplication, of:

(i) Operating Surplus as of the end of the immediately preceding fiscal quarter; plus

(ii) 100% of the aggregate net proceeds, including cash and the Fair Market Value of any property other than cash, received by the Partnership after the date of this Indenture as a contribution to its common equity capital or from the issue or sale of Equity Interests of the

 

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Partnership (other than Disqualified Stock) or from the issue or sale of convertible or exchangeable Disqualified Stock or convertible or exchangeable debt securities that have been converted into or exchanged for such Equity Interests (other than (i) Equity Interests (or Disqualified Stock or debt securities) sold to a Subsidiary of the Partnership and (ii) Equity Interests sold pursuant to the Closing Date Transactions); plus

(iii) to the extent that any Restricted Investment that was made after the date of this Indenture is sold for cash or Cash Equivalents or otherwise liquidated or repaid for cash or Cash Equivalents, the return of capital with respect to such Restricted Investment (less the cost of disposition, if any); plus

(iv) the net reduction in Restricted Investments resulting from dividends, repayments of loans or advances, or other transfers of assets in each case to the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries from any Person (including, without limitation, Unrestricted Subsidiaries) or from redesignations of Unrestricted Subsidiaries as Restricted Subsidiaries, to the extent such amounts have not been included in Operating Surplus for any period commencing on or after the date of this Indenture (items (ii), (iii) and (iv) being referred to as “ Incremental Funds ”); minus

(v) the aggregate amount of Incremental Funds previously expended pursuant to clause (B) below; or

(B) if the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio for the Trailing Four Quarters is not more than 1.75 to 1.0, such Restricted Payment, together with the aggregate amount of all other Restricted Payments made by the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries pursuant to this clause (B) (excluding Restricted Payments permitted by clauses Section 4.07(b)(2) through (b)(13) of Section 4.07(b) below) since the date of this Indenture (such Restricted Payments for purposes of this clause (B) meaning only (x) distributions on the Partnership’s common units, preferred units, subordinated units or with respect to incentive distribution rights and (y) distributions on the general partner interest), is less than the sum, without duplication, of:

(i) $50.0 million; plus

(ii) Incremental Funds to the extent not previously expended pursuant to the immediately preceding clause (A) of this Section 4.07(a).

(b) The provisions of Section 4.07(a) hereof will not prohibit:

(1) the payment of any dividend or the consummation of any irrevocable redemption within 60 days after the date of declaration of the dividend or giving of the redemption notice, as the case may be, if at the date of declaration or notice, the dividend or redemption payment would have complied with the provisions of this Indenture;

 

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(2) the making of any Restricted Payment in exchange for, or out of or with the net cash proceeds of the substantially concurrent sale (other than to a Subsidiary of the Partnership) of, Equity Interests of the Partnership (other than Disqualified Stock) or from the substantially concurrent contribution of common equity capital to the Partnership (with any sale or contribution within 45 days deemed as substantially concurrent); provided that the amount of any such net cash proceeds that are utilized for any such Restricted Payment will not be considered to be net proceeds of Equity Interests for purposes of clause (A)(ii) of Section 4.07(a) hereof and will not be considered to be net cash proceeds from an Equity Offering for purposes of Section 3.07 hereof;

(3) the payment of any dividend (or, in the case of any partnership or limited liability company, any similar distribution) by a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership to the holders of its Equity Interests on a pro rata basis or on a basis more favorable to the Partnership or any other Restricted Subsidiary;

(4) the repurchase, redemption, defeasance or other acquisition or retirement for value of Indebtedness of the Partnership or any Guarantor that is contractually subordinated to the Notes or to any Note Guarantee with the net cash proceeds from a substantially concurrent (with any offering within 45 days deemed as substantially concurrent) incurrence of Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness;

(5) so long as no Default that could become an Event of Default pursuant to clause (h) or (i) of Section 6.01 hereof and no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would be caused thereby, (x) the repurchase, redemption or other acquisition or retirement for value of any Equity Interests of the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership or (y) the payment, settlement, exercise, redemption, repurchase, or exchange of any other award constituting a Restricted Payment, in the case of clauses (x) and (y), held or received by any current or former officer, director or employee of the General Partner, the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries pursuant to any equity subscription agreement, equity plan, equity option agreement, unitholders’ agreement or similar agreement; provided that the aggregate price paid for all such repurchased, redeemed, acquired or retired Equity Interests or awards may not exceed $2.5 million in any twelve-month period (with any portion of such $2.5 million amount in any calendar year being permitted to be carried over for the two succeeding calendar years); provided further that the amount in any twelve-month period may be increased by an amount not to exceed the sum of (i) cash proceeds received by the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries from the sale of Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) of the Partnership to officers, directors or employees of the General Partner, the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries after the date of this Indenture and (ii) the cash proceeds of key man life insurance policies received by the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries after the date of this Indenture;

 

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(6) the repurchase of Equity Interests deemed to occur upon the exercise of units or other equity options to the extent such Equity Interests represent a portion of the exercise price of those units or other equity options and any repurchase or other acquisition of Equity Interests made in lieu of withholding taxes in connection with any exercise or exchange of equity options, warrants, incentives or other rights to acquire Equity Interests;

(7) so long as no Default that could become an Event of Default pursuant to clause (h) or (i) of Section 6.01 hereof and no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would be caused thereby, the declaration and payment of regularly scheduled or accrued dividends to holders of any class or series of Disqualified Stock of the Partnership or any Preferred Stock of any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership issued on or after the date of this Indenture in accordance with Section 4.09(a) hereof;

(8) payments of cash, dividends, distributions, advances or other Restricted Payments by the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to allow the payment of cash in lieu of the issuance of fractional units upon (i) the exercise of options or warrants or (ii) the conversion or exchange of Capital Stock of any such Person;

(9) payments to the General Partner constituting reimbursements for expenses in accordance with the Partnership Agreement as in effect on the date of this Indenture and as it may be amended or replaced thereafter, provided that any such amendment or replacement is not materially less favorable to the Partnership in any material respect than the agreement prior to such amendment or replacement;

(10) any repurchase, redemption, defeasance or other acquisition or retirement for value of any Indebtedness of the Partnership or any Guarantor that is contractually subordinated to the Notes or any Note Guarantee (i) at a purchase price not greater than 101% of the principal amount of such subordinated Indebtedness plus accrued interest in accordance with provisions governing such Indebtedness similar to Section 4.15 hereof or (ii) at a purchase price not greater than 100% of the principal amount thereof plus accrued interest in accordance with provisions governing such Indebtedness similar to Section 4.10 hereof; provided that, prior to or simultaneously with such repurchase, redemption, defeasance or other acquisition or retirement, the Partnership shall have complied with Section 4.15 or Section 4.10 hereof, as the case may be, and repurchased all Notes validly tendered for payment in connection with the Change of Control Offer or Asset Sale Offer, as the case may be;

(11) any payments in connection with a consolidation, merger or transfer of assets in connection with a transaction that is not prohibited by this Indenture not to exceed $10.0 million in the aggregate after the date of this Indenture;

(12) Restricted Payments occurring as part of the Closing Date Transactions; and

(13) so long as no Default that could become an Event of Default pursuant to clause (h) or (i) of Section 6.01 hereof and no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would be caused thereby, other Restricted Payments in an aggregate amount not to exceed $10.0 million since the date of this Indenture.

 

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The amount of all Restricted Payments (other than cash) will be the Fair Market Value on the date of the Restricted Payment, of the Restricted Investment proposed to be made or the asset(s) or securities proposed to be transferred or issued by the Partnership or such Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, pursuant to the Restricted Payment, except that the Fair Market Value of any non-cash dividend paid within 60 days after the date of its declaration shall be determined as of the date of declaration of such non-cash dividend. For purposes of determining compliance with this Section 4.07, (x) in the event that a Restricted Payment meets the criteria of more than one of the categories of Restricted Payments described in clauses (1) through (13) of Section 4.07(b) hereof, or is permitted pursuant to Section 4.07(a) hereof, the Partnership will be permitted to classify such Restricted Payment (or portion thereof) on the date made or later reclassify such Restricted Payment (or portion thereof) in any manner that complies with this Section 4.07; and (y) in the event a Restricted Payment is made pursuant to clause (a)(4)(A) or (a)(4)(B) of Section 4.07(a) hereof, the Partnership will be permitted to classify whether all or any portion thereof is being (and in the absence of such classification shall be deemed to have classified the minimum amount possible as having been) made with Incremental Funds.

Section 4.08 Dividend and Other Payment Restrictions Affecting Restricted Subsidiaries.

(a) The Partnership will not, and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, create or permit to exist or become effective any consensual encumbrance or restriction on the ability of any Restricted Subsidiary to:

(1) pay dividends or make any other distributions on its Capital Stock to the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, or with respect to any other interest or participation in, or measured by, its profits, or pay any Indebtedness owed to the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; provided that the priority that any series of Preferred Stock of a Restricted Subsidiary has in receiving dividends or liquidating distributions before dividends or liquidating distributions are paid in respect of common stock of such Restricted Subsidiary shall not constitute a restriction on the ability to make dividends or distributions on Capital Stock for purposes of this Section 4.08;

(2) make loans or advances to the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (it being understood that the subordination of loans or advances made to the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary to other Indebtedness incurred by the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary shall not be deemed a restriction on the ability to make loans or advances); or

(3) sell, lease or transfer any of its properties or assets to the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries.

(b) The restrictions in Section 4.08(a) hereof will not apply to encumbrances or restrictions existing under or by reason of:

 

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(1) agreements and instruments (including those governing Existing Indebtedness and Credit Facilities) as in effect on the date of this Indenture and any amendments, restatements, modifications, renewals, supplements, refundings, replacements or refinancings of those agreements; provided that the amendments, restatements, modifications, renewals, supplements, refundings, replacements or refinancings are not materially more restrictive, taken as a whole, with respect to such dividend and other payment restrictions than those contained in those agreements on the date of this Indenture;

(2) this Indenture, the Notes and the Note Guarantees;

(3) agreements governing other Indebtedness permitted to be incurred under the provisions of Section 4.09 hereof and any amendments, restatements, modifications, renewals, supplements, refundings, replacements or refinancings of those agreements; provided that the restrictions therein are not materially more restrictive, taken as a whole, than those contained in this Indenture, the Notes and the Note Guarantees;

(4) any applicable law, rule, regulation, approval, license, permit or order;

(5) any agreement or instrument of a Person acquired by the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (including those governing Indebtedness or Capital Stock) as in effect at the time of such acquisition (except to the extent such Indebtedness or Capital Stock was incurred in connection with or in contemplation of such acquisition), which encumbrance or restriction is not applicable to any Person, or the properties or assets of any Person, other than the Person, or the property or assets of the Person, so acquired; provided that, in the case of Indebtedness, such Indebtedness was permitted by the terms of this Indenture to be incurred;

(6) customary non-assignment provisions in contracts, leases and licenses entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(7) purchase money obligations for property acquired in the ordinary course of business and Capital Lease Obligations that impose restrictions on the property purchased or leased of the nature described in clause (a)(3) of Section 4.08(a) above;

(8) any agreement for the sale or other disposition of a Restricted Subsidiary that restricts distributions by that Restricted Subsidiary pending its sale or other disposition;

(9) Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness; provided that the restrictions contained in the agreements governing such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness are not materially more restrictive, taken as a whole, than those contained in the agreements governing the Indebtedness being refinanced;

 

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(10) Liens permitted to be incurred under the provisions of Section 4.12 hereof that limit the right of the debtor to dispose of the assets subject to such Liens;

(11) provisions limiting the disposition or distribution of assets or property in joint venture agreements, asset sale agreements, sale and leaseback agreements, stock sale agreements and other similar agreements (including agreements entered into in connection with a Restricted Investment) entered into with the approval of the General Partner’s Board of Directors, which limitation is applicable only to the assets that are the subject of such agreements;

(12) restrictions on cash or other deposits or net worth imposed by customers, lessors, suppliers, or required by insurance surety bonding companies, in each case in the ordinary course of business;

(13) in the case of any Foreign Subsidiary, any encumbrance or restriction contained in the terms of any Indebtedness or any agreement pursuant to which such Indebtedness was incurred if either (a) the encumbrance or restriction applies only in the event of a Payment Default or a default with respect to a financial covenant in such Indebtedness or agreement or (b) the Partnership determines that any such encumbrance of restriction will not materially affect the Partnership’s ability to make principal or interest payments on the Notes, as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the General Partner, whose determination shall be conclusive;

(14) for any purpose not otherwise prohibited by this Indenture, encumbrances or restrictions of the type described in Section 4.08(a)(3) above arising or agreed to (i) in the ordinary course of business that restrict in a customary manner the subletting, assignment or transfer of any property or asset that is subject to a lease, license, conveyance or similar contract, including with respect to intellectual property, (ii) that restrict in a customary manner, pursuant to provisions in partnership agreements, limited liability company organizational governance documents, joint venture agreements and other similar agreements, the transfer of ownership interests in, or assets of, such partnership, limited liability company, joint venture or similar Person or (iii) by virtue of any Lien on, or agreement to transfer, option or similar right with respect to any property or assets of, the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary;

(15) encumbrances or restrictions with respect to an Unrestricted Subsidiary pursuant to or by reason of an agreement that the Unrestricted Subsidiary is a party to or entered into before the date on which such Unrestricted Subsidiary became a Restricted Subsidiary; provided that such agreement was not entered into in anticipation of the Unrestricted Subsidiary becoming a Restricted Subsidiary and any such encumbrance or restriction does not extend to any assets or property of the Partnership or any other Restricted Subsidiary other than the assets and property of such Unrestricted Subsidiary;

(16) customary restrictions in respect of assets or contract rights acquired by a Restricted Subsidiary in connection with a permitted sale and leaseback transaction; or

 

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(17) any agreement or instrument relating to any property or assets acquired after the date of this Indenture, so long as such encumbrance or restriction relates only to the property or assets so acquired and is not and was not created in anticipation of such acquisition.

Section 4.09 Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock.

(a) The Partnership will not, and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, create, incur, issue, assume, Guarantee or otherwise become directly or indirectly liable, contingently or otherwise, with respect to (collectively, “ incur ”) any Indebtedness (including Acquired Debt), and the Partnership will not issue any Disqualified Stock and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to issue any Preferred Stock; provided, however , that the Issuers may incur Indebtedness (including Acquired Debt) or issue Disqualified Stock, and the Guarantors may incur Indebtedness (including Acquired Debt) or issue Preferred Stock, if the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio for the Partnership’s most recently ended four full fiscal quarters for which internal financial statements are available immediately preceding the date on which such additional Indebtedness is incurred or such Disqualified Stock or such Preferred Stock is issued, as the case may be, would have been at least 2.0 to 1.0, determined on a pro forma basis (including a pro forma application of the net proceeds therefrom), as if the additional Indebtedness had been incurred or the Disqualified Stock or the Preferred Stock had been issued, as the case may be, at the beginning of such four-quarter period.

(b) Section 4.09(a) hereof will not prohibit the incurrence of any of the following items of Indebtedness or issuances of Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock, as applicable (collectively, “ Permitted Debt ”):

(1) the incurrence by the Partnership and any Guarantor of Indebtedness and letters of credit under Credit Facilities in an aggregate principal amount at any one time outstanding under this clause (1) (with letters of credit being deemed to have a principal amount equal to the maximum potential liability of the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries thereunder) not to exceed the greater of (x) $150.0 million and (y) 15.0% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets as of the date of such incurrence;

(2) the incurrence by the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries of the Existing Indebtedness;

(3) the incurrence by the Issuers and the Guarantors of Indebtedness represented by the Notes and the related Note Guarantees to be issued on the date of this Indenture;

(4) the incurrence by the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of (i) Indebtedness of any Person in existence on the date such Person becomes a Restricted Subsidiary as a result of an acquisition by the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary or (ii) Indebtedness of the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary incurred to finance the acquisition, construction, development, design or improvement of any assets (real or personal), including Capital Lease Obligations, mortgage financings,

 

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industrial revenue bonds, purchase money obligations, Disqualified Stock, synthetic lease obligations and any Indebtedness assumed in connection with the acquisition of any such assets (real or personal) or secured by a Lien on any such assets before the acquisition thereof; provided that the aggregate principal amount of Indebtedness outstanding at any time and permitted by this clause (4) shall not exceed the greater of (x) $140.0 million and (y) 15% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets (determined at the time of incurrence);

(5) the incurrence by the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness in exchange for, or the net proceeds of which are used to renew, refund, refinance, replace, defease or discharge any Indebtedness (other than intercompany Indebtedness) that was permitted by this Indenture to be incurred under Section 4.09(a) hereof or clause (2), (3), (4), (5), (12), (13) or (18) of this Section 4.09(b);

(6) the incurrence by the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of intercompany Indebtedness between or among the Partnership and any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; provided, however , that:

(A) if the Partnership or any Guarantor is the obligor on such Indebtedness and the payee is not the Partnership or a Guarantor, such Indebtedness must be unsecured and expressly subordinated to the prior payment in full in cash of all Obligations then due with respect to the Notes, in the case of the Partnership, or the Note Guarantee, in the case of a Guarantor; and

(B) (i) any subsequent issuance or transfer of Equity Interests that results in any such Indebtedness being held by a Person other than the Partnership or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership and (ii) any sale or other transfer of any such Indebtedness to a Person that is not either the Partnership or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership,

will be deemed, in each case, to constitute an incurrence of such Indebtedness by the Partnership or such Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, that was not permitted by this clause (6);

(7) the issuance by any of the Partnership’s Restricted Subsidiaries to the Partnership or to any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of any Preferred Stock; provided, however , that:

(A) any subsequent issuance or transfer of Equity Interests that results in any such Preferred Stock being held by a Person other than the Partnership or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership; and

(B) any sale or other transfer of any such Preferred Stock to a Person that is not either the Partnership or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership,

 

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will be deemed, in each case, to constitute an issuance of such Preferred Stock by such Restricted Subsidiary that was not permitted by this clause (7);

(8) the incurrence by the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of Hedging Obligations not for speculative purposes;

(9) the Guarantee by the Partnership or any of the Guarantors of Indebtedness of the Partnership or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership to the extent that the guaranteed Indebtedness was permitted to be incurred by another provision of this Section 4.09(b); provided that if the Indebtedness being Guaranteed is subordinated to or pari passu with the Notes, then the Guarantee must be subordinated or pari passu , as applicable, to the same extent as the Indebtedness Guaranteed;

(10) the incurrence by the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness in connection with one or more standby or trade-related letters of credit, performance bonds, bid bonds, appeal bonds, bankers acceptances, insurance obligations, workers’ compensation claims, health or other types of social security benefits, surety bonds, completion guarantees or other similar bonds and obligations, including self-bonding arrangements, in the ordinary course of business or pursuant to self-insurance obligations and not in connection with the borrowing of money or the obtaining of advances;

(11) the incurrence by the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness arising from the honoring by a bank or other financial institution of a check, draft or similar instrument inadvertently drawn against insufficient funds, so long as such Indebtedness is covered within five Business Days;

(12) Indebtedness of the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary incurred in connection with any sale and leaseback transaction, provided the Attributable Debt with respect to all sale and leaseback transactions in the aggregate at any one time outstanding shall not exceed the greater of (x) $25.0 million and (y) 2.5% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets (determined at the time of incurrence of such Attributable Debt);

(13) the incurrence by the Partnership or its Restricted Subsidiaries of Permitted Acquisition Indebtedness;

(14) the incurrence by the Partnership or its Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness arising from agreements of the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiaries providing for indemnification, adjustment of purchase price, earnouts or similar obligations, in each case, incurred or assumed in connection with the acquisition or disposition of any business, assets or any Subsidiary;

(15) the incurrence by the Partnership or its Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness consisting of the financing of insurance premiums;

 

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(16) the incurrence by the Partnership or its Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness that is contractually subordinated in right of payment to the Notes or to any Note Guarantee in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed at any one time outstanding $25.0 million;

(17) the incurrence by the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of liability in respect of Indebtedness of any Unrestricted Subsidiary of the Partnership or any Joint Venture but only to the extent that such liability is the result of the Partnership’s or any such Restricted Subsidiary’s being a general partner or member of, or owner of an Equity Interest in, such Unrestricted Subsidiary or Joint Venture and not as guarantor of such Indebtedness and provided that after giving effect to any such incurrence, the aggregate principal amount of all Indebtedness incurred under this clause (17) and then outstanding does not exceed $25.0 million; and

(18) the incurrence by the Partnership or any Guarantor of additional Indebtedness or the issuance by the Partnership of any Disqualified Stock in an aggregate principal amount (or accreted value, as applicable) at any time outstanding, including all Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness incurred or Disqualified Stock issued to renew, refund, refinance, replace, defease or discharge any Indebtedness incurred pursuant to this clause (18), not to exceed the greater of (x) $75.0 million and (y) 7.5% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets determined on the date of such incurrence or issuance.

The Partnership will not incur, and will not permit any Guarantor to incur, any Indebtedness (including Permitted Debt) that is contractually subordinated in right of payment to any other Indebtedness of the Partnership or such Guarantor unless such Indebtedness is also contractually subordinated in right of payment to the Notes or the applicable Note Guarantee on substantially identical terms; provided, however , that no Indebtedness will be deemed to be contractually subordinated in right of payment to any other Indebtedness of the Partnership or any Guarantor solely by virtue of being unsecured or by virtue of being secured on a junior priority basis.

For purposes of determining compliance with this Section 4.09, in the event that an item of Indebtedness meets the criteria of more than one of the categories of Permitted Debt described in clauses (1) through (18) above, or is entitled to be incurred pursuant to Section 4.09(a) hereof, the Partnership will be permitted to classify such item of Indebtedness on the date of its incurrence, or later reclassify all or a portion of such item of Indebtedness, in any manner that complies with this Section 4.09. Indebtedness under Credit Facilities outstanding on the date on which Notes are first issued and authenticated under this Indenture will initially be deemed to have been incurred on such date in reliance on the exception provided by Section 4.09(b)(1).

The accrual of interest or Preferred Stock dividends, the accretion or amortization of original issue discount, the payment of interest on any Indebtedness in the form of additional Indebtedness with the same terms, the reclassification of Preferred Stock as Indebtedness due to a change in accounting principles, and the payment of dividends on Preferred Stock or Disqualified Stock in the form of additional securities of the same class of Preferred Stock or Disqualified Stock will not be deemed to be an incurrence of Indebtedness or an issuance of Preferred Stock or Disqualified Stock for purposes of this Section 4.09; provided , in each such

 

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case, that the amount thereof is included in Fixed Charges of the Partnership as accrued to the extent required by the definition of such term. For purposes of determining compliance with any U.S. dollar-denominated restriction on the incurrence of Indebtedness, the U.S. dollar-equivalent principal amount of Indebtedness denominated in a foreign currency shall be utilized, calculated based on the relevant currency exchange rate in effect on the date such Indebtedness was incurred. Notwithstanding any other provision of this covenant, the maximum amount of Indebtedness that the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary may incur pursuant to this covenant shall not be deemed to be exceeded solely as a result of fluctuations in exchange rates or currency values.

The amount of any Indebtedness outstanding as of any date will be:

(a) the accreted value of the Indebtedness, in the case of any Indebtedness issued with original issue discount;

(b) the principal amount of the Indebtedness, in the case of any other Indebtedness; and

(c) in respect of Indebtedness of another Person secured by a Lien on the assets of the specified Person, the lesser of:

(1) the Fair Market Value of such assets at the date of determination; and

(2) the amount of the Indebtedness of the other Person.

Section 4.10 Asset Sales.

(a) The Partnership will not, and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, consummate an Asset Sale unless:

(1) The Partnership (or a Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be) receives consideration at the time of the Asset Sale at least equal to the Fair Market Value (measured as of the date of the definitive agreement with respect to such Asset Sale) of the assets or Equity Interests issued or sold or otherwise disposed of; and

(2) at least 75% of the aggregate consideration received in the Asset Sale by the Partnership or a Restricted Subsidiary and in all other Asset Sales since the date of this Indenture is in the form of cash or Cash Equivalents. For purposes of this provision, each of the following will be deemed to be cash:

(A) any liabilities, as shown on the Partnership’s most recent consolidated balance sheet, of the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary (other than contingent liabilities and liabilities that are by their terms subordinated to the Notes or any Note Guarantee) that are assumed by the transferee of any such assets pursuant to a novation or indemnity agreement that releases the Partnership or such Restricted Subsidiary from or indemnifies against further liability;

 

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(B) any securities, notes or other obligations received by the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary from such transferee that are promptly, but in any event within 180 days of the closing (subject to ordinary settlement periods), converted by the Partnership or such Restricted Subsidiary into cash, to the extent of the cash received in that conversion;

(C) any Capital Stock or assets of the kind referred to in clauses (b)(2) or (b)(4) of Section 4.10(b) hereof; and

(D) any Designated Non-Cash Consideration received by the Partnership or such Restricted Subsidiary in the Asset Sale having an aggregate Fair Market Value, taken together with all other Designated Non-Cash Consideration received pursuant to this clause (D)Section 4.10(a)(2)(D) that is at that time outstanding, not to exceed the greater of (x) $20.0 million and (y) 2.0% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets at the time of receipt of such outstanding Designated Non-Cash Consideration (with the Fair Market Value of each item of Designated Non-Cash Consideration being measured at the time received and without giving effect to subsequent changes in value).

(b) Within 450 days after the receipt of any Net Proceeds from an Asset Sale (or within 180 days after such 450-day period in the event the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary enters into a binding commitment with respect to such application), the Partnership (or any Restricted Subsidiary) may apply an amount equal to such Net Proceeds:

(1) to repay (i) Indebtedness and other Obligations under a Credit Facility that are secured by a Lien and, if the Indebtedness repaid is revolving credit Indebtedness, to correspondingly reduce commitments with respect thereto and (ii) all Hedging Obligations related to such Indebtedness;

(2) to acquire all or substantially all of the assets of, or any Capital Stock of, another Permitted Business, if, after giving effect to any such acquisition of Capital Stock, the Permitted Business is or becomes a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership;

(3) to make capital expenditures; or

(4) to acquire other assets that are not classified as current assets under GAAP and that are used or useful in a Permitted Business.

Pending the final application of any Net Proceeds, the Partnership (or any Restricted Subsidiary) may temporarily reduce revolving credit borrowings or otherwise invest the Net Proceeds in any manner that is not prohibited by this Indenture.

(c) Any Net Proceeds from Asset Sales that are not applied or invested as provided in Section 4.10(b) above will constitute “ Excess Proceeds .” When the aggregate amount of Excess Proceeds exceeds $25.0 million, within five days thereof, the Partnership will make an offer (an “ Asset Sale Offer ”) to all Holders of Notes and all holders of other

 

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Indebtedness that is pari passu with the Notes containing provisions similar to those set forth in this Indenture with respect to offers to purchase, prepay or redeem with the proceeds of sales of assets to purchase, prepay or redeem, on a pro rata basis, the maximum principal amount of Notes and such other pari passu Indebtedness (plus all accrued interest on the Indebtedness and the amount of all fees and expenses, including premiums, incurred in connection therewith) that may be purchased, prepaid or redeemed out of the Excess Proceeds. The offer price in any Asset Sale Offer will be equal to 100% of the principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of purchase, prepayment or redemption, subject to the rights of Holders of Notes on the relevant record date to receive interest due on the relevant interest payment date, and will be payable in cash. If any Excess Proceeds remain after consummation of an Asset Sale Offer, the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary may use an amount equal to those Excess Proceeds for any purpose not otherwise prohibited by this Indenture. If the aggregate principal amount of Notes tendered in such Asset Sale Offer exceeds the amount of Excess Proceeds allocated to the purchase of Notes, the Notes to be purchased will be selected by such method as DTC may require based on the amounts tendered (with such adjustments as may be deemed appropriate by the Partnership so that only Notes in denominations of $2,000, or an integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof, will be purchased). Upon completion of each Asset Sale Offer, the amount of Excess Proceeds will be reset at zero.

(d) The Partnership will comply with the requirements of Rule 14e-1 under the Exchange Act and any other securities laws and regulations thereunder to the extent those laws and regulations are applicable in connection with each repurchase of Notes pursuant to an Asset Sale Offer. To the extent that the provisions of any securities laws or regulations conflict with Section 3.09 hereof or this Section 4.10, the Partnership will comply with the applicable securities laws and regulations and will not be deemed to have breached its obligations under Section 3.09 hereof or this Section 4.10 by virtue of such compliance.

Section 4.11 Transactions with Affiliates.

(a) The Partnership will not, and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, make any payment to or sell, lease, transfer or otherwise dispose of any of its properties or assets to, or purchase any property or assets from, or enter into or make or amend any transaction, contract, agreement, understanding, loan, advance or Guarantee with, or for the benefit of, any Affiliate of the Partnership involving aggregate payments or consideration in excess of $5.0 million (each, an “ Affiliate Transaction ”), unless:

(1) the Affiliate Transaction is on terms that, taken as a whole, are not materially less favorable (as reasonably determined by the Partnership) to the Partnership or the relevant Restricted Subsidiary than those that could have been obtained in a comparable transaction by the Partnership or such Restricted Subsidiary with an unrelated Person; and

(2) the Partnership delivers to the Trustee:

(A) with respect to any Affiliate Transaction or series of related Affiliate Transactions involving aggregate consideration in excess of $25.0 million, a resolution of the Board of Directors of the General Partner set

 

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forth in an Officers’ Certificate certifying that such Affiliate Transaction complies with this Section 4.11 and that such Affiliate Transaction has been approved by a majority of the disinterested members of the Board of Directors of the General Partner; and

(B) with respect to any Affiliate Transaction or series of related Affiliate Transactions involving aggregate consideration in excess of $75.0 million, an opinion as to the fairness to the Partnership or such Subsidiary of such Affiliate Transaction from a financial point of view issued by an accounting, appraisal or investment banking firm of national standing.

(b) The following items will not be deemed to be Affiliate Transactions and, therefore, will not be subject to the provisions of Section 4.11(a) hereof:

(1) any employment agreement, employee benefit plan, termination agreement, officer or director indemnification agreement or any similar arrangement entered into by the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business and payments pursuant thereto;

(2) transactions between or among the Partnership and/or its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(3) transactions with a Person (other than an Unrestricted Subsidiary of the Partnership) that is an Affiliate of the Partnership solely because the Partnership owns, directly or through a Restricted Subsidiary, an Equity Interest in, or controls, such Person;

(4) payment of reasonable and customary fees and reimbursements of expenses (pursuant to indemnity arrangements or otherwise) of officers, directors, employees or consultants of the General Partner, the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(5) any issuance of Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) of the Partnership;

(6) loans or advances to officers, directors or employees of the General Partner, the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership in the ordinary course of business or consistent with past practice or Guarantees in respect thereof or otherwise made on their behalf (including payment on such Guarantees);

(7) Restricted Payments that do not violate Section 4.07 hereof;

(8) payments to an Affiliate in respect of the Notes or any other Indebtedness of the Issuers or any Restricted Subsidiary on the same basis as concurrent payments made or offered to be made in respect thereof to non-Affiliates;

 

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(9) transactions between the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries and any Person that would not otherwise constitute an Affiliate Transaction except for the fact that one director of such other Person is also a director of the General Partner or such Restricted Subsidiary, as applicable; provided that such director abstains from voting as a director of the General Partner or such Restricted Subsidiary, as applicable, on any matter involving such other Person;

(10) transactions with customers, clients, suppliers, joint venture partners or purchasers or sellers of goods or services (including pursuant to joint venture agreements) or lessors or lessees of property in the ordinary course of business on terms, taken as a whole, that no less favorable in any material respect than would have been obtained at such time from a Person that is not an Affiliate of the Partnership, as reasonably determined by the Partnership;

(11) payments or transactions arising under or contemplated by any contract, agreement, instrument or arrangement in effect on the date of this Indenture, as amended, modified or replaced from time to time so long as the amended, modified or new agreements, taken as a whole at the time such amendments, modifications or replacements are executed, are not materially less favorable to the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, than those in effect on the date of this Indenture, as reasonably determined by the Partnership;

(12) any transaction for which the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, as the case may be, obtains a favorable written opinion from a nationally recognized investment banking firm as to the fairness of the transaction to the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries from a financial point of view;

(13) payments or transactions (other than purchases or sales of assets) effected in accordance with the terms of the Partnership Agreement, the Omnibus Agreement, the Contribution Agreement, the Collections Agreements and any other agreements that are described in the Offering Memorandum and identified in this Indenture, in each case as such agreements are in effect on the date of this Indenture, and any amendment or replacement of any of such agreements so long as such amendment or replacement agreement is not materially less advantageous to the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, than the agreement so amended or replaced, as reasonably determined by the Partnership; and

(14) any Affiliate Transaction with a Person in its capacity as a holder of Indebtedness or Capital Stock of the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership; provided that such Person is treated no more favorably than the other holders of Indebtedness or Capital Stock of the Partnership or such Restricted Subsidiary, as reasonably determined by the Partnership.

Section 4.12 Liens.

The Partnership will not, and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Lien of any kind securing Indebtedness on any asset now owned or hereafter acquired, except Permitted Liens, without effectively providing that the Notes or any Note Guarantee of such Restricted Subsidiary, if applicable, is equally and ratably secured with (or prior to if the obligation to be secured by the Lien is subordinated in right of payment to the Notes or any Note Guarantee) the Indebtedness so secured for so long as such Indebtedness is so secured.

 

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Section 4.13 Business Activities.

The Partnership will not, and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, engage in any business other than Permitted Businesses, except to such extent as would not be material to the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole.

Finance Corp. may not incur Indebtedness unless (1) the Partnership is a co-issuer or guarantor of such Indebtedness or (2) the net proceeds of such Indebtedness are loaned to the Partnership or its other Restricted Subsidiaries, used to acquire outstanding debt securities issued by the Partnership or used to repay Indebtedness of the Partnership or its other Restricted Subsidiaries as permitted under Section 4.09 hereof. Finance Corp. may not engage in any business not related directly or indirectly to obtaining money or arranging financing for the Partnership or its Restricted Subsidiaries.

Section 4.14 Organizational Existence.

Subject to Article 5 and Section 10.04 hereof, the Partnership shall do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and effect:

(a) its limited partnership existence, and the corporate, partnership or other existence of each of its Restricted Subsidiaries, in accordance with the respective organizational documents (as the same may be amended from time to time) of the Partnership or any such Restricted Subsidiary; and

(b) the rights (charter and statutory), licenses and franchises of the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries; provided, however, that the Partnership shall not be required to preserve any such right, license or franchise, or the corporate, partnership or other existence of any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, if the Partnership shall determine that the preservation thereof is no longer desirable in the conduct of the business of the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole.

Section 4.15 Offer to Repurchase Upon Change of Control.

(a) If a Change of Control occurs, each Holder of Notes will have the right to require the Partnership to repurchase all or any part (equal to $2,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof) of that Holder’s Notes pursuant to a cash tender offer (“ Change of Control Offer ”) on the terms set forth in this Section 4.15. In the Change of Control Offer, the Partnership will offer a payment in cash (“ Change of Control Payment ”) equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amount of Notes repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest on the Notes repurchased to the date of purchase (the “ Change of Control Purchase Date ”), subject to the rights of Holders of Notes on the relevant record date to receive interest due on the relevant interest payment date.

 

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Within 30 days following any Change of Control, the Partnership will give a notice to each Holder describing the transaction or transactions that constitute the Change of Control and offering to repurchase Notes properly tendered prior to the expiration date specified in the notice, which date will be no earlier than 30 days and no later than 60 days from the date such notice is given, pursuant to the procedures required by this Section 4.15 and described in such notice. The Partnership will comply with the requirements of Rule 14e-1 under the Exchange Act and any other securities laws and regulations thereunder to the extent those laws and regulations are applicable in connection with the repurchase of the Notes as a result of a Change of Control. To the extent that the provisions of any securities laws or regulations conflict with this Section 4.15, the Partnership will comply with the applicable securities laws and regulations and will not be deemed to have breached its obligations under this Section 4.15 by virtue of such compliance.

(b) Promptly following the expiration of the Change of Control Offer, the Partnership will, to the extent lawful, accept for payment all Notes or portions of Notes properly tendered pursuant to the Change of Control Offer. Promptly after such acceptance, the Partnership will, on the Change of Control Purchase Date:

(1) deposit with the Paying Agent an amount equal to the Change of Control Payment in respect of all Notes or portions of Notes properly tendered; and

(2) deliver or cause to be delivered to the Trustee the Notes properly accepted together with an Officers’ Certificate stating the aggregate principal amount of Notes or portions of Notes being purchased by the Partnership.

The Paying Agent will promptly deliver to each Holder of Notes properly tendered the Change of Control Payment for such Notes (or, if all the Notes are then in global form, it will make such payment through the facilities of DTC), and the Trustee will promptly authenticate and deliver (or cause to be transferred by book entry) to each Holder a new Note equal in principal amount to any unpurchased portion of the Notes surrendered, if any. The Partnership will publicly announce the results of the Change of Control Offer on or as soon as practicable after the Change of Control Purchase Date.

(c) The provisions described above that require the Partnership to make a Change of Control Offer following a Change of Control will be applicable whether or not any other provisions of this Indenture are applicable.

(d) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 4.15, the Partnership will not be required to make a Change of Control Offer upon a Change of Control if (1) a third party makes the Change of Control Offer in the manner, at the time and otherwise in compliance with the requirements set forth in this Section 4.15 applicable to a Change of Control Offer made by the Partnership and purchases all Notes properly tendered and not withdrawn under the Change of Control Offer, (2) notice of redemption of all outstanding Notes has been given pursuant to Section 3.03 hereof, unless and until there is a default in payment of the applicable redemption price or (3) in connection with or in contemplation of any Change of Control, the Partnership has made an offer to purchase (an “ Alternate Offer ”) any and all Notes validly tendered at a cash price equal to or higher than the Change of Control Payment and has purchased all Notes properly tendered in accordance with the terms of such Alternate Offer.

 

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(e) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Indenture, a Change of Control Offer may be made in advance of a Change of Control, conditioned upon the consummation of such Change of Control, if a definitive agreement is in place for the Change of Control at the time the Change of Control Offer is made.

(f) In the event that Holders of not less than 90% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Notes accept a Change of Control Offer or Alternate Offer and the Partnership (or any third party making such Change of Control Offer in lieu of the Partnership as described above) purchases all of the Notes held by such Holders, the Partnership will have the right, upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 days prior notice, given not more than 30 days following the purchase pursuant to the Change of Control Offer or Alternate Offer described above, to redeem all of the Notes that remain outstanding following such purchase at a redemption price equal to the Change of Control Payment plus, to the extent not included in the Change of Control Payment, accrued and unpaid interest on the Notes that remain outstanding, to the date of redemption (subject to the rights of Holders of record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on an interest payment date that is on or prior to the redemption date).

Section 4.16 Additional Note Guarantees.

If the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries acquires or creates another Domestic Subsidiary after the date of this Indenture, then that newly acquired or created Domestic Subsidiary will become a Guarantor and execute a supplemental indenture and deliver an opinion of counsel satisfactory to the Trustee within 10 Business Days of the date on which it was acquired or created; provided that any Domestic Subsidiary that constitutes an Immaterial Subsidiary need not become a Guarantor until such time as it ceases to be an Immaterial Subsidiary.

Section 4.17 Designation of Restricted and Unrestricted Subsidiaries.

The Board of Directors of the General Partner may designate any Restricted Subsidiary to be an Unrestricted Subsidiary if that designation would not cause a Default. If a Restricted Subsidiary is designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary, the aggregate Fair Market Value of all outstanding Investments owned by the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries in the Subsidiary designated as Unrestricted will be deemed to either (i) be an Investment made as of the time of the designation that will reduce the amount available for Restricted Payments under the covenant described above under Section 4.07(a) hereof or (ii) represent a Permitted Investment under one or more clauses of the definition of Permitted Investments, as determined by the Partnership. That designation will only be permitted if the Investment would be permitted at that time and if the Restricted Subsidiary otherwise meets the definition of an Unrestricted Subsidiary. The Board of Directors of the General Partner may redesignate any Unrestricted Subsidiary to be a Restricted Subsidiary if that redesignation would not cause a Default.

Any designation of a Subsidiary of the Partnership as an Unrestricted Subsidiary will be evidenced to the Trustee by filing with the Trustee a certified copy of a resolution of the Board of Directors giving effect to such designation and an Officers’ Certificate certifying that such designation complied with the preceding conditions. If, at any time, any Unrestricted Subsidiary would fail to meet the preceding requirements as an Unrestricted Subsidiary, it will thereafter

 

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cease to be an Unrestricted Subsidiary for purposes of this Indenture and any Indebtedness of such Subsidiary will be deemed to be incurred by a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership as of such date and, if such Indebtedness is not permitted to be incurred as of such date under Section 4.09 hereof, the Partnership will be in default of such covenant.

The Board of Directors of the Partnership may at any time designate any Unrestricted Subsidiary to be a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership; provided that such designation will be deemed to be an incurrence of Indebtedness by a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership of any outstanding Indebtedness of such Unrestricted Subsidiary, and such designation will only be permitted if (1) such Indebtedness is permitted under Section 4.09 hereof, calculated on a pro forma basis as if such designation had occurred at the beginning of the applicable reference period; and (2) no Default or Event of Default would be in existence following such designation.

Section 4.18 Covenant Termination.

Notwithstanding any provision of this Indenture or of the Notes to the contrary, if at any time following the date of this Indenture (a) the Notes are rated Baa3 or better by Moody’s and BBB- or better by S&P (or, if either such entity ceases to rate the Notes for reasons outside of the control of the Partnership, the equivalent investment grade credit rating from any other “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” within the meaning of Section 3(a)(62) of the Exchange Act selected by the Partnership as a replacement agency), (b) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and is continuing under this Indenture and (c) the Issuers have delivered to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate certifying to such events, then beginning on that day and continuing at all times thereafter, regardless of any subsequent change in the rating of the Notes, Sections 3.09, 4.07, 4.08, 4.09, 4.10, 4.11, 4.16, 4.17 and 5.01(a)(4) of this Indenture will terminate and no Default or Event of Default shall result from any failure to comply with any of the provisions of such Sections.

ARTICLE 5

SUCCESSORS

Section 5.01 Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets.

(a) Neither of the Issuers may, directly or indirectly: (1) consolidate or merge with or into another Person (whether or not such Issuer is the survivor), or (2) sell, assign, transfer, convey, lease or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its properties or assets, in one or more related transactions, to another Person, unless:

(1) either: (a) such Issuer is the surviving Person; or (b) the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than such Issuer) or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance, lease or other disposition has been made is a Person organized or existing under the laws of the United States, any state of the United States or the District of Columbia; provided , however , that Finance Corp. may not consolidate or merge with or into any Person other than a corporation satisfying such requirement so long as the Partnership is not a corporation;

 

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(2) the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than such Issuer) or the Person to which such sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance, lease or other disposition has been made assumes all the obligations of such Issuer under the Notes and this Indenture pursuant to a supplemental indenture in form reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee;

(3) immediately after such transaction, no Default or Event of Default exists;

(4) in the case of a transaction involving the Partnership and not Finance Corp., immediately after giving effect to such transaction and any related financing transactions on a pro forma basis as if the same had occurred at the beginning of the applicable four-quarter period, either:

(A) the Partnership or the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than the Partnership), or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance, lease or other disposition has been made, would be permitted to incur at least $1.00 of additional Indebtedness pursuant to the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio test set forth in Section 4.09(a) hereof; or

(B) the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of the Partnership or the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than the Partnership), or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance, lease or other disposition has been made, is equal to or greater than the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of the Partnership immediately prior to such transaction; and

(5) such Issuer has delivered to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that such consolidation, merger or disposition and such supplemental indenture, if any, comply with this Indenture.

(b) Section 5.01(a) hereof will not apply to any sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance, lease or other disposition of assets between or among the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries. Section 5.01(a)(3) and (a)(4) hereof will not apply to any merger or consolidation of the Partnership (1) with or into one of its Restricted Subsidiaries for any purpose or (2) with or into an Affiliate solely for the purpose of organizing the Partnership under the laws of another jurisdiction. Notwithstanding the restrictions described in Section 5.01(a) hereof, in the event the Partnership becomes a corporation or the Partnership or the Person formed by or surviving any consolidation or merger (permitted in accordance with the terms of this Indenture) is a corporation, Finance Corp. may be merged into the Partnership or it may be dissolved in accordance with this Indenture and cease to be an Issuer.

(c) Notwithstanding Section 5.01(a) hereof, the Partnership may reorganize as any other form of entity in accordance with the following procedures provided that:

(1) the reorganization involves the conversion (by merger, sale, contribution or exchange of assets or otherwise) of the Partnership into a form of entity other than a limited partnership formed under Delaware law;

 

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(2) the entity so formed by or resulting from such reorganization is an entity organized or existing under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;

(3) the entity so formed by or resulting from such reorganization assumes all the obligations of the Partnership under the Notes and this Indenture pursuant to a supplemental indenture or other agreement in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee;

(4) immediately after such reorganization no Default (other than a Reporting Default) or Event of Default exists; and

(5) such reorganization is not materially adverse to the Holders or Beneficial Owners of the Notes (for purposes of this clause (5) a reorganization will not be considered materially adverse to the Holders or Beneficial Owners of the Notes solely because the successor or survivor of such reorganization (a) is subject to federal or state income taxation as an entity or (b) is considered to be an “includible corporation” of an affiliated group of corporations within the meaning of Section 1504(b) of the Code or any similar state or local law).

(d) For purposes of this Section 5.01, the transfer (by lease, assignment, sale or otherwise, in a single transaction or series of transactions) of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of one or more Restricted Subsidiaries of the Partnership, the Capital Stock of which constitutes all or substantially all of the properties or assets of the Partnership, shall be deemed to be the transfer of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of the Partnership.

Section 5.02 Successor Issuer Substituted.

Upon any consolidation or merger, or any sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance, lease or other disposition of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of an Issuer in a transaction that is subject to, and that complies with the provisions of, Section 5.01 hereof, the successor Person formed by such consolidation or into or with which such Issuer is merged or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance, lease or other disposition is made shall succeed to, and be substituted for (so that from and after the date of such consolidation, merger, sale, assignment, transfer, lease, conveyance or other disposition, the provisions of this Indenture referring to an “Issuer” shall refer instead to the successor Person and not to the predecessor Issuer), and may exercise every right and power of such Issuer under this Indenture with the same effect as if such successor Person had been named as the predecessor Issuer herein; provided , however , that the predecessor Issuer shall not be relieved from the obligation to pay the principal of, premium on or interest on the Notes in the case of a lease of all or substantially all of such Issuer’s properties or assets in a transaction that is subject to, and that complies with the provisions of, Section 5.01 hereof.

 

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ARTICLE 6

DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES

Section 6.01 Events of Default.

Each of the following is an “ Event of Default ”:

(a) default for 30 days in the payment when due of interest on the Notes;

(b) default in the payment when due (at Stated Maturity, upon redemption or otherwise) of the principal of, or premium, if any, on the Notes;

(c) failure by the Issuers to comply with the provisions of Section 3.09, 4.10, 4.15 or 5.01 hereof;

(d) failure by the Partnership for 120 days after notice to the Partnership by the Trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding to comply with Section 4.03 hereof;

(e) failure by the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries for 60 days after notice to the Partnership by the Trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding to comply with any of their other agreements in this Indenture;

(f) default under any mortgage, indenture or instrument under which there may be issued or by which there may be secured or evidenced any Indebtedness for money borrowed by the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (or the payment of which is Guaranteed by the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries), whether such Indebtedness or Guarantee now exists, or is created after the date of this Indenture, if that default:

(1) is caused by a failure to pay principal of, premium on, if any, or interest, if any, on, such Indebtedness prior to the expiration of the grace period provided in such Indebtedness on the date of such default (a “ Payment Default ”); or

(2) results in the acceleration of such Indebtedness prior to its express maturity,

and, in each case, the principal amount of any such Indebtedness, together with the principal amount of any other such Indebtedness under which there has been a Payment Default or the maturity of which has been so accelerated, aggregates $20.0 million or more; provided , however , if, prior to any acceleration of the Notes, (i) any such Payment Default is cured or waived, (ii) any such acceleration is rescinded, or (iii) such Indebtedness is repaid during the 30 day period commencing upon the end of any applicable grace period for such Payment Default or the occurrence of such acceleration, as the case may be, any Default or Event of Default (but not any acceleration of the Notes) caused by such Payment Default or acceleration shall be automatically rescinded, so long as such rescission does not conflict with any judgment, decree or applicable law;

 

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(g) failure by the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to pay final judgments entered by a court or courts of competent jurisdiction aggregating in excess of $20.0 million (to the extent not covered by insurance by a reputable and creditworthy insurer as to which the insurer has not disclaimed coverage), which judgments are not paid, discharged or stayed, for a period of 60 days;

(h) the Partnership, Finance Corp. or any of the Partnership’s Restricted Subsidiaries that is a Significant Subsidiary or any group of Restricted Subsidiaries of the Partnership that, taken together, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary pursuant to or within the meaning of Bankruptcy Law:

(1) commences a voluntary case,

(2) consents to the entry of an order for relief against it in an involuntary case,

(3) consents to the appointment of a custodian of it or for all or substantially all of its property,

(4) makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors, or

(5) generally is not paying its debts as they become due;

(i) a court of competent jurisdiction enters an order or decree under any Bankruptcy Law that:

(1) is for relief against the Partnership, Finance Corp. or any of the Partnership’s Restricted Subsidiaries that is a Significant Subsidiary or any group of Restricted Subsidiaries of the Partnership that, taken together, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary in an involuntary case;

(2) appoints a custodian of the Partnership, Finance Corp. or any of the Partnership’s Restricted Subsidiaries that is a Significant Subsidiary or any group of Restricted Subsidiaries of the Partnership that, taken together, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary or for all or substantially all of the property of the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries that is a Significant Subsidiary or any group of Restricted Subsidiaries of the Partnership that, taken together, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary; or

(3) orders the liquidation of the Partnership, Finance Corp. or any of the Partnership’s Restricted Subsidiaries that is a Significant Subsidiary or any group of Restricted Subsidiaries of the Partnership that, taken together, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary;

and the order or decree remains unstayed and in effect for 60 consecutive days; and

(j) except as permitted by this Indenture, any Note Guarantee is held in any judicial proceeding to be unenforceable or invalid or ceases for any reason to be in full force and effect, or any Guarantor, or any Person acting on behalf of any Guarantor, denies or disaffirms its obligations under its Note Guarantee.

 

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Section 6.02 Acceleration.

In the case of an Event of Default specified in clause (h) or (i) of Section 6.01 hereof, with respect to the Partnership, any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership that is a Significant Subsidiary or any group of Restricted Subsidiaries of the Partnership that, taken together, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary, all outstanding Notes will become due and payable immediately without further action or notice. If any other Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may declare all the Notes to be due and payable immediately.

Upon any such declaration, the Notes shall become due and payable immediately.

The Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes by written notice to the Partnership and the Trustee may, on behalf of all of the Holders of all the Notes, rescind an acceleration and its consequences hereunder, if the rescission would not conflict with any judgment or decree and if all existing Events of Default (except nonpayment of principal of, premium on, if any, or interest on the Notes that has become due solely because of the acceleration) have been cured or waived.

Section 6.03 Other Remedies.

If an Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Trustee may pursue any available remedy to collect the payment of principal of, premium on, if any, or interest on the Notes or to enforce the performance of any provision of the Notes or this Indenture.

The Trustee may maintain a proceeding even if it does not possess any of the Notes or does not produce any of them in the proceeding. A delay or omission by the Trustee or any Holder of a Note in exercising any right or remedy accruing upon an Event of Default shall not impair the right or remedy or constitute a waiver of or acquiescence in the Event of Default. All remedies are cumulative to the extent permitted by law.

Section 6.04 Waiver of Past Defaults.

The Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes by written notice to the Trustee may, on behalf of the Holders of all of the Notes waive any existing Default or Event of Default and its consequences hereunder, except a continuing Default or Event of Default in the payment of principal of, premium on, if any, or interest on the Notes (including in connection with an offer to purchase). Upon any such waiver, such Default shall cease to exist, and any Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured for every purpose of this Indenture; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other Default or impair any right consequent thereon.

 

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Section 6.05 Control by Majority.

Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for exercising any remedy available to the Trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on it. However, the Trustee may refuse to follow any direction that conflicts with law or this Indenture, that the Trustee determines may be unduly prejudicial to the rights of other Holders of Notes, or that may involve the Trustee in personal liability.

Section 6.06 Limitation on Suits.

No Holder of a Note may pursue any remedy with respect to this Indenture or the Notes unless:

(a) such Holder has previously given the Trustee written notice that an Event of Default is continuing;

(b) Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes make a written request to the Trustee to pursue the remedy;

(c) such Holder or Holders offer and, if requested, provide to the Trustee security or indemnity reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee against any loss, liability or expense;

(d) the Trustee does not comply with such request within 60 days after receipt of the request and the offer of security or indemnity; and

(e) during such 60-day period, Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes do not give the Trustee a direction inconsistent with such request.

A Holder of a Note may not use this Indenture to prejudice the rights of another Holder of a Note or to obtain a preference or priority over another Holder of a Note.

Section 6.07 Rights of Holders of Notes to Receive Payment.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture, the right of any Holder of a Note to receive payment of principal of, premium on, if any, or interest on the Note, on or after the respective due dates expressed in the Note (including in connection with an offer to purchase), or to bring suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after such respective dates, shall not be impaired or affected without the consent of such Holder.

Section 6.08 Collection Suit by Trustee.

If an Event of Default specified in Section 6.01(a) or (b) hereof occurs and is continuing, the Trustee is authorized to recover judgment in its own name and as trustee of an express trust against the Issuers for the whole amount of principal of, premium on, if any, and interest remaining unpaid on the Notes and interest on overdue principal and, to the extent lawful, interest and such further amount as shall be sufficient to cover the costs and expenses of collection, including the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel.

 

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Section 6.09 Trustee May File Proofs of Claim.

The Trustee is authorized to file such proofs of claim and other papers or documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel) and the Holders of the Notes allowed in any judicial proceedings relative to the Issuers (or any other obligor upon the Notes), its creditors or its property and shall be entitled and empowered to collect, receive and distribute any money or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and any custodian in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Holder to make such payments to the Trustee, and in the event that the Trustee shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Holders, to pay to the Trustee any amount due to it for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Trustee under Section 7.07 hereof. To the extent that the payment of any such compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Trustee under Section 7.07 hereof out of the estate in any such proceeding, shall be denied for any reason, payment of the same shall be secured by a Lien on, and shall be paid out of, any and all distributions, dividends, money, securities and other properties that the Holders may be entitled to receive in such proceeding whether in liquidation or under any plan of reorganization or arrangement or otherwise. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Holder any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Notes or the rights of any Holder, or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Holder in any such proceeding.

Section 6.10 Priorities.

If the Trustee collects any money pursuant to this Article 6, it shall pay out the money in the following order:

First : to the Trustee, its agents and attorneys for amounts due under Section 7.07 hereof, including payment of all compensation, expenses and liabilities incurred, and all advances made, by the Trustee and the costs and expenses of collection;

Second : to Holders of the Notes for amounts due and unpaid on the Notes for principal, premium, if any, and interest ratably, without preference or priority of any kind, according to the amounts due and payable on the Notes for principal, premium, if any, and interest, respectively; and

Third : to the Issuers or to such party as a court of competent jurisdiction shall direct.

The Trustee may fix a record date and payment date for any payment to Holders of the Notes pursuant to this Section 6.10.

 

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Section 6.11 Undertaking for Costs.

In any suit for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it as a Trustee, a court in its discretion may require the filing by any party litigant in the suit of an undertaking to pay the costs of the suit, and the court in its discretion may assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, against any party litigant in the suit, having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by the party litigant. This Section 6.11 does not apply to a suit by the Trustee, a suit by a Holder of a Note pursuant to Section 6.07 hereof, or a suit by Holders of more than 10% in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes.

ARTICLE 7

TRUSTEE

Section 7.01 Duties of Trustee.

(a) If an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Trustee will exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and use the same degree of care and skill in its exercise, as a prudent man would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his own affairs.

(b) Except during the continuance of an Event of Default:

(1) the duties of the Trustee will be determined solely by the express provisions of this Indenture and the Trustee need perform only those duties that are specifically set forth in this Indenture and no others, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee; and

(2) in the absence of bad faith on its part, the Trustee may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon certificates or opinions furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture. However, the Trustee will examine the certificates and opinions to determine whether or not they conform to the requirements of this Indenture (but need not confirm or investigate the accuracy of mathematical calculations or other facts stated therein).

(c) The Trustee may not be relieved from liabilities for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct, except that:

(1) this paragraph does not limit the effect of paragraph (b) of this Section 7.01;

(2) the Trustee will not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer, unless it is proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts; and

 

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(3) the Trustee will not be liable with respect to any action it takes or omits to take in good faith in accordance with a direction received by it pursuant to Section 6.05 hereof.

(d) Whether or not therein expressly so provided, every provision of this Indenture that in any way relates to the Trustee is subject to paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this Section 7.01.

(e) No provision of this Indenture will require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or incur any liability. The Trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights and powers under this Indenture at the request of any Holders, unless such Holder has offered to the Trustee security and indemnity reasonably satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense.

(f) The Trustee will not be liable for interest on any money received by it except as the Trustee may agree in writing with the Issuers. Money held in trust by the Trustee need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.

Section 7.02 Rights of Trustee.

(a) The Trustee may conclusively rely upon any document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper Person. The Trustee need not investigate any fact or matter stated in the document.

(b) Before the Trustee acts or refrains from acting, it may require an Officers’ Certificate or an Opinion of Counsel or both. The Trustee will not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith in reliance on such Officers’ Certificate or Opinion of Counsel. The Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection and the written advice of such counsel or any Opinion of Counsel will be full and complete authorization and protection from liability in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in reliance thereon.

(c) The Trustee may act through its attorneys and agents and will not be responsible for the misconduct or negligence of any agent appointed with due care.

(d) The Trustee will not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith that it believes to be authorized or within the rights or powers conferred upon it by this Indenture.

(e) Unless otherwise specifically provided in this Indenture, any demand, request, direction or notice from the Issuers will be sufficient if signed by an Officer of the Partnership.

(f) The Trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request or direction of any of the Holders unless such Holders have offered to the Trustee reasonable indemnity or security satisfactory to it against the losses, liabilities and expenses that might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction.

 

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(g) The Trustee shall not be deemed to have notice of a Default or an Event of Default unless a Responsible Officer of the Trustee has actual knowledge of such Default or Event of Default or unless written notice of any event which is in fact such a Default is received by the Trustee at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and such notice references the Notes and this Indenture.

(h) The Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, other evidence of Indebtedness or other paper or document, but the Trustee, in its discretion, may make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit, and, if the Trustee shall determine to make such further inquiry or investigation, it shall be entitled to examine the books, records and premises of the Issuers, personally or by agent or attorney at the sole cost of the Issuers and shall incur no liability or additional liability of any kind by reason of such inquiry or investigation.

(i) In no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for special, indirect, or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including, but not limited to, loss of profit) irrespective of whether the Trustee has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of action.

(j) The rights, privileges, protections, immunities and benefits given to the Trustee, including, without limitation, its right to be indemnified, are extended to, and shall be enforceable by, the Trustee in each of its capacities hereunder, and each agent, custodian and other Person employed to act hereunder.

(k) The Trustee may request that the Partnership deliver a certificate setting forth the names of individuals and/or titles of officers authorized at such time to take specified actions pursuant to this Indenture.

Section 7.03 Individual Rights of Trustee.

The Trustee in its individual or any other capacity may become the owner or pledgee of Notes and may otherwise deal with the Issuers or any Affiliate of the Issuers with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee. However, in the event that the Trustee acquires any conflicting interest (as defined in the TIA) after a Default has occurred and is continuing it must eliminate such conflict within 90 days, apply to the SEC for permission to continue as Trustee (if this Indenture has been qualified under the TIA) or resign. Any Agent may do the same with like rights and duties. The Trustee is also subject to Sections 7.10 and 7.11 hereof.

Section 7.04 Trustee’s Disclaimer.

The Trustee will not be responsible for and makes no representation as to the validity or adequacy of this Indenture or the Notes, it shall not be accountable for the Issuers’ use of the proceeds from the Notes or any money paid to the Issuers or upon the Issuers’ direction under

 

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any provision of this Indenture, it will not be responsible for the use or application of any money received by any Paying Agent other than the Trustee, and it will not be responsible for any statement or recital herein or any statement in the Notes or any other document in connection with the sale of the Notes or pursuant to this Indenture other than its certificate of authentication.

Section 7.05 Notice of Defaults.

If a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing and if it is known to the Trustee, the Trustee will give to Holders of the Notes a notice of the Default or Event of Default within 90 days after it occurs. Except in the case of a Default or Event of Default in payment of principal of, premium on, if any, or interest on any Note, the Trustee may withhold the notice if and so long as a committee of its Responsible Officers in good faith determines that withholding the notice is in the interests of the Holders of the Notes.

Section 7.06 Reports by Trustee to Holders of the Notes.

(a) Within 60 days after each May 1 beginning with May 1, 2013, and for so long as Notes remain outstanding, the Trustee will transmit to the Holders of the Notes a brief report dated as of such reporting date that complies with TIA §313(a) (but if no event described in TIA §313(a) has occurred within the twelve months preceding the reporting date, no report need be transmitted). The Trustee also will comply with TIA §313(b)(2). The Trustee will also transmit all reports as required by TIA §313(c).

(b) A copy of each report at the time of its transmitting to the Holders of the Notes will be transmitted by the Trustee to the Issuers and filed by the Trustee with the SEC and each stock exchange on which the Notes are listed in accordance with TIA §313(d). The Issuers will promptly notify the Trustee when the Notes are listed on any stock exchange.

Section 7.07 Compensation and Indemnity.

(a) The Issuers will pay to the Trustee from time to time reasonable compensation for its acceptance of this Indenture and services hereunder. The Trustee’s compensation will not be limited by any law on compensation of a trustee of an express trust. The Issuers will reimburse the Trustee promptly upon request for all reasonable disbursements, advances and expenses incurred or made by it in addition to the compensation for its services. Such expenses will include the reasonable compensation, disbursements and expenses of the Trustee’s agents and counsel.

(b) The Issuers and the Guarantors, jointly and severally, will indemnify the Trustee against any and all losses, liabilities or expenses incurred by it arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of its duties under this Indenture, including the costs and expenses of enforcing this Indenture against the Issuers and the Guarantors (including this Section 7.07) and defending itself against any claim (whether asserted by the Issuers, the Guarantors, any Holder or any other Person) or liability in connection with the exercise or performance of any of its powers or duties hereunder, except to the extent any such loss, liability or expense shall be determined to have been caused by its own negligence or willful misconduct. The Trustee will notify the Issuers promptly of any claim for which it may seek indemnity.

 

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Failure by the Trustee to so notify the Issuers will not relieve the Issuers or any of the Guarantors of their obligations hereunder. The Issuers or such Guarantor will defend the claim and the Trustee will cooperate in the defense. The Trustee may have separate counsel and the Issuers will pay the reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel. Neither the Issuers nor any Guarantor need pay for any settlement made without its consent, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld.

(c) The obligations of the Issuers and the Guarantors under this Section 7.07 will survive the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture or the earlier removal or resignation of the Trustee.

(d) To secure the Issuers’ and the Guarantors’ payment obligations in this Section 7.07, the Trustee will have a Lien prior to the Notes on all money or property held or collected by the Trustee, except that held in trust to pay principal of, premium on, if any, or interest on particular Notes. Such Lien will survive the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture.

(e) When the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services after an Event of Default specified in Section 6.01(h) or (i) hereof occurs, the expenses and the compensation for the services (including the fees and expenses of its agents and counsel) are intended to constitute expenses of administration under any Bankruptcy Law.

(f) The Trustee will comply with the provisions of TIA §313(b)(2) to the extent applicable.

Section 7.08 Replacement of Trustee.

(a) A resignation or removal of the Trustee and appointment of a successor Trustee will become effective only upon the successor Trustee’s acceptance of appointment as provided in this Section 7.08.

(b) The Trustee may resign in writing at any time and be discharged from the trust hereby created by so notifying the Issuers. The Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may remove the Trustee by so notifying the Trustee and the Issuers in writing. The Issuers may remove the Trustee if:

(1) the Trustee fails to comply with Section 7.10 hereof;

(2) the Trustee is adjudged a bankrupt or an insolvent or an order for relief is entered with respect to the Trustee under any Bankruptcy Law;

(3) a custodian or public officer takes charge of the Trustee or its property; or

(4) the Trustee becomes incapable of acting.

 

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(c) If the Trustee resigns or is removed or if a vacancy exists in the office of Trustee for any reason, the Issuers will promptly appoint a successor Trustee. Within one year after the successor Trustee takes office, the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may appoint a successor Trustee to replace the successor Trustee appointed by the Issuers.

(d) If a successor Trustee does not take office within 60 days after the retiring Trustee resigns or is removed, the retiring Trustee, the Issuers, or the Holders of at least 10% in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee.

(e) If the Trustee, after written request by any Holder who has been a Holder for at least six months, fails to comply with Section 7.10 hereof, such Holder may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Trustee and the appointment of a successor Trustee.

(f) A successor Trustee will deliver a written acceptance of its appointment to the retiring Trustee and to the Issuers. Thereupon, the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee will become effective, and the successor Trustee will have all the rights, powers and duties of the Trustee under this Indenture. The successor Trustee will give a notice of its succession to Holders. The retiring Trustee will promptly transfer all property held by it as Trustee to the successor Trustee; provided all sums owing to the Trustee hereunder have been paid and subject to the Lien provided for in Section 7.07 hereof. Notwithstanding replacement of the Trustee pursuant to this Section 7.08, the Issuers’ obligations under Section 7.07 hereof will continue for the benefit of the retiring Trustee.

Section 7.09 Successor Trustee by Merger, etc.

If the Trustee consolidates, merges or converts into, or transfers all or substantially all of its corporate trust business to, another corporation, the successor corporation without any further act will be the successor Trustee.

Section 7.10 Eligibility; Disqualification.

There will at all times be a Trustee hereunder that is a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United States of America or of any state thereof that is authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trustee power, that is subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authorities and that has a combined capital and surplus of at least $100.0 million as set forth in its most recent published annual report of condition.

This Indenture will always have a Trustee who satisfies the requirements of TIA §310(a)(1), (2) and (5). The Trustee is subject to TIA §310(b).

Section 7.11 Preferential Collection of Claims Against Issuers.

The Trustee is subject to TIA §311(a), excluding any creditor relationship listed in TIA §311(b). A Trustee who has resigned or been removed shall be subject to TIA §311(a) to the extent indicated therein.

 

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ARTICLE 8

LEGAL DEFEASANCE AND COVENANT DEFEASANCE

Section 8.01 Option to Effect Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance.

The Issuers may at any time, at the option of their respective Boards of Directors evidenced by a resolution set forth in an Officers’ Certificate, elect to have either Section 8.02 or 8.03 hereof be applied to all outstanding Notes upon compliance with the conditions set forth below in this Article 8.

Section 8.02 Legal Defeasance and Discharge.

Upon the Issuers’ exercise under Section 8.01 hereof of the option applicable to this Section 8.02, the Issuers and each of the Guarantors will, subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 8.04 hereof, be deemed to have been discharged from their obligations with respect to all outstanding Notes (including the Note Guarantees) on the date the conditions set forth below are satisfied (hereinafter, “ Legal Defeasance ”). For this purpose, Legal Defeasance means that the Issuers and the Guarantors will be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire Indebtedness represented by the outstanding Notes (including the Note Guarantees), which will thereafter be deemed to be “outstanding” only for the purposes of Section 8.05 hereof and the other Sections of this Indenture referred to in clauses (a) and (b) below, and to have satisfied all their other obligations under such Notes, the Note Guarantees and this Indenture (and the Trustee, on demand of and at the expense of the Issuers, shall execute proper instruments acknowledging the same), except for the following provisions which will survive until otherwise terminated or discharged hereunder:

(a) the rights of Holders of outstanding Notes to receive payments in respect of the principal of, premium on, if any, or interest on such Notes when such payments are due from the trust referred to in Section 8.04 hereof;

(b) the Issuers’ obligations with respect to such Notes under Article 2 and Section 4.02 hereof;

(c) the rights, powers, trusts, duties and immunities of the Trustee hereunder and the Issuers’ and the Guarantors’ obligations in connection therewith; and

(d) this Article 8.

Subject to compliance with this Article 8, the Issuers may exercise their option under this Section 8.02 notwithstanding the prior exercise of its option under Section 8.03 hereof.

Section 8.03 Covenant Defeasance.

Upon the Issuers’ exercise under Section 8.01 hereof of the option applicable to this Section 8.03, the Issuers and each of the Guarantors will, subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 8.04 hereof, be released from each of their respective obligations under the covenants contained in Sections 3.09, 4.03 (except for the obligation to comply with TIA §314(a)), 4.05, 4.07, 4.08, 4.09, 4.10, 4.11, 4.12, 4.13,

 

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4.14 (as it relates to any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership), 4.15, 4.16 and 4.17 hereof and clause (4) of Section 5.01(a) hereof with respect to the outstanding Notes on and after the date the conditions set forth in Section 8.04 hereof are satisfied (hereinafter, “ Covenant Defeasance ”), and the Notes will thereafter be deemed not “outstanding” for the purposes of any direction, waiver, consent or declaration or act of Holders (and the consequences of any thereof) in connection with such covenants, but will continue to be deemed “outstanding” for all other purposes hereunder (it being understood that such Notes will not be deemed outstanding for accounting purposes to the extent permitted by GAAP). For this purpose, Covenant Defeasance means that, with respect to the outstanding Notes and Note Guarantees, the Issuers and the Guarantors may omit to comply with and will have no liability in respect of any term, condition or limitation set forth in any such covenant, whether directly or indirectly, by reason of any reference elsewhere herein to any such covenant or by reason of any reference in any such covenant to any other provision herein or in any other document and such omission to comply will not constitute a Default or an Event of Default under Section 6.01 hereof, but, except as specified above, the remainder of this Indenture and such Notes and Note Guarantees will be unaffected thereby. In addition, upon the Issuers’ exercise under Section 8.01 hereof of the option applicable to this Section 8.03, subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 8.04 hereof, Sections 6.01(c), (d), (e), (f), (g) and (j) hereof will not constitute Events of Default.

Section 8.04 Conditions to Legal or Covenant Defeasance.

In order to exercise either Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance under either Section 8.02 or 8.03 hereof:

(a) the Issuers must irrevocably deposit with the Trustee, in trust, for the benefit of the Holders, cash in U.S. dollars, non-callable Government Securities, or a combination thereof, in such amounts as will be sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized investment bank, appraisal firm or firm of independent public accountants, to pay the principal of, premium on, if any, and interest on the outstanding Notes on the stated date for payment thereof or on the applicable redemption date, as the case may be, and the Issuers must specify whether the Notes are being defeased to such stated date for payment or to a particular redemption date;

(b) in the case of an election under Section 8.02 hereof, the Issuers must deliver to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel reasonably acceptable to the Trustee confirming that:

(1) the Issuers have received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling; or

(2) since the date of this Indenture, there has been a change in the applicable federal income tax law,

in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such Opinion of Counsel will confirm that, the Holders of the outstanding Notes will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such Legal Defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such Legal Defeasance had not occurred;

 

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(c) in the case of an election under Section 8.03 hereof, the Issuers must deliver to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel reasonably acceptable to the Trustee confirming that the Holders of the outstanding Notes will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such Covenant Defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such Covenant Defeasance had not occurred;

(d) no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing on the date of such deposit (other than a Default or Event of Default resulting from the borrowing of funds to be applied to such deposit (and any similar concurrent deposit relating to other Indebtedness), and the granting of Liens to secure such borrowings);

(e) such Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, any material agreement or instrument (other than this Indenture and the agreements governing any other Indebtedness being defeased, discharged or replaced) to which the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries is bound;

(f) the Issuers must deliver to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate stating that the deposit was not made by the Issuers with the intent of preferring the Holders of the Notes over the other creditors of the Issuers with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding any creditors of the Issuers or others; and

(g) the Issuers must deliver to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent relating to the Legal Defeasance or the Covenant Defeasance have been complied with.

Section 8.05 Deposited Money and Government Securities to be Held in Trust; Other Miscellaneous Provisions.

Subject to Section 8.06 hereof, all money and non-callable Government Securities (including the proceeds thereof) deposited with the Trustee (or other qualifying trustee, collectively for purposes of this Section 8.05, the “ Trustee ”) pursuant to Section 8.04 hereof in respect of the outstanding Notes will be held in trust and applied by the Trustee, in accordance with the provisions of such Notes and this Indenture, to the payment, either directly or through any Paying Agent (including the Partnership acting as Paying Agent) as the Trustee may determine, to the Holders of such Notes of all sums due and to become due thereon in respect of principal, premium, if any, and interest but such money need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.

The Issuers will pay and indemnify the Trustee against any tax, fee or other charge imposed on or assessed against the cash or non-callable Government Securities deposited pursuant to Section 8.04 hereof or the principal and interest received in respect thereof other than any such tax, fee or other charge which by law is for the account of the Holders of the outstanding Notes.

 

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Notwithstanding anything in this Article 8 to the contrary, the Trustee will deliver or pay to the Issuers from time to time upon the request of the Issuers any money or non-callable Government Securities held by it as provided in Section 8.04 hereof which, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee (which may be the opinion delivered under Section 8.04(a) hereof), are in excess of the amount thereof that would then be required to be deposited to effect an equivalent Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance.

Section 8.06 Repayment to Issuers.

Any money deposited with the Trustee or any Paying Agent, or then held by the Issuers, in trust for the payment of the principal of, premium on, if any, or interest on any Note and remaining unclaimed for two years after such principal, premium, if any, or interest has become due and payable shall be paid to the Issuers on their request or (if then held by the Issuers) will be discharged from such trust; and the Holder of such Note will thereafter be permitted to look only to the Issuers for payment thereof, and all liability of the Trustee or such Paying Agent with respect to such trust money, and all liability of the Issuers as trustee thereof, will thereupon cease; provided, however , that, if any Definitive Note is then outstanding, the Trustee or such Paying Agent, before being required to make any such repayment, may at the expense of the Issuers cause to be published once, in the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal (national edition), notice that such money remains unclaimed and that, after a date specified therein, which will not be less than 30 days from the date of such notification or publication, any unclaimed balance of such money then remaining will be repaid to the Issuers.

Section 8.07 Reinstatement.

If the Trustee or Paying Agent is unable to apply any U.S. dollars or non-callable Government Securities in accordance with Section 8.02 or 8.03 hereof, as the case may be, by reason of any order or judgment of any court or governmental authority enjoining, restraining or otherwise prohibiting such application, then the Issuers’ and the Guarantors’ obligations under this Indenture and the Notes and the Note Guarantees will be revived and reinstated as though no deposit had occurred pursuant to Section 8.02 or 8.03 hereof until such time as the Trustee or Paying Agent is permitted to apply all such money or Government Securities in accordance with Section 8.02 or 8.03 hereof, as the case may be; provided, however , that, if the Issuers make any payment of principal of, premium on, if any, or interest on any Note following the reinstatement of its obligations, the Issuers will be subrogated to the rights of the Holders of such Notes to receive such payment from the money or Government Securities held by the Trustee or Paying Agent.

 

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ARTICLE 9

AMENDMENT, SUPPLEMENT AND WAIVER

Section 9.01 Without Consent of Holders of Notes.

Notwithstanding Section 9.02 of this Indenture, without the consent of any Holder of Notes, the Issuers, the Guarantors and the Trustee may amend or supplement this Indenture, the Notes or the Note Guarantees:

(a) to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency;

(b) to provide for uncertificated Notes in addition to or in place of certificated Notes;

(c) to provide for the assumption of the Issuers’ or a Guarantor’s obligations to Holders of the Notes and Note Guarantees in the case of a merger or consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of the Issuers’ or such Guarantor’s properties or assets, as applicable;

(d) to make any change that would provide any additional rights or benefits to the Holders of the Notes or that does not adversely affect the legal rights under this Indenture of any Holder;

(e) to comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of this Indenture under the TIA;

(f) to conform the text of this Indenture, the Notes or the Note Guarantees to any provision of the “Description of notes” section of the Offering Memorandum to the extent that such provision in that “Description of notes” was intended to be a verbatim recitation of a provision of this Indenture, the Notes or the Note Guarantees, which intent may be evidenced by an Officers’ Certificate to that effect;

(g) to provide for the issuance of Additional Notes in accordance with the limitations set forth in this Indenture as of the date hereof;

(h) to allow any Guarantor to execute a supplemental indenture, or to evidence the release of any Guarantor from its Note Guarantee, in each case as provided in this Indenture;

(i) to secure the Notes or the Note Guarantees pursuant to the requirements of Section 4.12 hereof; or

(j) to evidence or provide for the acceptance of appointment under this Indenture of a successor Trustee.

Upon the request of the Partnership, and upon receipt by the Trustee of the documents described in Section 9.06 hereof, the Trustee will join with the Issuers and the Guarantors in the execution of any amended or supplemental indenture authorized or permitted by the terms of this Section 9.01 and to make any further appropriate agreements and stipulations that may be therein contained, but the Trustee will not be obligated to enter into such amended or supplemental indenture that affects its own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise.

 

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Section 9.02 With Consent of Holders of Notes.

Except as provided below in this Section 9.02, the Issuers, the Guarantors and the Trustee may amend or supplement this Indenture (including, without limitation, Sections 3.09, 4.10 and 4.15 hereof) and the Notes and the Note Guarantees with the consent of the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes (including, without limitation, Additional Notes, if any) voting as a single class (including, without limitation, consents obtained in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer for, or purchase of, the Notes), and, subject to Sections 6.04 and 6.07 hereof, any existing Default or Event of Default (other than a Default or Event of Default in the payment of the principal of, premium on, if any, or interest on the Notes, except a payment default resulting from an acceleration that has been rescinded) or compliance with any provision of this Indenture or the Notes or the Note Guarantees may be waived with the consent of the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes (including, without limitation, Additional Notes, if any) voting as a single class (including, without limitation, consents obtained in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer for, or purchase of, the Notes). Section 2.08 hereof shall determine which Notes are considered to be “outstanding” for purposes of this Section 9.02. However, without the consent of each Holder affected, an amendment, supplement or waiver under this Section 9.02 may not (with respect to any Notes held by a non-consenting Holder):

(a) reduce the principal amount of Notes whose Holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;

(b) reduce the principal of or change the fixed maturity of any Note or alter or waive any of the provisions with respect to the redemption or repurchase of the Notes (other than provisions under Section 3.09, 4.10 or 4.15);

(c) reduce the rate of or change the time for payment of interest, including default interest, on any Note;

(d) waive a Default or Event of Default in the payment of principal of, premium on, if any, or interest on the Notes (except a rescission of acceleration of the Notes by the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration);

(e) make any Note payable in money other than that stated in the Notes;

(f) make any change in the provisions of this Indenture relating to waivers of past Defaults or the rights of Holders of the Notes to receive payments of principal of, premium on, if any, or interest on the Notes (other than as permitted in clause (g) below);

(g) waive a redemption or repurchase payment with respect to any Note (other than a payment required by Section 3.09, 4.10 or 4.15);

 

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(h) release any Guarantor from any of its obligations under its Note Guarantee or this Indenture, except in accordance with the terms of this Indenture; or

(i) make any change in the preceding amendment, supplement and waiver provisions.

Upon the request of the Issuers accompanied by a resolution of their respective Boards of Directors authorizing the execution of any such amended or supplemental indenture, and upon the filing with the Trustee of evidence satisfactory to the Trustee of the consent of the Holders of the Notes as aforesaid, and upon receipt by the Trustee of the documents described in Section 9.06 hereof, the Trustee will join with the Issuers and the Guarantors in the execution of such amended or supplemental indenture unless such amended or supplemental indenture directly affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise, in which case the Trustee may in its discretion, but will not be obligated to, enter into such amended or supplemental indenture.

The consent of the Holders is not necessary under this Section 9.02 to approve the particular form of any proposed amendment, supplement or waiver. It is sufficient if such consent approves the substance of the proposed amendment, supplement or waiver. After an amendment, supplement or waiver under this Indenture requiring the approval of the Holders becomes effective, the Partnership will give to the Holders a notice briefly describing the amendment, supplement or waiver. However, the failure to give such notice, or any defect in the notice, will not impair or affect the validity of the amendment, supplement or waiver.

Section 9.03 Compliance with Trust Indenture Act.

Every amendment or supplement to this Indenture or the Notes will be set forth in an amended or supplemental indenture that complies with the TIA as then in effect.

Section 9.04 Revocation and Effect of Consents.

Until an amendment, supplement or waiver becomes effective, a consent to it by a Holder of a Note is a continuing consent by the Holder of a Note and every subsequent Holder of a Note or portion of a Note that evidences the same debt as the consenting Holder’s Note, even if notation of the consent is not made on any Note. However, any such Holder of a Note or subsequent Holder of a Note may revoke the consent as to its Note if the Trustee receives written notice of revocation before the date the amendment, supplement or waiver becomes effective. An amendment, supplement or waiver becomes effective in accordance with its terms and thereafter binds every Holder.

Section 9.05 Notation on or Exchange of Notes.

The Trustee may place an appropriate notation about an amendment, supplement or waiver on any Note thereafter authenticated. The Issuers in exchange for all Notes may issue and the Trustee shall, upon receipt of an Authentication Order, authenticate new Notes that reflect the amendment, supplement or waiver.

 

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Failure to make the appropriate notation or issue a new Note will not affect the validity and effect of such amendment, supplement or waiver.

Section 9.06 Trustee to Sign Amendments, etc.

The Trustee will sign any amended or supplemental indenture authorized pursuant to this Article 9 if the amendment or supplement does not adversely affect the rights, duties, liabilities or immunities of the Trustee. In executing any amended or supplemental indenture, the Trustee will receive and (subject to Section 7.01 hereof) will be fully protected in relying upon, in addition to the documents required by Section 12.04 hereof, an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel stating that the execution of such amended or supplemental indenture is authorized or permitted by this Indenture.

ARTICLE 10

NOTE GUARANTEES

Section 10.01 Guarantee.

(a) Subject to this Article 10, each of the Guarantors hereby, jointly and severally, unconditionally Guarantees to each Holder of a Note authenticated and delivered by the Trustee and to the Trustee and its successors and assigns, irrespective of the validity and enforceability of this Indenture, the Notes or the obligations of the Issuers hereunder or thereunder, that:

(1) the principal of, premium on, if any, and interest on the Notes will be promptly paid in full when due, whether at Stated Maturity, by acceleration, redemption or otherwise, and interest on the overdue principal of, premium on, if any, and interest on the Notes, if lawful, and all other obligations of the Issuers to the Holders or the Trustee hereunder or thereunder will be promptly paid in full or performed, all in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof; and

(2) in case of any extension of time of payment or renewal of any Notes or any of such other obligations, that same will be promptly paid in full when due or performed in accordance with the terms of the extension or renewal, whether at Stated Maturity, by acceleration or otherwise.

Failing payment when due of any amount so Guaranteed or any performance so Guaranteed for whatever reason, the Guarantors will be jointly and severally obligated to pay the same immediately. Each Guarantor agrees that this is a Guarantee of payment and not a Guarantee of collection.

(b) The Guarantors hereby agree that their obligations hereunder are unconditional, irrespective of the validity, regularity or enforceability of the Notes or this Indenture, the absence of any action to enforce the same, any waiver or consent by any Holder of the Notes with respect to any provisions hereof or thereof, the recovery of any judgment against the Issuers, any action to enforce the same or any other circumstance which might otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of a guarantor. Each Guarantor hereby

 

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waives diligence, presentment, demand of payment, filing of claims with a court in the event of insolvency or bankruptcy of the Issuers, any right to require a proceeding first against the Issuers, protest, notice and all demands whatsoever and covenant that this Note Guarantee will not be discharged except by complete performance of the obligations contained in the Notes and this Indenture.

(c) If any Holder or the Trustee is required by any court or otherwise to return to the Issuers, the Guarantors or any custodian, trustee, liquidator or other similar official acting in relation to either the Issuers or the Guarantors, any amount paid by any of them to the Trustee or such Holder, this Note Guarantee, to the extent theretofore discharged, will be reinstated in full force and effect.

(d) Each Guarantor agrees that it will not be entitled to any right of subrogation in relation to the Holders in respect of any obligations Guaranteed hereby until payment in full of all obligations Guaranteed hereby. Each Guarantor further agrees that, as between the Guarantors, on the one hand, and the Holders and the Trustee, on the other hand, (1) the maturity of the obligations Guaranteed hereby may be accelerated as provided in Article 6 hereof for the purposes of this Note Guarantee, notwithstanding any stay, injunction or other prohibition preventing such acceleration in respect of the obligations Guaranteed hereby, and (2) in the event of any declaration of acceleration of such obligations as provided in Article 6 hereof, such obligations (whether or not due and payable) will forthwith become due and payable by the Guarantors for the purpose of this Note Guarantee. The Guarantors will have the right to seek contribution from any non-paying Guarantor so long as the exercise of such right does not impair the rights of the Holders under the Note Guarantee.

Section 10.02 Limitation on Guarantor Liability.

Each Guarantor and, by its acceptance of Notes, each Holder hereby confirm that it is the intention of all such parties that the Note Guarantee of such Guarantor not constitute a fraudulent transfer or conveyance for purposes of Bankruptcy Law, the Uniform Fraudulent Conveyance Act, the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act or any similar federal or state law to the extent applicable to any Note Guarantee. To effectuate the foregoing intention, the Trustee, the Holders and the Guarantors hereby irrevocably agree that the obligations of such Guarantor will be limited to the maximum amount that will, after giving effect to such maximum amount and all other contingent and fixed liabilities of such Guarantor that are relevant under such laws, and after giving effect to any collections from, rights to receive contribution from or payments made by or on behalf of any other Guarantor in respect of the obligations of such other Guarantor under this Article 10, result in the obligations of such Guarantor under its Note Guarantee not constituting a fraudulent transfer or conveyance.

Section 10.03 Execution and Delivery of Note Guarantee.

To evidence its Note Guarantee set forth in Section 10.01 hereof, each Guarantor hereby agrees that a notation of such Note Guarantee substantially in the form attached as Exhibit E hereto will be endorsed by an Officer of such Guarantor on each Note authenticated and delivered by the Trustee and that this Indenture, or a supplement thereto, will be executed on behalf of such Guarantor by one of its Officers.

 

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Each Guarantor hereby agrees that its Note Guarantee set forth in Section 10.01 hereof will remain in full force and effect notwithstanding any failure to endorse on each Note a notation of such Note Guarantee.

If an Officer whose signature is on the notation of its Note Guarantee no longer holds that office at the time the Trustee authenticates the Note on which such notation of its Note Guarantee is endorsed, the Note Guarantee will be valid nevertheless.

The delivery of any Note by the Trustee, after the authentication thereof hereunder, will constitute due delivery of the Note Guarantee set forth in this Indenture on behalf of the Guarantors.

In the event that the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries creates or acquires any Restricted Subsidiary after the date of this Indenture, if required by Section 4.16 hereof, the Partnership will cause such Restricted Subsidiary to comply with the provisions of Section 4.16 hereof and this Article 10, to the extent applicable.

Section 10.04 Guarantors May Consolidate, etc., on Certain Terms.

No Guarantor may sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its properties or assets to, or consolidate with or merge with or into (whether or not such Guarantor is the surviving Person) another Person, other than the Partnership or another Guarantor, unless:

(a) immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no Default or Event of Default exists; and

(b) either:

(1) the Person acquiring the properties or assets in any such sale or other disposition or the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than the Guarantor) unconditionally assumes all the obligations of that Guarantor under its Note Guarantee and this Indenture pursuant to a supplemental indenture or other agreement in form reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee; or

(2) such transaction or series of transactions does not violate Section 4.10 hereof.

In case of any such consolidation, merger, sale or other disposition and upon the assumption by the successor Person, by supplemental indenture, executed and delivered to the Trustee and satisfactory in form to the Trustee, of the Note Guarantee of the Guarantor and the due and punctual performance of all of the covenants and conditions of this Indenture to be performed by the Guarantor, such successor Person will succeed to and be substituted for the Guarantor with the same effect as if it had been named herein as a Guarantor. Such successor Person thereupon may cause to be signed any or all of the notations of Note Guarantees to be endorsed upon all of the Notes issuable hereunder which theretofore shall not have been signed by the Issuers and delivered to the Trustee. All the Note Guarantees so issued will in all respects have the same legal rank and benefit under this Indenture as the Note Guarantees theretofore and thereafter issued in accordance with the terms of this Indenture as though all of such Note Guarantees had been issued at the date of the execution hereof.

 

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Section 10.05 Releases.

The Note Guarantee of a Guarantor shall be released:

(a) in connection with any sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of that Guarantor, by way of merger, consolidation or otherwise, to a Person that is not (either before or after giving effect to such transaction) the Partnership or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership, if the sale or other disposition does not violate Section 4.10 hereof;

(b) in connection with any sale or other disposition of Capital Stock of that Guarantor to a Person that is not (either before or after giving effect to such transaction) the Partnership or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership, if the sale or other disposition does not violate Section 4.10 hereof and such Guarantor ceases to be a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership as a result of the sale or other disposition;

(c) upon designation of any Restricted Subsidiary that is a Guarantor as an Unrestricted Subsidiary in accordance with the terms of this Indenture;

(d) upon Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance in accordance with Article 8 hereof or satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture in accordance with Article 11 hereof;

(e) upon the liquidation or dissolution of such Guarantor provided no Default or Event of Default has occurred that is continuing;

(f) upon such Guarantor consolidating with, merging into or transferring all of its properties or assets to either of the Issuers or another Guarantor, and as a result of, or in connection with, such transaction such Guarantor dissolving or otherwise ceasing to exist; or

(g) in connection with the release or discharge of the Guarantee that resulted in the creation of such Guarantee as provided under Section 4.16 or a release or discharge of all Guarantees by such Guarantor of other Indebtedness, except a release or discharge by or as a result of payment under such Guarantee.

Upon delivery by the Partnership to the Trustee of an Officers’ Certificate to the effect that any of the conditions described in the foregoing clauses (a) – (g) has occurred, the Trustee shall execute any documents reasonably requested by the Partnership in order to evidence the release of any Guarantor from its obligations under its Note Guarantee.

Any Guarantor not released from its obligations under its Note Guarantee as provided in this Section 10.05 will remain liable for the full amount of principal of, premium on, if any, and interest on the Notes and for the other obligations of such Guarantor under this Indenture as provided in this Article 10.

 

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ARTICLE 11

SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE

Section 11.01 Satisfaction and Discharge.

This Indenture will be discharged and will cease to be of further effect as to all Notes issued hereunder (except as to surviving rights of registration of transfer or exchange of the Notes and as otherwise specified in this Article 11), when:

(a) either:

(1) all Notes that have been authenticated, except lost, stolen or destroyed Notes that have been replaced or paid and Notes for whose payment money has been deposited in trust and thereafter repaid to the Issuers, have been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation; or

(2) all Notes that have not been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation have become due and payable by reason of the giving of a notice of redemption or otherwise or will become due and payable within one year and either an Issuer or any Guarantor has irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee as trust funds in trust solely for the benefit of the Holders, cash in U.S. dollars, non-callable Government Securities, or a combination thereof, in such amounts as will be sufficient, without consideration of any reinvestment of interest, to pay and discharge the entire Indebtedness on the Notes not delivered to the Trustee for cancellation for principal, premium, if any, and interest to the date of Stated Maturity or redemption;

(b) in respect of subclause (2) of clause (a) of this Section 11.01, no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing on the date of the deposit (other than a Default or Event of Default resulting from the borrowing of funds to be applied to such deposit and any similar deposit relating to other Indebtedness and, in each case, the granting of Liens to secure such borrowings) and the deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, any other instrument to which either Issuer or any Guarantor is a party or by which either Issuer or any Guarantor is bound (other than with respect to the borrowing of funds to be applied concurrently to make the deposit required to effect such satisfaction and discharge and any similar concurrent deposit relating to other Indebtedness, and in each case the granting of Liens to secure such borrowings);

(c) the Issuers have paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable by the Issuers under this Indenture; and

(d) the Issuers have delivered irrevocable instructions to the Trustee to apply the deposited money toward the payment of the Notes at Stated Maturity or on the redemption date, as the case may be.

 

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In addition, the Issuers must deliver an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel to the Trustee stating that all conditions precedent to satisfaction and discharge have been satisfied.

Notwithstanding the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, if money or Government Securities have been deposited with the Trustee pursuant to subclause (2) of clause (a) of this Section 11.01, the provisions of Sections 11.02 and 8.06 hereof will survive. In addition, nothing in this Section 11.01 will be deemed to discharge those provisions of Section 7.07 hereof, that, by their terms, survive the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture.

Section 11.02 Application of Trust Money.

Subject to the provisions of Section 8.06 hereof, all money or Government Securities deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 11.01 hereof shall be held in trust and applied by it, in accordance with the provisions of the Notes and this Indenture, to the payment, either directly or through any Paying Agent (including the Partnership acting as its own Paying Agent) as the Trustee may determine, to the Persons entitled thereto, of the principal, premium, if any, or interest for whose payment such money or Government Securities have been deposited with the Trustee; but such money or Government Securities need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.

If the Trustee or Paying Agent is unable to apply any money or Government Securities in accordance with Section 11.01 hereof by reason of any legal proceeding or by reason of any order or judgment of any court or governmental authority enjoining, restraining or otherwise prohibiting such application, the Issuers’ and any Guarantor’s obligations under this Indenture and the Notes shall be revived and reinstated as though no deposit had occurred pursuant to Section 11.01 hereof; provided that if the Issuers have made any payment of principal of, premium on, if any, or interest on any Notes because of the reinstatement of their obligations, the Issuers shall be subrogated to the rights of the Holders of such Notes to receive such payment from the money or Government Securities held by the Trustee or Paying Agent.

ARTICLE 12

MISCELLANEOUS

Section 12.01 Trust Indenture Act Controls.

This Indenture shall incorporate and be governed by the provisions of the TIA that are required to be part of and to govern indentures qualified under the TIA. If any provision of this Indenture limits, qualifies or conflicts with the duties imposed by TIA §318(c), the imposed duties will control.

Section 12.02 Notices.

Any notice or communication by the Issuers, any Guarantor or the Trustee to the others is duly given if in writing in the English language and delivered in Person or by first class mail (registered or certified, return receipt requested), electronic image scan, facsimile transmission or overnight air courier guaranteeing next day delivery, to the others’ address:

 

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If to any of the Issuers and the Guarantors:

SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P.

1011 Warrenville Road, Suite 600

Lisle, Illinois 60532

Facsimile No.: (630) 824-1001

Attention: Chief Financial Officer

If to the Trustee:

The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A.

525 William Penn Place, 38th Floor

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15259

Facsimile No.: (412) 234-7535

Attention: Corporate Trust Administration

The Issuers, any Guarantor or the Trustee, by notice to the others, may designate additional or different addresses for subsequent notices or communications.

All notices and communications (other than those sent to Holders) will be deemed to have been duly given: at the time delivered by hand, if personally delivered; five Business Days after being deposited in the mail, postage prepaid, if mailed; when receipt acknowledged, if transmitted by electronic image scan or facsimile; and the next Business Day after timely delivery to the courier, if sent by overnight air courier guaranteeing next day delivery.

The Trustee agrees to accept and act upon instructions or directions pursuant to this Indenture sent by unsecured e-mail, pdf, facsimile transmission or other similar unsecured electronic methods, provided, however, that the Trustee shall have received an incumbency certificate listing persons designated to give such instructions or directions and containing specimen signatures of such designated persons, which such incumbency certificate shall be amended and replaced whenever a person is to be added or deleted from the listing. If the Issuers elect to give the Trustee e-mail or facsimile instructions (or instructions by a similar electronic method) and the Trustee in its discretion elects to act upon such instructions, the Trustee’s understanding of such instructions shall be deemed controlling. The Trustee shall not be liable for any losses, costs or expenses arising directly or indirectly from the Trustee’s reliance upon and compliance with such instructions notwithstanding such instructions conflict or are inconsistent with a subsequent written instruction. The Issuers agree to assume all risks arising out of the use of such electronic methods to submit instructions and directions to the Trustee, including without limitation the risk of the Trustee acting on unauthorized instructions, and the risk or interception and misuse by third parties.

Any notice or communication to a Holder will be (i) mailed by first class mail, certified or registered, return receipt requested, to its address shown on the register kept by the Registrar, (ii) sent by overnight air courier guaranteeing next day delivery to such address or (iii) if the Holder is the Depositary, sent by such other means as the Depositary may specify. Any notice or communication will also be sent in the same manner to any Person described in TIA §313(c), to the extent required by the TIA. Failure to send a notice or communication to a Holder or any defect in it will not affect its sufficiency with respect to other Holders.

 

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If a notice or communication is sent in the manner provided above within the time prescribed, it is duly given, whether or not the addressee receives it.

If the Issuers send a notice or communication to Holders, they will send a copy to the Trustee and each Agent at the same time.

Section 12.03 Communication by Holders of Notes with Other Holders of Notes.

Holders may communicate pursuant to TIA §312(b) with other Holders with respect to their rights under this Indenture or the Notes. The Issuers, the Trustee, the Registrar and anyone else shall have the protection of TIA §312(c).

Section 12.04 Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent.

Upon any request or application by the Issuers to the Trustee to take any action under this Indenture, the Issuers shall furnish to the Trustee:

(a) an Officers’ Certificate in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee (which must include the statements set forth in Section 12.05 hereof) stating that, in the opinion of the signers, all conditions precedent and covenants, if any, provided for in this Indenture relating to the proposed action have been satisfied; and

(b) an Opinion of Counsel in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee (which must include the statements set forth in Section 12.05 hereof) stating that, in the opinion of such counsel, all such conditions precedent and covenants have been satisfied.

Section 12.05 Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion.

Each certificate or opinion with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture (other than a certificate provided pursuant to TIA §314(a)(4)) must comply with the provisions of TIA §314(e) and must include:

(a) a statement that the person making such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition;

(b) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based;

(c) a statement that, in the opinion of such person, he or she has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable him or her to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been satisfied; and

(d) a statement as to whether or not, in the opinion of such person, such condition or covenant has been satisfied.

 

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Section 12.06 Rules by Trustee and Agents.

The Trustee may make reasonable rules for action by or at a meeting of Holders. The Registrar or Paying Agent may make reasonable rules and set reasonable requirements for its functions.

Section 12.07 No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees and Unitholders.

None of the General Partner or any past, present or future director, officer, partner, employee, incorporator, manager or unitholder or other owner of Capital Stock of the General Partner, the Issuers or any Guarantor, as such, will have any liability for any obligations of the Issuers or the Guarantors under the Notes, this Indenture, the Note Guarantees or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. Each Holder of Notes by accepting a Note waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for issuance of the Notes.

Section 12.08 Governing Law.

THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WILL GOVERN AND BE USED TO CONSTRUE THIS INDENTURE, THE NOTES AND THE NOTE GUARANTEES. EACH OF THE ISSUERS, THE GUARANTORS AND THE TRUSTEE HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS INDENTURE, THE NOTES OR THE TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.

Section 12.09 No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements.

This Indenture may not be used to interpret any other indenture, loan or debt agreement of the Partnership or its Subsidiaries or of any other Person. Any such indenture, loan or debt agreement may not be used to interpret this Indenture.

Section 12.10 Successors.

All agreements of the Issuers in this Indenture and the Notes will bind their respective successors. All agreements of the Trustee in this Indenture will bind its successors. All agreements of each Guarantor in this Indenture will bind its successors, except as otherwise provided in Section 10.05 hereof.

Section 12.11 Severability.

In case any provision in this Indenture or in the Notes is invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions will not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.

 

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Section 12.12 Counterpart Originals.

The parties may sign any number of copies of this Indenture, and each party hereto may sign any number of separate copies of this Indenture. Each signed copy shall be an original, but all of them together represent the same agreement. The exchange of copies of this Indenture and of signature pages by facsimile or PDF transmission shall constitute effective execution and delivery of this Indenture as to the parties hereto and may be used in lieu of the original Indenture for all purposes. Signatures of the parties hereto transmitted by facsimile or PDF shall be deemed to be their original signatures for all purposes.

Section 12.13 Table of Contents, Headings, etc.

The Table of Contents, Cross-Reference Table and headings of the Articles and Sections of this Indenture have been inserted for convenience of reference only, are not to be considered a part of this Indenture and will in no way modify or restrict any of the terms or provisions hereof.

Section 12.14 Payment Date Other Than a Business Day.

If any payment with respect to any principal of, premium on, if any, or interest on any Note (including any payment to be made on any date fixed for redemption or purchase of any Note) is due on a day which is not a Business Day, then the payment need not be made on such date, but may be made on the next Business Day with the same force and effect as if made on such date, and no interest will accrue for the intervening period.

Section 12.15 Evidence of Action by Holders.

Whenever in this Indenture it is provided that the Holders of a specified percentage in aggregate principal amount of the Notes may take action (including the making of any demand or request, the giving of any direction, notice, consent or waiver or the taking of any other action) the fact that at the time of taking any such action the Holders of such specified percentage have joined therein may be evidenced (a) by any instrument or any number of instruments of similar tenor executed by Holders in person or by agent or proxy appointed in writing, (b) by the record of the Holders voting in favor thereof at any meeting of Holders duly called and held in accordance with procedures approved by the Trustee, (c) by a combination of such instrument or instruments and any such record of such a meeting of Holders or (d) in the case of Notes evidenced by a Global Note, by any electronic transmission or other message, whether or not in written format, that complies with the Depositary’s applicable procedures.

Section 12.16 Force Majeure.

In no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations hereunder arising out of or caused by, directly or indirectly, forces beyond its control, including, without limitation, strikes, work stoppages, accidents, acts of war or terrorism, civil or military disturbances, nuclear or natural catastrophes or acts of God, and interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities, communications or computer (software and hardware) services; it being understood that the Trustee shall use reasonable efforts which are consistent with accepted practices in the banking industry to resume performance as soon as practicable under the circumstances.

[Signatures on following page]

 

108


SIGNATURES

Dated as of January 24, 2013

 

SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P.
By:   SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS GP LLC,
  its general partner
By:    
  Name:
  Title:

 

SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS FINANCE CORP.

By:    
  Name:
  Title:

 

GUARANTORS:

HAVERHILL COGENERATION COMPANY LLC

HAVERHILL COKE COMPANY LLC

MIDDLETOWN COGENERATION COMPANY LLC

MIDDLETOWN COKE COMPANY, LLC

By:    
  Name:
  Title:


THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.,

  as Trustee
By:    
  Name:
  Title:


EXHIBIT A

[Face of Note]

CUSIP                     

7.375% Senior Notes due 2020

No.         $                     

 

SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P.

SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS FINANCE CORP.

promise to pay, jointly and severally, to              or registered assigns,

the principal sum of                             DOLLARS [or such greater or lesser amount as may be indicated on the attached Schedule of Exchanges of Interests in the Global Note] on                 , 2020.

Interest Payment Dates: February 1 and August 1

Record Dates: January 15 and July 15

Dated:                     

 

SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P.
  By:   SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS GP LLC, its general partner
By:        
  Name:
  Title:

 

SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS FINANCE CORP.
By:    
  Name:
  Title:

Certificate of Authentication:

This is one of the Notes referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture:

 

The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as Trustee
By:    
  Authorized Signatory

 

A-1


[Back of Note]

7.375% Senior Notes due 2020

[Insert the Global Note Legend, if applicable pursuant to the provisions of the Indenture]

[Insert the Private Placement Legend, if applicable pursuant to the provisions of the Indenture]

Capitalized terms used herein have the meanings assigned to them in the Indenture referred to below unless otherwise indicated.

(1) I NTEREST . SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “ Partnership ”), and SunCoke Energy Partners Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation (“ Finance Corp. ” and together with the Partnership, the “ Issuers ”) jointly and severally promise to pay or cause to be paid interest on the principal amount of this Note at 7.375% per annum from                     ,             until maturity. The Issuers will pay interest semi-annually in arrears on February 1 and August 1 of each year, or if any such day is not a Business Day, on the next succeeding Business Day (each, an “ Interest Payment Date ”). Interest on the Notes will accrue from the most recent date to which interest has been paid or, if no interest has been paid, from the date of issuance; provided that, if there is no existing Default in the payment of interest, and if this Note is authenticated between a record date referred to on the face hereof and the next succeeding Interest Payment Date, interest shall accrue from such next succeeding Interest Payment Date; provided further that the first Interest Payment Date shall be                     ,             . The Issuers will pay interest (including post-petition interest in any proceeding under any Bankruptcy Law) on overdue principal and premium, if any, from time to time on demand at a rate that is 1% per annum higher than the then applicable interest rate on the Notes to the extent lawful; they will pay interest (including post-petition interest in any proceeding under any Bankruptcy Law) on overdue installments of interest, if any (without regard to any applicable grace period), from time to time on demand at the same rate to the extent lawful.

Interest will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year comprised of twelve 30-day months.

(2) M ETHOD OF P AYMENT . The Issuers will pay interest on the Notes (except defaulted interest) to the Persons who are registered Holders of Notes at the close of business on the January 15 and July 15 next preceding the Interest Payment Date, even if such Notes are canceled after such record date and on or before such Interest Payment Date, except as provided in Section 2.12 of the Indenture with respect to defaulted interest. The Notes will be payable as to principal, premium, if any, and interest at the office or agency of the Issuers maintained for such purpose within the City of Pittsburgh, in the State of Pennsylvania, or, at the option of the Issuers, payment of interest may be made by check mailed to the Holders at their addresses set forth in the register of Holders; provided that payment by wire transfer of immediately available funds will be required with respect to principal of, premium on, if any, and interest on all Global Notes and all other Notes the Holders of which will have provided wire transfer instructions to the Partnership or the Paying Agent. Such payment will be in such coin or currency of the United States of America as at the time of payment is legal tender for payment of public and private debts.

 

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(3) P AYING A GENT AND R EGISTRAR . Initially, The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., the Trustee under the Indenture, will act as Paying Agent and Registrar. The Issuers may change the Paying Agent or Registrar without notice to any Holder. The Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries may act as Paying Agent or Registrar.

(4) I NDENTURE . The Issuers issued the Notes under an Indenture dated as of January 24, 2013 (the “ Indenture ”) among the Issuers, the Guarantors and the Trustee. The terms of the Notes include those stated in the Indenture and those made part of the Indenture by reference to the TIA. The Notes are subject to all such terms, and Holders are referred to the Indenture and such Act for a statement of such terms. To the extent any provision of this Note conflicts with the express provisions of the Indenture, the provisions of the Indenture shall govern and be controlling. The Notes are unsecured obligations of the Issuers limited to $150.0 million in aggregate principal amount in the case of the Initial Notes. The Indenture does not limit the aggregate principal amount of Additional Notes that may be issued thereunder.

(5) O PTIONAL R EDEMPTION .

(a) At any time prior to February 1, 2016, the Issuers may on any one or more occasions redeem up to 35% of the aggregate principal amount of Notes issued under the Indenture, but in an amount not greater than the net cash proceeds of an Equity Offering by the Partnership, upon notice as provided in the Indenture, at a redemption price equal to 107.375% of the principal amount of the Notes redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of redemption (subject to the rights of Holders on the relevant record date to receive interest on the relevant Interest Payment Date); provided that:

(A) at least 65% of the aggregate principal amount of Notes originally issued under the Indenture (excluding Notes held by the Partnership and its Subsidiaries) remains outstanding immediately after the occurrence of such redemption; and

(B) the redemption occurs within 180 days of the date of the closing of such Equity Offering.

(b) At any time prior to February 1, 2016, the Issuers may on any one or more occasions redeem all or a part of the Notes, upon notice as provided in the Indenture, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes redeemed, plus the Applicable Premium as of, and accrued and unpaid interest to the date of redemption, subject to the rights of Holders on the relevant record date to receive interest due on the relevant Interest Payment Date.

(c) The Issuers may redeem all (but not a portion of) the Notes when permitted by, and pursuant to the conditions in, Section 4.15(f) of the Indenture.

 

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(d) Except pursuant to the preceding paragraphs, the Notes will not be redeemable at the Issuers’ option prior to February 1, 2016.

(e) On and after February 1, 2016, the Issuers may on any one or more occasions redeem all or a part of the Notes, upon notice as provided in the Indenture, at the redemption prices (expressed as percentages of principal amount) set forth below, plus accrued and unpaid interest on the Notes redeemed, to the applicable redemption date, subject to the rights of Holders on the relevant record date to receive interest on the relevant Interest Payment Date, if redeemed during the twelve-month period beginning on February 1 of the years indicated below:

 

Year

  

Percentage

 

2016

     105.531

2017

     103.688

2018

     101.844

2019

     100.000

(6) M ANDATORY R EDEMPTION . The Issuers are not required to make mandatory redemption or sinking fund payments with respect to the Notes.

(7) R EPURCHASE AT THE O PTION OF H OLDER .

(a) If there is a Change of Control, the Partnership will be required to make a cash tender offer (a “ Change of Control Offer ”) to each Holder to repurchase all or any part (equal to $2,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof) of each Holder’s Notes at a purchase price in cash equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon to the date of purchase, subject to the rights of Holders on the relevant record date to receive interest due on the relevant Interest Payment Date (the “ Change of Control Payment ”). Within 30 days following any Change of Control, the Partnership will give a notice to each Holder setting forth the procedures governing the Change of Control Offer as required by the Indenture.

(b) If the Partnership or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership consummates any Asset Sales, within five days of each date on which the aggregate amount of Excess Proceeds exceeds $25.0 million, the Partnership will make an Asset Sale Offer to all Holders of Notes and all holders of other Indebtedness that is pari passu with the Notes containing provisions similar to those set forth in the Indenture with respect to offers to purchase, prepay or redeem with the proceeds of sales of assets to purchase, prepay or redeem, on a pro rata basis, the maximum principal amount of Notes and such other pari passu Indebtedness (plus all accrued interest on the Indebtedness and the amount of all fees and expenses, including premiums, incurred in connection therewith) that may be purchased, prepaid or redeemed out of the Excess Proceeds. The offer price in any Asset Sale Offer will be equal to 100% of the principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of purchase, prepayment or redemption, subject to the rights of Holders of Notes on the relevant record date to receive interest due on the relevant Interest Payment Date, and will be payable in cash. If any Excess Proceeds remain after consummation of an Asset Sale Offer, the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary may use those Excess Proceeds for any purpose not otherwise prohibited by

 

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the Indenture. If the aggregate principal amount of Notes tendered in such Asset Sale Offer exceeds the amount of Excess Proceeds allocated to the purchase of Notes, the Trustee will select the Notes to be purchased on a pro rata basis (except as provided in Section 4.10 of the Indenture), based on the amounts tendered. Upon completion of each Asset Sale Offer, the amount of Excess Proceeds will be reset at zero. Holders of Definitive Notes that are the subject of an offer to purchase will receive an Asset Sale Offer from the Partnership prior to any related purchase date and may elect to have such Notes purchased by completing the form entitled “ Option of Holder to Elect Purchase ” attached to the Notes.

(8) N OTICE OF R EDEMPTION . At least 30 days but not more than 60 days before a redemption date, the Issuers will give a notice of redemption to each Holder whose Notes are to be redeemed at its registered address, except that redemption notices may be given more than 60 days prior to a redemption date if the notice is issued in connection with a defeasance of the Notes or a satisfaction and discharge of the Indenture pursuant to Article 8 or 11 thereof. Notes and portions of Notes selected will be in amounts of $2,000 or whole multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof.

(9) D ENOMINATIONS , T RANSFER , E XCHANGE . The Notes are in registered form in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof. The transfer of Notes may be registered and Notes may be exchanged as provided in the Indenture. The Registrar and the Trustee may require a Holder, among other things, to furnish appropriate endorsements and transfer documents and the Issuers may require a Holder to pay any taxes or similar governmental charges required by law or permitted by the Indenture. The Issuers need not exchange or register the transfer of any Note or portion of a Note selected for redemption, except for the unredeemed portion of any Note being redeemed in part. Also, the Issuers need not exchange or register the transfer of any Notes for a period of 15 days before a selection of Notes to be redeemed or during the period between a record date and the next succeeding Interest Payment Date.

(10) P ERSONS D EEMED O WNERS . The registered Holder of a Note may be treated as the owner of it for all purposes. Only registered Holders have rights under the Indenture.

(11) A MENDMENT , S UPPLEMENT AND W AIVER . Subject to certain exceptions, the Indenture, the Notes or the Note Guarantees may be amended or supplemented with the consent of the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes including Additional Notes, if any, voting as a single class, and any existing Default or Event of Default or compliance with any provision of the Indenture or the Notes or the Note Guarantees may be waived with the consent of the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes including Additional Notes, if any, voting as a single class. Without the consent of any Holder of Notes, the Indenture, the Notes or the Note Guarantees may be amended or supplemented: to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency; to provide for uncertificated Notes in addition to or in place of certificated Notes; to provide for the assumption of the Issuers’ or a Guarantor’s obligations to Holders of the Notes and Note Guarantees by a successor to an Issuer or such Guarantor pursuant to the Indenture; to make any change that would provide any additional rights or benefits to the Holders of

 

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the Notes or that does not adversely affect the legal rights under the Indenture of any Holder; to comply with the requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the Indenture under the TIA; to conform the text of the Indenture, the Notes, the Note Guarantees to any provision of the “Description of notes” section of the Issuers’ Offering Memorandum dated January 17, 2013, relating to the initial offering of the Notes; to provide for the issuance of Additional Notes in accordance with the limitations set forth in the Indenture; to add any additional Guarantor or to evidence the release of any Guarantor from its Note Guarantee, in each case as provided in the Indenture; to secure the Notes or the Note Guarantees pursuant to the requirement of Section 4.12 of the Indenture; or to evidence or provide for the acceptance of appointment under the Indenture of a successor Trustee.

(12) D EFAULTS AND R EMEDIES . Events of Default include: (i) default for 30 days in the payment when due of interest on the Notes; (ii) default in the payment when due (at Stated Maturity, upon redemption or otherwise) of the principal of, or premium on, if any, the Notes, (iii) failure by the Issuers to comply with the provisions of Section 3.09, 4.10, 4.15 or 5.01 of the Indenture; (iv) failure by the Partnership for 120 days after notice to the Partnership by the Trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding to comply with Section 4.03 of the Indenture; (v) failure by the Issuers for 60 days after notice to the Partnership by the Trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding to comply with any of their other agreements in the Indenture; (vi) default under certain other agreements relating to Indebtedness of the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries which default is a Payment Default or results in the acceleration of such Indebtedness prior to its express maturity; (vii) failure by the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to pay certain final judgments entered by a court or courts of competent jurisdiction aggregating in excess of $20.0 million (to the extent not covered by insurance by a reputable and creditworthy insurer as to which the insurer has not disclaimed coverage), which judgments are not paid, discharged or stayed, for a period of 60 days; (viii) except as permitted by the Indenture, any Note Guarantee is held in any judicial proceeding to be unenforceable or invalid or ceases for any reason to be in full force and effect, or any Guarantor, or any Person acting on behalf of any Guarantor, denies or disaffirms its obligations under its Note Guarantee; and (ix) certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency with respect to Finance Corp., the Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries that is a Significant Subsidiary or any group of Restricted Subsidiaries that, taken together, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary. In the case of an Event of Default arising from certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency with respect to the Partnership, any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership that is a Significant Subsidiary or any group of Restricted Subsidiaries of the Partnership that, taken together, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary, all outstanding Notes will become due and payable immediately without further action or notice. If any other Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may declare all the Notes to be due and payable immediately. Holders may not enforce the Indenture or the Notes except as provided in the Indenture. Subject to certain limitations, Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for exercising any remedy available to the Trustee or

 

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exercising any trust or power conferred on it. The Trustee may withhold from Holders of the Notes notice of any continuing Default or Event of Default (except a Default or Event of Default relating to the payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest) if it determines that withholding notice is in their interest. The Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes by notice to the Trustee may, on behalf of all the Holders, rescind an acceleration or waive an existing Default or Event of Default and its consequences under the Indenture except a continuing Default or Event of Default in the payment of principal of, premium on, if any, or interest on the Notes (including in connection with an offer to purchase any Notes). The Issuers are required to deliver to the Trustee annually an Officers’ Certificate regarding compliance with the Indenture, and the Issuers are required, upon becoming aware of any Default or Event of Default, to deliver to the Trustee a written statement specifying such Default or Event of Default.

(13) T RUSTEE D EALINGS WITH P ARTNERSHIP . The Trustee, in its individual or any other capacity, may make loans to, accept deposits from, and perform services for the Partnership or its Affiliates, and may otherwise deal with the Partnership or its Affiliates, as if it were not the Trustee.

(14) N O R ECOURSE A GAINST O THERS . None of the General Partner or any past, present or future director, officer, partner, employee, incorporator, manager or unitholder or other owner of Capital Stock of the General Partner, the Issuers or any Guarantor, as such, will have any liability for any obligations of the Issuers or the Guarantors under the Notes, the Indenture, the Note Guarantees or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. Each Holder of Notes by accepting a Note waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for issuance of the Notes.

(15) A UTHENTICATION . This Note will not be valid until authenticated by the manual signature of the Trustee or an authenticating agent.

(16) A BBREVIATIONS . Customary abbreviations may be used in the name of a Holder or an assignee, such as: TEN COM (= tenants in common), TEN ENT (= tenants by the entireties), JT TEN (= joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as tenants in common), CUST (= Custodian), and U/G/M/A (= Uniform Gifts to Minors Act).

(17) CUSIP N UMBERS . Pursuant to a recommendation promulgated by the Committee on Uniform Security Identification Procedures, the Partnership has caused CUSIP numbers to be printed on the Notes, and the Trustee may use CUSIP numbers in notices of redemption as a convenience to Holders. No representation is made as to the accuracy of such numbers either as printed on the Notes or as contained in any notice of redemption, and reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers placed thereon.

(18) GOVERNING LAW. THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WILL GOVERN AND BE USED TO CONSTRUE THE INDENTURE, THIS NOTE AND THE NOTE GUARANTEES.

 

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The Partnership will furnish to any Holder upon written request and without charge a copy of the Indenture. Requests may be made to:

SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P.

SunCoke Energy Partners Finance Corp.

1011 Warrenville Road, Suite 600

Lisle, Illinois 60532

Facsimile No.: (630) 824-1001

Attention: Chief Financial Officer

 

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A SSIGNMENT F ORM

To assign this Note, fill in the form below:

 

(I) or (we) assign and transfer this Note to:    

(Insert assignee’s legal name)

 

 

(Insert assignee’s soc. sec. or tax I.D. no.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Print or type assignee’s name, address and zip code)

and irrevocably appoint                                                                                                                                                                                      to transfer this Note on the books of the Issuers. The agent may substitute another to act for him.

Date:                     

Your Signature:                                                                                  

(Sign exactly as your name appears on the face of this Note)

Signature Guarantee*:                                 

 

* Participant in a recognized Signature Guarantee Medallion Program (or other signature guarantor acceptable to the Trustee).

 

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O PTION OF H OLDER TO E LECT P URCHASE

If you want to elect to have this Note purchased by the Partnership pursuant to Section 4.10 or 4.15 of the Indenture, check the appropriate box below:

¨ Section 4.10                     ¨ Section 4.15

If you want to elect to have only part of the Note purchased by the Partnership pursuant to Section 4.10 or Section 4.15 of the Indenture, state the amount you elect to have purchased:

$                     

Date:                     

Your Signature:                                                                                       

(Sign exactly as your name appears on the face of this Note)

Tax Identification No.:                                                                          

Signature Guarantee*:                     

 

* Participant in a recognized Signature Guarantee Medallion Program (or other signature guarantor acceptable to the Trustee).

 

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S CHEDULE OF E XCHANGES OF I NTERESTS IN THE G LOBAL N OTE *

The following exchanges of a part of this Global Note for an interest in another Global Note or for a Definitive Note, or exchanges of a part of another Global Note or Definitive Note for an interest in this Global Note, have been made:

 

Date of
Exchange

 

Amount of
decrease in
Principal
Amount of
this Global Note

 

Amount of
increase in
Principal
Amount of
this Global Note

 

Principal
Amount
of this Global
Note following
such decrease
(or increase)

 

Signature of
authorized
officer of Trustee
or Custodian

       

 

* This schedule should be included only if the Note is issued in global form .

 

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EXHIBIT B

FORM OF CERTIFICATE OF TRANSFER

SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P.

SunCoke Energy Partners Finance Corp.

1011 Warrenville Road, Suite 600

Lisle, Illinois 60532

The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A.

525 William Penn Place, 38th Floor

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15259

Facsimile No.: (412) 234-7535

Attention: Corporate Trust Administration

 

  Re: 7.375% Senior Notes due 2020

Reference is hereby made to the Indenture, dated as of January 24, 2013 (the “ Indenture ”), among SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “ Partnership ”), SunCoke Energy Partners Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation (“ Finance Corp. ” and together with the Partnership, the “ Issuers ”), the Guarantors party thereto and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Indenture.

                    (the “ Transferor ”) owns and proposes to transfer the Note[s] or interest in such Note[s] specified in Annex A hereto, in the principal amount of $            in such Note[s] or interests (the “ Transfer ”), to             (the “ Transferee ”), as further specified in Annex A hereto. In connection with the Transfer, the Transferor hereby certifies that:

[CHECK ALL THAT APPLY]

1. ¨ Check if Transferee will take delivery of a beneficial interest in the 144A Global Note or a Restricted Definitive Note pursuant to Rule 144A . The Transfer is being effected pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Securities Act ”), and, accordingly, the Transferor hereby further certifies that the beneficial interest or Definitive Note is being transferred to a Person that the Transferor reasonably believes is purchasing the beneficial interest or Definitive Note for its own account, or for one or more accounts with respect to which such Person exercises sole investment discretion, and such Person and each such account is a “qualified institutional buyer” within the meaning of Rule 144A in a transaction meeting the requirements of Rule 144A, and such Transfer is in compliance with any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States. Upon consummation of the proposed Transfer in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the transferred beneficial interest or Definitive Note will be subject to the restrictions on transfer enumerated in the Private Placement Legend printed on the 144A Global Note and/or the Restricted Definitive Note and in the Indenture and the Securities Act.

 

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2. ¨ Check if Transferee will take delivery of a beneficial interest in the Regulation S Global Note or a Restricted Definitive Note pursuant to Regulation S . The Transfer is being effected pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 903 or Rule 904 under the Securities Act and, accordingly, the Transferor hereby further certifies that (i) the Transfer is not being made to a Person in the United States and (x) at the time the buy order was originated, the Transferee was outside the United States or such Transferor and any Person acting on its behalf reasonably believed and believes that the Transferee was outside the United States or (y) the transaction was executed in, on or through the facilities of a designated offshore securities market and neither such Transferor nor any Person acting on its behalf knows that the transaction was prearranged with a buyer in the United States, (ii) no directed selling efforts have been made in contravention of the requirements of Rule 903(b) or Rule 904(b) of Regulation S under the Securities Act and (iii) the transaction is not part of a plan or scheme to evade the registration requirements of the Securities Act. Upon consummation of the proposed transfer in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the transferred beneficial interest or Definitive Note will be subject to the restrictions on Transfer enumerated in the Private Placement Legend printed on the Regulation S Global Note and/or the Restricted Definitive Note and in the Indenture and the Securities Act.

3. ¨ Check and complete if, among other things, Transferee will take delivery of a beneficial interest in the IAI Global Note or a Restricted Definitive Note pursuant to any provision of the Securities Act other than Rule 144A or Regulation S . The Transfer is being effected in compliance with the transfer restrictions applicable to beneficial interests in Restricted Global Notes and Restricted Definitive Notes and pursuant to and in accordance with the Securities Act and any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States, and accordingly the Transferor hereby further certifies that (check one):

(a) ¨ such Transfer is being effected pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 144 under the Securities Act;

or

(b) ¨ such Transfer is being effected to the Partnership or a subsidiary thereof;

or

(c) ¨ such Transfer is being effected pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act and in compliance with the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act;

or

(d) ¨ such Transfer is being effected to an Institutional Accredited Investor and pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act other than Rule 144A, Rule 144, Rule 903 or Rule 904, and the Transferor hereby

 

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further certifies that it has not engaged in any general solicitation within the meaning of Regulation D under the Securities Act and the Transfer complies with the transfer restrictions applicable to beneficial interests in a Restricted Global Note or Restricted Definitive Notes and the requirements of the exemption claimed, which certification is supported by (1) a certificate executed by the Transferee in the form of Exhibit D to the Indenture and (2) an Opinion of Counsel provided by the Transferor or the Transferee (a copy of which the Transferor has attached to this certification), to the effect that such Transfer is in compliance with the Securities Act. Upon consummation of the proposed transfer in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the transferred beneficial interest or Definitive Note will be subject to the restrictions on transfer enumerated in the Private Placement Legend printed on the IAI Global Note and/or the Restricted Definitive Notes and in the Indenture and the Securities Act.

4. ¨ Check if Transferee will take delivery of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note or an Unrestricted Definitive Note .

(a) ¨ Check if Transfer is pursuant to Rule 144 . (i) The Transfer is being effected pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 144 under the Securities Act and in compliance with the transfer restrictions contained in the Indenture and any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States and (ii) the restrictions on transfer contained in the Indenture and the Private Placement Legend are not required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act. Upon consummation of the proposed Transfer in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the transferred beneficial interest or Definitive Note will no longer be subject to the restrictions on transfer enumerated in the Private Placement Legend printed on the Restricted Global Notes, on Restricted Definitive Notes and in the Indenture.

(b) ¨ Check if Transfer is Pursuant to Regulation S . (i) The Transfer is being effected pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 903 or Rule 904 under the Securities Act and in compliance with the transfer restrictions contained in the Indenture and any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States and (ii) the restrictions on transfer contained in the Indenture and the Private Placement Legend are not required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act. Upon consummation of the proposed Transfer in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the transferred beneficial interest or Definitive Note will no longer be subject to the restrictions on transfer enumerated in the Private Placement Legend printed on the Restricted Global Notes, on Restricted Definitive Notes and in the Indenture.

(c) ¨ Check if Transfer is Pursuant to Other Exemption . (i) The Transfer is being effected pursuant to and in compliance with an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act other than Rule 144, Rule 903 or Rule 904 and in compliance with the transfer restrictions contained in the Indenture and any applicable blue sky securities laws of any State of the United States and (ii) the restrictions on transfer contained in the Indenture and the Private Placement Legend are not required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act. Upon consummation of the proposed Transfer in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the transferred beneficial interest or Definitive Note will not be subject to the restrictions on transfer enumerated in the Private Placement Legend printed on the Restricted Global Notes or Restricted Definitive Notes and in the Indenture.

 

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This certificate and the statements contained herein are made for your benefit.

 

       
  [Insert Name of Transferor]
By:    
 

Name:

Title:

Dated:                         

 

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ANNEX A TO CERTIFICATE OF TRANSFER

 

1. The Transferor owns and proposes to transfer the following:

[CHECK ONE OF (a) OR (b)]

(a)  ¨ a beneficial interest in the:

(i)  ¨ 144A Global Note (CUSIP             ), or

(ii)  ¨ Regulation S Global Note (CUSIP             ), or

(iii)  ¨ IAI Global Note (CUSIP             ); or

(b)  ¨ a Restricted Definitive Note.

 

2. After the Transfer the Transferee will hold:

[CHECK ONE]

(a)  ¨ a beneficial interest in the:

(i)  ¨ 144A Global Note (CUSIP             ), or

(ii)  ¨ Regulation S Global Note (CUSIP             ), or

(iii)  ¨ IAI Global Note (CUSIP             ); or

(iv)  ¨ Unrestricted Global Note (CUSIP             ); or

(b)  ¨ a Restricted Definitive Note; or

(c)  ¨ an Unrestricted Definitive Note,

in accordance with the terms of the Indenture.

 

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EXHIBIT C

FORM OF CERTIFICATE OF EXCHANGE

SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P.

SunCoke Energy Partners Finance Corp.

1011 Warrenville Road, Suite 600

Lisle, Illinois 60532

The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A.

525 William Penn Place, 38th Floor

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15259

Facsimile No.: (412) 234-7535

Attention: Corporate Trust Administration

Re: 7.375% Senior Notes due 2020

(CUSIP [            ])

Reference is hereby made to the Indenture, dated as of January 24, 2013 (the “ Indenture ”), among SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “ Partnership ”), SunCoke Energy Partners Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation (“ Finance Corp. ” and together with the Partnership, the “ Issuers ”), the Guarantors party thereto and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Indenture.

                    (the “ Owner ”) owns and proposes to exchange the Note[s] or interest in such Note[s] specified herein, in the principal amount of $            in such Note[s] or interests (the “ Exchange ”). In connection with the Exchange, the Owner hereby certifies that:

1. Exchange of Restricted Definitive Notes or Beneficial Interests in a Restricted Global Note for Unrestricted Definitive Notes or Beneficial Interests in an Unrestricted Global Note

(a) ¨ Check if Exchange is from beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note to beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note . In connection with the Exchange of the Owner’s beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note for a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note in an equal principal amount, the Owner hereby certifies (i) the beneficial interest is being acquired for the Owner’s own account without transfer, (ii) such Exchange has been effected in compliance with the transfer restrictions applicable to the Global Notes and pursuant to and in accordance with the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Securities Act ”), (iii) the restrictions on transfer contained in the Indenture and the Private Placement Legend are not required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act and (iv) the beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note is being acquired in compliance with any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States.

 

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(b) ¨ Check if Exchange is from beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note to Unrestricted Definitive Note . In connection with the Exchange of the Owner’s beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note for an Unrestricted Definitive Note, the Owner hereby certifies (i) the Definitive Note is being acquired for the Owner’s own account without transfer, (ii) such Exchange has been effected in compliance with the transfer restrictions applicable to the Restricted Global Notes and pursuant to and in accordance with the Securities Act, (iii) the restrictions on transfer contained in the Indenture and the Private Placement Legend are not required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act and (iv) the Definitive Note is being acquired in compliance with any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States.

(c) ¨ Check if Exchange is from Restricted Definitive Note to beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note . In connection with the Owner’s Exchange of a Restricted Definitive Note for a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note, the Owner hereby certifies (i) the beneficial interest is being acquired for the Owner’s own account without transfer, (ii) such Exchange has been effected in compliance with the transfer restrictions applicable to Restricted Definitive Notes and pursuant to and in accordance with the Securities Act, (iii) the restrictions on transfer contained in the Indenture and the Private Placement Legend are not required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act and (iv) the beneficial interest is being acquired in compliance with any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States.

(d) ¨ Check if Exchange is from Restricted Definitive Note to Unrestricted Definitive Note . In connection with the Owner’s Exchange of a Restricted Definitive Note for an Unrestricted Definitive Note, the Owner hereby certifies (i) the Unrestricted Definitive Note is being acquired for the Owner’s own account without transfer, (ii) such Exchange has been effected in compliance with the transfer restrictions applicable to Restricted Definitive Notes and pursuant to and in accordance with the Securities Act, (iii) the restrictions on transfer contained in the Indenture and the Private Placement Legend are not required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act and (iv) the Unrestricted Definitive Note is being acquired in compliance with any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States.

2. Exchange of Restricted Definitive Notes or Beneficial Interests in Restricted Global Notes for Restricted Definitive Notes or Beneficial Interests in Restricted Global Notes

(a) ¨ Check if Exchange is from beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note to Restricted Definitive Note. In connection with the Exchange of the Owner’s beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note for a Restricted Definitive Note with an equal principal amount, the Owner hereby certifies that the Restricted Definitive Note is being acquired for the Owner’s own account without transfer. Upon consummation of the proposed Exchange in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the Restricted Definitive Note issued will continue to be subject to the restrictions on transfer enumerated in the Private Placement Legend printed on the Restricted Definitive Note and in the Indenture and the Securities Act.

(b) ¨ Check if Exchange is from Restricted Definitive Note to beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note . In connection with the Exchange of the Owner’s Restricted Definitive Note for a beneficial interest in the [CHECK ONE] ¨ 144A Global Note, ¨ Regulation S Global Note, ¨ IAI Global Note with an equal principal amount, the Owner hereby

 

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certifies (i) the beneficial interest is being acquired for the Owner’s own account without transfer and (ii) such Exchange has been effected in compliance with the transfer restrictions applicable to the Restricted Global Notes and pursuant to and in accordance with the Securities Act, and in compliance with any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States. Upon consummation of the proposed Exchange in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the beneficial interest issued will be subject to the restrictions on transfer enumerated in the Private Placement Legend printed on the relevant Restricted Global Note and in the Indenture and the Securities Act.

This certificate and the statements contained herein are made for your benefit.

 

 
   
  [Insert Name of Transferor]
By:    
 

Name:

Title:

Dated:                         

 

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EXHIBIT D

FORM OF CERTIFICATE FROM

ACQUIRING INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITED INVESTOR

SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P.

SunCoke Energy Partners Finance Corp.

1011 Warrenville Road, Suite 600

Lisle, Illinois 60532

The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A.

525 William Penn Place, 38th Floor

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15259

Facsimile No.: (412) 234-7535

Attention: Corporate Trust Administration

Re: 7.375% Senior Notes due 2020

Reference is hereby made to the Indenture, dated as of January 24, 2013 (the “ Indenture ”), among SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “ Partnership ”), SunCoke Energy Partners Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation (“ Finance Corp. ” and together with the Partnership, the “ Issuers ”), the Guarantors party thereto and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Indenture.

In connection with our proposed purchase of $            aggregate principal amount of:

(a) ¨ a beneficial interest in a Global Note, or

(b) ¨ a Definitive Note,

we confirm that:

1. We understand that any subsequent transfer of the Notes or any interest therein is subject to certain restrictions and conditions set forth in the Indenture and the undersigned agrees to be bound by, and not to resell, pledge or otherwise transfer the Notes or any interest therein except in compliance with, such restrictions and conditions and the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Securities Act ”).

2. We understand that the offer and sale of the Notes have not been registered under the Securities Act, and that the Notes and any interest therein may not be offered or sold except as permitted in the following sentence. We agree, on our own behalf and on behalf of any accounts for which we are acting as hereinafter stated, that if we should sell the Notes or any interest therein, we will do so only (A) to the Partnership or any subsidiary thereof, (B) in accordance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act to a “qualified institutional buyer” (as defined therein), (C) to an institutional “accredited investor” (as defined below) that, prior to such transfer, furnishes (or has furnished on its behalf by a U.S. broker-dealer) to you and to the Partnership a signed letter substantially in the form of this letter and, if such transfer is in respect

 

D-1


of a principal amount of Notes, at the time of transfer of less than $250,000, an Opinion of Counsel in form reasonably acceptable to the Partnership to the effect that such transfer is in compliance with the Securities Act, (D) outside the United States in accordance with Rule 904 of Regulation S under the Securities Act, (E) pursuant to the provisions of Rule 144 under the Securities Act or (F) pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, and we further agree to provide to any Person purchasing the Definitive Note or beneficial interest in a Global Note from us in a transaction meeting the requirements of clauses (A) through (E) of this paragraph a notice advising such purchaser that resales thereof are restricted as stated herein.

3. We understand that, on any proposed resale of the Notes or beneficial interest therein, we will be required to furnish to you and the Partnership such certifications, legal opinions and other information as you and the Partnership may reasonably require to confirm that the proposed sale complies with the foregoing restrictions. We further understand that the Notes purchased by us will bear a legend to the foregoing effect.

4. We are an institutional “accredited investor” (as defined in Rule 501(a)(1), (2), (3) or (7) of Regulation D under the Securities Act) and have such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters as to be capable of evaluating the merits and risks of our investment in the Notes, and we and any accounts for which we are acting are each able to bear the economic risk of our or its investment.

5. We are acquiring the Notes or beneficial interest therein purchased by us for our own account or for one or more accounts (each of which is an institutional “accredited investor”) as to each of which we exercise sole investment discretion.

You are entitled to rely upon this letter and are irrevocably authorized to produce this letter or a copy hereof to any interested party in any administrative or legal proceedings or official inquiry with respect to the matters covered hereby.

 

   
  [Insert Name of Accredited Investor]
By:    
  Name:
  Title:

Dated:                     

 

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EXHIBIT E

[FORM OF NOTATION OF GUARANTEE]

For value received, each Guarantor (which term includes any successor Person under the Indenture) has, jointly and severally, unconditionally guaranteed, to the extent set forth in the Indenture and subject to the provisions in the Indenture, dated as of January 24, 2013 (the “ Indenture ”), among SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “ Partnership ”), SunCoke Energy Partners Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation (“ Finance Corp. ” and together with the Partnership, the “ Issuers ”), the Guarantors party thereto and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (the “ Trustee ”), (a) the due and punctual payment of the principal of, premium on, if any, and interest on the Notes, whether at Stated Maturity, by acceleration, redemption or otherwise, the due and punctual payment of interest on overdue principal of, premium on, if any, and interest on the Notes, if any, if lawful, and the due and punctual performance of all other obligations of the Issuers to the Holders or the Trustee all in accordance with the terms of the Indenture and (b) in case of any extension of time of payment or renewal of any Notes or any of such other obligations, that the same will be promptly paid in full when due or performed in accordance with the terms of the extension or renewal, whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise. The obligations of the Guarantors to the Holders of Notes and to the Trustee pursuant to the Note Guarantee and the Indenture are expressly set forth in Article 10 of the Indenture and reference is hereby made to the Indenture for the precise terms of the Note Guarantee.

Capitalized terms used but not defined herein have the meanings given to them in the Indenture.

 

[N AME OF G UARANTOR ( S )]
By:    
  Name:
  Title:

 

E-1


EXHIBIT F

[FORM OF SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE

TO BE DELIVERED BY SUBSEQUENT GUARANTORS]

S UPPLEMENTAL I NDENTURE (this “ Supplemental Indenture ”), dated as of             , among             (the “ Guaranteeing Subsidiary ”), a subsidiary of SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “ Partnership ”), the Partnership, SunCoke Energy Partners Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation (“ Finance Corp. ” and together with the Partnership, the “ Issuers ” and individually an “ Issuer ”), the other Guarantors (as defined in the Indenture referred to herein) and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee under the Indenture referred to below (the “ Trustee ”).

W I T N E S S E T H

WHEREAS, the Issuers have heretofore executed and delivered to the Trustee an indenture (the “ Indenture ”), dated as of January 24, 2013 providing for the issuance of 7.375% Senior Notes due 2020 (the “ Notes ”);

WHEREAS, the Indenture provides that under certain circumstances the Guaranteeing Subsidiary shall execute and deliver to the Trustee a supplemental indenture pursuant to which the Guaranteeing Subsidiary shall unconditionally Guarantee all of the Issuers’ Obligations under the Notes and the Indenture on the terms and conditions set forth herein (the “ Note Guarantee ”); and

WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 9.01 of the Indenture, the Trustee is authorized to execute and deliver this Supplemental Indenture.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the Guaranteeing Subsidiary, the other Guarantors, the Issuers and the Trustee mutually covenant and agree for the equal and ratable benefit of the Holders of the Notes as follows:

1. C APITALIZED T ERMS . Capitalized terms used herein without definition shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Indenture.

2. A GREEMENT TO G UARANTEE . The Guaranteeing Subsidiary hereby agrees to provide an unconditional Guarantee on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Note Guarantee and in the Indenture including but not limited to Article 10 thereof.

3. N O R ECOURSE A GAINST O THERS . None of the General Partner or any director, officer, partner, employee, incorporator, manager or unitholder or other owner of Capital Stock of the General Partner, the Issuers or any Guarantor, as such, will have any liability for any obligations of the Issuers or the Guarantors under the Notes, the Indenture or the Note Guarantees or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. Each Holder of Notes by accepting a Note waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for issuance of the Notes.

 

F-1


4. NEW YORK LAW TO GOVERN. THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK SHALL GOVERN AND BE USED TO CONSTRUE THIS SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE.

5. C OUNTERPARTS . The parties may sign any number of copies of this Supplemental Indenture. Each signed copy shall be an original, but all of them together represent the same agreement.

6. E FFECT OF H EADINGS . The Section headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.

7. T HE T RUSTEE . The Trustee shall not be responsible in any manner whatsoever for or in respect of the validity or sufficiency of this Supplemental Indenture or for or in respect of the recitals contained herein, all of which recitals are made solely by the Guaranteeing Subsidiary, the other Guarantors and the Issuers.

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Supplemental Indenture to be duly executed and attested, all as of the date first above written.

Dated:                     

 

[G UARANTEEING S UBSIDIARY ]
By:    
  Name:
  Title:

 

SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P.
By:   SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS GP LLC
 

its general partner

By:    
  Name:
  Title:

 

SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS
FINANCE CORP.

By:    
  Name:
  Title:

 

[E XISTING G UARANTORS ]
By:    
  Name:
  Title:

 

THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST
COMPANY, N.A.,

As Trustee
By:    
  Authorized Signatory

 

F-3

Table of Contents

Exhibit 10.1

Execution Version

 

 

 

 

CONTRIBUTION AGREEMENT

by and among

SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P.,

SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS GP LLC,

and

SUN COAL & COKE LLC

Dated as of January 23, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

US 1559907v.11


Table of Contents
  TABLE OF CONTENTS   
  ARTICLE I   
  DEFINITIONS   
Section 1.1  

Definitions

     3   
  ARTICLE II   
  TRANSACTIONS PRECEDING AND IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE OFFERING   
Section 2.1  

Transactions Preceding the Offering

     6   
Section 2.2  

Structural Contributions and Assumptions of Liabilities

     7   
Section 2.3  

Transactions Immediately Following the Offering

     7   
  EXERCISE OF UNDERWRITERS’ OPTION   
  ARTICLE IV   
  MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS   
Section 4.1  

Effective Time

     8   
Section 4.2  

Further Assurances

     8   
Section 4.3  

Headings; References, Interpretation

     9   
Section 4.4  

Successors and Assigns

     9   
Section 4.5  

No Third Party Rights

     9   
Section 4.6  

Counterparts

     9   
Section 4.7  

Choice of Law; Submission to Jurisdiction

     9   
Section 4.8  

Severability

     10   
Section 4.9  

Amendment or Modification

     10   
Section 4.10  

Integration

     10   
Section 4.11  

Notices

     10   
Section 4.12  

Deed; Bill of Sale; Assignment

     10   


Table of Contents

Execution Version

CONTRIBUTION AGREEMENT

This CONTRIBUTION AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”), dated as of January 23, 2013 is made by and among Sun Coal & Coke LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ SC&C ”), SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “ Partnership ”), and SunCoke Energy Partners GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and the general partner of the Partnership (the “ General Partner ”). The above-named entities are sometimes referred to in this Agreement each as a “ Party ” and collectively as the “ Parties .” Capitalized terms used herein shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in Article I .

RECITALS

WHEREAS , SC&C, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SunCoke Energy, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ SunCoke ”), has formed the General Partner under the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act (the “ Delaware LLC Act ”), to which it contributed $1,000.00 in exchange for a 100% membership interest in the General Partner;

WHEREAS , the General Partner and SC&C have formed the Partnership pursuant to the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act (the “ Delaware LP Act ”) for the purposes set forth in the Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Partnership dated July 30, 2012 (the “ Initial Partnership Agreement ”);

WHEREAS , in connection with the Partnership’s formation, the General Partner contributed $20.00 and SC&C contributed $980.00 to the Partnership in exchange for a 2.0% general partner interest (the “ GP Interest ”) and a 98.0% limited partner interest (the “ Initial LP Interest ”), respectively;

WHEREAS , Haverhill Coke Company LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Haverhill ”), has formed Haverhill Cogeneration Company LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Haverhill Cogeneration ”), pursuant to the Delaware LLC Act, to which it contributed $1,000.00 in exchange for a 100% membership interest in Haverhill Cogeneration;

WHEREAS , Middletown Coke Company, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Middletown ”), has formed Middletown Cogeneration Company LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Middletown Cogeneration ”), pursuant to the Delaware LLC Act, to which it contributed $1,000.00 in exchange for a 100% membership interest in Middletown Cogeneration;

WHEREAS , pursuant hereto (or, with respect to clause 1., the Assumption Agreement, with respect to clause 2., the Haverhill Collections Agreement, with respect to clause 3., the Middletown Collections Agreement, with respect to clause 5., the Partnership Agreement, with respect to clause 6., the Senior Notes Indenture, with respect to clause 8., the Underwriting Agreement), with respect to clause 10., the Assumption Agreement, and with respect to clause 11., the Assumption Agreement, each of the following will occur at the times specified hereinafter:

 

  1. Haverhill will assume primary repayment responsibility for repayment of $80.0 million of SunCoke’s outstanding indebtedness under the SunCoke Credit Agreement (the “ Haverhill Assumed Debt ”), and Middletown will assume primary responsibility for repayment of $145.0 million of SunCoke’s outstanding indebtedness under the SunCoke Credit Agreement (the “ Middletown Assumed Debt );


Table of Contents
  2. Haverhill Cogeneration will contribute to Haverhill its existing accounts receivable, whether or not invoiced, (the “ Haverhill Cogeneration Receivables ”) and Haverhill will contribute to SC&C (a) all amounts received from Haverhill Cogeneration as Haverhill Cogeneration Receivables and (b) Haverhill’s existing accounts receivable, whether or not invoiced, (the “ Haverhill Receivables ,” and together with the Haverhill Cogeneration Receivables, the “ Haverhill Group Receivables ”);

 

  3. Middletown Cogeneration will contribute to Middletown its existing accounts receivable, whether or not invoiced, (the “ Middletown Cogeneration Receivables ”) and Middletown will contribute to SC&C (a) all amounts received from Middletown Cogeneration as Middletown Cogeneration Receivables and (b) Middletown’s existing accounts receivable, whether or not invoiced, (the “ Middletown Receivables ,” and together with the Middletown Cogeneration Receivables, the “ Middletown Group Receivables ”);

 

  4. SC&C will contribute a 50.71% limited liability company interest in Haverhill and a 48.65% limited liability company interest in Middletown to the Partnership;

 

  5. SC&C’s limited partner interest in the Partnership will be restated as 184,697 Common Units, 15,709,697 Subordinated Units and the right to receive the Deferred Issuance and Distribution, and the General Partner’s interest in the Partnership will be restated as a 2.0% general partner interest and Incentive Distribution Rights;

 

  6. The Partnership will borrow $150.0 million (the “ MLP Debt Proceeds ”) from third party creditors in connection with an offering of senior notes (the “ MLP Debt ”);

 

  7. The Partnership will enter into the MLP Credit Agreement;

 

  8. The Partnership will issue 13,500,000 Common Units to public investors, through the Underwriters, in exchange for cash in the amount of $256.5 million (the “ IPO Proceeds ”) and will grant the Underwriters the Underwriters’ Option;

 

  9. The Partnership will contribute $168 million to Haverhill and $170 million to Middletown to, among other things, permit Haverhill to repay the Haverhill Assumed Debt and permit Middletown to repay the Middletown Assumed Debt;

 

  10. Haverhill will pay off the Haverhill Assumed Debt and waive any right to repayment in connection therewith;

 

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Table of Contents
  11. Middletown will pay off the Middletown Assumed Debt and waive any right to repayment in connection therewith;

 

  12. The Partnership will make a cash distribution of $33.1 million to SC&C, to be funded in a manner traceable to the MLP Debt Proceeds, and in part as a reimbursement of pre-formation capital expenditures incurred with respect to the assets of Haverhill and Haverhill Cogeneration (the “ Haverhill Pre-Formation Capex ”) and pre-formation capital expenditures incurred with respect to the assets of Middletown and Middletown Cogeneration (the “ Middletown Pre-Formation Capex ”); and

 

  13. The Partnership will (i) pay all transaction fees and expenses associated with the MLP Financing Transactions and (ii) reimburse SC&C and SunCoke for all expenses and expenditures incurred as a result of the Partnership becoming a publicly traded entity;

WHEREAS , if the Underwriters’ Option is exercised, each of the matters provided in Article III will occur as set forth therein; and

WHEREAS , members or partners of the Parties have taken all partnership and limited liability company action, as the case may be, required to be taken to approve the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

NOW THEREFORE , in consideration of the foregoing and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

Section 1.1 Definitions

The following defined terms will have the meanings given below:

Agreement ” has the meaning set forth in the opening paragraph of this Agreement.

Assumption Agreement ” means the Assumption Agreement effective as of the Closing Date, by and among Haverhill, Middletown and SunCoke.

Assumption Parties ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals of this Agreement.

Closing Date ” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Partnership Agreement.

Commission ” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Common Unit ” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Partnership Agreement.

 

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Table of Contents

Deferred Issuance and Distribution ” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Partnership Agreement.

Delaware LLC Act ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals of this Agreement.

Delaware LP Act ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals of this Agreement.

“General Partner” has the meaning set forth in the opening paragraph of this Agreement.

GP Interest ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals of this Agreement.

Haverhill ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals of this Agreement.

Haverhill Assumed Debt ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals of this Agreement.

Haverhill Cogeneration ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals of this Agreement.

Haverhill Cogeneration Receivables ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals of this Agreement.

Haverhill Collections Agreement ” means the Collections Agreement dated January 23, 2013, by and among SC&C, Haverhill and Haverhill Cogeneration.

Haverhill Group Receivables ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals of this Agreement.

Haverhill Pre-Formation Capex ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals of this Agreement.

Haverhill Receivables ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals of this Agreement.

Incentive Distribution Rights ” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Partnership Agreement.

Initial LP Interest ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals of this Agreement.

Initial Partnership Agreement ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals of this Agreement.

IPO Proceeds ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals to this Agreement.

Middletown ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals of this Agreement.

Middletown Assumed Debt ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals of this Agreement.

Middletown Cogeneration ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals of this Agreement.

Middletown Cogeneration Receivables ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals of this Agreement.

 

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Table of Contents

Middletown Collections Agreement ” means the Collections Agreement dated January 23, 2013, by and among SC&C, Middletown and Middletown Cogeneration.

Middletown Group Receivables ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals of this Agreement.

Middletown Pre-Formation Capex ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals of this Agreement.

Middletown Receivables ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals of this Agreement.

MLP Credit Agreement ” means the credit agreement to be entered into by and among the Partnership, Haverhill, Haverhill Cogeneration, Middletown, Middletown Cogeneration, as borrowers, J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, and the lenders party thereto, in substantially the form attached as Exhibit 10.5 to the Registration Statement.

MLP Debt ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals to this Agreement.

MLP Financing Transactions ” means the MLP Credit Agreement and the MLP Debt.

Offering ” means the initial public offering of the Partnership’s Common Units.

Omnibus Agreement ” means the omnibus agreement to be entered into between SunCoke, the Partnership and the General Partner, substantially in the form attached as Exhibit 10.2 to the Registration Statement.

Option Units ” has the meaning set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.

Party ” or “ Parties ” has the meaning set forth in the opening paragraph of this Agreement.

Partnership ” has the meaning set forth in the opening paragraph of this Agreement.

Partnership Agreement ” means the First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Partnership, substantially in the form attached as Appendix C to the Registration Statement.

Registration Statement ” means the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed with the Commission (Registration No. 333-183162), as amended.

SC&C ” has the meaning set forth in the opening paragraph of this Agreement.

Senior Notes Indenture ” means the indenture to be entered into between the Partnership, SunCoke Energy Partners Finance Corp., the guarantors party thereto, and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., in substantially the form attached as Exhibit 4.1 to the Registration Statement.

Subordinated Unit ” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Partnership Agreement.

 

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Table of Contents

SunCoke ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals of this Agreement.

SunCoke Credit Agreement ” means the Credit Agreement by and among SunCoke, as borrower, the lenders party thereto from time to time, The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC and Keybank National Association, as revolving facility co-documentation agents, Bank of America, N.A., as revolving facility syndication agent and term loan facility documentation agent, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, as term loan syndication agent, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners for the term loan facility, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners for the revolving facility, and J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, dated as of July 26, 2011, as may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

Underwriters ” means the underwriting syndicate listed in the Underwriting Agreement.

Underwriting Agreement ” means the underwriting agreement to be entered into by and among the Partnership, the General Partner, SC&C, SunCoke and the underwriting syndicate listed therein, in substantially the form attached as Exhibit 1.1 to the Registration Statement.

Underwriters’ Option ” means the over-allotment option granted to the Underwriters by the Partnership pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement.

ARTICLE II

TRANSACTIONS PRECEDING AND IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE OFFERING

Section 2.1 Transactions Preceding the Offering.

The parties acknowledge and agree that the following actions have occurred or will have occurred prior to the Closing Date:

(a) Haverhill has assumed primary responsibility for repayment of the Haverhill Assumed Debt, and Middletown has assumed primary responsibility for repayment of the Middletown Assumed Debt.

(b) Haverhill Cogeneration has transferred, conveyed and assigned to Haverhill the Haverhill Cogeneration Receivables, Haverhill has transferred, conveyed and assigned to SC&C the Haverhill Group Receivables, Middletown Cogeneration has transferred, conveyed and assigned to Middletown the Middletown Cogeneration Receivables and Middletown has transferred, conveyed and assigned to SC&C the Middletown Group Receivables, in each case as a distribution with respect to the beneficial interest SC&C owns (directly or indirectly) in the outstanding membership interests in each of Haverhill Cogeneration, Haverhill, Middletown Cogeneration and Middletown.

 

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Section 2.2 Structural Contributions and Assumptions of Liabilities.

The parties acknowledge and agree that the following actions will hereby occur effective immediately prior to the closing of the Offering:

(a) SC&C hereby grants, contributes, bargains, transfers, conveys, sets over, delivers and assigns to the Partnership, and the Partnership hereby accepts such transfer, conveyance and assignment, of a 50.71% limited liability company interest in Haverhill and a 48.66% limited liability company interest in Middletown, as a contribution with respect to the beneficial interest SC&C (directly and indirectly) owns in the outstanding partner interests in the Partnership, and in exchange for such transfer, conveyance and assignment, SC&C’s limited partner interest in the Partnership is restated as 184,697 Common Units, 15,709,697 Subordinated Units and the right to receive the Deferred Issuance and Distribution, and the General Partner’s interest in the Partnership is restated as a 2.0% general partner interest and Incentive Distribution Rights;

(b) The Parties acknowledge that, in connection with the Offering, the public, through the Underwriters, has made a capital contribution to the Partnership of $256.5 million in cash in exchange for 13,500,000 Common Units representing a 43.0% limited partner interest in the Partnership.

(c) The Parties acknowledge (i) the payment by the Partnership, in connection with the Closing, of transaction expenses in the amount of approximately $29.4 million (including underwriting discounts and a structuring fee) and (ii) the distribution by the Partnership of approximately $33.1 million to SC&C, in part as a reimbursement of qualified capital expenditures.

(d) The Partnership hereby distributes $20.00 to the General Partner and $980.00 to SC&C, as a refund of the initial capital contributions by each such party to the Partnership, along with 2.0% and 98.0%, respectively, of any interest or other profit that resulted from the investment or other use of the initial capital contributions.

Section 2.3 Transactions Immediately Following the Offering.

The parties acknowledge and agree that the following actions will hereby occur in the following order effective immediately following the closing of the Offering:

(a) The Partnership contributes $88.0 million of the IPO Proceeds to Haverhill and $25.0 million of the IPO Proceeds to Middletown to be used for environmental remediation costs, to pay sales discounts related to certain tax credits, and for working capital purposes, in exchange the Partnership’s interest in each of Haverhill and Middletown is restated as a 65% membership interest.

(b) Haverhill pays off the Haverhill Assumed Debt and waives any right to repayment in connection therewith.

(c) Middletown pays off the Middletown Assumed Debt and waives any right to repayment in connection therewith.

 

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(d) The Partnership makes a cash distribution of $33.1 million to SC&C, in a manner traceable to the MLP Debt, and in part as a reimbursement of the Haverhill Pre-Formation Capex and the Middletown Pre-Formation Capex.

(e) SC&C and the General Partner shall amend and restate the Initial Partnership Agreement by executing the Partnership Agreement in substantially the form included as Appendix C to the Registration Statement, with such changes as the General Partner and SC&C may agree.

(f) SunCoke, the Partnership and the General Partner shall execute the Omnibus Agreement, in substantially the form attached as Exhibit 10.2 to the Registration Statement, with such changes as such parties may agree, pursuant to which such parties shall agree to certain matters with respect to, among other things, intellectual property, indemnification, customer contracts, business opportunities, rights of first offer, reimbursement for certain fees and expenses related to the MLP Financing Transactions, and allocation and reimbursement of certain expenses (including, but not limited to, expenses related to the Partnership becoming a publicly traded entity), as provided therein.

ARTICLE III

EXERCISE OF UNDERWRITERS’ OPTION

Section 3.1 If the Underwriters’ Option is exercised in part or in full, the Underwriters will contribute additional cash to the Partnership in exchange for the Option Units on the basis of the price per Common Unit set forth in the Underwriting Agreement, and any such proceeds will be paid by the Partnership to SC&C as a special distribution. To the extent that the Underwriters’ Option is not exercised, then upon the expiration of the Underwriters’ Option, the Partnership will issue to SC&C a number of Common Units equal to the unexercised portion of the Underwriters’ Option.

ARTICLE IV

MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

Section 4.1 Effective Time

Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the provisions of Article II and Section 4.2 shall not be binding or have any effect until each of the Partnership and SC&C executes the Underwriting Agreement, at which time all such provisions shall be effective and operative without further action by any Party.

Section 4.2 Further Assurances

From time to time, and without any further consideration, the Parties agree to execute, acknowledge and deliver all such additional deeds, assignments, bills of sale, conveyances, instruments, notices, releases, acquittances and other documents, and to do all such other acts and things, all in accordance with applicable law, as may be necessary or appropriate (a) more fully to assure that the applicable Parties own all of the properties, rights, titles, interests, estates, remedies, powers and privileges granted by this Agreement or which are intended to be so granted, (b) more fully and effectively to vest in the applicable Parties and their respective successors and assigns beneficial and record title to the interests contributed and assigned by this Agreement or intended to be so contributed and assigned and (c) more fully and effectively to carry out the purposes and intent of this Agreement.

 

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Section 4.3 Headings; References, Interpretation

All Article and Section headings in this Agreement are for convenience only and shall not be deemed to control or affect the meaning or construction of any of the provisions hereof. The words “hereof,” “herein” and “hereunder” and words of similar import, when used in this Agreement, shall refer to this Agreement as a whole. All references herein to Articles and Sections shall, unless the context requires a different construction, be deemed to be references to the Articles and Sections of this Agreement. All personal pronouns used in this Agreement, whether used in the masculine, feminine or neuter gender, shall include all other genders, and the singular shall include the plural and vice versa. The use herein of the word “including” following any general statement, term or matter shall not be construed to limit such statement, term or matter to the specific items or matters set forth immediately following such word or to similar items or matters, whether or not non-limiting language (such as “without limitation,” “but not limited to” or words of similar import) is used with reference thereto, but rather shall be deemed to refer to all other items or matters that could reasonably fall within the broadest possible scope of such general statement, term or matter.

Section 4.4 Successors and Assigns

This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Parties and their respective successors and assigns.

Section 4.5 No Third Party Rights

The provisions of this Agreement are intended to bind the Parties as to each other and are not intended to and do not create rights in any other person or confer upon any other person any benefits, rights or remedies, and no person is or is intended to be a third party beneficiary of any of the provisions of this Agreement.

Section 4.6 Counterparts

This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts with the same effect as if all signatory Parties had signed the same document. All counterparts shall be construed together and shall constitute one and the same instrument. The delivery of an executed counterpart copy of this Agreement by facsimile or electronic transmission in PDF format shall be deemed to be the equivalent of delivery of the originally executed copy thereof.

Section 4.7 Choice of Law; Submission to Jurisdiction

This Agreement shall be subject to and governed by the laws of the State of New York, excluding any conflicts-of-law rule or principle that might refer the construction or interpretation of this Agreement to the laws of another state. Each Party hereby submits to the jurisdiction of the state and federal courts in the State of New York and to venue in New York, New York.

 

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Section 4.8 Severability

If any of the provisions of this Agreement are held by any court of competent jurisdiction to contravene, or to be invalid under, the laws of any political body having jurisdiction over the subject matter hereof, such contravention or invalidity shall not invalidate the entire Agreement. Instead, this Agreement shall be construed as if it did not contain the particular provisions or provisions held to be invalid and an equitable adjustment shall be made and necessary provision added so as to give effect to the intention of the Parties as expressed in this Agreement at the time of execution of this Agreement.

Section 4.9 Amendment or Modification

This Agreement may be amended or modified from time to time only by the written agreement of all the Parties. Each such instrument shall be reduced to writing and shall be designated on its face as an amendment to this Agreement.

Section 4.10 Integration

This Agreement and the instruments referenced herein supersede all previous understandings or agreements among the Parties, whether oral or written, with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement and such instruments. This Agreement and such instruments contain the entire understanding of the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof. No understanding, representation, promise or agreement, whether oral or written, is intended to be or shall be included in or form part of this Agreement unless it is contained in a written amendment hereto executed by the Parties after the date of this Agreement.

Section 4.11 Notices

All notices and other communications required or permitted hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed effectively given (a) upon personal delivery, (b) when sent by confirmed electronic mail or facsimile if sent during normal business hours of the recipient; if not, then on the next business day, (c) five days after having been sent by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid or (d) one (1) day after deposit with a nationally recognized overnight courier, specifying next day delivery, with written verification of receipt. All notices and other communications shall be addressed to the Parties at their respective addresses set forth in, or determined in accordance with the applicable provision of, the Partnership Agreement.

Section 4.12 Deed; Bill of Sale; Assignment

To the extent required and permitted by applicable law, this Agreement shall also constitute a “deed,” “bill of sale” or “assignment” of the assets and interests referenced herein.

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the parties to this Agreement have caused it to be duly executed as of the date first above written.

 

SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P.
By:  

SunCoke Energy Partners GP LLC,

 

its general partner

 

  By:   /s/ Michael J. Thomson
    Name:  

Michael J. Thomson

    Title:  

President and Chief Operating

Officer

 

SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS GP LLC
  By:  

/s/ Michael J. Thomson

    Name:  

Michael J. Thomson

    Title:  

President and Chief Operating

Officer

 

SUN COAL & COKE LLC
  By:  

/s/ Michael J. Thomson

    Name:  

Michael J. Thomson

    Title:  

President

 

 

 

S IGNATURE P AGE

C ONTRIBUTION A GREEMENT

Exhibit 10.2

Execution Version

OMNIBUS AGREEMENT


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ARTICLE 1   
DEFINITIONS  
Section 1.1  

Definitions

     2  
ARTICLE 2   
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LICENSE  
Section 2.1  

License Grant

     9  
Section 2.2  

Restrictions and Additional Agreements with Respect to License

     9  
Section 2.3  

Covenants of Licensor and Licensees

     10  
Section 2.4  

Intellectual Property Indemnification

     11  
ARTICLE 3   
INDEMNIFICATION  
Section 3.1  

Sponsor’s Environmental Indemnification Obligations

     11  
Section 3.2  

Partnership Group’s Indemnification Obligations

     12  
Section 3.3  

Additional Indemnification

     12  
Section 3.4  

Limitations Regarding Indemnification

     13  
Section 3.5  

Indemnification Procedures

     13  
Section 3.6  

In the Event of Termination

     15  
ARTICLE 4   
AGREEMENT WITH RESPECT TO CUSTOMER CONTRACTS  
Section 4.1  

Assumption of Customer Obligations by Sponsor

     15  
Section 4.2  

Allocation of Amounts Recovered under Coke Sales Agreements

     16  
Section 4.3  

Term of Agreement with Respect to Customer Contracts

     16  
ARTICLE 5   
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES  
Section 5.1  

Preferential Rights

     16  
Section 5.2  

Permitted Exceptions

     16  
Section 5.3  

Business Opportunities Procedures

     17  
ARTICLE 6   
RIGHT OF FIRST OFFER  
Section 6.1  

Right of First Offer to Purchase Certain Assets

     18  
Section 6.2  

Procedures

     19  
ARTICLE 7   
EXPENSES AND REIMBURSEMENT OBLIGATIONS  
Section 7.1  

Provision of General and Administrative Services

     20  

 

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Section 7.2  

Reimbursement and Allocation

     20  
Section 7.3  

Debt Financing Fees

     21  
ARTICLE 8   
MISCELLANEOUS  
Section 8.1  

Choice of Law; Submission to Jurisdiction

     21  
Section 8.2  

Notice

     21  
Section 8.3  

Entire Agreement

     22  
Section 8.4  

Termination

     22  
Section 8.5  

Effect of Waiver or Consent

     22  
Section 8.6  

Amendment or Modification

     22  
Section 8.7  

Assignment; Third Party Beneficiaries

     23  
Section 8.8  

Counterparts

     23  
Section 8.9  

Severability

     23  
Section 8.10  

Gender, Parts, Articles and Sections

     23  
Section 8.11  

Further Assurances

     23  
Section 8.12  

Withholding or Granting of Consent

     24  
Section 8.13  

Laws and Regulations

     24  
Section 8.14  

Negation of Rights of Limited Partners, Assignees and Third Parties

     24  
Section 8.15  

No Recourse Against Officers and Directors

     24  
Section 8.16  

Arbitration

     24  
Section 8.17  

Dispute Resolution

     24  

SCHEDULES

 

Schedule 2(a)    Mark Intellectual Property
Schedule 2(b)    Patent Rights
Schedule 3.1    Known Remediation Losses
Schedule 4.2    Coke Sales Agreements
Schedule 7.2    Allocation of Overhead Costs and Expenses

 

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OMNIBUS AGREEMENT

THIS OMNIBUS AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”), as it may be amended, modified or supplemented from time to time in accordance with the terms hereof, is entered into effective as of January 24, 2013 (the “ Effective Date ”), and is by and among SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “ Partnership ”), SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and the general partner of the Partnership (the “ General Partner ”), and SUNCOKE ENERGY, INC., a Delaware corporation (the “ Sponsor ”). The above-named entities are sometimes referred to in this Agreement each as a “ Party ” and collectively as the “ Parties .”

RECITALS:

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Contribution Agreement in connection with the Initial Public Offering, the Sponsor will cause Sun Coal & Coke LLC (“ SC&C ”) to contribute to the Partnership an interest in each of Haverhill Coke Company LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Haverhill ”) and Middletown Coke Company, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Middletown ”) (the “ Sun Coal & Coke Contribution ”) which will result in the Partnership owning a 65% interest in each of Haverhill and Middletown, and in exchange (1) the General Partner will receive a 2.0% General Partner Interest (as defined herein) and the Incentive Distribution Rights (as defined herein), (2) SC&C will receive 184,697 Common Units (as defined herein), 15,709,697 Subordinated Units (as defined herein) and the right to receive the Deferred Issuance and Distribution (as defined herein), (3) the Partnership will assume and promptly repay, with the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the Senior Notes Offering, $225.0 million of debt under the Sponsor’s term loan, and (4) the Partnership will pay, with the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering, 100% of (A) an aggregate of $67.0 million of environmental capital expenditures of Haverhill and Middletown, (B) an aggregate of approximately $12.4 million sale discounts related to tax credits owed to customers of Haverhill and Middletown, and (C) $39.6 million to replenish the Partnership’s working capital (the transactions described in clauses (1)-(4) and the Sun Coal & Coke Contribution, the “ IPO Transactions ”); and

WHEREAS, in connection with the IPO Transactions, the Parties desire by their execution of this Agreement to evidence their understanding as more fully set forth in this Agreement, with respect to (1) the Partnership’s and its Subsidiaries’ rights to use certain intellectual property pursuant to a license granted by the Sponsor; (2) specified indemnification obligations of the Sponsor and the Partnership; (3) the rights and obligations of the Parties in the event that a customer’s purchase and payment obligations under a Coke Sales Agreement (as defined herein) are reduced or if a customer fails to satisfy such obligations; (4) those business opportunities (A) that the Sponsor Entities (as defined herein) will not engage in, directly or indirectly, during the term of this Agreement unless the Partnership declines to engage in such business opportunities for its own account or on behalf of its Subsidiaries, and (B) that no Group Member will engage in, directly or indirectly, during the term of this Agreement unless the Sponsor declines to engage in such business opportunities for its own account or on behalf of its controlled Affiliates; (5) the Parties’ right of first offer with respect to the ROFO Assets (as defined herein); and (6) the allocation of certain selling, general and administrative expenses as between the Partnership and the Sponsor.


NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the covenants, conditions and agreements contained herein, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties hereby agree as follows:

ARTICLE 1

DEFINITIONS

Section 1.1 Definitions

As used in this Agreement, the following terms have the respective meanings set forth below:

Affiliate ” means, with respect to any Person, any other Person who directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under direct or indirect common control with, such Person, and includes any Person in like relation to an Affiliate. A Person shall be deemed to “ control ” another Person if such Person possesses, directly or indirectly, the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such other Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise; and the term “ controlled ” shall have a similar meaning. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, it is agreed that any Person that owns or controls, directly or indirectly, 50% or more of the voting securities of another Person shall be deemed for purposes of this Agreement to control such other Person.

Agreement ” has the meaning given such term in the introduction to this Agreement.

AK Steel ” means AK Steel Corporation, a Delaware corporation, its successors and assigns.

AK Steel Coke Agreement ” means the Coke Purchase Agreement, dated as of August 31, 2009, by and between Haverhill and AK Steel, as amended by Amendment No. 1 to Coke Purchase Agreement, dated as of May 8, 2012, as may be amended from time to time .

AK Steel Obligations ” means the obligations of AK Steel under the AK Steel Coke Agreement as in effect on the Closing Date, including but not limited to the obligations to purchase and pay for coke.

Arbitration Award ” has the meaning given such term in Section 8.16.

Business Opportunity Notice ” has the meaning given such term in Section 5.3(a).

Cause ” has the meaning given such term in the Partnership Agreement.

Change of Control ” means, with respect to any Person (the “ Applicable Person ”), any of the following events:

(a) any sale, lease, exchange or other transfer (in one transaction or a series of related transactions) of all or substantially all of the Applicable Person’s assets to any other Person, unless immediately following such sale, lease, exchange or other transfer such assets are owned, directly or indirectly, by the Applicable Person;

 

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(b) the dissolution or liquidation of the Applicable Person;

(c) the consolidation or merger of the Applicable Person with or into another Person, other than any such transaction where:

(i) the outstanding Voting Securities of the Applicable Person are changed into or exchanged for Voting Securities of the surviving Person or its parent; and

(ii) the holders of the Voting Securities of the Applicable Person immediately prior to such transaction own, directly or indirectly, not less than a majority of the outstanding Voting Securities of the surviving Person or its parent immediately after such transaction; or

(d) a “person” or “group” (within the meaning of Sections 13(d) or 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act) being or becoming the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Exchange Act) of more than 50% of all of the then outstanding Voting Securities of the Applicable Person, except in a merger or consolidation that would not constitute a Change of Control under clause (c) above.

Closing Date ” means the date of the closing of the Initial Public Offering.

Coke Sales Agreements ” means the agreements identified on Schedule 4.2 hereto, as the same may be amended from time to time.

Commercial Operations Notice ” has the meaning given such term in Section 5.3(b)

Common Units ” has the meaning given such term in the Partnership Agreement.

Conflicts Committee ” has the meaning given such term in the Partnership Agreement.

Contribution Agreement ” means that certain Contribution, Conveyance and Assumption Agreement, dated as of January 23, 2013, among the General Partner, the Partnership, SC&C and certain other parties, together with the additional conveyance documents and instruments contemplated or referenced thereunder, as such may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

Deferred Issuance and Distribution ” has the meaning given such term in the Partnership Agreement.

Discussion Date ” has the meaning given such term in Section 8.17.

Domestic Cokemaking Asset ” means a cokemaking facility in the United States or Canada or an interest in a business that is primarily engaged in cokemaking operations in the United States and/or Canada. “ Domestic Cokemaking Asset ” shall not include an interest in a business that is engaged in cokemaking operations if the Sponsor determines in good faith that such cokemaking operations represent a minority of the value of the business.

 

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Effective Date ” has the meaning given such term in the introduction to this Agreement.

Environmental Laws ” means all applicable federal, regional, state, and local laws, statutes, rules, regulations, orders, ordinances, judgments, codes, injunctions, decrees, permits and other legally enforceable requirements and rules of common law relating to (i) pollution or protection of human health, the environment or natural resources; (ii) any Release or threatened Release of, or exposure to, Hazardous Substances; (iii) greenhouse gas emissions or (iv) the generation, manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport, arrangement for disposal or transport, handling or Release of any Hazardous Substances. Without limiting the foregoing, “ Environmental Laws ” include, without limitation, the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act and other environmental conservation and protection laws, each as amended through the Closing Date.

Environmental Losses ” means any Loss suffered or incurred by reason of or arising out of (i) any violation or correction of violation of Environmental Laws; or (ii) any event, circumstance, action, omission, condition or environmental matter (including, without limitation, the exposure to, presence of, Release or threatened Release of Hazardous Substances) including, without limitation, (A) the cost and expense of any investigation, assessment, evaluation, response, abatement, monitoring, containment, cleanup, repair, restoration, remediation, or other corrective action required or necessary under Environmental Laws or to satisfy any applicable Voluntary Cleanup Program, (B) the performance of a supplemental environmental project authorized or consented to by a Governmental Authority in partial or whole mitigation of a fine or penalty, (C) the cost or expense of the preparation and implementation of any investigatory closure, remedial or corrective action or other plans required or necessary under Environmental Laws or to satisfy any applicable Voluntary Cleanup Program and (D) the cost and expense for any environmental or toxic tort pre-trial, trial, or appellate legal or litigation support work.

Exchange Act ” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

General Partner ” has the meaning given such term in the introduction to this Agreement.

General Partner Interest ” has the meaning given such term in the Partnership Agreement.

Governmental Authority ” means:

(a) any domestic or foreign government, whether national, federal, state provincial, territorial, municipal or local (whether administrative, legislative, executive or otherwise);

(b) any agency, authority, ministry, department, regulatory body, court, central bank, bureau, board or other instrumentality having legislative, judicial, taxing, regulatory, prosecutorial or administrative powers or functions of, or pertaining to, government;

 

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(c) any court, tribunal, commission, individual, arbitrator, arbitration panel or other body having adjudicative, regulatory, judicial, quasi-judicial, administrative or similar functions; and

(d) any other body or entity created under the authority of or otherwise subject to the jurisdiction of any of the foregoing, including any stock or other securities exchange or professional association.

Group Member ” means a member of the Partnership Group.

Haverhill ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals to this Agreement.

Hazardous Substance ” means (i) any substance that is designated, defined or classified as a hazardous waste, solid waste, hazardous material, pollutant, contaminant or toxic or hazardous substance, or terms of similar meaning, or that is otherwise regulated by, or as to which liability may attach under any Environmental Law, including, without limitation, any hazardous substance as such term is defined under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, as amended through the Closing Date, (ii) radioactive materials, asbestos or asbestos containing materials, polychlorinated biphenyls, urea formaldehyde insulation, toxic mold or radon and (iii) oil as defined in the OPA of 1990, as amended, including oil, gasoline, fuel oil, motor oil, waste oil, diesel fuel, jet fuel, other refined petroleum hydrocarbon and petroleum products.

Implemented Improvements ” has the meaning given such term in Section 2.2(c).

Improvements ” means any technical development, improvement, refinement, advancement or optimization made to the Non-Mark Intellectual Property made on or after the Effective Date.

Incentive Distribution Rights ” has the meaning given such term in the Partnership Agreement.

Indemnified Party ” means either the Partnership Group or the Sponsor, as the case may be, each in its capacity as a party entitled to indemnification in accordance with Article 3 hereof.

Indemnifying Party ” means either the Partnership Group or the Sponsor, as the case may be, each in its capacity as a party from whom indemnification may be required in accordance with Article 3 hereof.

Initial Public Offering ” means the initial public offering of Common Units of the Partnership.

Intellectual Property ” means, collectively, the Mark Intellectual Property, the Non-Mark Intellectual Property and the Improvements.

IPO Transactions ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals to this Agreement.

 

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Kentucky Facility ” means the opportunity to develop a new heat recovery cokemaking facility in Kentucky with respect to which, as of the Effective Date, the Sponsor is in discussions with steelmakers and certain Governmental Authorities.

Known Remediation Losses ” has the meaning given such term in Section 3.1(a).

Licensees ” means, collectively, the Partnership Entities.

Licensed Uses ” means the production and sale of coke and by-products of the cokemaking process.

Licensor ” means the Sponsor.

Losses ” means all losses, damages, liabilities (including, without limitation, tax liabilities), claims, demands, causes of action, judgments, settlements, fines, penalties, costs and expenses (including, without limitation, court costs and reasonable attorney’s and experts’ fees) of any and every kind or character, known or unknown, fixed or contingent.

Mark Intellectual Property ” means the names and trademarks listed on Schedule 2(a) and any names and trademarks confusingly similar thereto.

Middletown ” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals to this Agreement.

MLP Credit Agreement ” means the Credit Agreement, dated as of January 24, 2013, among the Partnership, Haverhill, Middletown, Haverhill Cogeneration Company LLC, Middletown Cogeneration Company LLC, and certain other subsidiaries of the Partnership as joint and several Borrowers, and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Administrative Agent.

Non-Mark Intellectual Property ” means all foreign and domestic intellectual property and proprietary rights owned or controlled by Licensor, including, without limitation: (a) all Patent Rights; (b) all copyrights and registrations and applications for registrations thereof; and (c) all trade secret and other confidential or proprietary information, including all rights in confidential computer programs, improvements, methods, processes, routines, data, manuals, systems, procedures, practices, operations, modes of operation, apparatus, equipment, business opportunities, customer and supplier lists, process design, financial information, equipment drawings, technical specifications, processes, process measurements, technical reports, analyses, plans, drawings, models, ideas, and correspondence.

Organizational Documents ” means certificates or articles of incorporation, by-laws, certificates of formation, limited liability company operating agreements, certificates of limited partnership, limited partnership agreements or other formation or governing documents of a particular entity.

Partnership ” has the meaning given such term in the introduction to this Agreement.

Partnership Agreement ” means the First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Partnership, as it may be amended from time to time.

 

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Partnership Assets ” means all assets of the Partnership Group as of the Closing Date.

Partnership Covered Environmental Losses ” has the meaning given such term in Section 3.2.

Partnership Entities ” means the General Partner and each entity that is or becomes a member of the Partnership Group for so long as it is a member of the Partnership Group; and “ Partnership Entity ” means any of the Partnership Entities.

Partnership Group ” means the Partnership and its Subsidiaries.

Partnership ROFO Assets ” has the meaning given such term in Section 6.2(a).

Party ” or “ Parties ” have the meaning given such term in the introduction to this Agreement.

Patent Rights ” means any and all patents and patent applications, including, without limitation, those listed on Schedule 2(b), certificates of invention, or applications for certificates of invention and any supplemental protection certificates, together with any extensions, registrations, confirmations, reissues, substitutions, divisions, continuations or continuations-in-part, reexaminations or renewals thereof, whenever and wherever submitted, filed, issued, received, or granted claiming priority to any patent or patent application listed on Schedule 2(b).

Person ” is to be construed broadly and includes an individual, partnership, limited partnership, corporation, business trust, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, joint stock company, trust, unincorporated association, joint venture or other entity or a Governmental Authority.

Proposed Transaction ” has the meaning given such term in Section 6.2(a).

Release ” or “ Releasing ” means depositing, spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, placing, emitting, discarding, abandoning, emptying, discharging, migrating, injecting, escaping, leaking, dumping or disposing into the environment, including, without limitation, the abandonment or disposal of any barrels, containers or other closed receptacles containing any Hazardous Substance.

Representatives ” means the directors, officers, employees, advisors, consultants, contractors or agents employed or otherwise retained by Licensees.

Retained Assets ” means the assets and investments owned by Sponsor or any of its Affiliates that were not conveyed, contributed or otherwise transferred to the Partnership Group pursuant the Contribution Agreement.

ROFO Assets ” has the meaning given such term in Section 6.2(a).

ROFO Notice ” has the meaning given such term in Section 6.2(a).

ROFO Party ” has the meaning given such term in Section 6.2(a).

 

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ROFO Response ” has the meaning given such term in Section 6.2(a).

SC&C ” has the meaning given such term in the introduction to this Agreement.

Seller ” has the meaning given such term in Section 6.2(a).

Senior Notes ” means the Partnership’s 7.375% Senior Notes due 2020.

Senior Notes Offering ” means the Partnership’s offering, concurrent with the Initial Public Offering, of $150,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes.

Sponsor ” has the meaning given such term in the introduction to this Agreement.

Sponsor Covered Environmental Losses ” means, collectively, the Known Remediation Losses and the Unknown Remediation Losses.

Sponsor Entities ” means the Sponsor and any Affiliate of the Sponsor other than the Partnership Entities; and “ Sponsor Entity ” means any of the Sponsor Entities.

Sponsor ROFO Assets ” has the meaning given such term in Section 6.2(a).

Subordinated Units ” has the meaning given such term in the Partnership Agreement.

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 partner of such partnership, but only if such Person, directly or by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person, or a combination thereof, controls such partnership on the date of determination or (c) any other Person 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.

Sun Coal & Coke Contribution ” has the meaning given such term in the Recitals of this Agreement.

SunCoke Name ” has the meaning given such term in Section 2.2(b).

Transfer ” means to, directly or indirectly, sell, assign, lease, convey, transfer or otherwise dispose of, whether in one or a series of transactions; provided, however, that in no event shall a Change of Control of Sponsor be deemed a Transfer.

Unknown Remediation Losses ” means Environmental Losses other than Known Remediation Losses, occurring or existing on or before the Closing Date, whether discovered before or after the Closing Date, and identified after the Closing Date as requiring remediation.

 

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Voluntary Cleanup Program ” means a program of the United States or a state of the United States enacted pursuant to Environmental Laws that provides for a mechanism for the written approval of, or authorization to conduct, voluntary investigatory and remedial action for the clean-up, removal or remediation of Hazardous Substances that exceeds actionable levels established pursuant to Environmental Laws.

Voting Securities ” of a Person means securities of any class of such Person entitling the holders thereof to vote in the election of, or to appoint, members of the board of directors or other similar governing body of the Person; provided that, if such Person is a limited partnership, Voting Securities of such Person shall be the general partner interest in such Person.

ARTICLE 2

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LICENSE

Section 2.1 License Grant .

(a) Licensor hereby grants Licensees, who hereby accept, a royalty-free, fully paid up, nonexclusive and nontransferable right and license to use the Intellectual Property, solely in connection with the Licensed Uses and solely in the United States and Canada. Except for such license, all other rights in the Intellectual Property are hereby reserved to Licensor. Licensees shall not grant any sublicenses or assign, delegate or otherwise transfer their rights or obligations hereunder or any interest herein (including any assignment or transfer occurring by operation of law) without the prior written consent of Licensor.

Section 2.2 Restrictions and Additional Agreements with Respect to License.

(a) Licensor, and its other licensees, shall have the right to use the Intellectual Property simultaneously with the use of the Intellectual Property by Licensees. Licensor does not warrant or represent that Licensees will have the sole and exclusive right to use the Intellectual Property. Other than as set forth in Section 2.3(b) and Section 2.4 herein, Licensor is not obliged to indemnify or reimburse Licensees for any expenses by Licensees in connection with Licensees’ use of the Intellectual Property.

(b) Licensees’ license to use the Mark Intellectual Property shall terminate upon the earlier to occur of (i) in the event of a Change of Control, six months after receipt by the General Partner, on behalf of the Licensees, of written notice of termination from Licensor and (ii) termination of this Agreement. Licensees shall not thereafter use or otherwise exploit the Mark Intellectual Property and shall not use any name incorporating the “SunCoke” name or any derivation thereof that would reasonably be expected to be confused therewith (the “ SunCoke Name ”), or any other trade names, domain name, trade dress, trademark or service mark confusingly similar thereto, and each Licensee shall promptly assign and transfer its rights in any ownership of the trade names incorporating the SunCoke Name to Licensor and each Licensee shall adopt a new trade name that does not use any SunCoke Name.

 

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(c) Licensees’ license to use the Improvements shall terminate upon termination of this Agreement, provided, however that Licensees’ license shall survive any termination with respect to any Improvements (i) that have been materially implemented by Licensees prior to such termination or (ii) with respect to which Licensees have incurred material implementation expenses prior to such termination (the Improvements described in subclauses (i) and (ii), the “ Implemented Improvements ”).

(d) Licensees’ right to use the Non-Mark Intellectual Property and the Implemented Improvements shall be perpetual and irrevocable and shall survive any termination or expiration of this Agreement and shall remain in full force and effect.

Section 2.3 Covenants of Licensor and Licensees .

(a) Licensees shall:

(i) upon Licensor’s request and at Licensor’s expense, place a notice (reasonably acceptable to Licensor) in connection with Licensees’ external uses of the Mark Intellectual Property conveying to the public that the Mark Intellectual Property is owned by Licensor and used by Licensees under license;

(ii) upon Licensor’s request and at Licensor’s expense, cooperate with Licensor in facilitating Licensor’s control of the nature and quality of the Licensed Uses, and all materials that bear the Mark Intellectual Property;

(iii) upon Licensor’s request and at Licensor’s expense, cooperate with Licensor in connection with Licensor’s efforts to protect the Intellectual Property;

(iv) maintain in strictest confidence all confidential or nonpublic information or material disclosed by Licensor and in the materials supplied hereunder in connection with the licenses granted herein, whether in writing or orally and whether or not marked as confidential, including but not limited to any algorithms, inventions, ideas, processes, computer system architecture and design, operator interfaces, operational systems, technical information, technical specifications, training and instruction manuals, and the like (except to the extent such information becomes publically available); and

(v) limit disclosure of such confidential information to Licensees’ Representatives having a need to access the confidential information for the purpose of exercising rights granted hereunder and cause all of its Representatives having access to confidential information to agree to hold such in the strictest of confidence.

 

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(b) Licensor shall promptly reimburse Licensees for all costs and expenses incurred by Licensees in connection with Licensees’ obligations pursuant to Section 2.30(i)-(iii). Licensor’s reimbursement obligation pursuant to this Section 2.3(b) shall survive any termination of this Agreement and shall remain in full force and effect.

Section 2.4 Intellectual Property Indemnification .

(a) Licensees shall defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Licensor from and against any Losses suffered or incurred by Licensor arising out of any failure by Licensees or their Representatives to maintain confidentiality as required by Section 2.3(a)(iv) and Section 2.3(a)(v) hereof.

(b) Licensor shall defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Licensees from and against any Losses suffered or incurred by Licensees arising from (i) claims or causes of action brought by any third party alleging that any Licensee’s use of Intellectual Property, as permitted under this Agreement, violates any law, statute or rule, or infringes, dilutes, misappropriates or otherwise violates the intellectual property rights of such third party; (ii) invalidity or unenforceability of any right with respect to the Intellectual Property; (iii) premature expiration of Patent Rights; and (iv) Licensor’s failure to timely file or pay any application, registration, maintenance or renewal fees in respect of the Intellectual Property.

(c) The indemnification obligations under this Section 2.4 shall survive any termination of this Agreement and shall remain in full force and effect; provided however that following a termination of this Agreement, Licensor shall not be obligated to indemnify Licensees for losses related to any Improvements; provided further that Licensor shall, upon Licensees’ request and at Licensees’ expense, take action to protect Licensees’ rights hereunder with respect to Improvements.

ARTICLE 3

INDEMNIFICATION

Section 3.1 Sponsor’s Environmental Indemnification Obligations .

(a) Subject to Section 3.4, the Sponsor shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Partnership Group from and against all Environmental Losses that occurred or existed on or before the Closing Date as described on Schedule 3.1 (collectively, “ Known Remediation Losses ”), but only to the extent such Environmental Losses occurred or existed on or before the Closing Date, even if such Environmental Losses do not accrue until after the Closing Date.

(b) Subject to Section 3.1(c) and Section 3.4, the Sponsor shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Partnership Group from and against any Unknown Remediation Losses;

 

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(c) Except for obligations with respect to claims made in accordance with Section 3.5 prior to the fifth anniversary of the Closing Date, which shall not terminate, all indemnification obligations pursuant to Section 3.1(b) shall terminate on the fifth anniversary of the Closing Date.

Section 3.2 Partnership Group’s Indemnification Obligations . The Partnership Group shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Sponsor Entities from and against any Environmental Losses suffered or incurred by the Sponsor Entities relating to the ownership or operation of the Partnership Assets to the extent occurring after the Closing Date (“ Partnership Covered Environmental Losses ”), except to the extent that the Partnership Group is indemnified with respect to any of such Environmental Losses that are Sponsor Covered Environmental Losses under Sections 3.1 (a) and 3.1(b).

Section 3.3 Additional Indemnification . In addition to and not in limitation of the indemnification provided under Section 3.1(a) and Section 3.1(b), Sponsor shall either cure, as applicable, or fully indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Partnership Group from and against any and all:

(a) tax liabilities arising prior to the Closing Date or in connection with the closing of the Initial Public Offering; and

(b) Losses of any and every kind or character, known or unknown, fixed or contingent, suffered or incurred by the Partnership Group by reason of or arising out of any:

(i) failure of the Partnership Group to be the owner on the Closing Date of (x) valid and indefeasible title to the Partnership Assets, (y) valid and indefeasible easement rights, rights-of-way, leasehold and/or fee ownership interests in and to the lands on which are located any Partnership Assets and (z) valid title to the equity interests in Haverhill and Middletown contributed to the Partnership by SC&C as part of the Sun Coal & Coke Contribution, in each case to the extent that such failure renders the Partnership Group liable or unable to use or operate the Partnership Assets in substantially the same manner as they were operated immediately prior to the Closing Date;

(ii) failure of the Partnership Group to have on the Closing Date any consent or governmental permit to the extent that such failure renders the Partnership unable to use or operate the Partnership Assets in substantially the same manner as they were operated immediately prior to the Closing Date; or

(iii) events or conditions associated with the Retained Assets whether occurring before or after the Closing Date.

 

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Section 3.4 Limitations Regarding Indemnification.

(a) No claims may be made against the Sponsor for indemnification pursuant to (i) Section 3.1(a) unless and until the aggregate dollar amount of the Known Remediation Losses suffered or incurred by the Partnership Group exceeds $67 million, and the Sponsor shall have no liability in respect of the first $67 million of Known Remediation Losses and (ii) Section 3.1(b) unless and until the aggregate dollar amount of the Unknown Remediation Losses suffered or incurred by the Partnership Group exceeds $5 million, and the Sponsor shall have no liability in respect of this first $5 million of Unknown Remediation Losses.

(b) The aggregate liability of the Sponsor under Section 3.1(b) shall not exceed $50 million.

(c) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, in no event shall the Sponsor Entities have any indemnification obligations under Section 3.1(a) or Section 3.1(b) for Losses that arise solely as a result of additions to or modifications of Environmental Laws promulgated after the Closing Date.

Section 3.5 Indemnification Procedures .

(a) The Indemnified Party agrees that within a reasonable period of time after it becomes aware of facts giving rise to a claim for indemnification under this Article 3, it will provide notice thereof in writing to the Indemnifying Party, specifying the nature of and specific basis for such claim; provided, that failure to timely provide such notice shall not affect the right of the Indemnified Party’s indemnification hereunder, except in the event and only to the extent the Indemnifying Party is materially prejudiced by such delay or omission.

(b) The Indemnifying Party shall have the right to control all aspects of the defense of (and any counterclaims with respect to) any claims brought against the Indemnified Party that are covered by the indemnification under this Article 3, including, without limitation, the selection of counsel, determination of whether to appeal any decision of any court and the settling of any such matter or any issues relating thereto; provided, however, that no such settlement shall be entered into without the consent of the Indemnified Party (with the concurrence of the Conflicts Committee in the case of the Partnership Group) unless it includes a full release of the Indemnified Party from such matter or issues, as the case may be, and does not include the admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of such Indemnified Party.

(c) The Indemnified Party agrees to cooperate fully with the Indemnifying Party, with respect to all aspects of the defense of any claims covered by the indemnification under this Article 3, including, without limitation, the prompt furnishing to the Indemnifying Party of any correspondence or other notice relating thereto that the

 

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Indemnified Party may receive, permitting the name of the Indemnified Party to be utilized in connection with such defense, the making available to the Indemnifying Party of any files, records or other information of the Indemnified Party that the Indemnifying Party reasonably considers relevant to such defense and the making available to the Indemnifying Party, at no cost to the Indemnifying Party, of any directors, officers or employees of the Indemnified Party; provided, however, that in connection therewith the Indemnifying Party agrees to use reasonable efforts to minimize the impact thereof on the operations of the Indemnified Party and further agrees to endeavor to maintain the confidentiality of all files, records and other information furnished by the Indemnified Party pursuant to this Section 3.5. In no event shall the obligation of the Indemnified Party to cooperate with the Indemnifying Party as set forth in the immediately preceding sentence be construed as imposing upon the Indemnified Party an obligation to hire and pay for counsel in connection with the defense of any claims covered by the indemnification set forth in this Article 3; provided, however, that the Indemnified Party may, at its own option, cost and expense, hire and pay for counsel in connection with any such defense. The Indemnifying Party agrees to keep any such counsel hired by the Indemnified Party reasonably informed as to the status of any such defense, but the Indemnifying Party shall have the right to retain sole control over such defense.

(d) An Indemnified Party shall take all commercially reasonable steps to mitigate damages with respect to any claim for which it is seeking indemnification and shall use commercially reasonable efforts to avoid any costs or expenses associated with such claim and, if such costs and expenses cannot be avoided, to minimize the amount thereof.

(e) In determining the amount of any Losses for which the Indemnified Party is entitled to indemnification under this Agreement, the gross amount of the indemnification will be reduced by (i) any insurance proceeds realized by the Indemnified Party, and such correlative insurance benefit shall be net of any incremental insurance premium that becomes due and payable by the Indemnified Party as a result of such claim and (ii) all amounts recovered by the Indemnified Party under contractual indemnities from third parties. The Indemnified Party hereby agrees to use reasonable efforts to realize any applicable insurance proceeds or amounts recoverable under such contractual indemnities, provided, however, that the costs and expenses of the Indemnified Party in connection with such efforts shall be promptly reimbursed by the Indemnifying Party.

(f) The date on which the Indemnifying Party receives notification of a claim in accordance with Section 3.5(a) for indemnification shall determine whether such claim is timely made.

(g) NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING HEREIN TO THE CONTRARY, IN NO EVENT SHALL ANY PARTY’S INDEMNIFICATION OBLIGATION HEREUNDER COVER OR INCLUDE CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, SPECIAL OR SIMILAR DAMAGES OR LOST PROFITS SUFFERED BY ANY OTHER PARTY ENTITLED TO INDEMNIFICATION UNDER THIS AGREEMENT.

 

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Section 3.6 In the Event of Termination . Except as provided by Section 3.1(c), all indemnification obligations under this Article 3 shall survive any termination of this Agreement, and shall remain in full force and effect.

ARTICLE 4

AGREEMENT WITH RESPECT TO CUSTOMER CONTRACTS

Section 4.1 Assumption of Customer Obligations by Sponsor .

(a) If AK Steel exercises its early termination right under Section 11.6 of the AK Steel Coke Agreement, then upon receipt of written notice from the Partnership of effectiveness of such termination, the Sponsor will be obligated to make the Partnership Group whole to the extent of the AK Steel Obligations for the remainder of the term of the AK Steel Coke Agreement, either by purchasing and paying for coke or otherwise, pursuant to an agreement the terms of which are reasonably acceptable to the Partnership.

(b) If, other than as a result of the exercise of the termination right described in Section 4.1(a), a Force Majeure Event (as defined in the relevant Coke Sales Agreement) or a Seller Event of Default (as defined in the relevant Coke Sales Agreement), (i) a customer fails to fully satisfy its purchase and payment obligations pursuant to the terms of a Coke Sales Agreement to which such customer is a party, or (ii) a Coke Sales Agreement is amended to reduce a customer’s purchase or payment obligations as a result of the customer’s financial distress, whether or not the customer or an affiliate of the customer has filed a petition in bankruptcy, then upon written notice from the Partnership, the Sponsor will be obligated to make the Partnership Group whole to the extent of the customer’s failure to satisfy its obligations or to the extent the customer’s obligations are reduced, as applicable, either by purchasing and paying for coke or otherwise, pursuant to an agreement the terms of which are reasonably acceptable to the Partnership (but, for the avoidance of doubt, without relieving such customer of its coke purchase obligations under the relevant Coke Sales Agreement).

(c) Notwithstanding any provision of this agreement to the contrary, the Sponsor’s obligations pursuant to Section 4.1(a) and (b), will be determined based on the customer’s obligations under the relevant Coke Sales Agreement as in effect on the Closing Date. Further, for the avoidance of doubt, the Partnership Group’s obligation to produce coke under such Coke Sales Agreement will not exceed the supply obligation required under such Coke Sales Agreement as of the Closing Date.

(d) In the case of any amendment to a Coke Sales Agreement referred to in Section 4.1(b)(ii), the Partnership will use its reasonable commercial efforts to structure the amendment to minimize the Sponsor’s payment obligations pursuant to this Section 4.1.

 

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Section 4.2 Allocation of Amounts Recovered under Coke Sales Agreements .

(a) The Partnership, on behalf of the Partnership Group, and the Sponsor, on behalf of the Sponsor Entities, will share in any damages and other amounts recovered from third parties in connection with the occurrence of any of the events described in Section 4.1(a) or Section 4.1(b) (including any damages, settlements, insurance proceeds, termination fees and amounts recovered pursuant to contractual indemnities) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative loss and/or prospective loss suffered by the Partnership Group, on the one hand, and the Sponsor Entities, on the other.

(b) The Partnership and the Sponsor shall each use its reasonable commercial efforts to pursue damages and/or recover amounts payable by customers or other third parties as a result of any of the events described in Section 4.1(a) or Section 4.1(b), and any related costs and expenses will be shared by the Partnership and the Sponsor in the same proportion as would apply to amounts collected pursuant to Section 4.2(a).

Section 4.3 Term of Agreement with Respect to Customer Contracts . The Sponsor’s obligations pursuant to this Article 4, as well as any obligations assumed by the Sponsor hereunder, shall terminate on the fifth anniversary of the Closing Date.

ARTICLE 5

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

Section 5.1 Preferential Rights .

(a) Except as permitted by Section 5.2, the Sponsor Entities shall be prohibited from investing in, constructing, or acquiring an interest in any Domestic Cokemaking Asset.

(b) The Partnership Entities shall be prohibited from pursuing any business opportunity other than investments in, construction of, or acquisitions of Domestic Cokemaking Assets, except upon the written consent of the Sponsor, which consent shall be given or withheld at the sole discretion of the Sponsor and which shall be limited by such conditions as Sponsor may require at its sole discretion.

Section 5.2 Permitted Exceptions . The Sponsor Entities may engage in the following activities under the following circumstances:

(a) Any investment in, construction of, or acquisition of assets or an interest in any assets or business other than Domestic Cokemaking Assets.

 

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(b) Subject to Section 5.3, any investment in, construction of, or acquisition of an interest in any Domestic Cokemaking Asset if:

(i) in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 5.3(a), the Sponsor Entities have offered the Partnership the opportunity to pursue such investment, construction or acquisition opportunity and the Partnership has elected in writing not to pursue such opportunity; or

(ii) the Sponsor Entities, as of the Closing Date, are actively pursuing such an opportunity, including without limitation the Kentucky Facility.

Section 5.3 Business Opportunities Procedures .

(a) As contemplated by Section 5.2(b)(i), in the event that the Sponsor or any other Sponsor Entity becomes aware of an opportunity to invest in, construct or acquire an interest in a Domestic Cokemaking Asset, then as soon as practicable, the Sponsor or other Sponsor Entity shall notify the General Partner in writing of such opportunity and deliver to the General Partner, or provide the General Partner access to, all information prepared by or on behalf of, or material information submitted or delivered to, the Sponsor or such Sponsor Entity related to such potential transaction. As soon as practicable, but in any event within 30 days after receipt of such notification and information, the General Partner, on behalf of the Partnership, having determined whether to pursue such opportunity in consultation with the Conflicts Committee, shall give notice in writing (the “ Business Opportunity Notice ”) to the Sponsor or other Sponsor Entity that either (i) the General Partner, on behalf of the Partnership, has elected not to cause the Partnership Group to pursue such investment, acquisition or construction opportunity, or (ii) the General Partner, on behalf of the Partnership, has elected to cause the Partnership Group to pursue such investment, acquisition or construction opportunity. If no Business Opportunity Notice is delivered by the General Partner within the 30-day period, then the General Partner, on behalf of the Partnership shall be deemed to have elected not to pursue such opportunity. If, after delivering a Business Opportunity Notice electing to pursue an opportunity, the General Partner abandons such opportunity (as evidenced in writing by the General Partner following the written request of the Sponsor) or fails to endeavor in good faith to pursue such opportunity, the Sponsor or any other Sponsor Entity may pursue the opportunity. With respect to any opportunity to invest in, acquire or construct Domestic Cokemaking Assets that the Sponsor Entities pursue, (x) the Sponsor Entities must endeavor in good faith to pursue the opportunity and (y) any such investment, construction or acquisition must be on terms not materially more favorable to the Sponsor Entities than were offered to the Partnership. If at any time either of the conditions set forth in subclauses (x) and (y) are not satisfied, the opportunity must be reoffered to the Partnership in accordance with this Section 5.3(a). For the avoidance of doubt, any Domestic Cokemaking Asset acquired by the Sponsor Entities in accordance with this Section 5.3(a) will be subject to the Right of First Offer pursuant to Article 6.

 

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(b) In the event that any of the Sponsor Entities constructs a new cokemaking facility in the United States or Canada pursuant to the exception provided in Section 5.2(b) in compliance with the procedures set forth in Section 5.3(a), then upon commencement of commercial operations, the Partnership shall have the option to acquire or to cause another Group Member to acquire such facility at a price sufficient to provide the Sponsor with an internal rate of return on invested capital equal to the sum of the Sponsor Entities’ weighted average cost of capital (as determined in good faith by the Sponsor) and             %. The Sponsor shall promptly provide the General Partner with, or provide the General Partner access to, all information related to such cokemaking facility as the General Partner reasonably requests. The Sponsor shall promptly provide written notice (the “ Commercial Operations Notice ”) to the General Partner upon commencement of commercial operations at the newly constructed cokemaking facility. Within 90 days of receipt of a Commercial Operations Notice, the General Partner, following consultation with the Conflicts Committee, shall notify the Sponsor in writing as to whether or not it will exercise its option to acquire such facility. For the avoidance of doubt, (i) if the Sponsor Entities construct the Kentucky Facility, the Partnership’s option to purchase newly constructed cokemaking facilities set forth in this Section 5.3(b) shall apply to the Kentucky Facility, and (ii) if the Partnership Group does not exercise the option outlined in this Section 5.3(b) to acquire any particular newly constructed cokemaking facility upon commencement of commercial operations (including the Kentucky Facility), such cokemaking facility will be subject to the Right of First Offer pursuant to Article 6.

ARTICLE 6

RIGHT OF FIRST OFFER

Section 6.1 Right of First Offer to Purchase Certain Assets .

(a) The Sponsor hereby grants to the Partnership a right of first offer on any Domestic Cokemaking Asset to the extent that any Sponsor Entity proposes to Transfer any such Domestic Cokemaking Asset, or any interest therein (other than to another wholly owned Sponsor Entity).

(b) The Partnership hereby grants to the Sponsor a right of first offer on any cokemaking facility or interest therein or interest in any business engaged in cokemaking, to the extent that any Group Member proposes to Transfer any such asset or interest (other than to another wholly owned Group Member).

(c) The Parties acknowledge that any Transfer of assets or interests pursuant to the Partnership’s or Sponsor’s right of first offer is subject to the terms of all existing agreements with respect to such assets and interests and shall be subject to and conditioned on the obtaining of any and all necessary consents of security holders, governmental authorities, lenders or other third parties.

 

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Section 6.2 Procedures .

(a) If a Sponsor Entity or a Group Member (the “ Seller ”) proposes to Transfer, in the case of a Sponsor Entity, any Domestic Cokemaking Asset or an interest therein (the “ Sponsor ROFO Assets ”) or in the case of a Partnership Party, any cokemaking facility or interest therein or interest in any business engaged in cokemaking (the “ Partnership ROFO Assets ”, and together with the Sponsor ROFO Assets, the “ ROFO Assets ”) other than to, in the case of a Sponsor Entity, another Sponsor Entity as described in Section 6.1(a) or, in the case of a Group Member, another Group Member as described in Section 6.1(b) (a “ Proposed Transaction ”), the Sponsor, in the case of a proposed Transfer by any Sponsor Entity, or the General Partner, in the case of a proposed Transfer by any Group Member, shall, prior to entering into any such Proposed Transaction, first give notice in writing (the “ ROFO Notice ”) to the other party (the “ ROFO Party ”) of its intention to enter into such Proposed Transaction. The ROFO Notice shall include any material terms, conditions and other details as would be reasonably necessary for the ROFO Party to make a responsive offer to enter into the Proposed Transaction with the Seller, which terms, conditions and details shall include any material terms, conditions or other details that the Seller would propose to provide to non-Affiliates in connection with the Proposed Transaction. The ROFO Party shall have 30 days following receipt of the ROFO Notice to propose an offer to enter into the Proposed Transaction with the Seller (the “ ROFO Response ”). The ROFO Response shall set forth the terms and conditions (including, without limitation, the purchase price the ROFO Party proposes to pay for the ROFO Asset and the other material terms of the purchase) pursuant to which the ROFO Party would be willing to enter into a binding agreement for the Proposed Transaction. If no ROFO Response is delivered by the ROFO Party within such 30 day period, then the ROFO Party shall be deemed to have waived its right of first offer with respect to such ROFO Asset, and the Seller shall be free to enter into a Proposed Transaction with any third party on terms and conditions determined in the sole discretion of the Seller. If the Seller fails to complete such a transaction within 270 days of the last day of the aforementioned 30-day period, then any future Transfer of such ROFO Asset by the Seller will be subject to the provisions of this Article 6 in full.

(b) If the ROFO Party submits a ROFO Response, the ROFO Party and the Seller shall negotiate, in good faith, the terms of the purchase and sale of the ROFO Asset for 30 days following the Seller’s receipt of the ROFO Response. If the Seller and the ROFO Party are unable to agree on such terms during such 30-day period, the Seller may Transfer the ROFO Asset to any third party on terms not materially more favorable to the Seller than the last written offer proposed during negotiations with the ROFO Party pursuant to this Section 6.2(b). If the Seller fails to complete such a transaction within 270 days of the last day of the aforementioned 30-day negotiation period, then any future Transfer of such ROFO Asset by the Seller will be subject to the provisions of this Article 6 in full.

 

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ARTICLE 7

EXPENSES AND REIMBURSEMENT OBLIGATIONS

Section 7.1 Provision of General and Administrative Services . The Sponsor hereby agrees to continue to provide, or cause to be provided, the Partnership Entities with general and administrative services that the Sponsor has traditionally provided in connection with the Partnership Assets, including, without limitation, executive management, human resources, financial (including, but not limited to, tax, accounting and audit services), legal, information technology, communications, engineering, insurance (including insurance administration, claims processing and coverage under the Sponsor’s policies), risk management, credit, payroll, compensation and employee benefits services, that are substantially identical in nature and quality to the services provided by the Sponsor in connection with its management and operations of the Partnership Assets prior to the Closing date.

Section 7.2 Reimbursement and Allocation . The Partnership hereby agrees to reimburse the Sponsor Entities for (i) all direct costs and expenses incurred and payments made by the Sponsor Entities on behalf of the Partnership Entities and (ii) costs and expenses incurred by Sponsor Entities that are allocated to the Partnership Entities in accordance with Schedule 7.2 (as may be modified from time to time in accordance with Section 8.6), including but not limited to:

(a) salaries of employees of the Sponsor Entities;

(b) the cost of employee benefits relating to employees of the Sponsor Entities, including 401(k), pension, bonuses and health insurance benefits (but excluding Sponsor equity based compensation expense);

(c) any expenses incurred or payments made by the Sponsor Entities for insurance coverage with respect to the Partnership Assets or the business of the Partnership Entities;

(d) all expenses and expenditures incurred by the Sponsor Entities as a result of the Partnership becoming and continuing as a publicly traded entity, including, but not limited to, costs associated with annual and quarterly reports, tax return and Schedule K-1 preparation and distribution expenses, partnership governance and compliance fees and expenses, expenses associated with listing on the New York Stock Exchange or any other national exchange on which the Partnership’s securities are listed, independent auditor fees, legal fees, investor relations expenses, registrar and transfer agent fees, director and officer insurance expenses and director compensation expenses;

(e) all sales, use, excise, value added or similar taxes, if any, that may be applicable from time to time with respect to the services provided by the Sponsor Entities to the Partnership Entities in accordance with Section 7.1.

Such reimbursements shall be made on or before the tenth business day of the month following the month such costs and expenses are incurred, other than reimbursements solely related to bonuses for employees, which shall be reimbursed on or prior to the last business day of the month that such bonuses are paid.

 

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Section 7.3 Debt Financing Fees . The Partnership shall pay (i) all fees, commissions and issuance costs in connection with the Senior Notes Offering, including amounts due at or in connection with the closing of the Senior Notes Offering and all ongoing fees (ii) all fees due under or in connection with the MLP Credit Agreement, including amounts due upon or in connection with execution of the MLP Credit Agreement and all ongoing fees, and (iii) all fees, commissions and issuance costs due in connection with any future debt financing arrangements entered into for the purpose of replacing the MLP Credit Agreement or the Senior Notes.

ARTICLE 8

MISCELLANEOUS

Section 8.1 Choice of Law; Submission to Jurisdiction . This Agreement shall be subject to and governed by the laws of the State of New York, excluding any conflicts-of-law rule or principle that might refer the construction or interpretation of this Agreement to the laws of another state. Each Party hereby submits to the jurisdiction of the state and federal courts in the State of New York and to venue in New York, New York.

Section 8.2 Notice . All notices, requests or consents provided for or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement must be in writing and must be given by depositing same in the United States mail, addressed to the Person to be notified, postpaid, and registered or certified with return receipt requested or by delivering such notice in person or by overnight courier, telecopier or telegram to such Party. Notice given by personal delivery or mail shall be effective upon actual receipt. Notice given by overnight courier, telegram or telecopier shall be effective upon actual receipt. All notices to be sent to a Party pursuant to this Agreement shall be sent to or made at the address set forth below or at such other address as such Party may stipulate to the other Parties in the manner provided in this Section 8.2.

For notices to any of the Sponsor Entities:

SunCoke Energy, Inc.

1011 Warrenville Road, Suite 600

Lisle, Illinois 60532

Fax: (630) 824-1004

Attention: General Counsel

 

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For notices to any of the Partnership Entities:

SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P.

1011 Warrenville Road, Suite 600

Lisle, Illinois 60532

Fax: (630) 824-1004

Attention: General Counsel

Section 8.3 Entire Agreement . This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the Parties relating to the matters contained herein, superseding all prior contracts or agreements, whether oral or written, relating to the matters contained herein, other than the Contribution Agreement and the Partnership Agreement.

Section 8.4 Termination . Except as provided in Section 2.2(b), Section 2.2(c), Section 2.2(d), Section 2.3(b), Section 2.4(c), Section 3.1(c), Section 3.6 and Section 4.3, this Agreement shall terminate upon a Change of Control of the General Partner or the Partnership, other than any Change of Control of the General Partner or the Partnership deemed to have occurred pursuant to clause (d) of the definition of Change of Control solely as a result of a Change of Control of the Sponsor. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, except as provided in Section 2.2(b), Section 2.2(c), Section 2.2(d), Section 2.3(b), Section 2.4(c), Section 3.1(c), Section 3.6 and Section 4.3, if the General Partner is removed as general partner of the Partnership under circumstances where Cause does not exist and the Common Units held by the General Partner and its Affiliates are not voted in favor of such removal, this Agreement may immediately thereupon be terminated by the Sponsor.

Section 8.5 Effect of Waiver or Consent . No waiver or consent, express or implied, by any Party to or of any breach or default by any Person in the performance by such Person of its obligations hereunder shall be deemed or construed to be a consent or waiver to or of any other breach or default in the performance by such Person of the same or any other obligations of such Person hereunder. Failure on the part of a Party to complain of any act of any Person or to declare any Person in default, irrespective of how long such failure continues, shall not constitute a waiver by such Party of its rights hereunder until the applicable statute of limitations period has run.

Section 8.6 Amendment or Modification . This Agreement may be amended or modified from time to time only by the written agreement of all the Parties; provided, however, that the Partnership may not, without the prior approval of the Conflicts Committee, agree to any amendment or modification of this Agreement that will adversely affect the holders of Common Units. Each such instrument shall be reduced to writing and shall be designated on its face an “Amendment” or an “Addendum” to this Agreement. Notwithstanding the first sentence of this Section 8.6, Schedule 7.1 and Schedule 7.2 may be amended or modified from time to time only by the written agreement of the Partnership and the Sponsor.

 

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Section 8.7 Assignment; Third Party Beneficiaries . Except as set forth in Section 2.1(a), any Party shall have the right to assign its rights under this Agreement without the consent of any other Party, but no Party shall have the right to assign its obligations under this Agreement without the written consent of the other Parties. Each of the Parties hereto specifically intends that each entity comprising the Sponsor Entities and each entity comprising the Partnership Entities, as applicable, whether or not a Party to this Agreement, shall be entitled to assert rights and remedies hereunder as third-party beneficiaries hereto with respect to those provisions of this Agreement affording a right, benefit or privilege to any such entity, and that no other Person shall be entitled to assert any rights or remedies hereunder as third-party beneficiaries.

Section 8.8 Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, and by facsimile, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which shall constitute one and the same agreement.

Section 8.9 Severability . If any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any applicable rule of law or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect so long as the economic or legal substance of the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner materially adverse to any Party. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the Parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the Parties as closely as possible in an acceptable manner to the end that transactions contemplated hereby are fulfilled to the extent possible.

Section 8.10 Gender, Parts, Articles and Sections . Whenever the context requires, the gender of all words used in this Agreement shall include the masculine, feminine and neuter, and the number of all words shall include the singular and plural. All references to Article numbers and Section numbers refer to Articles and Sections of this Agreement.

Section 8.11 Further Assurances . In connection with this Agreement and all transactions contemplated by this Agreement, each Party agrees to execute and deliver such additional documents and instruments and to perform such additional acts as may be necessary or appropriate to effectuate, carry out and perform all of the terms, provisions and conditions of this Agreement and all such transactions.

 

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Section 8.12 Withholding or Granting of Consent . Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, each Party may, with respect to any consent or approval that it is entitled to grant pursuant to this Agreement, grant or withhold such consent or approval in its sole and uncontrolled discretion, with or without cause, and subject to such conditions as it shall deem appropriate.

Section 8.13 Laws and Regulations . Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, no Party shall be required to take any act, or fail to take any act, under this Agreement if the effect thereof would be to cause such Party to be in violation of any applicable law, statute, rule or regulation.

Section 8.14 Negation of Rights of Limited Partners, Assignees and Third Parties . Except as set forth in Section 8.7, the provisions of this Agreement are enforceable solely by the Parties, and no shareholder, limited partner, general partner, member, or assignee of the Sponsor, the General Partner, the Partnership or other Person shall have the right, separate and apart from the Sponsor, the General Partner or the Partnership, to enforce any provision of this Agreement or to compel any Party to comply with the terms of this Agreement.

Section 8.15 No Recourse Against Officers and Directors . For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of this Agreement shall not give rise to any right of recourse against any officer or director of any Sponsor Entity or any Group Member.

Section 8.16 Arbitration . Any dispute, controversy or claim arising out of or in connection with this Agreement shall be settled by final and binding arbitration conducted in Chicago, Illinois in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association by one or more arbitrators designated in accordance with said Rules. The Parties agree that the award of the arbitral tribunal (the “ Arbitration Award ”) shall be: (a) conclusive, final and binding upon the Parties; and (b) the sole and exclusive remedy between the Parties regarding any and all claims and counterclaims presented to the arbitral tribunal. All notices to be given in connection with the arbitration shall be as provided in Section 8.2. The Arbitration Award shall include interest, at a rate determined as appropriate by the arbitrators, from the date of any breach or other violation of this Agreement to the date when the Arbitration Award is paid in full. The Arbitration Award shall also include the fixing of the expense of the arbitration and the assessment of the same, as is appropriate in the opinion of the arbitrators, against either or both Parties hereto. Each Party shall otherwise bear its cost for its respective legal fees, witnesses, depositions and other out-of-pocket expenses incurred in the course of the arbitration.

Section 8.17 Dispute Resolution . If the Parties are unable to resolve any service or performance issues or if there is a material breach of this Agreement that has not been corrected within thirty (30) days of receipt of notice of such breach, representatives of each of the Parties in dispute shall meet promptly to review and resolve such issues and breaches in good faith (the date on which such Persons first so meet, the “ Discussion Date ”). If such Persons are unable to fully resolve any such issues and breaches in good faith promptly after the Discussion Date, any remaining disputes shall be resolved in accordance with Section 8.16.

[ Signature pages follow .]

 

24


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have executed this Agreement on, and effective as of, the Effective Date.

 

    SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P.
    By:  

SunCoke Energy Partners GP LLC,

its general partner

      By:  

/s/ Mark E. Newman

        Name: Mark E. Newman
        Title: Senior Vice President and Chief
                  Financial Officer
    SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS GP LLC
      By:  

/s/ Mark E. Newman

        Name: Mark E. Newman
        Title: Senior Vice President and Chief
                  Financial Officer
    SUNCOKE ENERGY, INC.
      By:  

/s/ Mark E. Newman

        Name: Mark E. Newman
        Title: Senior Vice President and Chief
                  Financial Officer

 

Signature Page – Omnibus Agreement


Schedule 2(a)

Mark Intellectual Property


Schedule 2(b)

Patent Rights


Schedule 3.1

Known Remediation Losses


Schedule 4.2

Coke Sales Agreements


Schedule 7.2

Allocation of Overhead Costs and Expenses

Exhibit 10.3

Execution Version

 

 

 

$100,000,000

CREDIT AGREEMENT

among

SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P.,

HAVERHILL COKE COMPANY LLC,

MIDDLETOWN COKE COMPANY, LLC,

HAVERHILL COGENERATION COMPANY LLC,

MIDDLETOWN COGENERATION COMPANY LLC

and

CERTAIN OTHER SUBSIDIARIES OF SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P.,

as joint and several Borrowers,

The Several Lenders from Time to Time Parties Hereto,

BARCLAYS BANK PLC,

as Syndication Agent,

BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.,

CITIBANK, N.A.

and

THE ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND plc,

as Co-Documentation Agents

and

JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.,

as Administrative Agent

Dated as of January 24, 2013

 

 

 

J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC,

RBS SECURITIES INC.,

and

BARCLAYS BANK PLC,

as Joint Lead Arrangers and Joint Bookrunners


CONTENTS

 

     Page  

Section 1 DEFINITIONS

     1   

1.1 Defined Terms

     1   

1.2 Other Definitional Provisions

     34   

1.3 Joint and Several Obligations; Borrowers’ Agent

     35   

Section 2 AMOUNT AND TERMS OF COMMITMENTS

     35   

2.1 Revolving Commitments

     35   

2.2 Procedure for Revolving Loan Borrowing

     35   

2.3 Swing line Commitment

     36   

2.4 Procedure for Swing line Borrowing; Refunding of Swing line Loans

     36   

2.5 Commitment Fees, etc

     38   

2.6 Termination or Reduction of Revolving Commitments

     38   

2.7 Optional Prepayments

     38   

2.8 Mandatory Prepayments

     39   

2.9 Conversion and Continuation Options

     39   

2.10 Limitations on Eurodollar Tranches

     40   

2.11 Interest Rates and Payment Dates

     40   

2.12 Computation of Interest and Fees

     40   

2.13 Inability to Determine Interest Rate

     41   

2.14 Pro Rata Treatment and Payments

     41   

2.15 Requirements of Law

     42   

2.16 Taxes

     44   

2.17 Indemnity

     47   

2.18 Change of Lending Office

     48   

2.19 Replacement of Lenders

     48   

2.20 Defaulting Lenders

     48   

2.21 Incremental Facility

     51   

Section 3 LETTERS OF CREDIT

     52   

3.1 L/C Commitment

     52   

3.2 Procedure for Issuance of Letter of Credit

     52   

3.3 Fees and Other Charges

     53   

3.4 L/C Participations

     53   

3.5 Reimbursement Obligation of the Borrowers

     54   

3.6 Obligations Absolute

     54   

3.7 Letter of Credit Payments

     55   

3.8 Applications

     55   

Section 4 REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

     55   

4.1 Financial Condition

     55   


4.2 No Change

     56   

4.3 Existence; Compliance with Law

     56   

4.4 Power; Authorization; Enforceable Obligations

     56   

4.5 No Legal Bar

     57   

4.6 Litigation

     57   

4.7 No Default

     57   

4.8 Ownership of Property

     57   

4.9 Intellectual Property

     57   

4.10 Taxes

     58   

4.11 Federal Regulations

     58   

4.12 Labor Matters

     58   

4.13 ERISA

     58   

4.14 Investment Company Act; Other Regulations

     59   

4.15 Subsidiaries

     59   

4.16 Use of Proceeds

     59   

4.17 Environmental Matters

     59   

4.18 Accuracy of Information, etc

     60   

4.19 Security Documents

     60   

4.20 Solvency

     61   

4.21 Certain Documents

     61   

Section 5 CONDITIONS PRECEDENT

     61   

5.1 Conditions to Initial Extension of Credit

     61   

5.2 Conditions to Each Extension of Credit

     65   

Section 6 AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS

     66   

6.1 Financial Statements

     66   

6.2 Certificates; Other Information

     67   

6.3 Payment of Obligations

     68   

6.4 Maintenance of Existence; Compliance

     68   

6.5 Maintenance of Property; Insurance

     68   

6.6 Inspection of Property; Books and Records; Discussions

     69   

6.7 Notices

     69   

6.8 Environmental Laws

     70   

6.9 Additional Collateral, etc

     70   

6.10 Payment of Taxes

     72   

6.11 Designation of Subsidiaries

     72   

Section 7 NEGATIVE COVENANTS

     73   

7.1 Financial Condition Covenants

     73   

7.2 Indebtedness

     73   

7.3 Liens

     76   

7.4 Fundamental Changes

     78   

7.5 Disposition of Property

     78   

 

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7.6 Restricted Payments

     80   

7.7 [Reserved]

     81   

7.8 Investments

     81   

7.9 Modifications of Certain Debt Instruments

     83   

7.10 Transactions with Affiliates

     84   

7.11 Sales and Leasebacks

     85   

7.12 Changes in Fiscal Periods

     85   

7.13 Restrictive Agreements

     85   

7.14 Lines of Business

     87   

7.15 Amendments to Transaction Documents

     87   

Section 8 EVENTS OF DEFAULT

     87   

Section 9 THE AGENTS

     90   

9.1 Appointment

     90   

9.2 Delegation of Duties

     90   

9.3 Exculpatory Provisions

     90   

9.4 Reliance by Administrative Agent

     91   

9.5 Notice of Default

     91   

9.6 Non-Reliance on Agents and Other Lenders

     91   

9.7 Indemnification

     92   

9.8 Agent in Its Individual Capacity

     92   

9.9 Successor Administrative Agent

     93   

9.10 Joint Lead Arrangers, Co-Documentation Agents and Syndication Agent

     93   

Section 10 MISCELLANEOUS

     93   

10.1 Amendments and Waivers

     93   

10.2 Notices

     95   

10.3 No Waiver; Cumulative Remedies

     96   

10.4 Survival of Representations and Warranties

     96   

10.5 Payment of Expenses and Taxes

     96   

10.6 Successors and Assigns; Participations and Assignments

     97   

10.7 Adjustments; Set-off

     100   

10.8 Counterparts

     101   

10.9 Severability

     101   

10.10 Integration

     101   

10.11 GOVERNING LAW

     101   

10.12 Submission To Jurisdiction; Waivers

     101   

10.13 Acknowledgements

     102   

10.14 Releases of Guarantees and Liens

     102   

10.15 Confidentiality

     103   

10.16 WAIVERS OF JURY TRIAL

     104   

10.17 USA Patriot Act

     104   

10.18 Joint and Several Liability of the Borrowers

     104   

10.19 No Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility

     105   

 

iii


   SCHEDULES:
1.1A    Revolving Commitments
1.1B    Mortgaged Properties
4.15    Subsidiaries
7.2(d)    Existing Indebtedness
7.3(f)    Existing Liens
7.8    Existing Investments

EXHIBITS:

 

A    Form of Guarantee and Collateral Agreement
B    Form of Compliance Certificate
C    Form of Closing Certificate
D    Form of Mortgage
E    Form of Assignment and Assumption
F    Form of U.S. Tax Certificate
G    Form of Increased Facility Activation Notice
H    Form of New Lender Supplement
I-1    Form of Revolving Note
I-2    Form of Swing line Note

 

iv


CREDIT AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”), dated as of January 24, 2013, among, SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “ MLP ”), each direct or indirect subsidiary of the MLP listed as a “Borrower” on the signature pages hereto or which may from time to time become a party hereto as a “Borrower” (together with the MLP, each a “ Borrower ” and collectively, the “ Borrowers ”), the several banks and other financial institutions or entities from time to time parties to this Agreement (the “ Lenders ”), J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC, RBS SECURITIES INC., and BARCLAYS BANK PLC, as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners, and JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., as administrative agent.

The parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

SECTION 1

DEFINITIONS

1.1 Defined Terms . As used in this Agreement, the terms listed in this Section 1.1 shall have the respective meanings set forth in this Section 1.1 .

ABR ”: for any day, a rate per annum (rounded upwards, if necessary, to the next 1/16 of 1%) equal to the greatest of (a) the Prime Rate in effect on such day, (b) the Federal Funds Effective Rate in effect on such day plus 1 / 2 of 1% and (c) the Eurodollar Rate that would be calculated as of such day (or, if such day is not a Business Day, as of the next preceding Business Day) in respect of a proposed Eurodollar Loan with a one-month Interest Period plus 1.0%. Any change in the ABR due to a change in the Prime Rate, the Federal Funds Effective Rate or such Eurodollar Rate shall be effective as of the opening of business on the day of such change in the Prime Rate, the Federal Funds Effective Rate or such Eurodollar Rate, respectively.

ABR Loans ”: Loans the rate of interest applicable to which is based upon the ABR.

Accounting Changes ”: as defined in the definition of GAAP.

Acquired Debt ”: Indebtedness of a Person existing at the time the Person is acquired by, or merges with or into the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary or becomes a Restricted Subsidiary, whether or not such Indebtedness is incurred in connection with, or in contemplation of, the Person being acquired by or merging with or into or becoming a Restricted Subsidiary.

Additional Assets ”: all or substantially all of the assets of a Permitted Business, or Capital Stock of another Person engaged in a Permitted Business that will, on the date of acquisition, be a Restricted Subsidiary, or other non-current assets (other than cash and Cash Equivalents or securities (including Capital Stock)) that are to be used in a Permitted Business.

Adjustment Date ”: as defined in the definition of Applicable Pricing Grid.

Administrative Agent ”: JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as the administrative agent for the Lenders under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, together with any of its successors.

 

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Affiliate ”: as to any Person, any other Person that, directly or indirectly, is in control of, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such Person. For purposes of this definition, “control” of a Person means the power, directly or indirectly, to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such Person, whether through the exercise of voting power, by contract or otherwise. “Controlled” has a meaning correlative thereto.

Agent Indemnitee ”: as defined in Section 9.7 .

Agents ”: the collective reference to the Syndication Agent, the Co-Documentation Agents and the Administrative Agent.

Agreement ”: as defined in the preamble hereto.

Applicable Margin ”: for each Type of Loan the rate per annum set forth under the relevant column heading below:

 

     ABR Loans     Eurodollar Loans  

Revolving Loans and Swing line Loans

     1.50     2.50

, provided , that on and after the first Adjustment Date occurring after the completion of two full Fiscal Quarters after the Closing Date, the Applicable Margin with respect to Revolving Loans and Swing line Loans will be determined pursuant to the Applicable Pricing Grid.

Applicable Pricing Grid ”: the table set forth below:

 

Consolidated Leverage Ratio

   Applicable Margin for
Eurodollar Loans
    Applicable Margin for
ABR Loans
    Commitment Fee Rate  
> 3.00:1.00      2.50     1.50     0.40
£ 3.00:1.00      2.25     1.25     0.40
but > 2.00:1.00       
£ 2.00:1.00      2.00     1.00     0.40

For the purposes of the Applicable Pricing Grid, changes in the Applicable Margin resulting from changes in the Consolidated Leverage Ratio shall become effective on the date (the “ Adjustment Date ”) that is three Business Days after the date on which financial statements are delivered to the Lenders pursuant to Section 6.1 and shall remain in effect until the next change to be effected pursuant to this paragraph. If any financial statements referred to above are not delivered within the time periods specified in Section 6.1 , then, until the date that is three Business Days after the date on which such financial statements are delivered, the highest rate set forth in each column of the Applicable Pricing Grid shall apply. In addition, at all times while an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, the highest rate set forth in each column of the Applicable Pricing Grid shall apply. Each determination of the Consolidated Leverage Ratio pursuant to the Applicable Pricing Grid shall be made in a manner consistent with the determination thereof pursuant to Section 7.1 .

Application ”: an application, in such form as the Issuing Lender may specify from time to time, requesting the Issuing Lender to open a Letter of Credit.

 

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Approved Fund ”: as defined in Section 10.6(b) .

Asset Sale ”: any Disposition of property or series of related Dispositions of property that are either (a) not permitted under this Agreement or (b) permitted by Section 7.5(p) that yields gross proceeds to any Group Member (valued at the initial principal amount thereof in the case of non-cash proceeds consisting of notes or other debt securities and valued at fair market value in the case of other non-cash proceeds) in excess of $500,000.

Assignee ”: as defined in Section 10.6(b) .

Assignment and Assumption ”: an Assignment and Assumption, substantially in the form of Exhibit E .

Available Revolving Commitment ”: as to any Revolving Lender at any time, an amount equal to the excess, if any, of (a) such Lender’s Revolving Commitment then in effect over (b) such Lender’s Revolving Extensions of Credit then outstanding; provided , that in calculating any Lender’s Revolving Extensions of Credit for the purpose of determining such Lender’s Available Revolving Commitment pursuant to Section 2.5(a) , the aggregate principal amount of Swing line Loans then outstanding shall be deemed to be zero.

Bankruptcy Event ”: with respect to any Person, such Person becomes the subject of a bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding, or has had a receiver, conservator, trustee, administrator, custodian, assignee for the benefit of creditors or similar Person charged with the reorganization or liquidation of its business appointed for it, or, in the good faith determination of the Administrative Agent, has taken any action in furtherance of, or indicating its consent to, approval of, or acquiescence in, any such proceeding or appointment, provided that a Bankruptcy Event shall not result solely by virtue of any ownership interest, or the acquisition of any ownership interest, in such Person by a Governmental Authority or instrumentality thereof, provided, further, that such ownership interest does not result in or provide such Person with immunity from the jurisdiction of courts within the United States or from the enforcement of judgments or writs of attachment on its assets or permit such Person (or such Governmental Authority or instrumentality) to reject, repudiate, disavow or disaffirm any contracts or agreements made by such Person.

Beneficial Owner ” has the meaning assigned to such term in Rule 13d-3 and Rule 13d-5 under the Exchange Act, except that in calculating the beneficial ownership of any particular “person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), such “person” will be deemed to have beneficial ownership of all securities that such “person” has the right to acquire by conversion or exercise of other securities, whether such right is currently exercisable or is exercisable only after the passage of time. The terms “Beneficially Owns” and “Beneficially Owned” have a corresponding meaning.

Benefitted Lender ”: as defined in Section 10.7(a) .

Board ”: the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States (or any successor).

Borrower ”: as defined in the preamble hereto.

 

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Borrowers’ Agent ”: the MLP, in its capacity as agent for the Borrowers and the other Loan Parties, as more fully described in Section 1.3(b) .

Borrowing Date ”: any Business Day specified by a Borrower as a date on which such Borrower requests the relevant Lenders to make Loans hereunder.

Business ”: as defined in Section 4.17(b) .

Business Day ”: a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in New York City are authorized or required by law to close, provided , that with respect to notices and determinations in connection with, and payments of principal and interest on, Eurodollar Loans, such day is also a day for trading by and between banks in Dollar deposits in the interbank eurodollar market.

Capital Lease Obligations ”: as to any Person, the obligations of such Person to pay rent or other amounts under any lease of (or other arrangement conveying the right to use) real or personal property, or a combination thereof, which obligations are required to be classified and accounted for as capital leases on a balance sheet of such Person under GAAP and, for the purposes of this Agreement, the amount of such obligations at any time shall be the capitalized amount thereof at such time determined in accordance with GAAP.

Capital Stock ”: any and all shares, interests, participations or other equivalents (however designated) of capital stock of a corporation, any and all equivalent ownership interests in a Person (other than a corporation) and any and all warrants, rights or options to purchase any of the foregoing.

Cash Equivalents ”: (a) marketable direct obligations issued by, or unconditionally guaranteed by, the United States Government or issued by any agency thereof and backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, in each case maturing within one year from the date of acquisition; (b) certificates of deposit, time deposits, eurodollar time deposits or overnight bank deposits having maturities of six months or less from the date of acquisition issued by any Lender or by any commercial bank organized under the laws of the United States or any state thereof having combined capital and surplus of not less than $500,000,000; (c) commercial paper of an issuer rated at least A-1 by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (“S&P”) or P-1 by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), or carrying an equivalent rating by a nationally recognized rating agency, if both of the two named rating agencies cease publishing ratings of commercial paper issuers generally, and maturing within six months from the date of acquisition; (d) repurchase obligations of any Lender or of any commercial bank satisfying the requirements of clause (b) of this definition, having a term of not more than 30 days, with respect to securities issued or fully guaranteed or insured by the United States government; (e) securities with maturities of one year or less from the date of acquisition issued or fully guaranteed by any state, commonwealth or territory of the United States, by any political subdivision or taxing authority of any such state, commonwealth or territory or by any foreign government, the securities of which state, commonwealth, territory, political subdivision, taxing authority or foreign government (as the case may be) are rated at least A by S&P or A by Moody’s; (f) securities with maturities of six months or less from the date of acquisition backed by standby letters of credit issued by any Lender or any commercial bank satisfying the requirements of clause (b) of

 

4


this definition; (g) money market mutual or similar funds that invest exclusively in assets satisfying the requirements of clauses (a) through (f) of this definition; or (h) money market funds that (i) comply with the criteria set forth in SEC Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, (ii) are rated AAA by S&P and Aaa by Moody’s and (iii) have portfolio assets of at least $5,000,000,000.

Closing Date ”: the date on which the conditions precedent set forth in Section 5.1 shall have been satisfied, which date is January 24, 2013.

Code ”: the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time, and the regulations thereunder.

Co-Documentation Agents ”: Bank of America, N.A., Citibank, N.A. and The Royal Bank of Scotland plc.

Collateral ”: all property of the Loan Parties, now owned or hereafter acquired, upon which a Lien is purported to be created by any Security Document.

Collections Agreements ” means each of the following: (i) the Collections Agreement, dated as of January 23, 2013, among Haverhill Coke Company LLC, Haverhill Cogeneration Company LLC, and Sun Coal & Coke LLC and (ii) the Collections Agreement, dated as of January 23, 2013, among Middletown Coke Company, LLC, Middletown Cogeneration Company LLC, and Sun Coal & Coke LLC.

Commitment Fee Rate ”: 0.40% per annum; provided , that on and after the first Adjustment Date occurring after the completion of two full Fiscal Quarters after the Closing Date, the Commitment Fee Rate will be determined pursuant to the Applicable Pricing Grid.

Compliance Certificate ”: a certificate duly executed by a Responsible Officer substantially in the form of Exhibit B .

Consolidated Current Liabilities ”: as of any date of determination, the aggregate amount of liabilities of the MLP and its consolidated Restricted Subsidiaries which may properly be classified as current liabilities (including taxes accrued as estimated), after eliminating (a) all intercompany items between the MLP and any Restricted Subsidiary or between Restricted Subsidiaries and (b) all current maturities of long-term Indebtedness.

Consolidated EBITDA ”: for any period, the result obtained by subtracting the amount determined pursuant to clause (B) below for such period from the amount determined pursuant to clause (A) below for such period:

(A) Consolidated Net Income for such period plus the sum of (a) provision for Taxes, based on income or profits of the MLP and the Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, to the extent that such amounts were deducted in computing Consolidated Net Income, plus (b) Fixed Charges of the MLP and the Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, to the extent that any such Fixed Charges were deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income, plus (c) depreciation, amortization (including amortization of intangibles but excluding amortization of prepaid cash expenses that were paid in a prior

 

5


period) and other non-cash charges or expenses (excluding any such non-cash charge or expense to the extent that it represents an accrual of or reserve for cash expenses in any future period or amortization of a prepaid cash charge or expense that was paid in a prior period) of the MLP and the Restricted Subsidiaries for such period to the extent that such depreciation, amortization and other non-cash expenses were deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income, plus (d) the “run-rate” Consolidated Net Income plus amounts added to Consolidated Net Income in accordance with clauses (a) through (c) of this definition to calculate Consolidated EBITDA (the “ Operational EBITDA ”) of any asset acquired, constructed, designed, installed or improved that has not been fully constructed, complete and operational in the business of the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries for at least four full Fiscal Quarters; provided that (A) the Operational EBITDA of such asset shall be determined based upon the annualized Operational EBITDA of such asset projected in good faith by a responsible financial or accounting officer of the General Partner to be realized no later than 12 months after such asset is fully constructed, complete and operational in the business of the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries and (B) the aggregate amount by which Consolidated EBITDA is increased pursuant to this clause (d) shall not exceed 10% of Consolidated Net Income for any period of four consecutive Fiscal Quarters, plus (e) any extraordinary loss or net loss realized by the MLP or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in connection with any Asset Sale, to the extent such losses were deducted in computing Consolidated Net Income, minus or plus , as the case may be, (f) all extraordinary, unusual or non-recurring items of gain (loss) or expense to the extent deducted or added in computing Consolidated Net Income, minus or plus , as the case may be, (g) non-cash items increasing or decreasing such Consolidated Net Income for such period, other than the accrual of revenue or expense in the ordinary course of business, plus (h) sales discounts provided by the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary to customers due to sharing of nonconventional fuels tax credits, in each case, on a consolidated basis and determined in accordance with GAAP minus

(B) the pro rata portion of the amount determined pursuant to the foregoing clause (A) that is attributable to minority interests in each Restricted Subsidiary of the MLP that are owned by a Person other than the MLP or a wholly-owned Restricted Subsidiary.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provision for taxes based on the income or profits of, and the depreciation and amortization and other non-cash expenses of, a Restricted Subsidiary will be added to Consolidated Net Income to compute Consolidated EBITDA only to the extent that a corresponding amount would be permitted at the date of determination to be dividended or distributed to the MLP by such Restricted Subsidiary without prior governmental approval (that has not been obtained), and without direct or indirect restriction pursuant to the terms of its charter or any agreements, instruments, judgments, decrees, orders, statutes, rules and governmental regulations applicable to that Restricted Subsidiary or its stockholders.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, for the purposes of determining Consolidated EBITDA under this Agreement for any period that includes any of the Fiscal Quarters ended June 30, 2012, September 30, 2012, and December 31, 2012, Consolidated EBITDA for such Fiscal Quarters shall be $19,500,000, $23,000,000 and $23,100,000, respectively.

 

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Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio ”: for any period, the ratio of (a) Consolidated EBITDA for such period to (b) Consolidated Interest Expense for such period calculated on a Pro Forma Basis.

Consolidated Interest Expense ”: for any period, total cash interest expense (including that attributable to Capital Lease Obligations) of the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period with respect to all outstanding Indebtedness of the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries (including all commissions, discounts and other fees and charges owed with respect to letters of credit and bankers’ acceptance financing and net costs under Swap Agreements in respect of interest rates to the extent such net costs are allocable to such period in accordance with GAAP) net of cash interest income.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, for the purposes of determining Consolidated Interest Expense for any period ending prior to the first anniversary of the Closing Date, Consolidated Interest Expense shall be an amount equal to actual Consolidated Interest Expense from the Closing Date through the date of determination multiplied by a fraction the numerator of which is 365 and the denominator of which is the number of days from the Closing Date through the date of determination.

Consolidated Leverage Ratio ”: as at the last day of any period, the ratio of (a) Consolidated Total Debt on such day to (b) Consolidated EBITDA for such period calculated on a Pro Forma Basis.

Consolidated Net Income ”: for any period, the aggregate of the net income (loss) of the MLP and the Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, on a consolidated basis, determined in accordance with GAAP; provided that (a) the net income of any Person that is not a Restricted Subsidiary or that is accounted for by the equity method of accounting will be included only to the extent of the amount of dividends or distributions paid in cash to the MLP or a Restricted Subsidiary (subject, in the case of dividends or distributions paid to a Restricted Subsidiary, to the limitations contained in clause (b) hereof); (b) the net income (but not the net loss) of any Restricted Subsidiary will be excluded to the extent that the declaration or payment of dividends or similar distributions by that Restricted Subsidiary of that net income is not at the date of determination permitted without any prior governmental approval (that has not been obtained) or, directly or indirectly, by operation of the terms of its charter or any agreement, instrument, judgment, decree, order, statute, rule or governmental regulation applicable to that Person or its stockholders; (c) the net income (loss) of any Person acquired during the specified period for any period prior to the date of the acquisition will be excluded (except to the extent, for any calculation done on a Pro Forma Basis, such net income (loss) is intended to be included by the definition of Pro Forma Basis); (d) any gain or loss, together with any related provision for taxes on such gain or loss, realized in connection with: (i) any sale of assets outside the ordinary course of business of the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary; or (ii) the disposition of any securities by the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary or the extinguishment of any Indebtedness of the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary, will be excluded; (e) any extraordinary, non-recurring or unusual gain or loss, together with any related provision for taxes on such extraordinary, non-recurring or unusual gain or loss will be excluded; (f) any unrealized gain or loss included in net income due to marking Hedging Agreements to market shall be excluded; (g) any non-cash compensation expense realized for grants of performance shares, stock options or other rights of

 

7


officers, directors and employees of the MLP and any Restricted Subsidiary will be excluded; provided that such shares, options or other rights can be redeemed at the option of the holder only for Qualified Capital Stock of the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary; (h) the cumulative effect of a change in accounting principles will be excluded; and (i) to the extent deducted in the calculation of net income, any non-recurring charges associated with any premium or penalty paid, write-offs of deferred financing costs or other financial recapitalization charges in connection with redeeming or retiring any Indebtedness prior to its Stated Maturity will be added back to arrive at Consolidated Net Income.

Consolidated Net Tangible Assets ”: as of any date of determination, (a) the sum of all amounts that would, in accordance with GAAP, be set forth opposite the caption “total assets” (or any like caption) on a consolidated balance sheet of the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries minus (b) the sum of all amounts that would, in accordance with GAAP, be set forth opposite the captions “goodwill” or other intangible categories (or any like caption) on a consolidated balance sheet of the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries minus (c) Consolidated Current Liabilities, all determined as of such date and after giving pro forma effect to any transactions occurring on such date.

Consolidated Senior Secured Debt ”: all Consolidated Total Debt secured by a Lien on any assets of the MLP or Restricted Subsidiary.

Consolidated Senior Secured Debt Ratio ”: as of the last day of any period of four consecutive Fiscal Quarters, the ratio of (a) Consolidated Senior Secured Debt on such day to (b) Consolidated EBITDA for such period.

Consolidated Total Debt ”: at any date, the aggregate principal amount of all Funded Debt of the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries at such date, determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP.

Continuing Directors ”: the directors of the General Partner on the Closing Date, after giving effect to the Transactions and the other transactions contemplated hereby, and each other director, if, in each case, (a) such other director’s nomination for election to the board of directors of the General Partner is recommended by a majority of the then Continuing Directors or (b) such other director’s election to the board of directors of the General Partner by such board of directors is supported by a majority of the then Continuing Directors.

Contractual Obligation ”: as to any Person, any provision of any security issued by such Person or of any agreement, instrument or other undertaking to which such Person is a party or by which it or any of its property is bound.

Contribution Agreement ” means the Contribution, Assignment and Assumption Agreement, between Sun Coal & Coke LLC, the MLP, and the General Partner, dated as of January 23, 2013.

control ” and “ controlled ”: as defined in the definition of Affiliate.

 

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Credit Party ”: the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Lender, the Swing line Lender or any other Lender.

Default ”: any of the events specified in Section 8 , whether or not any requirement for the giving of notice, the lapse of time, or both, has been satisfied.

Defaulting Lender ”: any Lender that (a) has failed, within two Business Days of the date required to be funded or paid, to (i) fund any portion of its Loans, (ii) fund any portion of its participations in Letters of Credit or Swing line Loans or (iii) pay over to any Credit Party any other amount required to be paid by it hereunder, unless, in the case of clause (i) above, such Lender notifies the Administrative Agent in writing that such failure is the result of such Lender’s good faith determination that a condition precedent to funding (specifically identified and including the particular default or breach of a representation, if any) has not been satisfied, (b) has notified the Borrowers’ Agent or any Credit Party in writing, or has made a public statement to the effect, that it does not intend or expect to comply with any of its funding obligations under this Agreement (unless such writing or public statement indicates that such position is based on such Lender’s good faith determination that a condition precedent (specifically identified and including the particular default, if any) to funding a loan under this Agreement cannot be satisfied) or generally under other agreements in which it commits to extend credit, (c) has failed, within three Business Days after request by a Credit Party, acting in good faith, to provide a certification in writing from an authorized officer of such Lender that it will comply with its obligations (and is prepared to meet such obligations) to fund prospective Loans and participations in then outstanding Letters of Credit and Swing line Loans under this Agreement, provided that such Lender shall cease to be a Defaulting Lender pursuant to this clause (c) upon such Credit Party’s receipt of such certification in form and substance satisfactory to it and the Administrative Agent, or (d) has become the subject of a Bankruptcy Event.

Disposition ”: with respect to any property, any sale, lease, sale and leaseback, assignment, conveyance, transfer or other disposition thereof. The terms “ Dispose ” and “ Disposed of ” shall have correlative meanings.

Disqualified Capital Stock ”: any Capital Stock which, by its terms (or by the terms of any security or other Capital Stock into which it is convertible or for which it is exchangeable), or upon the happening of any event or condition (a) matures or is mandatorily redeemable (other than solely for Qualified Capital Stock or solely at the direction of the issuer), pursuant to a sinking fund obligation or otherwise (except as a result of a change of control or asset sale so long as any rights of the holders thereof upon the occurrence of a change of control or asset sale event shall be subject to the prior repayment in full of the Loans and all other Obligations that are accrued and payable and the termination of the Revolving Commitments), (b) is redeemable at the option of the holder thereof (other than solely for Qualified Capital Stock and cash in lieu of fractional shares), in whole or in part, (c) provides for mandatory scheduled payments of dividends in cash, or (d) is or becomes convertible into or exchangeable for Indebtedness or any other Capital Stock that would constitute Disqualified Capital Stock, in each case, prior to the date that is ninety-one days after the Revolving Termination Date; provided that if such Capital Stock is issued pursuant to a plan for the benefit of employees of the MLP or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries or by any such plan to such employees, such Capital Stock shall not

 

9


constitute Disqualified Capital Stock solely because it may be required to be repurchased by the MLP or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in order to satisfy applicable statutory or regulatory obligations or as a result of such employee’s termination, death or disability.

Dollars ” and “ $ ”: dollars in lawful currency of the United States.

Environmental Laws ”: any and all applicable foreign, Federal, state, local or municipal laws, rules, orders, regulations, statutes, ordinances, codes, decrees, requirements of any Governmental Authority or other Requirements of Law (including common law) regulating, relating to or imposing liability or standards of conduct concerning protection of human health or the environment, as now or may at any time hereafter be in effect.

ERISA ”: the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended from time to time, and the rulings and regulations thereunder.

ERISA Affiliate ”: any trade or business (whether or not incorporated) that, together with any Group Member, is treated as a single employer under Section 414 of the Code.

ERISA Event ”: (a) the occurrence of any Reportable Event; (b) with respect to a Plan, the failure to satisfy the minimum funding standard of Sections 412 and 430 of the Code and Sections 302 and 303 of ERISA, whether or not waived; (c) the failure to make by its due date the minimum required contribution under Section 430 of the Code with respect to any Plan or the failure to make any required contribution to a Multiemployer Plan; (d) the filing pursuant to Section 412(c) of the Code or Section 302(c) of ERISA of an application for a waiver of the minimum funding standard with respect to any Plan; (e) a determination that any Pension Plan is, or is expected to be, in “at risk” status within the meaning of Section 430 of the Code or Section 303 of ERISA; (f) the incurrence by any Group Member or any ERISA Affiliate of any liability under Title IV of ERISA with respect to the termination of any Plan or Multiemployer Plan; (g) the receipt by any Group Member or any ERISA Affiliate from the PBGC or a plan administrator of any notice relating to the intention to terminate any Plan or Plans or to appoint a trustee to administer any Plan, or the occurrence of any event or condition which could reasonably be expected to constitute grounds under ERISA for the termination of, or the appointment of a trustee to administer, any Plan; (h) the incurrence by any Group Member or any ERISA Affiliate of any liability under Title IV of ERISA with respect to a complete or partial withdrawal from any Plan or Multiemployer Plan; (i) the receipt by any Group Member or any ERISA Affiliate of any notice concerning the imposition of Withdrawal Liability or a determination that a Multiemployer Plan is, or is expected to be, insolvent or in reorganization, within the meaning of Title IV of ERISA, or in “endangered” or “critical” status within the meaning of Section 432 of the Code or Section 305 of ERISA or terminated within the meaning of Section 4041A of ERISA; (j) an amendment to any Plan which could result in the imposition of a Lien or the posting of a bond or other security; (k) the occurrence of a nonexempt Prohibited Transaction which could reasonably be expected to result in a liability to any Group Member or any ERISA Affiliate; and (l) an increase in the liability of any Group Member or ERISA Affiliate for the provision of post-employment health or life insurance benefits to any Person.

 

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Eurocurrency Reserve Requirements ”: for any day as applied to a Eurodollar Loan, the aggregate (without duplication) of the maximum rates (expressed as a decimal fraction) of reserve requirements in effect on such day (including basic, supplemental, marginal and emergency reserves) under any regulations of the Board or other Governmental Authority having jurisdiction with respect thereto dealing with reserve requirements prescribed for eurocurrency funding (currently referred to as “Eurocurrency Liabilities” in Regulation D of the Board) maintained by a member bank of the Federal Reserve System.

Eurodollar Base Rate ”: with respect to each day during each Interest Period pertaining to a Eurodollar Loan, the rate per annum determined on the basis of the rate for deposits in Dollars for a period equal to such Interest Period commencing on the first day of such Interest Period appearing on the Reuters Screen LIBOR01 Page as of 11:00 A.M., London time, two Business Days prior to the beginning of such Interest Period. In the event that such rate does not appear on such page (or otherwise on such screen), the “ Eurodollar Base Rate ” shall be determined by reference to such other comparable publicly available service for displaying eurodollar rates as may be selected by the Administrative Agent or, in the absence of such availability, by reference to the rate at which the Administrative Agent is offered Dollar deposits at or about 11:00 A.M., New York City time, two Business Days prior to the beginning of such Interest Period in the interbank eurodollar market where its eurodollar and foreign currency and exchange operations are then being conducted for delivery on the first day of such Interest Period for the number of days comprised therein.

Eurodollar Loans ”: Loans the rate of interest applicable to which is based upon the Eurodollar Rate.

Eurodollar Rate ”: with respect to each day during each Interest Period pertaining to a Eurodollar Loan, a rate per annum determined for such day in accordance with the following formula:

 

 

Eurodollar Base Rate

 
  1.00 - Eurocurrency Reserve Requirements  

Eurodollar Tranche ”: the collective reference to Eurodollar Loans the then current Interest Periods with respect to all of which begin on the same date and end on the same later date (whether or not such Loans shall originally have been made on the same day).

Event of Default ”: any of the events specified in Section 8 , provided that any requirement for the giving of notice, the lapse of time, or both, has been satisfied.

Exchange Act ”: the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Excluded Collateral ”: as defined in the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement.

Excluded Subsidiary ”: any Foreign Subsidiary and any Immaterial Subsidiary.

Excluded Taxes ”: with respect to any payment made by any Loan Party under any Loan Document, any of the following Taxes imposed on or with respect to a Credit Party: (a) Taxes imposed on or measured by net income (however denominated), franchise Taxes and branch profits Taxes, in each case (i) imposed as a result of such Credit Party being organized under the laws of, or having its principal office or, in the case of any Lender, its applicable lending office

 

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located in, the jurisdiction imposing such Tax (or any political subdivision thereof) or (ii) that are Other Connection Taxes, (b) in the case of a Lender, U.S. federal withholding Taxes imposed on amounts payable to or for the account of such Lender with respect to an applicable interest in a commitment (including a L/C Commitment, Revolving Commitment and Swing line Commitment) pursuant to a law in effect on the date on which (i) such Lender acquires such interest in the Loan or commitment (including a L/C Commitment, Revolving Commitment and Swing line Commitment) (other than pursuant to an assignment request by the Borrower’s Agent under Section 2.19 ) or (ii) such Lender changes its lending office, except in each case to the extent that, pursuant to Section 2.16(a) , amounts with respect to such Taxes were payable either to the Lender’s assignor immediately before such Lender became a party hereto or to such Lender immediately before it changed its lending office, (c) Taxes attributable to such Credit Party’s failure to comply with Section 2.16(f) and (d) any U.S. withholding Taxes imposed under FATCA.

Fair Market Value ”: with respect to any property, the price that would be paid by a willing buyer to a willing seller in a transaction where neither the buyer nor the seller is under undue pressure or compulsion to complete the transaction. Fair Market Value shall be determined, except as otherwise provided, (a) if such property has a Fair Market Value equal to or less than $25,000,000, by any officer of the General Partner; or (b) if such property has a Fair Market Value in excess of $25,000,000, by at least a majority of the disinterested members of the board of directors of the General Partner.

FATCA ”: Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code, as of the date of this Agreement (or any amended or successor version that is substantively comparable and not materially more onerous to comply with), any current or future regulations or official interpretations thereof and any agreements entered into pursuant to Section 1471(b)(1) of the Code.

Federal Funds Effective Rate ”: for any day, the weighted average of the rates on overnight federal funds transactions with members of the Federal Reserve System arranged by federal funds brokers, as published on the next succeeding Business Day by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, or, if such rate is not so published for any day that is a Business Day, the average of the quotations for the day of such transactions received by the Administrative Agent from three federal funds brokers of recognized standing selected by it.

Fee Letters ”: (a) the fee letter dated as of January 8, 2013 among the MLP and the Joint Lead Arrangers and (b) the fee letter dated as of January 8, 2013 between the MLP and the Administrative Agent.

Fee Payment Date ”: (a) the third Business Day following the last day of each March, June, September and December and (b) the last day of the Revolving Commitment Period.

FinCo ”: SunCoke Energy Partners Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation.

Fiscal Quarter ”: a fiscal quarter of the MLP.

Fiscal Year ”: a fiscal year of the MLP.

 

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Fixed Charges ”: for any period, the sum of: (a) Interest Expense less interest income for such period; and (b) cash and non-cash dividends, whether paid or accrued, on any series of Disqualified Capital Stock of the MLP or a Restricted Subsidiary, except for dividends payable solely in the MLP’s Qualified Capital Stock or paid to the MLP or to a Restricted Subsidiary.

Foreign Benefit Arrangement ”: any employee benefit arrangement mandated by non-U.S. law that is maintained or contributed to by any Group Member or any Affiliate thereof.

Foreign Plan ”: each employee benefit plan (within the meaning of Section 3(3) of ERISA, whether or not subject to ERISA) that is maintained or contributed to by any Group Member for workers located outside of the United States.

Foreign Plan Event ”: with respect to any Foreign Benefit Arrangement or Foreign Plan, (a) a failure to make or, if applicable, accrue in accordance with the applicable jurisdiction’s accounting practices, any employer or employee contributions required by applicable law or by the terms of such Foreign Benefit Arrangement or Foreign Plan; (b) a failure to register or a loss of good standing with applicable regulatory authorities of any such Foreign Benefit Arrangement or Foreign Plan required to be registered; or (c) the failure of any Foreign Benefit Arrangement or Foreign Plan to comply with any provisions of applicable law and regulations or with the terms of such Foreign Benefit Arrangement or Foreign Plan.

Foreign Subsidiary ”: (a) any Subsidiary of the MLP that is not organized under the laws of any jurisdiction within the United States, (b) each Subsidiary of the MLP organized under the laws of any jurisdiction within the United States substantially all of the assets of which consist, directly or indirectly, of Capital Stock of Subsidiaries described in clause (a), (c) any Subsidiary of any Foreign Subsidiary and (d) any Subsidiary of the MLP organized under the laws of any jurisdiction within the United States that is a partnership or disregarded as an entity separate from its owner for U.S. federal tax purposes and has a partner, member or owner that is described in clause (a).

Funded Debt ”: as to the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries, without duplication, all consolidated Indebtedness of the type set forth in clauses (a), (b), (c) (but only with respect to reimbursement obligations related thereto), (e) and (f) of the definition of Indebtedness and all Guarantee Obligations in respect thereof.

Funding Office ”: the office of the Administrative Agent specified in Section 10.2 or such other office as may be specified from time to time by the Administrative Agent as its funding office by written notice to the Borrowers’ Agent and the Lenders.

GAAP ”: generally accepted accounting principles in the United States as in effect from time to time, except that for purposes of Section 7.1 , GAAP shall be determined on the basis of such principles in effect on the date hereof and consistent with those used in the preparation of the most recent audited financial statements referred to in Section 4.1(b) ; provided, that for the purposes of Section 7.1 , in the event that any “Accounting Change” (as defined below) shall occur and such change results in a change in the method of calculation of financial covenants, standards or terms in this Agreement, then the Borrowers’ Agent and the Administrative Agent agree to enter into negotiations in order to amend such provisions of this Agreement so as to

 

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reflect equitably such Accounting Changes with the desired result that the criteria for evaluating the MLP’s financial condition shall be the same after such Accounting Changes as if such Accounting Changes had not been made. Until such time as such an amendment shall have been executed and delivered by the Borrowers, the Administrative Agent and the Majority Revolving Lenders, all financial covenants, standards and terms in this Agreement shall continue to be calculated or construed as if such Accounting Changes had not occurred. “ Accounting Changes ” refers to changes in accounting principles required by the promulgation of any rule, regulation, pronouncement or opinion by the Financial Accounting Standards Board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants or, if applicable, the SEC.

General Partner ”: SunCoke Energy Partners GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company.

Governmental Authority ”: any nation or government, any state or other political subdivision thereof, any agency, authority, instrumentality, regulatory body, court, central bank or other entity exercising executive, legislative, judicial, taxing, regulatory or administrative functions of or pertaining to government, any securities exchange and any self-regulatory organization (including the National Association of Insurance Commissioners).

Group Members ”: the collective reference to the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries.

Guarantee and Collateral Agreement ”: the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement to be executed and delivered by the Borrowers and each Subsidiary Guarantor, substantially in the form of Exhibit A .

Guarantee Obligation ”: as to any Person (the “ guaranteeing person ”), any obligation, including a reimbursement, counterindemnity or similar obligation, of the guaranteeing Person that guarantees or in effect guarantees, or which is given to induce the creation of a separate obligation by another Person (including any bank under any letter of credit) that guarantees or in effect guarantees, any Indebtedness, leases, dividends or other obligations (the “ primary obligations ”) of any other third Person (the “ primary obligor ”) in any manner, whether directly or indirectly, including any obligation of the guaranteeing person, whether or not contingent, (i) to purchase any such primary obligation or any property constituting direct or indirect security therefor, (ii) to advance or supply funds (1) for the purchase or payment of any such primary obligation or (2) to maintain working capital or equity capital of the primary obligor or otherwise to maintain the net worth or solvency of the primary obligor, (iii) to purchase property, securities or services primarily for the purpose of assuring the owner of any such primary obligation of the ability of the primary obligor to make payment of such primary obligation or (iv) otherwise to assure or hold harmless the owner of any such primary obligation against loss in respect thereof; provided , however , that the term Guarantee Obligation shall not include endorsements of instruments for deposit or collection in the ordinary course of business. The amount of any Guarantee Obligation of any guaranteeing person shall be deemed to be the lower of (a) an amount equal to the stated or determinable amount of the primary obligation in respect of which such Guarantee Obligation is made and (b) the maximum amount for which such guaranteeing person may be liable pursuant to the terms of the instrument embodying such Guarantee Obligation, unless such primary obligation and the maximum amount for which such guaranteeing person may be liable are not stated or determinable, in which case the amount of such Guarantee Obligation shall be such guaranteeing person’s maximum reasonably anticipated liability in respect thereof as determined by the Borrowers’ Agent in good faith.

 

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guaranteeing person ”: as defined in the definition of Guarantee Obligation.

Guarantors ”: the collective reference to the Subsidiary Guarantors.

Hedging Agreement ”: (i) any interest rate swap agreement, interest rate cap agreement, interest rate future agreement, interest rate option agreement, interest rate hedge agreement or other agreement or arrangement designed to protect against or mitigate interest rate risk, (ii) any foreign exchange forward contract, currency swap agreement, currency option agreements or other agreement or arrangement designed to protect against or mitigate foreign exchange risk or (iii) any commodity or raw material futures contract, commodity hedge agreement, any actual or synthetic forward sale contract or other similar device or instrument or any other agreement designed to protect against or mitigate raw material price risk.

Immaterial Subsidiary ”: as of any date determination, any Restricted Subsidiary of the MLP that individually or in the aggregate together with other Restricted Subsidiaries of the MLP does not have (i) assets with a value in excess of $5,000,000 or (ii) revenues (for the most recently completed period of four consecutive Fiscal Quarters) in excess of $5,000,000.

Increased Facility Activation Notice ”: a notice substantially in the form of Exhibit G .

Increased Facility Closing Date ”: any Business Day designated as such in an Increased Facility Activation Notice.

Indebtedness ”: with respect to any Person, without duplication, (a) all indebtedness of such Person for borrowed money (it being understood that outstanding letters of credit shall not constitute obligations for borrowed money unless such letters of credit have been drawn on by the beneficiary thereof and the resulting reimbursement obligations have not been paid); (b) all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or other similar instruments (other than any obligations in respect of performance bonds, bid bonds, appeal bonds, surety bonds, reclamation bonds and completion guarantees and similar obligations or with respect to workers’ compensation benefits); (c) all obligations of such Person in respect of letters of credit, bankers’ acceptances or other similar instruments (solely to the extent such letters of credit, bankers’ acceptances or other similar instruments have been drawn); (d) all obligations of such Person to pay the deferred and unpaid purchase price of property or services provided by third-party service providers which are recorded as liabilities under GAAP, excluding (i) trade payables, accrued expenses or royalties, (ii) inter-company payables, (iii) working capital-based and other customary post-closing adjustments in acquisition transactions and (iv) salary and other employee compensation obligations; (e) Capital Lease Obligations; (f) Disqualified Capital Stock issued by the MLP; (g) all Guarantee Obligations with respect to Indebtedness; (h) all Indebtedness of other Persons secured by a Lien on any asset of such Person (other than Liens on Capital Stock of Unrestricted Subsidiaries and Foreign Subsidiaries), whether or not such Indebtedness is assumed by such Person; and (i) all obligations of such Person under Hedging Agreements; provided that in no event shall Indebtedness include (x) obligations (other than obligations with respect to Indebtedness for borrowed money or other Funded Debt) related to

 

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surface rights under an agreement for the acquisition of surface rights for the production of coal reserves in the ordinary course of business in a manner consistent with historical practice of the MLP (including the Parent and its Subsidiaries, as its predecessor) and its Restricted Subsidiaries or (y) minimum payment, supply or take-or-pay obligations contained in supply or other arrangements of the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries.

The amount of Indebtedness of any Person will be deemed to be: (a) with respect to Indebtedness secured by a Lien on an asset of such Person but not otherwise the obligation, contingent or otherwise, of such Person, the lesser of (x) the Fair Market Value of such asset on the date the Lien attached and (y) the amount of such Indebtedness; (b) with respect to any Indebtedness issued with original issue discount, the face amount of such Indebtedness less the remaining unamortized portion of the original issue discount of such Indebtedness; (c) with respect to any Hedging Agreement, the amount payable (determined after giving effect to all contractually permitted netting) if such Hedging Agreement terminated at that time; and (d) otherwise, the outstanding principal amount thereof.

Indemnified Liabilities ”: as defined in Section 10.5 .

Indemnified Taxes ”: Taxes, other than Excluded Taxes, imposed on or with respect to any payment made by any Loan Party under any Loan Document.

Indemnitee ”: as defined in Section 10.5 .

Intellectual Property ”: the collective reference to all rights, priorities and privileges relating to intellectual property, whether arising under United States, multinational or foreign laws or otherwise, including copyrights, copyright licenses, patents, patent licenses, trademarks, trademark licenses, technology, know-how and processes, and all rights to sue at law or in equity for any infringement or other impairment thereof, including the right to receive all proceeds and damages therefrom.

Interest Expense ”: for any period, the consolidated interest expense of the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries, plus, to the extent not included in such consolidated interest expense, and to the extent incurred, accrued or payable by the MLP or its Restricted Subsidiaries, without duplication, (i) interest expense attributable to Capital Lease Obligations, (ii) original issue discount, (iii) capitalized interest, (iv) non-cash interest expense (other than non-cash interest expense attributable to movement in mark to market valuation of obligations under Hedging Agreements or other derivatives under GAAP), and (v) net of the effect of all payments made or received pursuant to Swap Agreements but excluding (a) amortization of deferred financing fees, debt issuance costs and commissions, fees and expenses and the expensing of any bridge, commitment or other financing fees, commissions, discounts, yield and other fees and charges (including any interest expense) and (b) non-cash interest expense attributable to movement in mark to market valuation of obligations under Hedging Agreements or other derivatives under GAAP.

Interest Payment Date ”: (a) as to any ABR Loan (other than any Swing line Loan), the last day of each March, June, September and December (or, if an Event of Default is in existence, the last day of each calendar month) to occur while such Loan is outstanding and the

 

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final maturity date of such Loan, (b) as to any Eurodollar Loan having an Interest Period of three months or less, the last day of such Interest Period, (c) as to any Eurodollar Loan having an Interest Period longer than three months, each day that is three months, or a whole multiple thereof, after the first day of such Interest Period and the last day of such Interest Period, (d) as to any Loan (other than any Revolving Loan that is an ABR Loan and any Swing line Loan), the date of any repayment or prepayment made in respect thereof and (e) as to any Swing line Loan, the day that such Loan is required to be repaid.

Interest Period ”: as to any Eurodollar Loan, (a) initially, the period commencing on the borrowing or conversion date, as the case may be, with respect to such Eurodollar Loan and ending one, two, three or six months thereafter, as selected by the applicable Borrower in its notice of borrowing or notice of conversion, as the case may be, given with respect thereto; and (b) thereafter, each period commencing on the last day of the next preceding Interest Period applicable to such Eurodollar Loan and ending one, two, three or six months thereafter, as selected by the applicable Borrower by irrevocable notice to the Administrative Agent not later than 11:00 A.M., New York City time, on the date that is three Business Days prior to the last day of the then current Interest Period with respect thereto; provided that, all of the foregoing provisions relating to Interest Periods are subject to the following:

(i) if any Interest Period would otherwise end on a day that is not a Business Day, such Interest Period shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day unless the result of such extension would be to carry such Interest Period into another calendar month in which event such Interest Period shall end on the immediately preceding Business Day;

(ii) no Borrower may select an Interest Period that would extend beyond the Revolving Termination Date;

(iii) any Interest Period that begins on the last Business Day of a calendar month (or on a day for which there is no numerically corresponding day in the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period) shall end on the last Business Day of a calendar month; and

(iv) each Borrower shall select Interest Periods so as not to require a payment or prepayment of any Eurodollar Loan during an Interest Period for such Loan.

Investment ”: as to any Person, any direct or indirect acquisition or investment by such Person, whether by means of (a) the purchase or other acquisition of Capital Stock or debt or other securities of another Person, (b) a loan, advance or capital contribution to, guarantee or assumption of debt of, or purchase or other acquisition of any other debt or equity participation or interest in, another Person, including any partnership or joint venture interest in such other Person or (c) the purchase or other acquisition (in one transaction or a series of transactions) of all or substantially all of the property and assets or business of another Person or assets constituting a business unit, line of business or division of such Person. For purposes of covenant compliance, the amount of any Investment shall be the amount actually invested (whether in cash or other assets (calculated at the fair market value with respect to any assets)), without adjustment for subsequent increases or decreases in the value of such Investment, less any amount paid, repaid, returned, distributed or otherwise received in cash in respect of such Investment.

 

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IRS ”: the United States Internal Revenue Service.

Issuing Lender ”: each of the Administrative Agent and any other Revolving Lender approved by the Administrative Agent and the Borrowers’ Agent that has agreed in its sole discretion to act as an “Issuing Lender” hereunder, or any of their respective affiliates, in each case in its capacity as issuer of any Letter of Credit. Each reference herein to “the Issuing Lender” shall be deemed to be a reference to the relevant Issuing Lender.

Joint Lead Arrangers ”: J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, RBS Securities Inc. and Barclays Bank PLC.

L/C Commitment ”: $50,000,000.

L/C Exposure ”: at any time, the total L/C Obligations. The L/C Exposure of any Revolving Lender at any time shall be its Revolving Percentage of the total L/C Exposure at such time.

L/C Obligations ”: at any time, an amount equal to the sum of (a) the aggregate then undrawn and unexpired amount of the then outstanding Letters of Credit and (b) the aggregate amount of drawings under Letters of Credit that have not then been reimbursed pursuant to Section 3.5 .

L/C Participants ”: the collective reference to all the Revolving Lenders other than the Issuing Lender.

Lender Parent ”: with respect to any Lender, any Person as to which such Lender is, directly or indirectly, a subsidiary.

Lenders ”: as defined in the preamble hereto.

Letters of Credit ”: as defined in Section 3.1(a) .

Lien ”: any mortgage, pledge, hypothecation, assignment, deposit arrangement, encumbrance, lien (statutory or other), charge or other security interest or any preference, priority or other security agreement or preferential arrangement of any kind or nature whatsoever (including any conditional sale or other title retention agreement and any capital lease having substantially the same economic effect as any of the foregoing).

Loan ”: any loan made by any Lender pursuant to this Agreement.

Loan Documents ”: this Agreement, the Security Documents, the Notes, the Fee Letters and any amendment, waiver, supplement or other modification to any of the foregoing.

Loan Party ”: each Group Member that is a party to a Loan Document.

 

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Majority Revolving Lenders ”: the holders of more than 50% of the aggregate unpaid principal amount of the Total Revolving Extensions of Credit outstanding under the Revolving Facility (or prior to any termination of the Revolving Commitments, the holders of more than 50% of the Total Revolving Commitments).

Material Adverse Effect ”: a material adverse effect on (a) the business, property, operations, or condition (financial or otherwise) of the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole or (b) the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents or the rights or remedies of the Administrative Agent or the Lenders hereunder or thereunder.

Material Indebtedness ”: means any Indebtedness of the MLP or its Restricted Subsidiaries in an aggregate principal amount in excess of the Threshold Amount.

Materials of Environmental Concern ”: any gasoline or petroleum (including crude oil or any fraction thereof) or petroleum products or any hazardous or toxic substances, materials or wastes, or pollutants, defined or regulated as such in or under any Environmental Law, including asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls, urea formaldehyde insulation, coal combustion byproducts or waste, boiler slag, scrubber residue, or flue desulphurization residue.

Mine ”: any excavation or opening into the earth now and hereafter made from which coal is or can be extracted from any real property.

Mining Laws ”: any and all applicable federal, state, local and foreign statutes, laws, regulations, legally-binding guidance, ordinances, rules, judgments, orders, decrees or common law causes of action relating to mining operations and activities under the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, the Federal Coal Leasing Amendments Act or the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, each as amended or its replacement, and their state and local counterparts or equivalents.

Mining Lease ”: a lease, license or other use agreement which provides the MLP or any Subsidiary the real property and water rights, other interests in land, including coal, mining and surface rights, easements, rights of way and options, and rights to timber and natural gas (including coalbed methane and gob gas) necessary or desirable in order to recover coal from any Mine. Leases which provide the MLP or any other Subsidiary the right to construct and operate a conveyor, crusher plant, silo, load out facility, rail spur, shops, offices and related facilities on the surface of any real property containing such reserves shall also be deemed a Mining Lease.

Moody’s ”: as defined in the definition of Cash Equivalents.

Mortgaged Properties ”: the real properties listed on Schedule 1.1B , as to which the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Lenders shall be granted a Lien pursuant to the Mortgages.

Mortgages ”: each of the mortgages and deeds of trust made by any Loan Party in favor of, or for the benefit of, the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Lenders, substantially in the form of Exhibit D (with such changes thereto as shall be advisable under the law of the jurisdiction in which such mortgage or deed of trust is to be recorded).

 

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Multiemployer Plan ”: a multiemployer plan as defined in Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA.

Net Cash Proceeds ”: (a) in connection with any Asset Sale or any Recovery Event, the proceeds thereof in the form of cash and Cash Equivalents (including any such proceeds received by way of deferred payment of principal pursuant to a note or installment receivable or purchase price adjustment receivable or otherwise, but only as and when received) actually received by the MLP or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, net of (i) attorneys’ fees, accountants’ fees, insurance adjusters’, environmental consultants’, engineers’, architects’ and other professionals’ and consultants’ fees, environmental impact assessment, environmental inspection and other property-related report, inspection and testing fees and charges, investment banking fees, survey, engineering and inspection costs, title insurance premiums, title opinions and related search and recording charges, zoning report fees and charges, transfer taxes, deed or mortgage recording taxes and brokerage, appraisal, consultant and other customary fees and expenses actually incurred in connection therewith, (ii) amounts required to be applied to the repayment of Indebtedness secured by a Lien expressly permitted hereunder on any asset that is the subject of such Asset Sale or Recovery Event (other than any Lien pursuant to a Security Document) and other customary fees and expenses actually incurred in connection therewith and net of taxes paid or reasonably estimated to be payable as a result thereof (after taking into account any available tax credits or deductions and any tax sharing arrangements), (iii) in the case of any Asset Sale or Recovery Event by a non-wholly owned Restricted Subsidiary, the pro rata portion of the Net Cash Proceeds thereof (calculated without regard to this clause (iii)) attributable to minority interests and not available for distribution to or for the account of the MLP or a wholly-owned Restricted Subsidiary as a result thereof (it being understood that such pro rata portion, subject to compliance with Section 7.6, shall be available for distribution to the holder(s) of such minority interest), (iv) taxes paid or reasonably estimated to be payable as a result thereof, (v) any funded escrow established pursuant to the documents evidencing any such sale or disposition to secure any indemnification obligations or adjustments to the purchase price associated with any such sale or disposition (provided that to the extent that any amounts are released from such escrow to the MLP or a Restricted Subsidiary, such amounts net of any related expenses shall constitute Net Cash Proceeds) and (vi) without duplication of clause (v) above, the amount of any reasonable reserve established in accordance with GAAP against any adjustment to the sale price or any liabilities (other than any taxes deducted pursuant to clause (i) above) (x) related to any of the applicable assets and (y) retained by the MLP or any of the Restricted Subsidiaries including, without limitation, pension plan and other post employment benefit liabilities and liabilities related to environmental matters or against any indemnification obligations (however, the amount of any subsequent reduction of such reserve (other than in connection with a payment in respect of any such liability) shall be deemed to be Net Cash Proceeds of such Asset Sale or Recovery Event occurring on the date of such reduction); provided , that, if no Event of Default under Section 8(a) or (f)  exists and the MLP intends in good faith to use any portion of such proceeds to acquire, maintain, develop, construct, improve, upgrade or repair Additional Assets or other assets useful in the business of the MLP or its Restricted Subsidiaries or to make Permitted Acquisitions, in each case within 15 months of such receipt (the “ Reinvestment Period ”), such portion of such proceeds shall not constitute Net Cash Proceeds except to the extent, within the Reinvestment Period, not so used or made subject to a

 

20


binding commitment to be so used (it being understood that if any portion of such proceeds are not so used but are so committed to being used during the Reinvestment Period, then upon the termination of such commitment or if such Net Cash Proceeds are not so used within a subsequent 9-month period, such remaining portion shall constitute Net Cash Proceeds as of the date of such termination or expiry without giving effect to this proviso; it being understood that such proceeds shall constitute Net Cash Proceeds if an Event of Default under Section 8(a) or (f)  has occurred and is continuing at the time of a proposed reinvestment unless such proposed reinvestment is made pursuant to a binding commitment entered into at a time when no Event of Default under Section 8(a) or (f)  had occurred and was continuing); and (b) in connection with any incurrence of Indebtedness, the cash proceeds received from such issuance or incurrence, net of attorneys’ fees, investment banking fees, accountants’ fees, underwriting discounts and commissions and other customary fees and expenses actually incurred in connection therewith and net of taxes paid or reasonably estimated to be payable as a result thereof (after taking into account any tax credits or deductions that reduce the amount of taxes and any tax sharing arrangements).

New Lender ”: as defined in Section 2.21(b) .

New Lender Supplement ”: as defined in Section 2.21(b) .

New York UCC ”: as defined in the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement.

Non-Consenting Lender ”: as defined in Section 2.19 .

Non-Recourse Debt ”: Indebtedness as to which (i) neither the MLP nor any Restricted Subsidiary provides any guarantee other than a pledge of Capital Stock of any Person that is a primary obligor in respect of such Indebtedness and is not the MLP or a Restricted Subsidiary and (ii) no default thereunder would, as such, constitute a default under any Indebtedness of the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary.

Notes ”: the collective reference to any promissory note evidencing Loans, in each case substantially in the form of Exhibit I-1 or I-2 , as applicable.

Obligations ”: the unpaid principal of and interest on (including interest accruing after the maturity of the Loans and Reimbursement Obligations and interest accruing after the filing of any petition in bankruptcy, or the commencement of any insolvency, reorganization or like proceeding, relating to any Borrower, whether or not a claim for post-filing or post- petition interest is allowed in such proceeding) the Loans and all other obligations and liabilities of the General Partner, any Borrower or any other Loan Party to the Administrative Agent or to any Lender (or, in the case of Specified Swap Agreements and Specified Cash Management Agreements, any affiliate of any Lender), whether direct or indirect, absolute or contingent, due or to become due, or now existing or hereafter incurred, which may arise under, out of, or in connection with, this Agreement, any other Loan Document, the Letters of Credit, any Specified Swap Agreement, any Specified Cash Management Agreement or any other document made, delivered or given in connection herewith or therewith, whether on account of principal, interest, reimbursement obligations, fees, indemnities, costs, termination payments, expenses (including all fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to the Administrative Agent or to any Lender that are required to be paid by any Borrower or any other Loan Party pursuant hereto) or otherwise.

 

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Omnibus Agreement ”: Omnibus Agreement dated as of January 24, 2013 among the Parent, the MLP and the General Partner.

Operational EBITDA ”: as defined in the definition of Consolidated EBITDA.

Other Connection Taxes ”: with respect to any Credit Party, Taxes imposed as a result of a present or former connection between such Credit Party and the jurisdiction imposing such Taxes (other than a connection arising from such Credit Party having executed, delivered, enforced, become a party to, performed its obligations under, received payments under, received or perfected a security interest under, or engaged in any other transaction pursuant to, or enforced, any Loan Document).

Other Taxes ”: any present or future stamp, court, documentary, intangible, recording, filing or similar excise or property Taxes that arise from any payment made under, from the execution, delivery, performance, enforcement or registration of, or from the registration, receipt or perfection of a security interest under, or otherwise with respect to, any Loan Document, except any such Taxes that are Other Connection Taxes imposed with respect to an assignment (other than an assignment under Section 2.19 ).

Parent ”: SunCoke Energy, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

Participant ”: as defined in Section 10.6(c) .

Participant Register ”: as defined in Section 10.6(c) .

Partnership Agreement ”: the Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of the MLP, dated as of January 24, 2013.

Patriot Act ”: as defined in Section 10.17 .

PBGC ”: the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation established pursuant to ERISA or any successor entity performing similar functions.

Pension Plan ”: any Plan subject to the provisions of Title IV of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA.

Permitted Acquisition ”: any direct or indirect acquisition by the MLP or a Restricted Subsidiary, in a transaction or series of related transactions permitted by Section 7.8 (including, without limitation, Section 7.8(c) ), of (a) more than 50% of any class of Voting Stock of any Person, (b) all or substantially all of the coal or other mineral reserves of any Person or (c) all or substantially all of the property and assets or business of another Person or any assets or business of any other Person constituting a business unit, line of business or division of any Person.

Permitted Business ”: any of the businesses in which the MLP and its Subsidiaries are engaged on the Closing Date and any other activities that are similar, ancillary or reasonably related to, or a reasonable extension, expansion or development of, such businesses or ancillary thereto.

 

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Permitted Liens ”:

(i) Liens imposed by law for Taxes that are not yet due or are being contested in compliance with Section 6.3 or Section 6.10 ;

(ii) carriers’, warehousemen’s, landlord’s, mechanics’, materialmen’s, repairmen’s and other like Liens imposed by law, arising in the ordinary course of business and securing obligations that are not overdue (subject to extension by mutual agreement by the obligee and obligor) by more than 30 days or are being contested in compliance with Section 6.3 ;

(iii) (A) pledges or deposits (I) in compliance with workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and other social security laws or regulations or similar legislation or (II) to secure liabilities to insurance carriers under insurance arrangements in respect of such obligations, (B) good faith deposits, prepayments or cash payments in connection with bids, tenders, contracts or leases, or to secure public or statutory obligations, surety and appeal bonds, customs duties and the like, or for the payment of rent, in each case incurred in the ordinary course of business, or (C) Liens on the property and assets of the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary incurred in the ordinary course of business to secure performance of obligations with respect to statutory or regulatory requirements, performance or return-of-money bonds, contractual arrangements with suppliers, reclamation bonds, surety and appeal bonds or other obligations of a like nature and incurred in a manner consistent with industry practice, in each case which are not incurred in connection with the borrowing of money or the obtaining of advances or credit;

(iv) customary Liens in favor of trustees and escrow agents, and netting and setoff rights, banker’s liens and the like in favor of financial institutions and counterparties to financial obligations and instruments, including Hedging Agreements;

(v) Liens on assets pursuant to merger agreements, stock or asset purchase agreements and similar agreements in respect of the disposition of such assets;

(vi) options, put and call arrangements, rights of first refusal and similar rights relating to Investments in joint ventures, partnerships and the like and Liens on joint venture interests in favor of joint venture partners to secure obligations arising under the applicable joint venture agreements;

(vii) Liens incurred in the ordinary course of business securing obligations not constituting Indebtedness for borrowed money and not in the aggregate materially detracting from the value of the properties of the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries or their use in the operation of the business of the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(viii) existing or future grants of coal bed methane leases or oil and gas or other hydrocarbon leases granted by any Governmental Authority or other third party and associated pipelines, collection facilities, accessways and easements pertaining to the same;

 

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(ix) surface use agreements, mining agreements, easements, covenants, conditions, restrictions, declarations, zoning restrictions, rights of way, minor defects in title, encroachments, pipelines, leases (other than Capital Lease Obligations), licenses, special assessments, railroad trackage, siding and spur rights and agreements, transmission and transportation lines, related to real property (and together with all the foregoing Liens in this subsection (ix), collectively, “ Real Property Liens ”), (A) which are in existence on the date hereof or with respect to after-acquired property, which are in existence on the date of such acquisition (as the same may be amended or modified from time to time), or (B) imposed by law or arising in the ordinary course of business, in each case that do not secure any monetary obligation, and in each case do not materially detract from the value of the affected real property for the purpose for which it is being used at the time of evaluation (subject to and taking into account any implied, express or historical consent, permission or other acquiescence by the holder of any Real Property Lien) and do not materially interfere with the ordinary conduct of business of the MLP or any Subsidiary as actually conducted at the time of evaluation;

(x) judgment liens in respect of judgments that do not constitute an Event of Default under Section 8(h) ;

(xi) any precautionary uniform commercial code financing statement filing in respect of leases (and not any Indebtedness) entered into the ordinary course of business;

(xii) rights of owners of interests in overlying, underlying or intervening strata and/or mineral interests not owned by the MLP or one of its Subsidiaries, with respect to real property where the MLP or applicable Subsidiary’s ownership is only surface or severed mineral or is otherwise subject to mineral severances in favor of one or more third parties;

(xiii) layback arrangements, joint operation arrangements and similar arrangements with adjoining coal operators;

(xiv) with respect to water rights, Liens imposed by the doctrine of prior appropriation (including seniority of water rights), the necessity to put the water to a beneficial use, restrictions imposed by the applicable Governmental Authority and the actual availability of water (including restrictions on the use of ground water);

(xv) farm, grazing, hunting, recreational and residential leases with respect to which the MLP or any Subsidiary is a lessor encumbering portions of any property to the extent such leases would be granted or permitted by a prudent operator of mining properties similar in use and configuration to real properties;

(xvi) encumbrances typically found upon real property used for mining purposes in the applicable jurisdiction in which the applicable real property is located to the extent such encumbrances would be permitted or granted by a prudent operator of mining property similar in use and configuration to such real property (e.g., surface rights agreements, wheelage agreements and reconveyance agreements);

 

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(xvii) rights and easements of owners (i) of undivided interests in any of the real property where the MLP or its Subsidiaries own less than 100% of the fee interest, (ii) of interests in the surface of any real property where the MLP or its Subsidiaries do not own or lease such surface interest, (iii) and lessees, if any, of coal or other minerals (including oil, gas and coalbed methane) where the MLP or its Subsidiaries do not own such coal or other minerals, and (iv) and lessees of other coal seams and other minerals (including oil, gas and coalbed methane) not owned or leased by the MLP or its Subsidiaries;

(xviii) with respect to any real property in which the MLP or any Subsidiary holds a leasehold interest, terms, agreements, provisions, conditions, and limitations (other than royalty and other payment obligations which are otherwise permitted hereunder) contained in the leases granting such leasehold interest and the rights of lessors thereunder (and their heirs, executors, administrators, successors, and assigns);

(xix) rights of others to subjacent or lateral support and absence of subsidence rights or to the maintenance of barrier pillars or restrictions on mining within certain areas as provided by any Mining Lease, unless in each case waived by such other person;

(xx) Liens securing obligations in respect of trade-related letters of credit permitted under Section 7.2(n) covering only the goods (or the documents of title in respect of such goods) financed by such letters of credit and the proceeds and products thereof;

(xxi) Liens on specific items of inventory, equipment or other goods and proceeds of any Person securing such Person’s obligations in respect thereof or created for the account of such Person to facilitate the purchase, shipment or storage of such inventory or other goods;

(xxii) Liens in favor of collecting or payor banks having a right of setoff, revocation, refund or chargeback with respect to money or instruments of the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary on deposit with or in possession of such bank;

(xxiii) Liens incurred in the ordinary course of business to secure liability to insurance carriers;

(xxiv) non-exclusive licenses of intellectual property in the ordinary course of business;

(xxv) Liens to secure a defeasance trust;

(xxvi) Liens arising under retention of title, hire, purchase or conditional sale arrangements arising under provisions in a supplier’s standard conditions of supply in respect of goods or services supplied to the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary in the ordinary course of business on arm’s length terms; and

 

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(xxvii) with respect to all real property in which the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary owns less than a fee interest, all Real Property Liens and all other liens, encumbrances, charges, mortgages, security interests and any and all other Liens of whatsoever nature which are suffered or incurred by the fee owner, any superior lessor, sublessor or licensor, or any inferior lessee, sublessee or licensee.

Permitted Refinancing ”: with respect to any Person, any modification, refinancing, refunding, renewal, extension or replacement of any Indebtedness of such Person; provided that:

(a) the principal amount (or accreted value, if applicable) thereof does not exceed the principal amount (or accreted value, if applicable) of the Indebtedness so modified, refinanced, refunded, renewed, extended or replaced except by an amount equal to unpaid accrued interest and premium thereon plus other reasonable amounts paid, and fees (including original issue discount) and expenses reasonably incurred, in connection with such modification, refinancing, refunding, renewal, extension or replacement and by an amount equal to any existing commitments unutilized thereunder;

(b) such modification, refinancing, refunding, renewal, extension or replacement has a final maturity date equal to or later than the final maturity date of, and has a Weighted Average Life to Maturity equal to or greater than the Weighted Average Life to Maturity of, the Indebtedness being modified, refinanced, refunded, renewed, extended or replaced (excluding the effect of any prepayments of scheduled amortization); and

(c) (i) to the extent such Indebtedness being modified, refinanced, refunded, renewed, extended or replaced is subordinated in right of payment to the Obligations, such modification, refinancing, refunding, renewal, extension or replacement is subordinated in right of payment to the Obligations, (ii) such modification, refinancing, refunding, renewal, extension or replacement is incurred by the Person who is the obligor of the Indebtedness being modified, refinanced, refunded, renewed, extended or replaced or any other Person who would have been permitted to incur such Indebtedness hereunder and (iii) to the extent that the Liens securing the Indebtedness being refinanced is subordinated to the Liens securing the Obligations, any Lien securing such refinancing Indebtedness is subordinated to the Liens securing the Obligations on terms at least as favorable on the whole to the Lenders as those contained in the applicable subordination language (if any) for the Indebtedness being refinanced.

Person ”: an individual, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, business trust, joint stock company, trust, unincorporated association, joint venture, Governmental Authority or other entity of whatever nature.

Plan ”: (A) any “employee benefit plan,” as defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA (except a Multiemployer Plan) in respect of which any Group Member or (B) with respect to any “employee benefit plan” subject to Title IV of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code any ERISA Affiliate, (i) is (or, if such plan were terminated, would under Section 4069 of ERISA be deemed to be) an “employer” as defined in Section 3(5) of ERISA or (ii) has any liability.

Policy ” and “ Policies ”: as defined in Section 5.1(l) .

 

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Preferred Stock ”: with respect to any Person, any and all Capital Stock which is preferred as to the payment of dividends or distributions, upon liquidation or otherwise, over another class of Capital Stock of such Person.

Prime Rate ”: the rate of interest per annum publicly announced from time to time by the Administrative Agent as its prime rate in effect at its principal office in New York City (the Prime Rate not being intended to be the lowest rate of interest charged by Administrative Agent in connection with extensions of credit to debtors).

Pro Forma Balance Sheet ”: as defined in Section 4.1(a) .

Pro Forma Basis ”: for purposes of calculating any financial ratio,

(i) pro forma effect will be given to any Indebtedness, Disqualified Capital Stock or Preferred Stock (other than ordinary working capital borrowings) incurred during or after the applicable period to the extent the Indebtedness is outstanding or is to be incurred on the date as if the Indebtedness, Disqualified Capital Stock or Preferred Stock had been incurred on the first day of the applicable period;

(ii) pro forma calculations of interest on Indebtedness bearing a floating interest rate will be made as if the rate in effect on the date on which such ratio is calculated (taking into account any Hedging Agreement applicable to the Indebtedness if the Hedging Agreement has a remaining term of at least 12 months) had been the applicable rate for the entire applicable period;

(iii) Fixed Charges related to any Indebtedness, Disqualified Capital Stock or Preferred Stock (other than ordinary working capital borrowings) no longer outstanding or to be repaid or redeemed on the date on which such ratio is calculated, will be excluded;

(iv) asset acquisitions and dispositions (including, without limitation, the acquisition or disposition of companies, divisions, lines of business or non-ordinary course assets), mergers, consolidations and discontinued operations (as determined in accordance with GAAP), and any related financing transactions, that the MLP or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries has both determined to make and made after the Closing Date and during the applicable period or subsequent to such applicable period and on or prior to or simultaneously with the date on which such ratio is calculated shall be calculated on a pro forma basis assuming that all such acquisitions and dispositions (including, without limitation, the acquisition or disposition of companies, divisions, lines of business or non-ordinary course assets), mergers, consolidations and discontinued operations (and the change of any associated Fixed Charges, Consolidated Senior Secured Debt or Consolidated Total Debt and the change in Consolidated EBITDA resulting therefrom) had occurred on the first day of the applicable period, including any pro forma expense and cost reductions and other operating improvements that have occurred or are reasonably expected to occur, in the reasonable judgment of the chief financial officer of the General Partner (regardless of whether these cost savings or operating improvements could then be reflected in pro forma financial statements in accordance with

 

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Regulation S-X promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any other regulation or policy of the SEC related thereto); provided that the benefits resulting therefrom are anticipated by the MLP to be realized in the good faith judgment of the chief financial officer of the General Partner within 18 months;

(v) any Person that is a Restricted Subsidiary on the date on which such ratio is calculated will be deemed to have been a Restricted Subsidiary at all times during such applicable period, and if, since the beginning of the applicable period, any Person that subsequently became a Restricted Subsidiary or was merged with or into the MLP or any of its other Restricted Subsidiaries since the beginning of such period shall have made any acquisition, Investment, disposition, merger, consolidated or discontinued operation, in each case with respect to an operating unit of a business, that would have required adjustment pursuant to this definition, then the applicable financial ratio shall be adjusted giving pro forma effect thereto for such period as if such asset acquisition or disposition (including, without limitation, the acquisition or disposition of companies, divisions, lines of business or non-ordinary course assets), merger, consolidation or discontinued operation had occurred at the beginning of the applicable period; and

(vi) any Person that is not a Restricted Subsidiary on the date on which such ratio is calculated will be deemed not to have been a Restricted Subsidiary at all times during such applicable period.

Whenever pro forma effect is to be given to a transaction, the pro forma calculations shall be made in good faith by a responsible financial or accounting officer of the General Partner.

Prohibited Transaction ”: as defined in Section 406 of ERISA and Section 4975(c) of the Code.

Projections ”: as defined in Section 6.2(c) .

Properties ”: as defined in Section 4.17(a) .

Qualified Capital Stock ”: Capital Stock that is not Disqualified Capital Stock.

Real Property Liens ”: as defined in the definition of Permitted Liens.

Recovery Event ”: any settlement of or payment in respect of any property or casualty insurance claim or any condemnation proceeding relating to any asset of any Group Member.

Refunded Swing line Loans ”: as defined in Section 2.4 .

Register ”: as defined in Section 10.6(b) .

Regulation U ”: Regulation U of the Board as in effect from time to time.

Reimbursement Obligation ”: the obligation of the Borrowers to reimburse the Issuing Lender pursuant to Section 3.5 for amounts drawn under Letters of Credit.

 

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Reinvestment Period ”: as defined in Section 1.1 , definition of Net Cash Proceeds.

Release ”: any release, spill, emission, leaking, pumping, pouring, injection, escaping, deposit, disposal, discharge, dispersal, dumping, leaching or migrating of any Materials of Environmental Concern into the indoor or outdoor environment.

Reportable Event ”: any of the events set forth in Section 4043(c) of ERISA or the regulations issued thereunder, with respect to a Pension Plan, other than those events as to which notice is waived pursuant to DOL Reg. Section 4043.

Requirement of Law ”: as to any Person, the Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws or other organizational or governing documents of such Person, and any law, treaty, rule or regulation or determination of an arbitrator or a court or other Governmental Authority, in each case applicable to or binding upon such Person or any of its property or to which such Person or any of its property is subject.

Responsible Officer ”: the chief executive officer, president or chief financial officer of the General Partner, but in any event, with respect to financial matters, the chief financial officer of the General Partner.

Restricted Payment ”: any (i) dividend or other distribution (whether in cash, securities or other property) with respect to any Capital Stock in the MLP or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (other than dividends or distributions paid in the MLPs’ Qualified Capital Stock), or any payment or other distribution (whether in cash, securities or other property), including any sinking fund or similar deposit, on account of the purchase, redemption, retirement, acquisition, cancellation or termination of any Capital Stock of the MLP held by Persons other than the MLP or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries or (ii) prepayment, purchase, repurchase redemption of, or other principal payment in respect of, Subordinated Debt prior to any scheduled payment or maturity thereof, other than (x) payments of interest when due and principal when due in accordance with the scheduled maturity thereof or the purchase, repurchase or other acquisition of any Subordinated Debt purchased in anticipation of satisfying a scheduled maturity, sinking fund or amortization or other installment obligation, in each case due within one year of the date of acquisition or (y) a payment of intercompany Subordinated Debt.

Restricted Subsidiary ”: any Subsidiary of the MLP other than an Unrestricted Subsidiary.

Revolving Commitment ”: as to any Lender, the obligation of such Lender, if any, to make Revolving Loans and participate in Swing line Loans and Letters of Credit in an aggregate principal and/or face amount not to exceed the amount set forth under the heading “Revolving Commitment” opposite such Lender’s name on Schedule 1.1A or in the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender became a party hereto, as the same may be changed from time to time pursuant to the terms hereof. The original amount of the Total Revolving Commitments is $100,000,000.

Revolving Commitment Period ”: the period from and including the Closing Date to the Revolving Termination Date.

 

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Revolving Extensions of Credit ”: as to any Revolving Lender at any time, an amount equal to the sum of (a) the aggregate principal amount of all Revolving Loans held by such Lender then outstanding, (b) such Lender’s Revolving Percentage of the L/C Obligations then outstanding and (c) such Lender’s Revolving Percentage of the aggregate principal amount of Swing line Loans then outstanding.

Revolving Facility ”: each of the Revolving Commitments and the extensions of credit made thereunder.

Revolving Lender ”: each Lender that has a Revolving Commitment or that holds Revolving Loans.

Revolving Loans ”: as defined in Section 2.1(a) .

Revolving Percentage ”: as to any Revolving Lender at any time, the percentage which such Lender’s Revolving Commitment then constitutes of the Total Revolving Commitments or, at any time after the Revolving Commitments shall have expired or terminated, the percentage which the aggregate principal amount of such Lender’s Revolving Loans then outstanding constitutes of the aggregate principal amount of the Revolving Loans then outstanding, provided , that, in the event that the Revolving Loans are paid in full prior to the reduction to zero of the Total Revolving Extensions of Credit, the Revolving Percentages shall be determined in a manner designed to ensure that the other outstanding Revolving Extensions of Credit shall be held by the Revolving Lenders on a comparable basis. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the case of Section 2.20 when a Defaulting Lender shall exist, Revolving Percentages shall be determined without regard to any Defaulting Lender’s Revolving Commitment.

Revolving Termination Date ”: January 24, 2018.

S&P ”: as defined in the definition of Cash Equivalents.

Sale and Leaseback Transaction ”: with respect to any Person, an arrangement whereby such Person enters into a lease of property previously transferred by such Person to the lessor.

SEC ”: the Securities and Exchange Commission, any successor thereto and any analogous Governmental Authority.

Secured Parties ”: as defined in the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement.

Security Documents ”: the collective reference to the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement, the Mortgages and all other security documents hereafter delivered to the Administrative Agent granting a Lien on any property of any Person to secure the obligations and liabilities of any Loan Party under any Loan Document.

Senior Note Indenture ”: the Indenture entered into by the MLP, FinCo and certain Subsidiaries of the MLP in connection with the issuance of the Senior Notes, together with all instruments and other agreements entered into by the MLP or such Subsidiaries in connection therewith.

 

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Senior Notes ”: the senior unsecured notes of the MLP and FinCo issued on the Closing Date pursuant to the Senior Note Indenture and any exchange notes with respect thereto.

Solvent ”: when used with respect to any Person or group of Persons, means that, as of any date of determination, (a) the amount of the “present fair saleable value” of the assets of such Person or group will, as of such date, exceed the amount of all “liabilities of such Person, contingent or otherwise”, as of such date, as such quoted terms are determined in accordance with applicable federal and state laws governing determinations of the insolvency of debtors, (b) the present fair saleable value of the assets of such Person or group will, as of such date, be greater than the amount that will be required to pay the liability of such Person or group on its debts as such debts become absolute and matured, (c) such Person or group will not have, as of such date, an unreasonably small amount of capital with which to conduct its business, and (d) such Person or group will be able to pay its debts as they mature. For the purposes of this definition, (i) “debt” means liability on a “claim”, and (ii) “claim” means any (x) right to payment, whether or not such a right is reduced to judgment, liquidated, unliquidated, fixed, contingent, matured, unmatured, disputed, undisputed, legal, equitable, secured or unsecured or (y) right to an equitable remedy for breach of performance if such breach gives rise to a right to payment, whether or not such right to an equitable remedy is reduced to judgment, fixed, contingent, matured or unmatured, disputed, undisputed, secured or unsecured.

Specified Acquisition Period ”: any period which includes the remainder of a Fiscal Quarter, and the immediately succeeding two Fiscal Quarters, in which the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary acquires Additional Assets with a Fair Market Value in excess of $50,000,000 in the aggregate.

Specified Cash Management Agreement ”: any agreement providing for treasury, depositary, purchasing card or cash management services, including in connection with any automated clearing house transfers of funds or any similar transactions between the General Partner, the MLP or any Subsidiary and any Lender or affiliate thereof, which has been designated by such Lender and the MLP, by notice to the Administrative Agent not later than 90 days after the execution and delivery by the MLP or such Subsidiary, as a “Specified Cash Management Agreement.”

Specified Change of Control ”: a “Change of Control” (or any other defined term having a similar purpose) as defined in the documentation for any Material Indebtedness.

Specified Swap Agreement ”: any Swap Agreement entered into by the MLP or any Subsidiary that either (i) is in effect on the Closing Date if such counterparty is an Agent, a Lender or an Affiliate of an Agent or a Lender as of the Closing Date or (ii) is entered into after the Closing Date if such counterparty is an Agent, a Lender or an affiliate of an Agent or a Lender at the time such Swap Agreement is entered into.

Stated Maturity ”: (i) with respect to any Indebtedness, the date specified as the fixed date on which the final installment of principal of such Indebtedness is due and payable or (ii) with respect to any scheduled installment of principal of or interest on any Indebtedness, the date specified as the fixed date on which such installment is due and payable as set forth in the documentation governing such Indebtedness, not including any contingent obligation to repay, redeem or repurchase prior to the regularly scheduled date for payment.

 

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Subordinated Debt ”: any unsecured Indebtedness of the Loan Parties which is subordinated in right of payment to the Obligations, pursuant to a written agreement to that effect, which Indebtedness shall have a Stated Maturity that is at least one year later than the Revolving Termination Date and no amortization payouts or other mandatory prepayments (other than customary change of control and asset sale prepayment provisions) prior to such date.

Subsidiary ”: as to any Person, a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other entity of which shares of stock or other ownership interests having ordinary voting power (other than stock or such other ownership interests having such power only by reason of the happening of a contingency) to elect a majority of the board of directors or other managers of such corporation, partnership or other entity are at the time owned, or the management of which is otherwise controlled, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, or both, by such Person. Unless otherwise qualified, all references to a “Subsidiary” or to “Subsidiaries” in this Agreement shall refer to a Subsidiary or Subsidiaries of the MLP.

Subsidiary Guarantor ”: at any time, each Subsidiary that guarantees the Obligations under the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement, provided that no Foreign Subsidiary shall be a Subsidiary Guarantor.

Swap Agreement ”: any agreement with respect to any swap, forward, future or derivative transaction or option or similar agreement involving, or settled by reference to, one or more rates, currencies, commodities, equity or debt instruments or securities, or economic, financial or pricing indices or measures of economic, financial or pricing risk or value or any similar transaction or any combination of these transactions; provided that no phantom stock or similar plan providing for payments only on account of services provided by current or former directors, officers, employees or consultants of the MLP or any of its Subsidiaries shall be a “Swap Agreement.”

Swing line Commitment ”: the obligation of the Swing line Lender to make Swing line Loans pursuant to Section 2.3 in an aggregate principal amount at any one time outstanding not to exceed $15,000,000.

Swing line Exposure ”: at any time, the sum of the aggregate undrawn amount of all outstanding Swing line Loans at such time. The Swing line Exposure of any Revolving Lender at any time shall be its Revolving Percentage of the total Swing line Exposure at such time.

Swing line Lender ”: JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., in its capacity as the lender of Swing line Loans.

Swing line Loans ”: as defined in Section 2.3 .

Swing line Participation Amount ”: as defined in Section 2.4 .

Syndication Agent ”: Barclays Bank PLC.

 

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Taxes ”: any present or future taxes, levies, imposts, duties, deductions, withholdings, assessments, fees or other charges imposed by any Governmental Authority, including any interest, additions to tax or penalties applicable thereto.

Test Period ”: at any time, the most recently ended four consecutive Fiscal Quarter period for which financial statements have been delivered or are required to have been delivered pursuant to Section 6.1(a) or 6.1(b) .

Threshold Amount ”: $20,000,000.

Title Insurance Company ”: as defined in Section 5.1(l) .

Total Revolving Commitments ”: at any time, the aggregate amount of the Revolving Commitments then in effect.

Total Revolving Extensions of Credit ”: at any time, the aggregate amount of the Revolving Extensions of Credit of the Revolving Lenders outstanding at such time.

Transaction Documentation ”: collectively, the Senior Note Indenture, the Senior Notes, this Agreement, the Contribution Agreement and the Omnibus Agreement, in each case as in effect on the Closing Date.

Transaction Liens ”: the Liens on Collateral granted by the Loan Parties under the Security Documents.

Transactions ”: collectively, the transactions to occur on or about the Closing Date pursuant to the Transaction Documentation or other agreements existing on or prior to the Closing Date, including without limitation (i) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the Loan Documents, (ii) the borrowing of the Loans hereunder and the use of the proceeds thereof and the issuance of Letters of Credit hereunder, (iii) the initial public offering of Capital Stock of the MLP and the application of the proceeds thereof, (iv) the issuance of the Senior Notes and the application of the proceeds thereof, and (v) the contribution by the Parent of 65% of the Capital Stock of Haverhill and Middletown to the MLP as contemplated by the terms of the Contribution Agreement.

Transferee ”: any Assignee or Participant.

Type ”: as to any Loan, its nature as an ABR Loan or a Eurodollar Loan.

United States ”: the United States of America.

Unrestricted Subsidiary ”: any Subsidiary of the MLP designated by the board of directors of the General Partner as an Unrestricted Subsidiary pursuant to Section 6.11 subsequent to the date hereof.

U.S. Person ”: a “United States person” within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code.

 

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U.S. Tax Certificate ”: as defined in Section 2.16(f)(ii)(D) .

Voting Stock ”: with respect to any Person, Capital Stock of any class or kind ordinarily having the power to vote for the election of directors, managers or other voting members of the governing body of such Person.

Weighted Average Life to Maturity ”: when applied to any Indebtedness at any date, the number of years obtained by dividing:

(a) the sum of the products obtained by multiplying (i) the amount of each then remaining installment, sinking fund, serial maturity or other required payments of principal, including payment at final maturity, in respect of the Indebtedness, by (ii) the number of years (calculated to the nearest one-twelfth) that will elapse between such date and the making of such payment; by

(b) the then outstanding principal amount of such Indebtedness.

Withdrawal Liability ”: any liability to a Multiemployer Plan as a result of a complete or partial withdrawal from such Multiemployer Plan, as such terms are defined in Title IV of ERISA.

Withholding Agent ”: the relevant Loan Party and the Administrative Agent.

1.2 Other Definitional Provisions . (a) Unless otherwise specified therein, all terms defined in this Agreement shall have the defined meanings when used in the other Loan Documents or any certificate or other document made or delivered pursuant hereto or thereto.

(b) As used herein and in the other Loan Documents, and any certificate or other document made or delivered pursuant hereto or thereto, (i) accounting terms relating to any Group Member not defined in Section 1.1 and accounting terms partly defined in Section 1.1 , to the extent not defined, shall have the respective meanings given to them under GAAP ( provided that, notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, all accounting or financial terms used herein shall be construed, and all financial computations pursuant hereto shall be made, without giving effect to any election under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards 159 (or any other Financial Accounting Standard having a similar effect) to value any Indebtedness or other liabilities of any Group Member at “fair value”, as defined therein), (ii) the words “include”, “includes” and “including” shall be deemed to be followed by the phrase “without limitation,” (iii) the word “incur” shall be construed to mean incur, create, issue, assume, become liable in respect of or suffer to exist (and the words “incurred” and “incurrence” shall have correlative meanings), (iv) the words “asset” and “property” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect and to refer to any and all tangible and intangible assets and properties, including cash, Capital Stock, securities, revenues, accounts, leasehold interests and contract rights, and (v) references to agreements or other Contractual Obligations shall, unless otherwise specified, be deemed to refer to such agreements or Contractual Obligations as amended, supplemented, restated or otherwise modified from time to time.

(c) The words “hereof,” “herein” and “hereunder” and words of similar import, when used in this Agreement, shall refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision of this Agreement, and Section, Schedule and Exhibit references are to this Agreement unless otherwise specified.

 

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(d) The meanings given to terms defined herein shall be equally applicable to both the singular and plural forms of such terms.

1.3 Joint and Several Obligations; Borrowers’ Agent .

(a) All obligations of the Borrowers hereunder shall be joint and several. Any notice, request, waiver, consent or other action made, given or taken by any Borrower shall bind all of the Borrowers.

(b) Each of the Loan Parties hereby authorizes the MLP to act as agent for all of the Loan Parties, and to execute and deliver on behalf of any Loan Party such notices, requests, waivers, consents, certificates, and other documents, and to take any and all actions, required or permitted to be delivered or taken by the Loan Parties hereunder. Each Loan Party hereby agrees that any such notices, requests, waivers, consents, certificates and other documents executed, delivered or sent by the MLP or any Responsible Officer of the General Partner and any such actions taken by the MLP or any Responsible Officer of the General Partner shall bind each Loan Party.

SECTION 2

AMOUNT AND TERMS OF COMMITMENTS

2.1 Revolving Commitments . (a) Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, each Revolving Lender severally agrees to make revolving credit loans (“ Revolving Loans ”) to the Borrowers from time to time during the Revolving Commitment Period in an aggregate principal amount at any one time outstanding which, when added to such Lender’s Revolving Percentage of the sum of (i) the L/C Obligations then outstanding and (ii) the aggregate principal amount of the Swing line Loans then outstanding, does not exceed the amount of such Lender’s Revolving Commitment. During the Revolving Commitment Period, the Borrowers may use the Revolving Commitments by borrowing, prepaying the Revolving Loans in whole or in part, and reborrowing, all in accordance with the terms and conditions hereof. The Revolving Loans may from time to time be Eurodollar Loans or ABR Loans, as determined by the applicable Borrower and notified to the Administrative Agent in accordance with Sections 2.2 and 2.9 .

(b) The Borrowers shall repay all outstanding Revolving Loans on the Revolving Termination Date.

2.2 Procedure for Revolving Loan Borrowing . The Borrowers may borrow under the Revolving Commitments during the Revolving Commitment Period on any Business Day, provided that the applicable Borrower shall give the Administrative Agent irrevocable notice (which notice must be received by the Administrative Agent prior to 11:00 A.M., New York City time, (a) three Business Days prior to the requested Borrowing Date, in the case of Eurodollar Loans, or (b) one Business Day prior to the requested Borrowing Date, in the case of ABR Loans) ( provided that any such notice of a borrowing of ABR Loans under the Revolving Facility to finance payments required by Section 3.5 may be given not later than 10:00 A.M.,

 

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New York City time, on the date of the proposed borrowing), specifying (i) the amount and Type of Revolving Loans to be borrowed, (ii) the requested Borrowing Date and (iii) in the case of Eurodollar Loans, the respective amounts of each such Type of Loan and the respective lengths of the initial Interest Period therefor. Each borrowing under the Revolving Commitments shall be in an amount equal to (x) in the case of ABR Loans, $1,000,000 or a whole multiple thereof (or, if the then aggregate Available Revolving Commitments are less than $1,000,000, such lesser amount) and (y) in the case of Eurodollar Loans, $5,000,000 or a whole multiple of $1,000,000 in excess thereof; provided , that the Swing line Lender may request, on behalf of any Borrower, borrowings under the Revolving Commitments that are ABR Loans in other amounts pursuant to Section 2.4 . Upon receipt of any such notice from a Borrower, the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each Revolving Lender thereof. Each Revolving Lender will make the amount of its pro rata share of each borrowing available to the Administrative Agent for the account of the applicable Borrower at the Funding Office prior to 12:00 Noon, New York City time, on the Borrowing Date requested by such Borrower in funds immediately available to the Administrative Agent. Such borrowing will then be made available to the applicable Borrower by the Administrative Agent crediting the account of the applicable Borrower on the books of such office with the aggregate of the amounts made available to the Administrative Agent by the Revolving Lenders and in like funds as received by the Administrative Agent.

2.3 Swing line Commitment . (a) Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the Swing line Lender agrees to make a portion of the credit otherwise available to the Borrowers under the Revolving Commitments from time to time during the Revolving Commitment Period by making swing line loans (“ Swing line Loans ”) to the Borrowers; provided that (i) the aggregate principal amount of Swing line Loans outstanding at any time shall not exceed the Swing line Commitment then in effect (notwithstanding that the Swing line Loans outstanding at any time, when aggregated with the Swing line Lender’s other outstanding Revolving Loans, may exceed the Swing line Commitment then in effect) and (ii) no Borrower shall request, and the Swing line Lender shall not make, any Swing line Loan if, after giving effect to the making of such Swing line Loan, the aggregate amount of the Available Revolving Commitments would be less than zero. During the Revolving Commitment Period, the Borrowers may use the Swing line Commitment by borrowing, repaying and reborrowing, all in accordance with the terms and conditions hereof. Swing line Loans shall be ABR Loans only.

(b) The Borrowers shall repay to the Swing line Lender the then unpaid principal amount of each Swing line Loan on the earlier of (i) the Revolving Termination Date and (i) the date occurring ten days after such Swing line Loan is made; provided that on each date that a Revolving Loan is borrowed, the Borrowers shall repay all Swing line Loans then outstanding.

2.4 Procedure for Swing line Borrowing; Refunding of Swing line Loans . (a)Whenever a Borrower desires that the Swing line Lender make Swing line Loans it shall give the Swing line Lender irrevocable telephonic notice confirmed promptly in writing (which telephonic notice must be received by the Swing line Lender not later than 1:00 P.M., New York City time, on the proposed Borrowing Date), specifying (i) the amount to be borrowed and (ii) the requested Borrowing Date (which shall be a Business Day during the Revolving Commitment Period). Each borrowing under the Swing line Commitment shall be in an amount equal to $500,000 or a whole multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof. Not later than 3:00 P.M.,

 

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New York City time, on the Borrowing Date specified in a notice in respect of Swing line Loans, the Swing line Lender shall make available to the Administrative Agent at the Funding Office an amount in immediately available funds equal to the amount of the Swing line Loan to be made by the Swing line Lender. The Administrative Agent shall make the proceeds of such Swing line Loan available to the applicable Borrower on such Borrowing Date by depositing such proceeds in the account of such Borrower with the Administrative Agent on such Borrowing Date in immediately available funds.

(b) The Swing line Lender, at any time and from time to time in its sole and absolute discretion may, on behalf of the Borrowers (which hereby irrevocably direct the Swing line Lender to act on its behalf), on one Business Days’ notice given by the Swing line Lender no later than 12:00 Noon, New York City time, request each Revolving Lender to make, and each Revolving Lender hereby agrees to make, a Revolving Loan, in an amount equal to such Revolving Lender’s Revolving Percentage of the aggregate amount of the Swing line Loans (the “ Refunded Swing line Loans ”) outstanding on the date of such notice, to repay the Swing line Lender. Each Revolving Lender shall make the amount of such Revolving Loan available to the Administrative Agent at the Funding Office in immediately available funds, not later than 10:00 A.M., New York City time, one Business Day after the date of such notice. The proceeds of such Revolving Loans shall be immediately made available by the Administrative Agent to the Swing line Lender for application by the Swing line Lender to the repayment of the Refunded Swing line Loans. The Borrowers irrevocably authorize the Swing line Lender to charge the Borrowers’ accounts with the Administrative Agent (up to the amount available in each such account) in order to immediately pay the amount of such Refunded Swing line Loans to the extent amounts received from the Revolving Lenders are not sufficient to repay in full such Refunded Swing line Loans.

(c) If prior to the time a Revolving Loan would have otherwise been made pursuant to Section 2.4(b) , one of the events described in Section 8(f) shall have occurred and be continuing with respect to any Borrower or if for any other reason, as determined by the Swing line Lender in its sole discretion, Revolving Loans may not be made as contemplated by Section 2.4(b) , each Revolving Lender shall, on the date such Revolving Loan was to have been made pursuant to the notice referred to in Section 2.4(b) , purchase for cash an undivided participating interest in the then outstanding Swing line Loans by paying to the Swing line Lender an amount (the “ Swing line Participation Amount ”) equal to (i) such Revolving Lender’s Revolving Percentage times (ii) the sum of the aggregate principal amount of Swing line Loans then outstanding that were to have been repaid with such Revolving Loans.

(d) Whenever, at any time after the Swing line Lender has received from any Revolving Lender such Lender’s Swing line Participation Amount, the Swing line Lender receives any payment on account of the Swing line Loans, the Swing line Lender will distribute to such Lender its Swing line Participation Amount (appropriately adjusted, in the case of interest payments, to reflect the period of time during which such Lender’s participating interest was outstanding and funded and, in the case of principal and interest payments, to reflect such Lender’s pro rata portion of such payment if such payment is not sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on all Swing line Loans then due); provided , however , that in the event that such payment received by the Swing line Lender is required to be returned, such Revolving Lender will return to the Swing line Lender any portion thereof previously distributed to it by the Swing line Lender.

 

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(e) Each Revolving Lender’s obligation to make the Loans referred to in Section 2.4(b) and to purchase participating interests pursuant to Section 2.4(c) shall be absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any circumstance, including (i) any setoff, counterclaim, recoupment, defense or other right that such Revolving Lender or any Borrower may have against the Swing line Lender, any Borrower or any other Person for any reason whatsoever, (ii) the occurrence or continuance of a Default or an Event of Default or the failure to satisfy any of the other conditions specified in Section 5 , (iii) any adverse change in the condition (financial or otherwise) of any Borrower, (iv) any breach of this Agreement or any other Loan Document by any Borrower, any other Loan Party or any other Revolving Lender or (v) any other circumstance, happening or event whatsoever, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing.

2.5 Commitment Fees, etc . (a) The Borrowers agree to pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Revolving Lender a commitment fee for the period from and including the date hereof to the last day of the Revolving Commitment Period, computed at the Commitment Fee Rate on the average daily amount of the Available Revolving Commitment of such Lender during the period for which payment is made, payable quarterly in arrears on each Fee Payment Date, commencing on the first such date to occur after the date hereof.

(b) The MLP agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent the fees in the amounts and on the dates as set forth in the Fee Letters.

2.6 Termination or Reduction of Revolving Commitments . (a) The Borrowers’ Agent shall have the right, upon not less than three Business Days’ notice to the Administrative Agent, to terminate the Revolving Commitments or, from time to time, to reduce the amount of the Revolving Commitments; provided that no such termination or reduction of Revolving Commitments shall be permitted if, after giving effect thereto and to any prepayments of the Revolving Loans and Swing line Loans made on the effective date thereof, the Total Revolving Extensions of Credit would exceed the Total Revolving Commitments. Any such reduction shall be in an amount equal to $1,000,000, or a whole multiple thereof, and shall reduce permanently the Revolving Commitments then in effect.

(b) If any Group Member issues or incurs any Indebtedness after the date hereof (other than Indebtedness incurred in accordance with Section 7.2 ), the Revolving Commitments shall be reduced by the amount of such Net Cash Proceeds immediately upon receipt thereof.

2.7 Optional Prepayments . Any Borrower may at any time and from time to time prepay the Loans, in whole or in part, without premium or penalty, upon irrevocable notice delivered to the Administrative Agent no later than 11:00 A.M., New York City time, three Business Days prior thereto, in the case of Eurodollar Loans, and no later than 11:00 A.M., New York City time, one Business Day prior thereto, in the case of ABR Loans, which notice shall specify the date and amount of prepayment and whether the prepayment is of Eurodollar Loans or ABR Loans; provided , that if a Eurodollar Loan is prepaid on any day other than the last day

 

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of the Interest Period applicable thereto, such Borrower shall also pay any amounts owing pursuant to Section 2.17 . Upon receipt of any such notice the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each relevant Lender thereof. If any such notice is given, the amount specified in such notice shall be due and payable on the date specified therein, together with (except in the case of Revolving Loans that are ABR Loans and Swing line Loans) accrued interest to such date on the amount prepaid. Partial prepayments of Revolving Loans shall be in an aggregate principal amount of $1,000,000 or a whole multiple thereof. Partial prepayments of Swing line Loans shall be in an aggregate principal amount of $100,000 or a whole multiple thereof.

2.8 Mandatory Prepayments . (a) If any Indebtedness shall be issued or incurred by any Group Member after the date hereof (excluding any Indebtedness incurred in accordance with Section 7.2 ), an amount equal to 100% of the Net Cash Proceeds thereof shall be applied on the date of such issuance or incurrence toward the prepayment of the Loans.

(b) If on any date any Group Member shall receive Net Cash Proceeds from any Asset Sale or Recovery Event occurring after the date hereof then 100% of such Net Cash Proceeds shall be applied (or distributed to the MLP for application by the MLP) within three Business Days of such date (or, if later, the date otherwise provided for in the definition of Net Cash Proceeds) toward the prepayment of the Loans as set forth in Section 2.8(c) .

(c) Amounts to be applied in connection with prepayments made pursuant to this Section 2.8 shall be applied, to the prepayment of the Loans in accordance with Section 2.14(b) . The application of any prepayment pursuant to this Section 2.8 shall be made, first , to ABR Loans and, second , to Eurodollar Loans. Each prepayment of the Loans under this Section 2.8 shall be accompanied by accrued interest to the date of such prepayment on the amount prepaid.

2.9 Conversion and Continuation Options . (a) Any Borrower may elect from time to time to convert Eurodollar Loans to ABR Loans by giving the Administrative Agent prior irrevocable notice of such election no later than 11:00 A.M., New York City time, on the Business Day preceding the proposed conversion date, provided that any such conversion of Eurodollar Loans may only be made on the last day of an Interest Period with respect thereto. Any Borrower may elect from time to time to convert ABR Loans to Eurodollar Loans by giving the Administrative Agent prior irrevocable notice of such election no later than 11:00 A.M., New York City time, on the third Business Day preceding the proposed conversion date (which notice shall specify the length of the initial Interest Period therefor), provided that no ABR Loan under the Revolving Facility may be converted into a Eurodollar Loan when any Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and the Administrative Agent or the Majority Revolving Lenders have determined in its or their sole discretion not to permit such conversions. Upon receipt of any such notice the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each relevant Lender thereof.

(b) Any Eurodollar Loan may be continued as such upon the expiration of the then current Interest Period with respect thereto by the applicable Borrower giving irrevocable notice to the Administrative Agent, in accordance with the applicable provisions of the term “Interest Period” set forth in Section 1.1 , of the length of the next Interest Period to be applicable to such Loans, provided that no Eurodollar Loan may be continued as such when any Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and the Administrative Agent has or the Majority

 

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Revolving Lenders have determined in its or their sole discretion not to permit such continuations, and provided , further , that if any Borrower shall fail to give any required notice as described above in this paragraph or if such continuation is not permitted pursuant to the preceding proviso such Loans shall be automatically converted to ABR Loans on the last day of such then expiring Interest Period. Upon receipt of any such notice the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each relevant Lender thereof.

2.10 Limitations on Eurodollar Tranches . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, all borrowings, conversions and continuations of Eurodollar Loans and all selections of Interest Periods shall be in such amounts and be made pursuant to such elections so that, (a) after giving effect thereto, the aggregate principal amount of the Eurodollar Loans comprising each Eurodollar Tranche shall be equal to $5,000,000 or a whole multiple of $1,000,000 in excess thereof and (b) no more than six Eurodollar Tranches shall be outstanding at any one time.

2.11 Interest Rates and Payment Dates . (a) Each Eurodollar Loan shall bear interest for each day during each Interest Period with respect thereto at a rate per annum equal to the Eurodollar Rate determined for such day plus the Applicable Margin.

(b) Each ABR Loan shall bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the ABR plus the Applicable Margin.

(c) (i) If all or a portion of the principal amount of any Loan or Reimbursement Obligation shall not be paid when due (whether at the Stated Maturity, by acceleration or otherwise), such overdue amount shall bear interest at a rate per annum equal to (x) in the case of the Loans, the rate that would otherwise be applicable thereto pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.11 plus 2% or (y) in the case of Reimbursement Obligations, the rate applicable to ABR Loans plus 2%, and (ii) if all or a portion of any interest payable on any Loan or Reimbursement Obligation or any commitment fee or other amount payable hereunder shall not be paid when due (whether at the Stated Maturity, by acceleration or otherwise), such overdue amount shall bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the rate then applicable to ABR Loans plus 2%, in each case, with respect to clauses (i) and (ii)  above, from the date of such non-payment until such amount is paid in full (as well after as before judgment).

(d) Interest shall be payable in arrears on each Interest Payment Date, provided that interest accruing pursuant to paragraph (c) of this Section 2.11 shall be payable from time to time on demand.

2.12 Computation of Interest and Fees . (a) Interest and fees payable pursuant hereto shall be calculated on the basis of a 360-day year for the actual days elapsed, except that, with respect to ABR Loans the rate of interest on which is calculated on the basis of the Prime Rate, the interest thereon shall be calculated on the basis of a 365- (or 366-, as the case may be) day year for the actual days elapsed. The Administrative Agent shall as soon as practicable notify the Borrowers’ Agent and the relevant Lenders of each determination of a Eurodollar Rate. Any change in the interest rate on a Loan resulting from a change in the ABR or the Eurocurrency Reserve Requirements shall become effective as of the opening of business on the day on which such change becomes effective. The Administrative Agent shall as soon as practicable notify the Borrowers’ Agent and the relevant Lenders of the effective date and the amount of each such change in interest rate.

 

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(b) Each determination of an interest rate by the Administrative Agent pursuant to any provision of this Agreement shall be conclusive and binding on the Borrowers and the Lenders in the absence of manifest error. The Administrative Agent shall, at the request of the Borrowers’ Agent, deliver to the Borrowers’ Agent a statement showing the quotations used by the Administrative Agent in determining any interest rate pursuant to Section 2.11(a) .

2.13 Inability to Determine Interest Rate . If prior to the first day of any Interest Period:

(a) the Administrative Agent shall have determined (which determination shall be conclusive and binding upon the Borrowers) that, by reason of circumstances affecting the relevant market, adequate and reasonable means do not exist for ascertaining the Eurodollar Rate for such Interest Period, or

(b) the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from the Majority Revolving Lenders that the Eurodollar Rate determined or to be determined for such Interest Period will not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to such Lenders (as conclusively certified by such Lenders) of making or maintaining their affected Loans during such Interest Period,

the Administrative Agent shall give telecopy or telephonic notice thereof to the Borrowers’ Agent and the relevant Lenders as soon as practicable thereafter. If such notice is given (x) any Eurodollar Loans requested to be made on the first day of such Interest Period shall be made as ABR Loans, (y) any Loans that were to have been converted on the first day of such Interest Period to Eurodollar Loans shall be continued as ABR Loans and (z) any outstanding Eurodollar Loans shall be converted, on the last day of the then-current Interest Period, to ABR Loans. Until such notice has been withdrawn by the Administrative Agent, no further Eurodollar Loans shall be made or continued as such, nor shall any Borrower have the right to convert Loans to Eurodollar Loans.

2.14 Pro Rata Treatment and Payments . (a) Each borrowing by a Borrower from the Lenders hereunder, each payment by a Borrower on account of any commitment fee and any reduction of the Revolving Commitments of the Lenders shall be made pro rata according to the respective Revolving Percentages, as the case may be, of the relevant Lenders.

(b) Each payment (including each prepayment) by a Borrower on account of principal of and interest on the Revolving Loans shall be made pro rata according to the respective outstanding principal amounts of the Revolving Loans then held by the Revolving Lenders.

(c) All payments (including prepayments) to be made by the Borrowers hereunder, whether on account of principal, interest, fees or otherwise, shall be made without setoff or counterclaim and shall be made prior to 12:00 Noon, New York City time, on the due date thereof to the Administrative Agent, for the account of the Lenders, at the Funding Office, in Dollars and in immediately available funds. The Administrative Agent shall distribute such

 

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payments to each relevant Lender promptly upon receipt in like funds as received, net of any amounts owing by such Lender pursuant to Section 9.7 . If any payment hereunder (other than payments on the Eurodollar Loans) becomes due and payable on a day other than a Business Day, such payment shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day. If any payment on a Eurodollar Loan becomes due and payable on a day other than a Business Day, the maturity thereof shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day unless the result of such extension would be to extend such payment into another calendar month, in which event such payment shall be made on the immediately preceding Business Day. In the case of any extension of any payment of principal pursuant to the preceding two sentences, interest thereon shall be payable at the then applicable rate during such extension.

(d) Unless the Administrative Agent shall have been notified in writing by any Lender prior to a borrowing that such Lender will not make the amount that would constitute its share of such borrowing available to the Administrative Agent, the Administrative Agent may assume that such Lender is making such amount available to the Administrative Agent, and the Administrative Agent may, in reliance upon such assumption, make available to the applicable Borrower a corresponding amount. If such amount is not made available to the Administrative Agent by the required time on the Borrowing Date therefor, such Lender shall pay to the Administrative Agent, on demand, such amount with interest thereon, at a rate equal to the greater of (i) the Federal Funds Effective Rate and (ii) a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation, for the period until such Lender makes such amount immediately available to the Administrative Agent. A certificate of the Administrative Agent submitted to any Lender with respect to any amounts owing under this paragraph shall be conclusive in the absence of manifest error. If such Lender’s share of such borrowing is not made available to the Administrative Agent by such Lender within three Business Days after such Borrowing Date, the Administrative Agent shall also be entitled to recover such amount with interest thereon at the rate per annum applicable to ABR Loans, on demand, from the applicable Borrower.

(e) Unless the Administrative Agent shall have been notified in writing by the Borrowers’ Agent prior to the date of any payment due to be made by a Borrower hereunder that such Borrower will not make such payment to the Administrative Agent, the Administrative Agent may assume that such Borrower is making such payment, and the Administrative Agent may, but shall not be required to, in reliance upon such assumption, make available to the Lenders their respective pro rata shares of a corresponding amount. If such payment is not made to the Administrative Agent by the Borrowers within three Business Days after such due date, the Administrative Agent shall be entitled to recover, on demand, from each Lender to which any amount which was made available pursuant to the preceding sentence, such amount with interest thereon at the rate per annum equal to the daily average Federal Funds Effective Rate. Nothing herein shall be deemed to limit the rights of the Administrative Agent or any Lender against the Borrowers.

2.15 Requirements of Law . (a) If the adoption of or any change in any Requirement of Law or in the interpretation or application thereof or compliance by any Lender with any request or directive (whether or not having the force of law) from any central bank or other Governmental Authority made subsequent to the date hereof:

 

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(i) shall impose, modify or hold applicable any reserve, special deposit, compulsory loan, insurance charge or similar requirement against assets held by, deposits or other liabilities in or for the account of, advances, loans or other extensions of credit (or participations therein) by, or any other acquisition of funds by, any office of such Lender that is not otherwise included in the determination of the Eurodollar Rate; or

(ii) shall impose on such Lender any other condition;

and the result of any of the foregoing is to increase the cost to such Lender or such other Credit Party, by an amount that such Lender or other Credit Party deems to be material, of making, converting into, continuing or maintaining Loans or issuing or participating in Letters of Credit, or to reduce any amount receivable hereunder in respect thereof, then, in any such case, the Borrowers shall promptly pay such Lender or such other Credit Party, upon its demand, any additional amounts necessary to compensate such Lender or such other Credit Party for such increased cost or reduced amount receivable. If any Lender or such other Credit Party becomes entitled to claim any additional amounts pursuant to this paragraph, it shall promptly notify the Borrowers’ Agent (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) of the event by reason of which it has become so entitled.

(b) If any Lender shall have determined that the adoption of or any change in any Requirement of Law regarding capital adequacy or liquidity requirements or in the interpretation or application thereof or compliance by such Lender or any corporation controlling such Lender with any request or directive regarding capital adequacy or liquidity requirements (whether or not having the force of law) from any Governmental Authority made subsequent to the date hereof shall have the effect of reducing the rate of return on such Lender’s or such corporation’s capital as a consequence of its obligations hereunder or under or in respect of any Letter of Credit to a level below that which such Lender or such corporation could have achieved but for such adoption, change or compliance (taking into consideration such Lender’s or such corporation’s policies with respect to capital adequacy or liquidity requirements) by an amount deemed by such Lender to be material, then from time to time, after submission by such Lender to the Borrowers’ Agent (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) of a written request therefor, the Borrowers shall pay to such Lender such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or such corporation for such reduction.

(c) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, (i) all requests, rules, guidelines, requirements and directives promulgated by the Bank for International Settlements, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (or any successor or similar authority) or by United States or foreign regulatory authorities, in each case pursuant to Basel III, and (ii) the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and all requests, rules, guidelines, requirements and directives thereunder or issued in connection therewith or in implementation thereof, shall in each case be deemed to be a change in Requirements of Law, regardless of the date enacted, adopted, issued or implemented.

(d) A certificate as to any additional amounts payable pursuant to this Section 2.15 submitted by any Lender to the Borrowers’ Agent (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) shall be conclusive in the absence of manifest error. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 2.15 , no Borrower shall be required to compensate a

 

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Lender pursuant to this Section 2.15 for any amounts incurred more than nine months prior to the date that such Lender notifies the Borrowers’ Agent of such Lender’s intention to claim compensation therefor; provided that, if the circumstances giving rise to such claim have a retroactive effect, then such nine-month period shall be extended to include the period of such retroactive effect. The obligations of the Borrowers pursuant to this Section 2.15 shall survive the termination of this Agreement and the payment of the Loans and all other amounts payable hereunder.

(e) For the avoidance of doubt, the above provisions of this Section 2.15 shall not apply to Taxes, which shall be governed exclusively by Section 2.16 .

2.16 Taxes . (a) Each payment by any Loan Party under any Loan Document shall be made without withholding for any Taxes, unless such withholding is required by any applicable law. If any Withholding Agent determines, in its sole discretion exercised in good faith, that it is so required to withhold Taxes, then such Withholding Agent may so withhold and shall timely pay the full amount of withheld Taxes to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law. If such Taxes are Indemnified Taxes, then the amount payable by such Loan Party shall be increased as necessary so that, net of such withholding (including such withholding applicable to additional amounts payable under this Section 2.19 ), the applicable Credit Party receives the amount it would have received had no such withholding been made.

(b) The Borrowers shall timely pay any Other Taxes to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law.

(c) As soon as practicable after any payment of Indemnified Taxes by any Loan Party to a Governmental Authority, such Loan Party shall deliver to the Administrative Agent the original or a certified copy of a receipt issued by such Governmental Authority evidencing such payment, a copy of the return reporting such payment or other evidence of such payment reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.

(d) The Loan Parties shall jointly and severally indemnify each Credit Party for any Indemnified Taxes that are paid or payable by such Credit Party in connection with any Loan Document (including Indemnified Taxes paid or payable under this Section 2.16(d) ) and any reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto; provided , however , that the Loan Parties shall not be required to indemnify any Credit Party for any Indemnified Taxes the demand for which is made to the applicable Loan Party more than nine months after the earlier of (i) the date on which the relevant Governmental Authority makes written demand upon such Credit Party for payment of such Indemnified Taxes, and (ii) the date on which such Credit Party has made payment of such Indemnified Taxes (except that if the Indemnified Taxes imposed or asserted giving rise to such claims are retroactive, then the nine-month period referred to above shall be extended to include the period of retroactive effect thereof). The indemnity under this Section 2.16(d) shall be paid within 10 days after the Credit Party delivers to the Borrowers’ Agent a certificate stating the amount of any Indemnified Taxes so paid or payable by such Credit Party and describing the basis for the indemnification claim. Such certificate shall be conclusive of the amount so paid or payable absent manifest error. Such Credit Party shall deliver a copy of such certificate to the Administrative Agent.

 

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(e) Each Lender shall severally indemnify the Administrative Agent for any Taxes (but, in the case of any Indemnified Taxes, only to the extent that the Loan Parties have not already indemnified the Administrative Agent for such Indemnified Taxes and without limiting the obligation of the Loan Parties to do so) attributable to such Lender that are paid or payable by the Administrative Agent in connection with any Loan Document and any reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. The indemnity under this Section 2.16(e) shall be paid within 10 days after the Administrative Agent delivers to the applicable Lender a certificate stating the amount of Taxes so paid or payable by the Administrative Agent. Such certificate shall be conclusive of the amount so paid or payable absent manifest error.

(f) (i) Any Lender that is entitled to an exemption from, or reduction of, any applicable withholding Tax with respect to any payments under any Loan Document shall deliver to the Borrowers’ Agent and the Administrative Agent, at the time or times reasonably requested by the Borrowers’ Agent or the Administrative Agent, such properly completed and executed documentation reasonably requested by the Borrowers’ Agent or the Administrative Agent as will permit such payments to be made without, or at a reduced rate of, withholding. In addition, any Lender, if requested by the Borrowers’ Agent or the Administrative Agent, shall deliver such other documentation prescribed by law or reasonably requested by the Borrowers’ Agent or the Administrative Agent as will enable the Borrowers’ Agent or the Administrative Agent to determine whether or not such Lender is subject to any withholding (including backup withholding) or information reporting requirements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the preceding two sentences, the completion, execution and submission of such documentation (other than such documentation set forth in Sections 2.16(f)(ii)(A) through (E)  below) shall not be required if in the Lender’s judgment such completion, execution or submission would subject such Lender to any material unreimbursed cost or expense (or, in the case of a change in any Requirements of Law, any incremental material unreimbursed cost or expense) or would materially prejudice the legal or commercial position of such Lender. Upon the reasonable request of the Borrowers’ Agent or the Administrative Agent, any Lender shall update any form or certification previously delivered pursuant to this Section 2.16(f) . If any form or certification previously delivered pursuant to this Section 2.16(f) expires or becomes obsolete or inaccurate in any respect with respect to a Lender, such Lender shall promptly (and in any event within 10 days after such expiration, obsolescence or inaccuracy) notify the Borrowers’ Agent and the Administrative Agent in writing of such expiration, obsolescence or inaccuracy and update the form or certification if it is legally eligible to do so.

(ii) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, if any Borrower is a U.S. Person, any Lender (or, if the Lender is disregarded as an entity separate from its owner for U.S. tax purposes, its sole owner) with respect to such Borrower shall, if it is legally eligible to do so, deliver to the Borrowers’ Agent and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies reasonably requested by the Borrowers’ Agent and the Administrative Agent) on or prior to the date on which such Lender becomes a party hereto, duly completed and executed copies of whichever of the following is applicable:

(A) IRS Form W-9 certifying that such Lender is exempt from U.S. Federal backup withholding tax;

 

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(B) (1) with respect to payments of interest under any Loan Document, IRS Form W-8BEN establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. Federal withholding Tax pursuant to the “interest” article of such tax treaty and (2) with respect to any other applicable payments under any Loan Document, IRS Form W-8BEN establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. Federal withholding Tax pursuant to the “business profits” or “other income” article of such tax treaty;

(C) IRS Form W-8ECI;

(D) both (1) IRS Form W-8BEN and (2) a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit F (a “ U.S. Tax Certificate ”) to the effect that such Lender is not (a) a “bank” within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Code, (b) a “10 percent shareholder” of such Borrower within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(B) of the Code, (c) a “controlled foreign corporation” described in Section 881(c)(3)(C) of the Code and (d) conducting a trade or business in the United States with which the relevant interest payments are effectively connected;

(E) (1) an IRS Form W-8IMY on behalf of itself and (2) the relevant forms prescribed in clauses (A) , (B) , (C) , (D)  and (F)  of this Section 2.16(f)(ii) that would be required of each such beneficial owner or partner of such partnership if such beneficial owner or partner were a Lender; provided , however , that if the Lender is a partnership and one or more of its partners are claiming the exemption for portfolio interest under Section 881(c) of the Code, such Lender may provide a U.S. Tax Certificate on behalf of such partners; or

(F) any other form prescribed by law as a basis for claiming exemption from, or a reduction of, U.S. Federal withholding Tax together with such supplementary documentation necessary to enable the Borrowers’ Agent or the Administrative Agent to determine the amount of Tax (if any) required by law to be withheld.

(iii) If a payment made to a Lender under any Loan Document would be subject to U.S. Federal withholding Tax imposed by FATCA if such Lender were to fail to comply with the applicable reporting requirements of FATCA (including those contained in Section 1471(b) or 1472(b) of the Code, as applicable), such Lender shall deliver to the Withholding Agent, at the time or times prescribed by law and at such time or times reasonably requested by the Withholding Agent, such documentation prescribed by applicable law (including as prescribed by Section 1471(b)(3)(C)(i) of the Code) and such additional documentation reasonably requested by the Withholding Agent as may be necessary for the Withholding Agent to comply with its obligations under FATCA and to determine that such Lender has complied with such Lender’s obligations under FATCA or to determine the amount to deduct and withhold from such payment. Solely for purposes of this Section 2.16(f)(iii) , “FATCA” shall include any amendments made to FATCA after the date of this Agreement.

 

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(g) If any party determines, in its sole discretion exercised in good faith, that it has received a refund or credit of any Taxes as to which it has been indemnified pursuant to this Section 2.16 (including additional amounts paid pursuant to this Section 2.16 ), it shall pay to the indemnifying party an amount equal to such refund (but only to the extent of indemnity payments made under this Section 2.16 with respect to the Taxes giving rise to such refund), net of all out-of-pocket expenses (including any Taxes) of such indemnified party and without interest (other than any interest paid by the relevant Governmental Authority with respect to such refund). Such indemnifying party, upon the request of such indemnified party, shall repay to such indemnified party the amount paid to such indemnified party pursuant to the previous sentence (plus any penalties, interest or other charges imposed by the relevant Governmental Authority) in the event such indemnified party is required to repay such refund to such Governmental Authority. This Section 2.16(g) shall not be construed to require any indemnified party to make available its Tax returns (or any other information relating to its Taxes which it deems confidential) to the indemnifying party or any other Person.

(h) Each party’s obligations under this Section 2.16 shall survive any assignment of rights by, or the replacement of, a Lender, the termination of the Revolving Commitments and the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all other obligations under the Loan Documents.

(i) For purposes of Sections 2.16(e) and (f) , the term “Lender” includes the Issuing Lender and the Swing line Lender. For purposes of Section 2.16 , the term “applicable law” includes FATCA.

2.17 Indemnity . The Borrowers agree to indemnify each Lender for, and to hold each Lender harmless from, any loss or expense that such Lender may sustain or incur as a consequence of (a) default by any Borrower in making a borrowing of, conversion into or continuation of Eurodollar Loans after such Borrower has given a notice requesting the same in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, (b) default by any Borrower in making any prepayment of or conversion from Eurodollar Loans after such Borrower has given a notice thereof in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement or (c) the making of a prepayment of Eurodollar Loans on a day that is not the last day of an Interest Period with respect thereto. Such indemnification may include an amount equal to the excess, if any, of (i) the amount of interest that would have accrued on the amount so prepaid, or not so borrowed, converted or continued, for the period from the date of such prepayment or of such failure to borrow, convert or continue to the last day of such Interest Period (or, in the case of a failure to borrow, convert or continue, the Interest Period that would have commenced on the date of such failure) in each case at the applicable rate of interest for such Loans provided for herein (excluding, however, the Applicable Margin included therein, if any) over (ii) the amount of interest (as reasonably determined by such Lender) that would have accrued to such Lender on such amount by placing such amount on deposit for a comparable period with leading banks in the interbank eurodollar market. A certificate as to any amounts payable pursuant to this Section 2.17 submitted to the Borrowers’ Agent by any Lender shall be conclusive in the absence of manifest error. This covenant shall survive the termination of this Agreement and the payment of the Loans and all other amounts payable hereunder.

 

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2.18 Change of Lending Office . Each Lender agrees that, upon the occurrence of any event giving rise to the operation of Section 2.15 or 2.16(a) or (d)  with respect to such Lender, it will, if requested by the Borrowers’ Agent, use reasonable efforts (subject to overall policy considerations of such Lender) to designate another lending office for any Loans affected by such event with the object of avoiding the consequences of such event; provided , that such designation is made on terms that, in the sole judgment of such Lender, cause such Lender and its lending offices to suffer no economic, legal or regulatory disadvantage, and provided , further , that nothing in this Section 2.18 shall affect or postpone any of the obligations of the Borrowers or the rights of any Lender pursuant to Section 2.15 or 2.16(a) or (d) .

2.19 Replacement of Lenders . The Borrowers’ Agent shall be permitted to replace any Lender that (a) is entitled to additional amounts pursuant to Section 2.15 or 2.16(a) or (d) , (b) becomes a Defaulting Lender, or (c) does not consent to any proposed amendment, supplement, modification, consent or waiver of any provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document that requires the consent of each of the Lenders or each of the Lenders affected thereby (so long as the consent of the Majority Revolving Lenders has been obtained) (any such Lender, a “ Non-Consenting Lender ”), with a replacement financial institution; provided that (i) such replacement does not conflict with any Requirement of Law, (ii) no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing at the time of such replacement, (iii) prior to any such replacement, such Lender shall have taken no action under Section 2.18 so as to eliminate the continued need for payment of amounts owing pursuant to Section 2.15 or 2.16(a) or (d) , (iv) the replacement financial institution shall purchase, at par, all Loans and other amounts owing to such replaced Lender on or prior to the date of replacement, (v) the Borrowers shall be liable to such replaced Lender under Section 2.17 if any Eurodollar Loan owing to such replaced Lender shall be purchased other than on the last day of the Interest Period relating thereto, (vi) the replacement financial institution shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, (vii) the replaced Lender shall be obligated to make such replacement in accordance with the provisions of Section 10.6 ( provided that the Borrowers shall be obligated to pay the registration and processing fee referred to therein), (viii) until such time as such replacement shall be consummated, the Borrowers shall pay all additional amounts (if any) required pursuant to Section 2.15 or 2.16(a) or (d) , as the case may be, (ix) in the case of any such assignment resulting from a claim for compensation under Section 2.15 or payments required to be made pursuant to Section 2.16 , such assignment will result in a reduction in such compensation or payments thereafter; (x) in the case of any assignment resulting from a Lender becoming a Non-Consenting Lender, the applicable assignee shall have consented to the applicable amendment, waiver or consent; and (xi) any such replacement shall not be deemed to be a waiver of any rights that any Borrower, the Administrative Agent or any other Lender shall have against the replaced Lender.

2.20 Defaulting Lenders . Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, if any Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender, then the following provisions shall apply for so long as such Lender is a Defaulting Lender:

(a) fees shall cease to accrue on the unfunded portion of the Revolving Commitment of such Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 2.5(a) ;

 

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(b) the Revolving Commitment and Revolving Extensions of Credit of such Defaulting Lender shall not be included in determining whether the Majority Revolving Lenders have taken or may take any action hereunder (including any consent to any amendment, waiver or other modification pursuant to Section 10.1 ); provided , that this clause (b) shall not apply to the vote of a Defaulting Lender in the case of an amendment, waiver or other modification requiring the consent of such Lender or each Lender affected thereby;

(c) any payment of principal, interest, fees or other amounts received by the Administrative Agent for the account of such Defaulting Lender (whether voluntary or mandatory, at maturity, pursuant to Section 8 or otherwise) or received by the Administrative Agent from a Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 10.7 shall be applied at such time or times as may be determined by the Administrative Agent as follows: first , to the payment of any amounts owing by such Defaulting Lender to the Administrative Agent hereunder; second , to the payment on a pro rata basis of any amounts owing by such Defaulting Lender to any Issuing Lender or Swing line Lender hereunder; third , to cash collateralize any Issuing Lender’s L/C Exposure with respect to such Defaulting Lender in accordance with Section 2.20(d) ; fourth , as the Borrower may request (so long as no Default or Event of Default exists), to the funding of any Loan in respect of which such Defaulting Lender has failed to fund its portion thereof as required by this Agreement, as determined by the Administrative Agent; fifth , if so determined by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, to be held in a deposit account and released pro rata in order to (x) satisfy such Defaulting Lender’s potential future funding obligations with respect to Loans under this Agreement and (y) cash collateralize any Issuing Lender’s L/C Exposure with respect to such Defaulting Lender with respect to future Letters of Credit issued under this Agreement in accordance with Section 2.20(d) ; sixth , to the payment of any amounts owing to the Lenders, the Issuing Lenders or Swing line Lenders as a result of any final and non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction obtained by any Lender, the Issuing Lenders or Swing line Lenders against such Defaulting Lender as a result of such Defaulting Lender’s breach of its obligations under this Agreement; seventh , so long as no Default or Event of Default exists, to the payment of any amounts owing to the Borrower as a result of any final and non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction obtained by the Borrower against such Defaulting Lender as a result of such Defaulting Lender’s breach of its obligations under this Agreement; and eighth , to such Defaulting Lender or as otherwise directed by a court of competent jurisdiction; provided that if (x) such payment is a payment of the principal amount of any Loans or drafts paid under Letters of Credit in respect of which such Defaulting Lender has not fully funded its appropriate share, and (y) such Loans were made or the related Letters of Credit were issued at a time when the conditions set forth in Section 5.2 were satisfied or waived, such payment shall be applied solely to pay the Loans of, and drafts paid under Letters of Credit owed to, all Non-Defaulting Lenders on a pro rata basis prior to being applied to the payment of any Loans of, or drafts paid under Letters of Credit owed to, such Defaulting Lender until such time as all Loans and funded and unfunded participations in L/C Obligations and Swing line Loans are held by the Lenders pro rata in accordance with the Revolving Commitments under the Revolving Facility without giving effect to Section 2.20(d) . Any payments, prepayments or other amounts paid or payable to a Defaulting Lender that are applied (or held) to pay amounts owed by a Defaulting Lender or to post cash collateral pursuant to this Section 2.20(c) shall be deemed paid to and redirected by such Defaulting Lender, and each Lender irrevocably consents hereto.

 

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(d) if any Swing line Exposure or L/C Exposure exists at the time such Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender then:

(i) all or any part of the Swing line Exposure and L/C Exposure of such Defaulting Lender shall be reallocated among the non-Defaulting Lenders in accordance with their respective Revolving Percentages but only to the extent the sum of all non-Defaulting Lenders’ Revolving Extensions of Credit plus such Defaulting Lender’s Swing line Exposure and L/C Exposure does not exceed the total of all non-Defaulting Lenders’ Revolving Commitments;

(ii) if the reallocation described in clause (i) above cannot, or can only partially, be effected, the Borrowers shall within one Business Day following notice by the Administrative Agent (x) first, prepay such Swing line Exposure and (y) second, cash collateralize for the benefit of the Issuing Lender only the Borrowers’ obligations corresponding to such Defaulting Lender’s L/C Exposure (after giving effect to any partial reallocation pursuant to clause (i) above) in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 8 for so long as such L/C Exposure is outstanding;

(iii) if the Borrowers cash collateralize any portion of such Defaulting Lender’s L/C Exposure pursuant to clause (ii) above, the Borrowers shall not be required to pay any fees to such Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 3.3(a) with respect to such Defaulting Lender’s L/C Exposure during the period such Defaulting Lender’s L/C Exposure is cash collateralized;

(iv) if the L/C Exposure of the non-Defaulting Lenders is reallocated pursuant to clause (i) above, then the fees payable to the Lenders pursuant to Section 2.5(a) and Section 3.3(a) shall be adjusted in accordance with such non-Defaulting Lenders’ Revolving Percentages; and

(v) if all or any portion of such Defaulting Lender’s L/C Exposure is neither reallocated nor cash collateralized pursuant to clause (i) or (ii)  above, then, without prejudice to any rights or remedies of the Issuing Lender or any other Lender hereunder, all fees payable under Section 3.3(a) with respect to such Defaulting Lender’s L/C Exposure shall be payable to the Issuing Lender until and to the extent that such L/C Exposure is reallocated and/or cash collateralized; and

(e) so long as such Lender is a Defaulting Lender, the Swing line Lender shall not be required to fund any Swing line Loan and the Issuing Lender shall not be required to issue, amend or increase any Letter of Credit, unless it is satisfied that the related exposure and the Defaulting Lender’s then outstanding L/C Exposure will be 100% covered by the Revolving Commitments of the non-Defaulting Lenders and/or cash collateral will be provided by the Borrowers in accordance with Section 2.20(c) , and participating interests in any newly made Swing line Loan or any newly issued or increased Letter of Credit shall be allocated among non-Defaulting Lenders in a manner consistent with Section 2.20(c)(i) (and such Defaulting Lender shall not participate therein).

 

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If (i) a Bankruptcy Event with respect to a Lender Parent of any Lender shall occur following the date hereof and for so long as such event shall continue or (ii) the Swing line Lender or the Issuing Lender has a good faith belief that any Lender has defaulted in fulfilling its obligations under one or more other agreements in which such Lender commits to extend credit, the Swing line Lender shall not be required to fund any Swing line Loan and the Issuing Lender shall not be required to issue, amend or increase any Letter of Credit, unless the Swing line Lender or the Issuing Lender, as the case may be, shall have entered into arrangements with the Borrowers or such Lender, satisfactory to the Swing line Lender or the Issuing Lender, as the case may be, to defease any risk to it in respect of such Lender hereunder.

In the event that the Administrative Agent, the Borrowers’ Agent, the Swing line Lender and the Issuing Lender each agrees that a Defaulting Lender has adequately remedied all matters that caused such Lender to be a Defaulting Lender, then the Swing line Exposure and L/C Exposure of the Lenders shall be readjusted to reflect the inclusion of such Lender’s Revolving Commitment and on such date such Lender shall purchase at par such of the Loans of the other Lenders (other than Swing line Loans) as the Administrative Agent shall determine may be necessary in order for such Lender to hold such Loans in accordance with its Revolving Percentage.

2.21 Incremental Facility .

(a) The Borrowers’ Agent and any one or more Lenders (including New Lenders) may from time to time agree that such Lenders shall make, obtain or increase the amount of their Revolving Commitments, as applicable, by executing and delivering to the Administrative Agent an Increased Facility Activation Notice specifying (i) the amount of such increase, and (ii) the applicable Increased Facility Closing Date; provided , that (a) at the time of each such request and upon the effectiveness of each increase in Revolving Commitments no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or shall result therefrom; (b) on a Pro Forma Basis after giving effect to the incurrence of any increased Revolving Commitments, (after giving effect to (x) the borrowing of any Revolving Loans on such day under such increased Revolving Commitments, (y) other permitted pro forma adjustment events and (z) any permanent repayment of Indebtedness after the beginning of the relevant determination period but prior to or simultaneous with borrowing), the MLP is in compliance with the financial covenants in Section 7.1 ; and (c) on and as of the time of each such request and upon the effectiveness of each increase in Revolving Commitments each of the representations and warranties made by any Loan Party in or pursuant to the Loan Documents shall be true and correct in all material respects (except to the extent (i) any such representations and warranties relate, by their terms, to a specific date, in which case such representations and warranties shall be true and correct in all material respects on and as of such specific date and (ii) any such representations and warranties are qualified by materiality, in which case such representations and warranties shall be true and correct in all respects). Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) the aggregate amount of incremental Revolving Commitments obtained after the Closing Date pursuant to this paragraph shall not exceed $50,000,000 and (ii) without the consent of the Administrative Agent, each increase effected pursuant to this paragraph shall be in a minimum amount of at least $10,000,000. No Lender shall have any obligation to participate in any increase described in this paragraph unless it agrees to do so in its sole discretion.

 

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(b) Any additional bank, financial institution or other entity which, with the consent of the Borrowers’ Agent, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Lenders and the Swing line Lender (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld), elects to become a “Lender” under this Agreement in connection with any transaction described in Section 2.21(a) shall execute a New Lender Supplement (each, a “ New Lender Supplement ”), substantially in the form of Exhibit H , whereupon such bank, financial institution or other entity (a “ New Lender ”) shall become a Lender for all purposes and to the same extent as if originally a party hereto and shall be bound by and entitled to the benefits of this Agreement.

(c) Unless otherwise agreed by the Administrative Agent, on each Increased Facility Closing Date, the Borrowers shall borrow Revolving Loans under the relevant increased Revolving Commitments from each Lender participating in the relevant increase in an amount determined by reference to the amount of each Type of Loan (and, in the case of Eurodollar Loans, of each Eurodollar Tranche) which would then have been outstanding from such Lender if (i) each such Type or Eurodollar Tranche had been borrowed or effected on such Increased Facility Closing Date and (ii) the aggregate amount of each such Type or Eurodollar Tranche requested to be so borrowed or effected had been proportionately increased. The Eurodollar Base Rate applicable to any Eurodollar Loan borrowed pursuant to the preceding sentence shall equal the Eurodollar Base Rate then applicable to the Eurodollar Loans of the other Lenders in the same Eurodollar Tranche (or, until the expiration of the then-current Interest Period, such other rate as shall be agreed upon between the Borrowers’ Agent and the relevant Lender).

SECTION 3

LETTERS OF CREDIT

3.1 L/C Commitment . (a) Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the Issuing Lender, in reliance on the agreements of the other Revolving Lenders set forth in Section 3.4(a) , agrees to issue letters of credit (“ Letters of Credit ”) for the account of the Borrowers on any Business Day during the Revolving Commitment Period in such form as may be approved from time to time by the Issuing Lender; provided that the Issuing Lender shall not issue any Letter of Credit if, after giving effect to such issuance, (i) the L/C Obligations would exceed the L/C Commitment or (ii) the aggregate amount of the Available Revolving Commitments would be less than zero. Each Letter of Credit shall (i) be denominated in Dollars and (ii) expire no later than the earlier of (x) the first anniversary of its date of issuance and (y) the date that is five Business Days prior to the Revolving Termination Date, provided that any Letter of Credit with a one-year term may provide for the renewal thereof for additional one-year periods (which shall in no event extend beyond the date referred to in clause (y) above).

(b) The Issuing Lender shall not at any time be obligated to issue any Letter of Credit if such issuance would conflict with, or cause the Issuing Lender or any L/C Participant to exceed any limits imposed by, any applicable Requirement of Law.

3.2 Procedure for Issuance of Letter of Credit . The Borrowers may from time to time request that the Issuing Lender issue a Letter of Credit by delivering to the Issuing Lender at its address for notices specified herein an Application therefor, completed to the satisfaction of the Issuing Lender and signed by a Responsible Officer and including agreed-upon draft language for such Letter of Credit reasonably acceptable to the applicable Issuing Lender, and such other

 

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certificates, documents and other papers and information as the Issuing Lender may request. Upon receipt of any Application, the Issuing Lender will process such Application and the certificates, documents and other papers and information delivered to it in connection therewith in accordance with its customary procedures and shall promptly issue the Letter of Credit requested thereby (but in no event shall the Issuing Lender be required to issue any Letter of Credit earlier than three Business Days after its receipt of the Application therefor and all such other certificates, documents and other papers and information relating thereto) by issuing the original of such Letter of Credit to the beneficiary thereof or as otherwise may be agreed to by the Issuing Lender and the applicable Borrower. The Issuing Lender shall furnish a copy of such Letter of Credit to the applicable Borrower promptly following the issuance thereof. The Issuing Lender shall promptly furnish to the Administrative Agent, which shall in turn promptly furnish to the Lenders, notice of the issuance of each Letter of Credit (including the amount thereof).

3.3 Fees and Other Charges . (a) The Borrowers will pay a fee on all outstanding Letters of Credit at a per annum rate equal to the Applicable Margin then in effect with respect to Eurodollar Loans, shared ratably among the Revolving Lenders and payable quarterly in arrears on each Fee Payment Date after the issuance date. In addition, the Borrowers shall pay to the Issuing Lender for its own account a fronting fee of 0.15% per annum on the undrawn and unexpired amount of each Letter of Credit, payable quarterly in arrears on each Fee Payment Date after the issuance date.

(b) In addition to the foregoing fees, the Borrowers shall pay or reimburse the Issuing Lender for such normal and customary costs and expenses as are incurred or charged by the Issuing Lender in issuing, negotiating, effecting payment under, amending or otherwise administering any Letter of Credit.

3.4 L/C Participations . (a) The Issuing Lender irrevocably agrees to grant and hereby grants to each L/C Participant, and, to induce the Issuing Lender to issue Letters of Credit, each L/C Participant irrevocably agrees to accept and purchase and hereby accepts and purchases from the Issuing Lender, on the terms and conditions set forth below, for such L/C Participant’s own account and risk an undivided interest equal to such L/C Participant’s Revolving Percentage in the Issuing Lender’s obligations and rights under and in respect of each Letter of Credit and the amount of each draft paid by the Issuing Lender thereunder. Each L/C Participant agrees with the Issuing Lender that, if a draft is paid under any Letter of Credit for which the Issuing Lender is not reimbursed in full by the Borrowers in accordance with the terms of this Agreement (or in the event that any reimbursement received by the Issuing Lender shall be required to be returned by it at any time), such L/C Participant shall pay to the Issuing Lender upon demand at the Issuing Lender’s address for notices specified herein an amount equal to such L/C Participant’s Revolving Percentage of the amount that is not so reimbursed (or is so returned). Each L/C Participant’s obligation to pay such amount shall be absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any circumstance, including (i) any setoff, counterclaim, recoupment, defense or other right that such L/C Participant may have against the Issuing Lender, any Borrower or any other Person for any reason whatsoever, (ii) the occurrence or continuance of a Default or an Event of Default or the failure to satisfy any of the other conditions specified in Section 5 , (iii) any adverse change in the condition (financial or otherwise) of any Borrower, (iv) any breach of this Agreement or any other Loan Document by any Borrower, any other Loan Party or any other L/C Participant or (v) any other circumstance, happening or event whatsoever, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing.

 

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(b) If any amount required to be paid by any L/C Participant to the Issuing Lender pursuant to Section 3.4(a) in respect of any unreimbursed portion of any payment made by the Issuing Lender under any Letter of Credit is paid to the Issuing Lender within three Business Days after the date such payment is due, such L/C Participant shall pay to the Issuing Lender on demand an amount equal to the product of (i) such amount, times (ii) the daily average Federal Funds Effective Rate during the period from and including the date such payment is required to the date on which such payment is immediately available to the Issuing Lender, times (iii) a fraction the numerator of which is the number of days that elapse during such period and the denominator of which is 360. If any such amount required to be paid by any L/C Participant pursuant to Section 3.4(a) is not made available to the Issuing Lender by such L/C Participant within three Business Days after the date such payment is due, the Issuing Lender shall be entitled to recover from such L/C Participant, on demand, such amount with interest thereon calculated from such due date at the rate per annum applicable to ABR Loans under the Revolving Facility. A certificate of the Issuing Lender submitted to any L/C Participant with respect to any amounts owing under this Section 3.4 shall be conclusive in the absence of manifest error.

(c) Whenever, at any time after the Issuing Lender has made payment under any Letter of Credit and has received from any L/C Participant its pro rata share of such payment in accordance with Section 34(a) , the Issuing Lender receives any payment related to such Letter of Credit (whether directly from any Borrower or otherwise, including proceeds of collateral applied thereto by the Issuing Lender), or any payment of interest on account thereof, the Issuing Lender will distribute to such L/C Participant its pro rata share thereof; provided , however , that in the event that any such payment received by the Issuing Lender shall be required to be returned by the Issuing Lender, such L/C Participant shall return to the Issuing Lender the portion thereof previously distributed by the Issuing Lender to it.

3.5 Reimbursement Obligation of the Borrowers . If any draft is paid under any Letter of Credit, the Borrowers shall reimburse the Issuing Lender for the amount of (a) the draft so paid and (b) any Other Taxes, fees, charges or other costs or expenses incurred by the Issuing Lender in connection with such payment, not later than 12:00 Noon, New York City time, on (i) the Business Day that the Borrowers’ Agent receives notice of such draft, if such notice is received on such day prior to 10:00 A.M., New York City time, or (ii) if clause (i) above does not apply, the Business Day immediately following the day that the Borrowers’ Agent receives such notice. Each such payment shall be made to the Issuing Lender at its address for notices referred to herein in Dollars and in immediately available funds. Interest shall be payable on any such amounts from the date on which the relevant draft is paid until payment in full at the rate set forth in (x) until the Business Day next succeeding the date of the relevant notice, Section 2.11(b) and (y) thereafter, Section 2.11(c) .

3.6 Obligations Absolute . The Borrowers obligations under this Section 3 shall be absolute and unconditional under any and all circumstances and irrespective of any setoff, counterclaim or defense to payment that any Borrower may have or have had against the Issuing Lender, any beneficiary of a Letter of Credit or any other Person. The Borrowers also agree with

 

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the Issuing Lender that the Issuing Lender shall not be responsible for, and the Borrowers’ Reimbursement Obligations under Section 3.5 shall not be affected by, among other things, the validity or genuineness of documents or of any endorsements thereon, even though such documents shall in fact prove to be invalid, fraudulent or forged, or any dispute between or among any Borrower and any beneficiary of any Letter of Credit or any other party to which such Letter of Credit may be transferred or any claims whatsoever of any Borrower against any beneficiary of such Letter of Credit or any such transferee. The Issuing Lender shall not be liable for any error, omission, interruption or delay in transmission, dispatch or delivery of any message or advice, however transmitted, in connection with any Letter of Credit, except for errors or omissions found by a final and nonappealable decision of a court of competent jurisdiction to have resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Issuing Lender. The Borrowers agree that any action taken or omitted by the Issuing Lender under or in connection with any Letter of Credit or the related drafts or documents, if done in the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct, shall be binding on the Borrowers and shall not result in any liability of the Issuing Lender to any Borrower.

3.7 Letter of Credit Payments . If any draft shall be presented for payment under any Letter of Credit, the Issuing Lender shall promptly notify the Borrowers’ Agent of the date and amount thereof. The responsibility of the Issuing Lender to the Borrowers in connection with any draft presented for payment under any Letter of Credit shall, in addition to any payment obligation expressly provided for in such Letter of Credit, be limited to determining that the documents (including each draft) delivered under such Letter of Credit in connection with such presentment are substantially in conformity with such Letter of Credit.

3.8 Applications . To the extent that any provision of any Application related to any Letter of Credit (i) is inconsistent with the provisions of this Section 3 or (ii) purports to add defaults or events of default or provide for the grant of security not contemplated by this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement shall govern.

SECTION 4

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

To induce the Administrative Agent and the Lenders to enter into this Agreement and to make the Loans and to issue or participate in the Letters of Credit, except to the extent any such representations and warranties relate, by their terms, to a specific date, as of the date hereof (and as required under Section 5.2 ) the Borrowers hereby represent and warrant to the Administrative Agent and each Lender that:

4.1 Financial Condition . (a) The unaudited pro forma consolidated balance sheet of the MLP and its consolidated Subsidiaries as at September 30, 2012 (including the notes thereto) (the “ Pro Forma Balance Sheet ”), copies of which have heretofore been furnished to each Lender, has been prepared giving effect (as if such events had occurred on such date) to (i) the consummation of the Transactions, (ii) the Loans to be made and the Senior Notes to be issued on the Closing Date and the use of proceeds thereof and (iii) the payment of fees and expenses in connection with the foregoing. The Pro Forma Balance Sheet has been prepared based on the best information available to the MLP as of the date of delivery thereof, and presents fairly in all material respects on a pro forma basis the estimated financial position of the MLP and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of September 30, 2012, assuming that the events specified in the preceding sentence had actually occurred at such date (subject to normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes).

 

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(b) The audited consolidated balance sheets of the MLP as of December 31, 2009, December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2011, and the related consolidated statements of income and of cash flows for the Fiscal Years ended on such dates, reported on by and accompanied by an unqualified report from Ernst & Young LLP, present fairly in all material respects the consolidated financial condition of the MLP and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of such date, and the consolidated results of its operations and its consolidated cash flows for the respective Fiscal Years then ended. The unaudited consolidated balance sheet of the MLP and its Subsidiaries as of September 30, 2012, and the related unaudited consolidated statements of income and cash flows for the nine-month period ended on such date, present fairly in all material respects the consolidated financial condition of the MLP and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of such date, and the consolidated results of its operations and its consolidated cash flows for the nine-month period then ended (subject to normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes). All such financial statements, including the related schedules and notes thereto, have been prepared in accordance with GAAP applied consistently throughout the periods involved (except as disclosed therein).

4.2 No Change . Since December 31, 2011, there has been no development or event that has had or is reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

4.3 Existence; Compliance with Law . Each Group Member (a) is duly incorporated or organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization or incorporation, except to the extent, with respect to a Subsidiary, where any failure to maintain existence or good standing would not have a Material Adverse Effect, (b) has the corporate or other organizational power and authority to own and operate its property, to lease the property it operates as lessee and to conduct the business in which it is currently engaged, except to the extent that the lack of any such power or authority would not reasonably be expected to cause a Material Adverse Effect, (c) is duly qualified as a foreign corporation or other organization and in good standing under the laws of each jurisdiction where its ownership, lease or operation of property or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to so qualify would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and (d) is in compliance with all applicable Requirements of Law (excluding Environmental Laws and ERISA, but including the Patriot Act) except to the extent that the failure to comply therewith would not, in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

4.4 Power; Authorization; Enforceable Obligations . Each Loan Party has the corporate or organizational power and authority to make, deliver and perform the Loan Documents to which it is a party and, in the case of each Borrower, to obtain extensions of credit hereunder. Each Loan Party has taken all necessary corporate or organizational action to authorize the execution, delivery and performance of the Loan Documents to which it is a party and, in the case of each Borrower, to authorize the extensions of credit on the terms and conditions of this Agreement. No consent or authorization of, filing with, notice to or other act by, or in respect of, any Governmental Authority or any other Person is required in connection

 

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with the extensions of credit hereunder or with the execution, delivery, performance, validity or enforceability of this Agreement or any of the Loan Documents to which a Loan Party is a party, except (i) filings necessary to perfect the Liens on the Collateral granted by the Loan Parties in favor of the Administrative Agent, (ii) the authorizations, approvals, actions, notices and filings which have been duly obtained, taken, given or made and are in full force and effect, (iii) those filings and actions agreed by the parties to be taken after the Closing Date pursuant to and in accordance with the terms of the Collateral Documents and (iv) any consent, authorization, filing or notice, where the failure to obtain any such consent or authorization or to make any such filing or give any such notice would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. This Agreement has been, and each Loan Document will be, duly executed and delivered on behalf of each Loan Party party thereto. This Agreement constitutes, and each other Loan Document upon execution will constitute, a legal, valid and binding obligation of each Loan Party party thereto, enforceable against each such Loan Party in accordance with its terms, except as enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights or remedies generally and by general equitable principles (whether enforcement is sought by proceedings in equity or at law).

4.5 No Legal Bar . The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents to which a Loan Party is a party, the issuance of Letters of Credit, the borrowings hereunder and the use of the proceeds thereof will not (a) violate any Requirement of Law or any Contractual Obligation of any Group Member, except where any such violation would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, or (b) result in, or require, the creation or imposition of any Lien on any of their respective properties or revenues pursuant to any Requirement of Law or any such Contractual Obligation (other than the Liens created by the Security Documents), except where any such creation or imposition of any such Lien would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

4.6 Litigation . No litigation, investigation or proceeding of or before any arbitrator or Governmental Authority is pending or, to the knowledge of the Borrowers’ Agent, threatened by or against any Group Member or against any of their respective properties or revenues which is reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

4.7 No Default . No Group Member is in default under or with respect to any of its Contractual Obligations in any respect which would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. No Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing.

4.8 Ownership of Property . Each Group Member has good record title in fee simple or fee simple with respect to surface rights only to all of the Mortgaged Property, valid lease-hold interests in, easements or other limited property interests in all of its other real property, and good title to, or a valid leasehold interest in, all its other property except, in each case, where the failure to have such interests does not have a material adverse effect on the current operations of the Business of the owner of such other real property or other property), in each case except for all Liens permitted by Section 7.3 .

4.9 Intellectual Property . Each Group Member owns, or is licensed to use, all Intellectual Property necessary for the conduct of its business as currently conducted, except for any failures to own or license such Intellectual Property which would not reasonably be expected

 

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to have a Material Adverse Effect. No material claim has been asserted against any Group Member and is pending by any Person challenging the use of any such Intellectual Property or the validity or effectiveness of any such Intellectual Property, nor does the Borrowers’ Agent know of any valid basis for any such claim, except, in each case, for claims that would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. To the knowledge of the Borrowers’ Agent, the use of Intellectual Property by each Group Member does not infringe on the rights of any Person, except for such infringements that, in the aggregate, are not reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

4.10 Taxes . Each Group Member has filed or caused to be filed all Federal, state and other material Tax returns, which, to the knowledge of the Borrowers’ Agent, are required to be filed by such Group Member and has paid or made provision for the payment of all Taxes shown to be due and payable on said returns or on any assessments made against it or any of its property in respect thereof received by such Group Member, and all other Taxes, fees or other charges imposed on it or any of its property by any Governmental Authority (other than, in each case, (a) any Taxes the amount or validity of which is currently being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and with respect to which reserves in conformity with GAAP have been provided on the books of the relevant Group Member and (b) other Taxes where any such failure to file or any such failure to pay would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect); no Tax Lien has been filed in respect of any material amount of unpaid Taxes in respect of which, to the knowledge of the Borrowers’ Agent, any claim is being asserted, except where such claim is not reasonably expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect with respect to any such Tax.

4.11 Federal Regulations . No part of the proceeds of any Loans, and no other extensions of credit hereunder, will be used (a) for “buying” or “carrying” any “margin stock” within the respective meanings of each of the quoted terms under Regulation U as now and from time to time hereafter in effect for any purpose that violates the provisions of the Regulations of the Board or (b) for any purpose that violates the provisions of the Regulations of the Board. If requested by any Lender or the Administrative Agent, the Borrowers’ Agent will furnish to the Administrative Agent and each Lender a statement to the foregoing effect in conformity with said Regulation U and any applicable forms required from time to time thereunder.

4.12 Labor Matters . Except as, in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect: (a) there are no strikes, lockouts or slowdowns against any Group Member pending or, to the knowledge of the Borrowers’ Agent, threatened; (b) hours worked by and payment made to employees of each Group Member have not been in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act or any other applicable Requirement of Law dealing with such matters; and (c) all payments due from any Group Member in respect of employee health and welfare insurance have been paid or accrued as a liability on the most recent audited financial statements of the relevant Group Member.

4.13 ERISA . Except as, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect: (a) each Group Member and each ERISA Affiliate are in compliance with the applicable provisions of ERISA and the provisions of the Code relating to Plans; (b) no ERISA Event or Foreign Plan Event has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur; (c) all liabilities required to be accrued by Accounting Standards Codification

 

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No. 715: Compensation Retirement Benefits with respect to, or by the terms of, any retiree welfare benefit arrangement maintained by any Group Member or any ERISA Affiliate or to which any Group Member or any ERISA Affiliate has an obligation to contribute have been accrued in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification No. 715: Compensation Retirement Benefits; and (d) the present value of all accumulated benefit obligations under each Pension Plan (based on the assumptions used for purposes of Accounting Standards Codification No. 715: Compensation Retirement Benefits) did not, as of the date of the most recent audited financial statement reflecting such amounts, exceed the Fair Market Value of the assets of such Pension Plan allocable to such accrued benefits.

4.14 Investment Company Act; Other Regulations . No Loan Party is an “investment company”, or a company “controlled” by an “investment company,” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. No Loan Party is subject to regulation under any Federal or state statue or regulation (other than Regulation X of the Board) that limits its ability to incur Indebtedness under the Loan Documents.

4.15 Subsidiaries . Schedule 4.15 lists the correct legal name and jurisdiction of incorporation of all of the Subsidiaries of the MLP as of the Closing Date.

4.16 Use of Proceeds . The proceeds of the Loans will be used to finance capital expenditures, acquisitions, working capital needs, the making of distributions and for other general corporate purposes of the MLP and its Subsidiaries.

4.17 Environmental Matters . Except to the extent that the following would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect:

(a) the facilities and properties owned, leased or operated by any Group Member (the “ Properties ”) do not contain, and during its period of ownership, lease or operation of the Properties, have not previously contained, any Materials of Environmental Concern in amounts or concentrations that constitute a violation of, or would reasonably be expected to give rise to liability on the part of such Group Member under, any applicable Environmental Law;

(b) no Group Member has received any written notice of violation, alleged violation, non-compliance, liability or potential liability regarding any applicable Environmental Laws with regard to any of the Properties or the business operated by any Group Member (the “ Business ”), nor does any Responsible Officer of the Borrowers’ Agent have knowledge that any such notice has been threatened in writing;

(c) Materials of Environmental Concern have not been transported or disposed of from the Properties in violation of, or in a manner that would reasonably be expected to give rise to liability on the part of any Group Member under, any applicable Environmental Law, nor have any Materials of Environmental Concern been generated, treated, stored or disposed of at, on or under any Property in violation of, or in a manner that would reasonably be expected to give rise to liability on the part of any Group Member under, any applicable Environmental Law;

 

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(d) no judicial proceeding or governmental or administrative action is pending or, to the knowledge of any Responsible Officer of the Borrowers’ Agent, threatened in writing, under any Environmental Law to which any Group Member is or will be named as a party with respect to the Properties or the Business, nor are there any consent decrees or other decrees, consent orders, administrative orders or other orders, or other administrative or judicial requirements outstanding under any Environmental Law with respect to the Properties or the Business;

(e) there has been no Release of Materials of Environmental Concern at or from the Properties, or arising from or related to the operations of any Group Member in connection with the Properties or otherwise in connection with the Business, in violation of any applicable Environmental Laws;

(f) the Properties and all operations at the Properties are in compliance, and have in the five-year period prior to the date on which this representation is made or deemed made on the date of any extension of credit been in compliance, with all applicable Environmental Laws; and

(g) no Group Member has assumed any liability of any other Person under Environmental Laws.

4.18 Accuracy of Information, etc . No statement or information contained in this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any other document, written certificate or written statement furnished by or on behalf of any Loan Party to the Administrative Agent or the Lenders, or any of them, for use in connection with the this Agreement or the other Loan Documents, taken as a whole with all other certificates, documents and written statements furnished prior to or substantially contemporaneously therewith, contained, as of the date such statement, information, written document or written certificate was so furnished, any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact known to the Borrowers’ Agent and necessary to make the statements contained herein or therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were or will be made not misleading; provided that, with respect to projections and pro forma financial information contained in the materials referenced above the Borrowers represent only that such information was prepared in good faith based upon estimates and assumptions believed by management of the Borrowers’ Agent to be reasonable at the time made, it being recognized by the Lenders that such financial information as it relates to future events is not to be viewed as fact and that actual results during the period or periods covered by such financial information may differ from the projected results set forth therein by a material amount. As of the Closing Date, the Borrowers have disclosed to the Lenders all facts known to them that would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

4.19 Security Documents . (a) The Guarantee and Collateral Agreement, upon execution and delivery thereof by the parties thereto, will, to the extent required therein, be effective to create in favor of the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Lenders, a legal, valid and enforceable security interest under the New York UCC in the Collateral described therein. In the case of the Pledged Stock described in the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement constituting certificated securities (as defined in the New York UCC), when such certificated securities are delivered to the Administrative Agent (together with a properly completed and

 

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signed stock power or endorsement executed in blank), the security interest created under the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement will constitute a fully perfected security interest in all right, title and interest of the pledgors thereunder in such Pledged Stock, prior and superior in right to any other Person, to the extent that such security interest can be perfected under the New York UCC. In the case of the other Collateral described in the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement, when uniform commercial code financing statements in appropriate form are filed in the applicable offices, the security interest created under the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement shall constitute a fully perfected security interest in all right, title and interest of the Loan Parties in such Collateral to the extent perfection can be obtained by filing uniform commercial code financing statements, prior and superior to the rights of any other Person (except for rights secured by Liens permitted by Section 7.3 ).

(b) Each of the Mortgages, upon execution and delivery thereof by the parties thereto, will be effective to create in favor of the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Lenders, a legal, valid and enforceable security interest in all the applicable mortgagor’s right, title and interest in and to the Mortgaged Properties subject thereto and the proceeds thereof, and when the Mortgages are filed in the jurisdictions specified therein, each such Mortgage shall constitute a fully perfected security interest in all right, title and interest of the mortgagors in the Mortgaged Properties and the proceeds thereof, in each case prior and superior to the rights of any other Person (except for rights secured by Liens permitted by Section 7.3 ). Schedule 1.1B lists, as of the Closing Date, each parcel of owned real property located in the United States and held by the MLP or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries that has a value, in the reasonable opinion of the MLP, in excess of $10,000,000.

4.20 Solvency . Immediately after the consummation of the Transactions to occur on the Closing Date, including the making of each Loan to be made on the Closing Date and as of the date of each other extension of credit hereunder after, in each case, the application of the proceeds of such Loans, and after giving effect to the rights of subrogation and contribution under the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement and otherwise, the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole and on a consolidated basis, will be Solvent.

4.21 Certain Documents . As of the Closing Date, the Borrowers’ Agent has delivered to the Administrative Agent a complete and correct copy of the Transaction Documentation, including any amendments, supplements or modifications with respect to any of the foregoing, except for any such amendments, supplements or modifications which are not material and adverse to the interests of the Lenders.

SECTION 5

CONDITIONS PRECEDENT

5.1 Conditions to Initial Extension of Credit . The agreement of each Lender to make the initial extension of credit requested to be made by it is subject to the satisfaction, prior to or concurrently with the making of such extension of credit on the Closing Date, of the following conditions precedent:

(a) Credit Agreement; Guarantee and Collateral Agreement . The Administrative Agent shall have received (i) this Agreement, executed and delivered by the Administrative Agent, the Borrowers and each Person listed on Schedule 1.1A , and (ii) the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement, executed and delivered by the MLP and each Restricted Subsidiary that is not an Excluded Subsidiary.

 

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(b) Transactions, etc . The following transactions shall have been consummated, in each case, on terms and conditions reasonably satisfactory to the Lenders:

(i) (A) the Parent shall have transferred 65% of the Capital Stock of Haverhill and Middletown to the MLP; and (B) the MLP shall have consummated its registered initial public offering (“ IPO ”) or shall consummate the IPO substantially simultaneously with the closing of the Revolving Facility and the IPO shall have generated gross proceeds to the MLP of not less than $256,500,000;

(ii) the MLP shall have received at least $150,000,000 in gross cash proceeds from the issuance of the Senior Notes.

(c) Pro Forma Balance Sheet; Financial Statements . The Lenders shall have received (i) the Pro Forma Balance Sheet, (ii) audited consolidated financial statements of the MLP for the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Fiscal Years and (iii) unaudited interim consolidated financial statements of the MLP for the nine-month period ended after the date of the latest applicable financial statements delivered pursuant to clause (ii) of this Section 5.1(c) as to which such financial statements are available. In addition, the MLP shall have delivered a Compliance Certificate demonstrating compliance on a Pro Forma Basis with the covenants set forth in Section 7.1 , calculated as of the last day of the most recently ended fiscal quarter of the MLP for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to clause (iii) above, in each case after giving effect to the consummation of the Transactions as if such Transactions has occurred on the first day of such period.

(d) Projections . The Lenders shall have received reasonably satisfactory Projections through 2017.

(e) Approvals . All governmental and third party approvals necessary in connection with the Transactions, the continuing operations of the Group Members and the transactions contemplated hereby shall have been obtained and be in full force and effect, and all applicable waiting periods shall have expired without any action being taken or threatened by any competent authority that would restrain, prevent or otherwise impose adverse conditions on the Transactions or the financing contemplated hereby.

(f) Lien Searches . The Administrative Agent shall have received the results of a recent Lien search with respect to each Loan Party, and such search shall reveal no Liens on any of the assets of the Loan Parties, except for Liens permitted by Section 7.3 or discharged on or prior to the Closing Date pursuant to documentation reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.

(g) Fees . The Lenders and the Administrative Agent shall have received all fees required to be paid, and all expenses for which invoices have been presented (including the reasonable fees and expenses of legal counsel), on or before the Closing Date. All such amounts will be paid with proceeds of Loans made on the Closing Date and will be reflected in the funding instructions given by the MLP to the Administrative Agent on or before the Closing Date.

 

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(h) Closing Certificate; Certified Certificate of Incorporation; Good Standing Certificates . The Administrative Agent shall have received (i) a certificate of each Loan Party, dated the Closing Date, substantially in the form of Exhibit C , with appropriate insertions and attachments, including the certificate of incorporation of each Loan Party that is a corporation certified by the relevant authority of the jurisdiction of organization of such Loan Party (to the extent such jurisdiction provides such certifications), and (ii) a long form good standing certificate for each Loan Party from its jurisdiction of organization (to the extent such jurisdiction issues such certificates).

(i) Legal Opinions . The Administrative Agent shall have received the following executed legal opinions, in each case in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent:

(i) the legal opinion of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., counsel to the MLP and its Subsidiaries; and

(ii) the legal opinion of local counsel in Ohio and of such other special and local counsel as may be reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent.

Each such legal opinion shall cover such other matters incident to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement as the Administrative Agent may reasonably require.

(j) Pledged Stock; Stock Powers; Pledged Notes . The Administrative Agent shall have received (i) the certificates representing the shares of Capital Stock (to the extent such shares are certificated) pledged pursuant to the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement, together with an undated stock power for each such certificate executed in blank by a duly authorized officer of the pledgor thereof and (ii) each promissory note (if any) pledged to the Administrative Agent pursuant to the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement endorsed (without recourse) in blank (or accompanied by an executed transfer form in blank) by the pledgor thereof.

(k) Filings, Registrations and Recordings . Each document (including any Uniform Commercial Code financing statement) required by the Security Documents or under law or reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent to be filed, registered or recorded in order to create in favor of the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Lenders, a perfected Lien on the Collateral described therein, prior and superior in right to any other Person (other than with respect to Liens expressly permitted by Section 7.3 ), shall be in proper form for filing, registration or recordation.

(l) Mortgages, etc.

(i) The Administrative Agent shall have received a Mortgage with respect to each Mortgaged Property, executed and delivered by a duly authorized officer of each party thereto. In any jurisdiction which requires the payment of mortgage recording tax, the maximum amount secured by any Mortgage shall be subject to the reasonable approval of the Administrative Agent, not to exceed the value of the property (together with improvements).

 

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(ii) If requested by the Administrative Agent, the Administrative Agent shall have received, and the title insurance company selected by the mortgagor, and reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent issuing the policy referred to in clause (iii)  below (the “ Title Insurance Company ”) shall have received, either aerial surveys, so-called “Express Maps” or maps or plats of an as-built survey, in each case which may show the general outlines or contours of material buildings and improvements without the necessity for specific heights, dimensions or additional building details of such buildings and improvements and are sufficient for the Title Insurance Company to remove the survey exception from the respective policy, of the sites of the Mortgaged Properties certified to the Administrative Agent and the Title Insurance Company in a manner reasonably satisfactory to them, dated a date reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the Title Insurance Company by an independent professional licensed land surveyor or equivalent licensed professional authorized to perform such work under local law reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the Title Insurance Company (except in the case of Express Maps, which shall be performed in accordance with customary industry practice but shall not be certified); provided however that any such surveys may be delivered within 45 days of the Closing Date.

(iii) The Administrative Agent shall have received in respect of each Mortgaged Property a mortgagee’s title insurance policy (or policies) or a marked up unconditional binder for such insurance, with a maximum amount of liability not in excess of the Revolving Commitments and reasonably allocated among the Mortgaged Properties, subject to all Liens permitted by Section 7.3 and otherwise in each case in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, subject to the provisions of subsection (ii) above and the further provisions hereof (individually, a “ Policy ”, and collectively, the “ Policies ”). The Administrative Agent shall have received evidence satisfactory to it that all premiums in respect of each such Policy, all charges for mortgage recording tax, and all related expenses, if any, have been paid. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (A) with respect to all such policies, in any case where a zoning endorsement would otherwise be requested by the Administrative Agent and the cost of same is a percentage of the base title premium or otherwise more than a nominal amount, the Administrative Agent will reasonably consider Borrower’s reasonable requests that Administrative Agent accept a zoning report from a nationally recognized provider and/or a zoning opinion as may be reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent, and (B) with respect to all other endorsements which Administrative Agent may reasonably request and which are charged as a percentage of the base title premium, the Administrative Agent will reasonably consider Borrower’s reasonable requests for alternative and less expensive forms of assurance or protection or for elimination of such request entirely.

(iv) If requested by the Administrative Agent, the Administrative Agent shall have received (A) a policy of flood insurance that (1) covers any parcel of improved real property that is encumbered by any Mortgage (except that flood insurance shall be required only with respect to such portions of such real property which are improved with

 

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buildings and improvements of a substantial nature which are material to the conduct of the business presently being conducted thereon, or as to which the Administrative Agent is required by law to require such flood insurance ), (2) is written in an amount not less than the outstanding principal amount of the indebtedness secured by such Mortgage that is reasonably allocable to such real property or the maximum limit of coverage made available with respect to the particular type of property under the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, whichever is less, and (3) has a term ending not later than the maturity of the Indebtedness secured by such Mortgage and (B) confirmation that the MLP has received the notice required pursuant to Section 208(e)(3) of Regulation H of the Board.

(v) The Administrative Agent shall have received a copy of all recorded documents referred to, or listed as exceptions to title in, the title policy or policies referred to in clause (iii) above, and a copy of all other material documents affecting the Mortgaged Properties reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent.

(m) Insurance . The Administrative Agent shall have received insurance certificates satisfying the requirements of Section 4.03(i) of the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement.

(n) Patriot Act . To the extent requested by a Lender at least 5 days prior to the Closing Date, the Borrower shall have provided to such Lender all documentation and other information required by bank regulatory authorities under applicable “know-your-customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the Patriot Act.

For the purpose of determining compliance with the conditions specified in this Section 5.1 , each Lender that has signed this Agreement shall be deemed to have accepted, and to be satisfied with, each document or other matter required under this Section 5.1 unless the Administrative Agent shall have received written notice from such Lender prior to the proposed Closing Date specifying its objection thereto.

5.2 Conditions to Each Extension of Credit . The agreement of each Lender to make any extension of credit requested to be made by it on any date (including its initial extension of credit) is subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions precedent:

(a) Representations and Warranties . Each of the representations and warranties made by any Loan Party in or pursuant to the Loan Documents shall be true and correct in all material respects on and as of such date as if made on and as of such date (except to the extent (a) any such representations and warranties relate, by their terms, to a specific date, in which case such representations and warranties shall be true and correct in all material respects on and as of such specific date and (b) any such representations and warranties are qualified by materiality, in which case such representations and warranties shall be true and correct in all respects).

(b) No Default . No Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing on such date or after giving effect to the extensions of credit requested to be made on such date.

 

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(c) Notice . In the case of the borrowing of a Revolving Loan, the Administrative Agent shall have received a borrowing notice as required by Section 2.2 or, in the case of the issuance of a Letter of Credit, the Issuing Lender shall have received a notice requesting the issuance of such Letter of Credit as required by Section 3.2.

Each borrowing by, and issuance of a Letter of Credit on behalf of, the MLP hereunder shall constitute a representation and warranty by the MLP as of the date of such extension of credit that the conditions contained in this Section 5.2 have been satisfied.

SECTION 6

AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS

The Borrowers hereby agree that, so long as the Revolving Commitments remain in effect, any Letter of Credit remains outstanding or any Loan or other amount is owing to any Lender or the Administrative Agent hereunder, the Borrowers shall and shall cause each of their respective Restricted Subsidiaries to:

6.1 Financial Statements . Furnish to the Administrative Agent and each Lender:

(a) within 90 days after the end of each Fiscal Year, a copy of the audited consolidated balance sheet of the MLP and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of the end of such year and the related audited consolidated statements of income and of cash flows for such year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the previous year, reported on without a “going concern” or like qualification or exception, or qualification arising out of the scope of the audit, by Ernst & Young LLP or other independent certified public accountants of nationally recognized standing (it being understood that the report referred to in this sentence is the report with respect to the MLP’s audited financial statements and not any report with respect to the effectiveness of the MLP’s internal controls over financial reporting); and

(b) not later than 45 days after the end of each of the first three Fiscal Quarters of each Fiscal Year, the unaudited consolidated balance sheet of the MLP and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of the end of such Fiscal Quarter and the related unaudited consolidated statements of income and of cash flows for such Fiscal Quarter and the portion of the Fiscal Year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the corresponding previous Fiscal Quarter and corresponding portion of the MLP’s previous Fiscal Year, certified by a Responsible Officer as being fairly stated in all material respects (subject to normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes).

All such financial statements shall be fairly stated in all material respects and shall be prepared in reasonable detail and in accordance with GAAP applied (except as approved by such accountants or officer, as the case may be, and disclosed therein) consistently throughout the periods reflected therein. Any documents required to be delivered pursuant to subsection (a)  or (b)  above or Section 6.2(d) or 6.2(f) (to the extent any such documents are included in materials otherwise filed with the SEC) may be delivered electronically and if so delivered, shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date (i) on which the MLP posts such documents, or provides a link thereto, on the MLP’s website on the internet at the following website address: www.sxcpartners.com; or (ii) on which such documents are posted on the MLP’s behalf on

 

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IntraLinks/IntraAgency or another relevant website, if any, to which each Lender and the Administrative Agent have access (whether a commercial, third-party or SEC website or whether sponsored by the Administrative Agent; provided that the MLP shall notify (which may be by facsimile or electronic mail) the Administrative Agent of the posting of any such documents and provide to the Administrative Agent by electronic mail electronic versions (i.e., soft copies) of such documents to the extent any Lender or the Administrative Agent reasonably demonstrates that it cannot access or obtain such documents.

6.2 Certificates; Other Information . Furnish to the Administrative Agent and each Lender:

(a) to the extent consistent with the internal policies of the independent public accountants reporting on the financial statements referred to in Section 6.1(a) , concurrently with the delivery of such financial statements, a certificate of such independent certified public accountants (which certificate may be limited to accounting matters and disclaim responsibility for legal interpretation) stating that in making the examination necessary for such report no knowledge was obtained of any Default or Event of Default pursuant to Section 7.1 , except as specified in such certificate;

(b) concurrently with the delivery of any financial statements pursuant to Section 6.1 , (i) a certificate of a Responsible Officer stating that, to the best of each such Responsible Officer’s knowledge, each Loan Party during such period has observed or performed all of its covenants and other agreements, and satisfied every condition contained in this Agreement and the other Loan Documents to which it is a party to be observed, performed or satisfied by it, and that such Responsible Officer has obtained no knowledge of any Default or Event of Default except as specified in such certificate, (ii) in the case of quarterly or annual financial statements, a Compliance Certificate containing all information and calculations necessary for determining compliance by each Group Member with the financial covenants contained herein as of the last day of the Fiscal Quarter or Fiscal Year, as the case may be, and (iii) in the case of annual financial statements, to the extent not previously disclosed to the Administrative Agent, (1) a description of any change in the jurisdiction of organization of any Loan Party and (2) a description of any Person that has become a Group Member, in each case since the date of the most recent report delivered pursuant to this clause (b) (or, in the case of the first such report so delivered, since the Closing Date);

(c) as soon as available, and in any event no later than 60 days after the end of each Fiscal Year, a detailed consolidated budget for the following Fiscal Year (including a projected consolidated balance sheet of the MLP and its Subsidiaries as of the end of the following Fiscal Year, the related consolidated statements of projected cash flow and projected income and a reasonable description of the underlying assumptions applicable thereto), and, promptly when available, significant revisions, if any, of such budget with respect to such Fiscal Year (collectively, the “ Projections ”);

(d) within 45 days after the end of each Fiscal Quarter (or 90 days, in the case of the fourth Fiscal Quarter of each Fiscal Year), a narrative discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of operations of the MLP and its Subsidiaries for such Fiscal Quarter and for the period from the beginning of the then current Fiscal Year to the end of such Fiscal Quarter, together with a summary comparison of the portion of the Projections covering such periods and of the comparable periods of the previous year;

 

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(e) within 10 Business Days (or such longer period as the Administrative Agent, in its sole discretion, shall agree to) after the same are sent, copies of all financial statements and material reports that the MLP sends to the holders of any class of its debt securities or public equity securities and, within 10 Business Days (or such longer period as the Administrative Agent, in its sole discretion, shall agree to) after the same are filed, copies of all financial statements and reports that the MLP may make to, or file with, the SEC;

(f) promptly following receipt thereof, copies of any documents described in Sections 101(k) or 101(l) of ERISA that any Group Member requests with respect to any Multiemployer Plan; provided , that if the relevant Group Members have not requested such documents or notices from the administrator or sponsor of the applicable Multiemployer Plans, then, upon reasonable request of the Administrative Agent, such Group Member or the ERISA Affiliate shall, to the extent and at the times permitted by Sections 101(k) and 101(l) of ERISA, promptly make a request for such documents or notices from such administrator or sponsor and the MLP shall provide copies of such documents and notices to the Administrative Agent promptly after receipt thereof; and

(g) promptly, such additional available information regarding the business or financial condition of the Group Members (not otherwise required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent or any Lender under any Loan Document) as the Administrative Agent, or any Lender acting through the Administrative Agent, may from time to time reasonably request.

6.3 Payment of Obligations . Pay, discharge or otherwise satisfy (or renew or extend) at or before maturity or before they become delinquent, as the case may be, all its obligations of whatever nature, except (a) where the amount or validity thereof is currently being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and reserves in conformity with GAAP with respect thereto have been provided on the books of the relevant Group Member or (b) to the extent that any such failure to so pay, discharge or satisfy would not be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

6.4 Maintenance of Existence; Compliance . (a)(i) Preserve, renew and keep in full force and effect its organizational existence and (ii) take all reasonable action required to maintain all rights, privileges and franchises required in the normal conduct of its business, except, in each case, as otherwise permitted by Section 7.4 and Section 7.5 and except, in the case of clause (ii) above, to the extent that any other failure to do so would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (b) comply with all Contractual Obligations and Requirements of Law except to the extent that failure to comply therewith would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

6.5 Maintenance of Property; Insurance . (a) Keep all property in its business in good working order and condition (ordinary wear and tear excepted) except for any failures to maintain such property that would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect and (b) maintain with financially sound and reputable insurance companies insurance on all its property in at least such amounts and against at least such risks as are usually insured against in the same general area by companies engaged in the same or a similar business.

 

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6.6 Inspection of Property; Books and Records; Discussions . (a) Keep proper books of records and account in which entries which are full, true and correct in all material respects and in conformity with GAAP and all applicable material Requirements of Law shall be made of all dealings and transactions in relation to its business and activities, and (b) permit representatives of the Administrative Agent or any Lender to visit and inspect any of its material properties and examine and make abstracts from any of its books and records at any reasonable time, upon reasonable prior written notice delivered to the Borrowers’ Agent and as often as may reasonably be desired and to discuss the business, operations, properties and financial condition of the Group Members with officers and employees of the Group Members and with their independent certified public accountant; provided , however , that all such inspections shall be coordinated by the Lenders and the Administrative Agent, and by the Administrative Agent with the Borrowers’ Agent in order to minimize disruption of the Group Members’ business, and so long as no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, such inspections shall be limited to two per Fiscal Year.

6.7 Notices . Promptly give notice to the Administrative Agent and each Lender of:

(a) the occurrence of any Default or Event of Default upon any Responsible Officer obtaining knowledge thereof;

(b) any (i) default or event of default under any Contractual Obligation of any Group Member which would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (ii) litigation, investigation or proceeding of or before any arbitrator or Governmental Authority by or against any Group Member in which there is a reasonable expectation of a determination adverse to such Group Member that would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or (iii) any early termination of, or force majeure event under, any coke sales agreements and energy sales agreements with AK Steel or ArcelorMittal (solely in the case of any force majeure event, to the extent such force majeure event would reasonably be expected to continue for a period of two weeks or more);

(c) the occurrence of any ERISA Event or Foreign Plan Event that, alone or together with any other ERISA Events and/or Foreign Plan Events that have occurred, could reasonably be expected to result in liability of any Group Member or any ERISA Affiliate in an aggregate amount exceeding the Threshold Amount, as soon as possible and in any event within 10 days after the MLP knows or has reason to know thereof; and

(d) any other development or event that has had or would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

Each notice pursuant to this Section 6.7 shall be accompanied by a statement of a Responsible Officer setting forth details of the occurrence referred to therein and stating what action the relevant Group Member proposes to take with respect thereto.

 

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6.8 Environmental Laws .

(a) Comply in all material respects with all applicable Environmental Laws, and obtain and comply with, in all material respects and maintain any and all licenses, approvals, notifications, registrations or permits materially required to be obtained and maintained by any Group Member by applicable Environmental Laws.

(b) Except as otherwise could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, conduct and complete all investigations and all remedial, removal and other actions in respect of any Materials of Environmental Concern required to be conducted or completed by any Group Member under Environmental Laws and promptly comply in with all lawful orders and directives of all Governmental Authorities applicable to any Group Member regarding Environmental Laws, except to the extent that the same are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings.

6.9 Additional Collateral, etc . (a) With respect to any property acquired after the Closing Date by any Loan Party (other than (v) real property, (w) Excluded Collateral, (x) any property described in paragraph (b), (c) or (d) below, (y) any property subject to a Lien expressly permitted by Section 7.3(e) and (z) as otherwise set forth in the Security Documents) as to which the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Lenders, does not have a perfected Lien, within thirty (30) days of the acquisition thereof (or such longer period as the Administrative Agent, in its sole discretion, shall agree to) (i) execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent such amendments to the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement or such other documents as the Administrative Agent reasonably requests to grant to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Lenders, a security interest in such property and (ii) take all actions reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent to grant to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Lenders, a perfected security interest (to the extent and with the priority required by the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement in such property), including the filing of Uniform Commercial Code financing statements in such jurisdictions as may be required by the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement or by law or as may be reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent.

(b) With respect to any fee interest in any real property having a value (together with improvements thereof and any related mineral rights owned by any Loan Party intended to be accessed through such real property) of at least $10,000,000 (as determined at the time of acquisition) acquired after the Closing Date by any Loan Party (other than (x) Excluded Collateral, (y) any such real property subject to a Lien expressly permitted by Section 7.3(e) and (z) as otherwise set forth in the Security Documents), deliver, or cause to be delivered, within forty-five (45) days after the acquisition of such real property (or such longer period as the Administrative Agent, in its sole discretion, shall agree to), to the extent the same would be required under Section 5.1(l) if such real property were owned by a Loan Party on the Closing Date, (i) a fully executed Mortgage, in favor of the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Lenders, covering such real property (with a maximum value not to exceed the cost of acquisition (excluding the value of any such mineral rights) in any jurisdiction in which a mortgage recording tax is payable), subject to Liens as permitted pursuant to Section 7.3 , (ii) provide the Administrative Agent with title and extended coverage insurance covering such real property in an amount not in excess of the existing Revolving Commitments at the time of acquisition, subject to the same general provisions as contained in Section 5.1(l)(iii) , as well as a current survey thereof together with a surveyor’s certificate (if applicable) in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, subject to the same general provisions of

 

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Section 5.1(l)(ii) ; provided , however , that the survey requirements of this Section 6.9(b) may be satisfied by a customary “no change” affidavit with respect to any pre-existing or newly commissioned survey obtained in connection with such acquisition (if acceptable for survey coverage), and (iii) if requested by the Administrative Agent, legal opinions relating only to the validity and enforceability (but not the priority) of the Lien of such Mortgage, which opinions shall be in form and substance, and from counsel, reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent. For the avoidance of doubt, if the fee interest in such real property shall be acquired without a title policy and/or survey which would otherwise meet the foregoing requirements of this Section 6.9(b) , then the title policy and/or survey requirements of this Section 6.9(b) shall be limited to that portion of such fee interest which comprises the most valuable real property as used in or material to the business currently conducted thereon at the time of the delivery in question, as reasonably determined by the Administrative Agent; provided however that with respect to the remainder of the fee interest in such property, the title company shall certify only that the mortgagor is the owner of record based on recorded deeds with respect to such real property, subject to all matters of record, all title defects, and all standard exclusions and exceptions; provided however that, other than property otherwise excluded in this Section 6.9 , no more than $25,000,000 in value as determined at the time of the relevant acquisition (together with improvements thereof and any related mineral rights owned by any Loan Party intended to be accessed through such real property) of real property shall be excluded as Collateral under this clause (b) .

(c) With respect to any new Restricted Subsidiary created or acquired after the Closing Date by any Loan Party (which, for the purposes of this paragraph (c) , shall include any existing Restricted Subsidiary that ceases to be an Excluded Subsidiary), within thirty (30) days of such creation or acquisition (or such longer period as the Administrative Agent, in its sole discretion, shall agree to) (i) unless such Restricted Subsidiary is a Foreign Subsidiary, execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent such amendments or supplements to the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement as the Administrative Agent reasonably requests to grant to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Lenders, a perfected security interest (to the extent and with the priority required by the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement) in the Capital Stock of such new Restricted Subsidiary that is owned by any Loan Party, (ii) unless such Restricted Subsidiary is a Foreign Subsidiary, deliver to the Administrative Agent the certificates (if any) representing such Capital Stock, together with undated stock powers, in blank, executed and delivered by a duly authorized officer of the relevant Group Member, (iii) unless such Restricted Subsidiary is an Excluded Subsidiary, cause such new Restricted Subsidiary (A) to become a party to (1) this Agreement as a “Borrower” and (2) the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement, (B) to take such actions necessary or advisable to grant to the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Lenders a perfected security interest (to the extent and with the priority required by the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement) in the Collateral described in the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement with respect to such new Restricted Subsidiary, including the filing of Uniform Commercial Code financing statements in such jurisdictions as may be required by the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement or as may be reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent and (C) to deliver to the Administrative Agent a certificate of such Restricted Subsidiary, substantially in the form of Exhibit C , with appropriate insertions and attachments, and (iv) if requested by the Administrative Agent, deliver to the Administrative Agent legal opinions relating to the matters described above, which opinions shall be in form and substance, and from counsel, reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.

 

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(d) With respect to any new Restricted Subsidiary that is a Foreign Subsidiary created or acquired after the Closing Date by any Group Member (other than by any Group Member that is an Excluded Subsidiary), within thirty (30) days of such creation or acquisition (or such longer period as the Administrative Agent, in its sole discretion, shall agree to) (i) execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent such amendments or supplements to the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement as the Administrative Agent reasonably requests to grant to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Lenders, a perfected security interest (to the extent and with the priority required by the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement) in the Capital Stock of such new Subsidiary that is directly owned by any Loan Party, provided that in no event shall more than 65% of the total outstanding voting Capital Stock of any such new Subsidiary be required to be so pledged, (ii) deliver to the Administrative Agent the certificates (if any) representing such Capital Stock, together with undated stock powers, in blank, executed and delivered by a duly authorized officer of the relevant Loan Party and (iii) if requested by the Administrative Agent, deliver to the Administrative Agent legal opinions relating to the matters described above, which opinions shall be in form and substance, and from counsel, reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.

(e) Notwithstanding anything contained in any Loan Document to the contrary, (i) no Group Member shall be required to take any action in any jurisdiction to create any security interest in assets located or titled outside of the United States (or any political subdivision thereof) or to perfect any security interests in such assets, (ii) no Group Member shall be required to enter into any security agreement governed by the laws of any jurisdiction other than the United States (or any political subdivision thereof) and (iii) no Group Member shall be required to enter into any account control agreements with respect to deposit or securities accounts or take any other steps to perfect any security interest in such accounts or cash or cash equivalents.

6.10 Payment of Taxes . The Borrowers will pay and discharge, and will cause each of the Restricted Subsidiaries to pay and discharge, all taxes, assessments and governmental charges or levies imposed upon it or upon its income or profits, or upon any properties belonging to it, in each case on a timely basis, which, if unpaid, may reasonably be expected to become a lien or charge upon any properties of the Borrowers or any of the Restricted Subsidiaries not otherwise permitted under this Agreement; provided that none of the Borrowers or any of the Restricted Subsidiaries shall be required to pay any such tax, assessment, charge or levy which is being contested in good faith and by proper proceedings if it has maintained adequate reserves with respect thereto in accordance with GAAP or which would not reasonably be expected to constitute a Material Adverse Effect.

6.11 Designation of Subsidiaries .

(a) Subject to Section 6.11(b) below, the board of directors of the General Partner may at any time designate any Restricted Subsidiary as an Unrestricted Subsidiary or any Unrestricted Subsidiary as a Restricted Subsidiary. The designation of any Restricted Subsidiary as an Unrestricted Subsidiary shall constitute an Investment by the MLP therein at the date of designation in an amount equal to the Fair Market Value of the MLP’s investment therein. The designation of any Unrestricted Subsidiary as a Restricted Subsidiary shall constitute the incurrence at the time of designation of any Indebtedness or Liens of such Subsidiary existing at such time.

 

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(b) The MLP may not (x) designate any Restricted Subsidiary as an Unrestricted Subsidiary, or (y) designate an Unrestricted Subsidiary as a Restricted Subsidiary, in each case unless:

(i) the MLP shall be in compliance on a Pro Forma Basis with the covenants set forth in Section 7.1 , calculated as of the last day of the most recently ended fiscal quarter of the MLP for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 6.1 ;

(ii) no Default or Event of Default exists or would result therefrom; and

(iii) in the case of clause (x) only, (A) the Subsidiary to be so designated does not (directly, or indirectly through its Subsidiaries) own any Capital Stock or own or hold any Lien on any property of the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary, and (B) to the extent any Indebtedness of the Subsidiary is not Non-Recourse Debt, any guarantee thereof by the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary is permitted under Sections 7.2 and 7.8 .

SECTION 7

NEGATIVE COVENANTS

The Borrowers hereby agree that, so long as the Revolving Commitments remain in effect, any Letter of Credit remains outstanding or any Loan or other amount is owing to any Lender or the Administrative Agent hereunder, no Borrower shall, and no Borrower shall permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly:

7.1 Financial Condition Covenants .

(a) Consolidated Leverage Ratio . Permit the Consolidated Leverage Ratio as at the last day of any period of four consecutive Fiscal Quarters (i) commencing with the Fiscal Quarter ending March 31, 2013 and ending with the Fiscal Quarter ending December 31, 2014, to exceed 4.00 to 1.00 and (ii) commencing with the Fiscal Quarter ending March 31, 2015 and every Fiscal Quarter thereafter, to exceed 3.75 to 1.00; provided , however , that during a Specified Acquisition Period, the Consolidated Leverage Ratio shall not exceed (x) during the period commencing with the Fiscal Quarter ending March 31, 2013 and ending with the Fiscal Quarter ending December 31, 2014, 4.50 to 1.00 and (y) during the period commencing with the Fiscal Quarter ending March 31, 2015 and every Fiscal Quarter thereafter, 4.25 to 1.00.

(b) Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio . Permit the Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio determined as of the last day of any period of four consecutive Fiscal Quarters commencing with the Fiscal Quarter ending March 31, 2013, to be less than 2.50 to 1.00.

7.2 Indebtedness . Create, issue, incur, assume, become liable in respect of or suffer to exist any Indebtedness, except:

(a) Indebtedness of any Loan Party pursuant to any Loan Document;

 

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(b) Indebtedness of the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary to the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary; provided that (x) Indebtedness owed by any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party to the MLP, any Borrower or any Guarantor shall be subject to Section 7.8 and (y) Indebtedness owed by a Loan Party to any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party shall be subordinated in right of payment to the Obligations;

(c) Guarantee Obligations by (i) the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary of Indebtedness of the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary; provided that guarantees by the MLP, any Borrower or any Guarantor of Indebtedness of any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party shall be subject to Section 7.8 ; and (ii) the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary pursuant to or contemplated by the Transaction Documentation;

(d) Indebtedness outstanding on the date hereof and listed on Schedule 7.2(d) and any Permitted Refinancing thereof;

(e) Indebtedness of the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary incurred in connection with any Sale and Leaseback Transaction provided that the amount of the Capital Lease Obligations outstanding at any time in connection with such Sale and Leaseback Transactions shall not exceed the greater of (A) $20,000,000 and (B) 2.0% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets (determined at the time of incurrence) and in each case any Permitted Refinancing thereof;

(f) (i) Indebtedness of the MLP and FinCo in respect of the Senior Notes in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $150,000,000 and (ii) Guarantee Obligations of any other Borrower or Subsidiary Guarantor in respect of such Indebtedness;

(g) Indebtedness arising from the honoring by a bank or other financial institution of a check, draft or similar instrument drawn against insufficient funds in the ordinary course of business;

(h) Indebtedness of the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary consisting of the financing of insurance premiums;

(i) Indebtedness arising from agreements of the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiaries providing for indemnification, adjustment of purchase price, earnouts or similar obligations, in each case, incurred or assumed in connection with the acquisition or disposition of any business, assets or any Subsidiary;

(j) (i) Indebtedness of any Person in existence on the date such Person becomes a Restricted Subsidiary as a result of an acquisition by the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary or (ii) Indebtedness of the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary incurred to finance the acquisition, construction, development, design or improvement of any assets (real or personal), including Capital Lease Obligations, mortgage financings, industrial revenue bonds, purchase money obligations, Disqualified Equity Interests, synthetic lease obligations and any Indebtedness assumed in connection with the acquisition of any such assets (real or personal) or secured by a Lien on any such assets before the acquisition thereof; and any Permitted Refinancing thereof; provided that the aggregate principal amount of Indebtedness outstanding at any time and permitted by this clause (j) shall not exceed the greater of $110,000,000 and 12% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets (determined at the time of incurrence), and in each case, any Permitted Refinancing thereof;

 

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(k) (i) Acquired Debt or (ii) Indebtedness incurred to finance an acquisition of Persons that are acquired by the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary or merged into the MLP or a Restricted Subsidiary in accordance with the terms hereof, provided that, (x) in the case of Indebtedness incurred under clause (ii) of this Section 7.2(k) , after giving effect to such acquisition and the Incurrence thereof (1) the Consolidated Leverage Ratio, calculated on a Pro Forma Basis, shall be equal to or less than the applicable Consolidated Leverage Ratio (including, if such acquisition would result in the occurrence of a Specified Acquisition Period, any adjustments in the Consolidated Leverage Ratio resulting from the occurrence of such Specified Acquisition Period) for the most recently ended Test Period set forth in Section 7.1(a) minus 0.25 (e.g., 4.00 shall be reduced to 3.75), (y) in the case of Indebtedness incurred under clause (i) , such Indebtedness shall not be secured unless the Consolidated Senior Secured Debt Ratio, calculated on a Pro Forma Basis, would be no greater than 1.50 to 1.00 for the most recently ended Test Period and (z) in the case of Indebtedness incurred under clause (i) or (ii)  of this Section 7.2(k) (1) the MLP is in compliance with Section 7.1 on a Pro Forma Basis and (2) no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result therefrom and in each case, any Permitted Refinancing thereof;

(l) Subordinated Debt in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed at any one time outstanding $25,000,000;

(m) [reserved];

(n) Indebtedness of the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary in connection with one or more standby or trade-related letters of credit, performance bonds, bid bonds, appeal bonds, bankers acceptances, insurance obligations, workers’ compensation claims, health or other types of social security benefits, surety bonds, completion guarantees or other similar bonds and obligations, including self-bonding arrangements, issued by the MLP or a Restricted Subsidiary in the ordinary course of business or pursuant to self-insurance obligations and in each case not in connection with the borrowing of money or the obtaining of advances;

(o) Hedging Agreements of the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary not entered into for speculation;

(p) the incurrence by the MLP or Restricted Subsidiaries of liability in respect of Indebtedness of any Unrestricted Subsidiary of the MLP or any a partnership or joint venture that is not a Restricted Subsidiary, but only to the extent that such liability is the result of the MLP’s or any such Restricted Subsidiary’s being a general partner or member of, or owner of an equity interest in, such Unrestricted Subsidiary or partnership or joint venture and not as guarantor of such Indebtedness, not to exceed at any one time outstanding $25,000,000;

(q) additional Indebtedness of the MLP or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in an aggregate principal amount (for the MLP and all Restricted Subsidiaries) not to exceed the greater of (A) $50,000,000 and (B) 5.0% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets (determined at the time of incurrence) at any time outstanding and any Permitted Refinancing thereof; and

 

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(r) other Indebtedness of the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries so long as: (i) at the time of the incurrence or issuance of such Indebtedness, no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result therefrom, (ii) the MLP is in compliance with Section 7.1 on a Pro Forma Basis after giving effect to such incurrence; provided that the Consolidated Leverage Ratio, calculated on a Pro Forma Basis, shall be equal to or less than the applicable Consolidated Leverage Ratio (including, if such Indebtedness is incurred in connection with any acquisition that would result in the occurrence of a Specified Acquisition Period, any adjustments in the Consolidated Leverage Ratio resulting from the occurrence of such Specified Acquisition Period) for the most recently ended Test Period set forth in Section 7.1(a) minus 0.25 (e.g., 4.00 shall be reduced to 3.75), (iii) such Indebtedness shall not mature nor have any scheduled amortization prior to the date that is one year after the Revolving Termination Date and (iv) the terms of the documentation for such Indebtedness do not require the MLP or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to repurchase, repay or redeem such Indebtedness (or make an offer to do any of the foregoing) upon the happening of any event (other than as a result of an event of default thereunder or pursuant to customary “change of control” provisions or asset sale offers) prior to the Revolving Termination Date or subject to the payment in full of the Obligations.

7.3 Liens . Create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Lien upon any of its property, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, except:

(a) Liens for Taxes not yet due or that are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings, provided that adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of the MLP or its Restricted Subsidiaries, as the case may be, in conformity with GAAP;

(b) Transaction Liens;

(c) Permitted Liens;

(d) any Lien on any property of the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary existing on the date hereof and listed in Schedule 7.3 and any modifications, replacements, renewals or extensions thereof; provided that the Lien does not (x) extend to any additional property or (y) secure any additional obligations, in each case, other than the initial property so subject to such Lien and the Indebtedness and other obligations originally so secured, and any modifications, replacements, renewals, extensions or refinancings thereof permitted hereunder;

(e) Liens on assets acquired, constructed, developed, designed or improved by the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary; provided that (A) the Indebtedness secured by such Liens is permitted by Section 7.2(j) , and (B)  such Liens will only apply to such assets (plus additions, accessions, replacements to or of such assets);

 

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(f) Liens securing Indebtedness permitted by Section 7.2(e) or (j)(ii) ; provided that any such Lien is not extended to cover any other property or assets of the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary (except additions, accessions, replacement and improvements to or of the property or assets subject to such Lien), except to the extent such extended Lien is permitted to be incurred under any other clause of this Section 7.3 ;

(g) any Lien granted in favor of the Swing line Lender or any Issuing Bank pursuant to arrangements designed to eliminate such Swing line Lender’s or Issuing Bank’s risk with respect to any Defaulting Lender’s or Defaulting Lenders’ participation in Swing line Loans or Letters of Credit, respectively, as contemplated by Section 2.20 ;

(h) Liens securing Indebtedness or other obligations of the MLP or a Restricted Subsidiary to a Loan Party;

(i) Liens on Capital Stock of any Unrestricted Subsidiary;

(j) Liens securing obligations under Hedging Agreements of the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary permitted under Section 7.2(o) and deposits and margin payments made in connection therewith, provided that the aggregate amount of such deposits and margin payments at any time shall not exceed $10,000,000;

(k) [reserved];

(l) Liens incurred in connection with Sale and Leaseback Transactions permitted under Section 7.2(e) ;

(m) Liens on property of a Person at the time such Person becomes a Restricted Subsidiary of the MLP, provided such Liens were not created in contemplation thereof and do not extend to any other property of the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary (except additions, accessions, replacements and improvements to or of the property or assets subject to such Lien), except to the extent such extended Lien is Permitted to be incurred under any other clause of this Section 7.3 ;

(n) Liens not otherwise permitted by this Section 7.3 so long as the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the obligations secured thereby (for the MLP and all Restricted Subsidiaries) do not exceed the greater of (A) $50,000,000 and (B) 5.0% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets at any time outstanding (determined at the time of incurrence), which Liens, if secured by Collateral, may be equal and ratable with or junior to the Transaction Liens; provided that in the event that such Liens are secured by Collateral, such Liens are subject to an intercreditor agreement reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent; and

(o) Liens pursuant to or contemplated by the Transaction Documentation in effect on the Closing Date, and as amended or modified thereafter on terms that are not materially less favorable to the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, considered in the aggregate taking into account all such substantially contemporaneous amendments and modifications of the Transaction Documentation.

 

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7.4 Fundamental Changes . Enter into any merger, consolidation or amalgamation, or liquidate, wind up or dissolve itself (or suffer any liquidation or dissolution), or Dispose of all or substantially all of its property or business, except that:

(a) any Restricted Subsidiary of the MLP may be merged or consolidated with or into the MLP ( provided that the MLP shall be the continuing or surviving Person) or with or into any other Restricted Subsidiary ( provided that if either Restricted Subsidiary was a (i) Subsidiary Guarantor the surviving or continuing Person shall be a Guarantor and (ii) Borrower the surviving or continuing Person shall be a Borrower);

(b) any Restricted Subsidiary of the MLP may Dispose of any or all of its assets pursuant to a Disposition permitted by Section 7.5 ;

(c) any Investment expressly permitted by Section 7.8 may be structured as a merger, consolidation or amalgamation; and

(d) any Subsidiary (except a Borrower or a Guarantor) may liquidate or dissolve if (i) the MLP determines in good faith that such liquidation or dissolution is in the best interests of the MLP and is not materially disadvantageous to the Lenders and (ii) no Default or Event of Default shall then exist.

7.5 Disposition of Property . Dispose of any of its property, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, or, in the case of any Restricted Subsidiary, issue or sell any shares or other equity interest of such Restricted Subsidiary’s Capital Stock to any Person, except:

(a) Dispositions of inventory, used, obsolete or surplus equipment or reserves, Dispositions related to the burn-off of mines, Dispositions of surface rights and termination of Mining Leases after the completion of mining and reclamation and termination or abandonment of water rights no longer needed for mining;

(b) Dispositions of cash or Cash Equivalents in any manner not otherwise prohibited by this Agreement;

(c) Dispositions to the MLP or a Restricted Subsidiary; provided that any such Dispositions to a Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party shall comply with Section 7.8 ;

(d) licensing and cross-licensing arrangements involving any technology or other intellectual property of the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary in the ordinary course of business or consistent with past practice; provided , however, that any such license or cross-license of technology or other intellectual property shall be on a non-exclusive basis;

(e) exchanges of assets of the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries (other than cash and Cash Equivalents) for Additional Assets; provided that (i) no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would result therefrom, (ii) the aggregate Fair Market Value of assets exchanged (determined at the time of such exchange) does not exceed the greater of $25,000,000 and 2.50% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets (determined at the time of exchange) over the life of this Agreement and (iii) in the event that in one transaction or series of transactions the Fair Market Value of the assets exceeds $25,000,000, the MLP or the applicable Restricted Subsidiary receives an opinion from a nationally recognized firm demonstrating that the assets so swapped are of reasonably equivalent value;

 

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(f) the sale of assets by the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries consisting of leases and subleases of real property solely to the extent that such Real Property is not necessary for the normal conduct of operations of the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries;

(g) Dispositions permitted under Section 7.3 , Section 7.4 (other than 7.4(b) ), Section 7.6 , Section 7.8 or Section 7.11 ;

(h) the unwinding of any Hedging Agreements;

(i) the surrender, modification, release or waiver of contract rights (including under leases, subleases and licenses of real property) or the settlement, release, modification, waiver or surrender of contract, tort or other claims of any kind;

(j) the issuance of Disqualified Capital Stock or preferred stock permitted under Section 7.2 ;

(k) the issuance of Capital Stock in any Restricted Subsidiary to the extent consisting of directors’ qualifying shares or shares required by applicable law to be held by a Person other than the MLP or a Restricted Subsidiary;

(l) the sale or discounting of receivables by the MLP or a Restricted Subsidiary in the ordinary course of business and not as part of a financing transaction;

(m) the disposition of any asset in connection with a Sale and Leaseback Transaction permitted under Section 7.2(e) ;

(n) the issuance or sale of Capital Stock by a Restricted Subsidiary to the MLP or to another Restricted Subsidiary;

(o) [reserved];

(p) Dispositions with an aggregate Fair Market Value not exceeding the greater of $75,000,000 and 8.5% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets (determined at the time of Disposition) over the life of this Agreement; provided that (i) any Disposition or related series of Dispositions made pursuant to this clause shall be made for Fair Market Value and for consideration comprising at least 75% cash and Cash Equivalents, (ii) no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would result therefrom, (iii) the MLP is in compliance with Section 7.1 on a Pro Forma Basis after giving effect to such Disposition and (iv) the Net Cash Proceeds thereof are applied as required by Section 2.8(b) ;

(q) any Disposition in a transaction or series of related transactions of assets with a Fair Market Value of less than $5,000,000; and

(r) any Disposition pursuant to or contemplated by (i) the Collections Agreements as in effect on the Closing Date or (ii) the Transaction Documentation as in effect on the Closing Date, and as amended or modified thereafter on terms that are not materially less favorable to the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, considered in the aggregate taking into account all such substantially contemporaneous amendments and modifications of the Transaction Documentation.

 

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7.6 Restricted Payments . Declare or make, or agree to pay or make, directly or indirectly, any Restricted Payment except:

(a) the payment of any dividend or distribution or the consummation of any irrevocable redemption within 60 days after the date of declaration of the dividend or distribution or giving of the redemption notice, as the case may be, thereof if, at the date of declaration or notice, such payment would be permitted under this Section 7.6 ;

(b) dividends or distributions by a Restricted Subsidiary to the holders of its Capital Stock on a pro rata basis or on a basis more favorable to the MLP or any other Restricted Subsidiary;

(c) the defeasance, redemption, repurchase or other acquisition or retirement for value of Subordinated Debt with the Net Cash Proceeds from a substantially concurrent (with any offering within 45 days deemed as substantially concurrent) (x) incurrence of Subordinated Debt or (y) offering of Qualified Capital Stock or contribution of common equity of the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary;

(d) so long as no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would be caused thereby, the MLP may (i) redeem, repurchase or otherwise acquire or retire for value its Capital Stock or (ii) pay, settle, exercise, redeem, repurchase, or exchange any other award constituting a Restricted Payment, in the case of clauses (i) and (ii), that is held or received by current or former officers, directors or employees (or their estates or beneficiaries under their estates or their immediate family members), of the General Partner and the MLP or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries pursuant to any equity subscription agreement, equity plan, equity option agreement, unitholders’ agreement, incentive plan or similar agreement under which such Capital Stock was issued or such award made; provided that the aggregate cash consideration paid therefor in any calendar year after the Closing Date does not exceed an aggregate amount of $2,500,000 (with unused amounts in any calendar year being permitted to be carried over for the two succeeding calendar years);

(e) the repurchase of Capital Stock deemed to occur upon the exercise of units or other equity options to the extent such Capital Stock represents a portion of the exercise price of those units or other equity options and any repurchase or other acquisition of Capital Stock made in lieu of withholding taxes in connection with any exercise or exchange of equity options, warrants, incentives or other rights to acquire Capital Stock;

(f) so long as no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would be caused thereby, the declaration and payment of regularly scheduled or accrued dividends to holders of any class or series of Disqualified Stock of the MLP or any preferred stock of any Restricted Subsidiary issued on or after the Closing Date;

(g) payments of cash, dividends, distributions, advances or other Restricted Payments by the MLP or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to allow the payment of cash in lieu of the issuance of fractional units upon (i) the exercise of options or warrants or (ii) the conversion or exchange of Capital Stock of any such Person;

 

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(h) payments to the General Partner constituting reimbursement for expenses it incurs, or payments it makes on behalf of the Group Members, in each case, in accordance with the Partnership Agreement as in effect on the Closing Date and as it may be amended or replaced thereafter, provided that any such amendment or replacement is not materially less favorable to the MLP in any material respect than the agreement prior to such amendment or replacement; and

(i) the MLP may declare and make distributions on its Capital Stock from Operating Surplus as defined in the Partnership Agreement and the MLP may redeem or repurchase its Capital Stock to the extent such distributions, redemptions and repurchases, when taken together with all other distributions, redemptions and repurchases made pursuant to this Section 7.6(i) since the Closing Date, do not exceed, in the aggregate, Operating Surplus (as defined in the Partnership Agreement) as of the end of the immediately preceding fiscal quarter and are made in accordance with the Partnership Agreement, provided , that at the time each such distribution, redemption or repurchase is made, no Default that could become an Event of Default pursuant to Section 8.01(f) and no Event of Default exists or would result therefrom;

(j) Restricted Payments made on (or within a reasonable time period after) the Closing Date disclosed to the Administrative Agent and reasonably necessary to consummate the Transactions; and

(k) any payments in connection with a consolidation, merger or transfer of assets in connection with a transaction that is not prohibited by this Agreement or by the Senior Note Indenture, in an amount not to exceed $10,000,000 in the aggregate after the Closing Date.

7.7 [Reserved] .

7.8 Investments . Make any Investments, except:

(a) Cash Equivalents;

(b) Investments existing on the date hereof and listed on Schedule 7.8 ;

(c) Investments in Loan Parties (including any Person that becomes a Loan Party immediately after giving effect to and as a result of such Investment) and Investments by any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party in any other Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party;

(d) Investments received as non-cash consideration in a Disposition made pursuant to and in compliance with Section 7.5 ;

(e) any Investment acquired in exchange for Qualified Capital Stock of the MLP;

 

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(f) (i) receivables owing to the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary if created or acquired in the ordinary course of business, (ii) endorsements for collection or deposit in the ordinary course of business, (iii) securities, instruments or other obligations received in compromise or settlement of debts created in the ordinary course of business, or by reason of a composition or readjustment of debts or bankruptcy or reorganization of another Person, or in satisfaction claims and judgments and (iv) any Investment as a result of a foreclosure by the MLP or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries with respect to any secured Investment or other transfer of title with respect to any secured Investment in default;

(g) Investments made pursuant to surety bonds, reclamation bonds, performance bonds, bid bonds, appeal bonds and similar obligations, in each case, to the extent such surety bonds, reclamation bonds, performance bonds, bid bonds, appeal bonds and similar obligations permitted under this Agreement;

(h) payroll, travel and other loans or advances to, or Guarantee Obligations issued to support the obligations of, current or former officers, managers, directors, consultants and employees of the General Partner, the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary, in each case in the ordinary course of business or consistent with past practice in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $5,000,000 at any one time outstanding;

(i) Investments in Permitted Businesses, Unrestricted Subsidiaries and joint ventures in an aggregate outstanding amount, taken together with all other Investments made in reliance on this clause (i) , not to exceed the greater of (i) $125,000,000 and (ii) 14.0% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets (determined at the time of such Investment); provided , however, that if any Investment pursuant to this clause (i) is made in a Person that is not a Loan Party at the date of the making of such Investment and such Person becomes a Loan Party after such date, such Investment shall thereafter be deemed to have been made pursuant to clause (c) above and shall cease to have been made pursuant to this clause (i) for so long as such Person continues to be a Loan Party;

(j) extensions of credit to customers, suppliers and joint venture partners in the ordinary course of business;

(k) Investments consisting of purchases and acquisitions, in the ordinary course of business, of inventory, supplies, material or equipment or the licensing or contribution from any other Person of intellectual property;

(l) [reserved];

(m) Hedging Agreements of the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary not entered into for speculation and deposits and margin payments made in connection herewith;

(n) Investments resulting from pledges and deposits permitted under the definition of “Permitted Liens”;

(o) Investments consisting of indemnification obligations in respect of performance bonds, bid bonds, appeal bonds, surety bonds, reclamation bonds and completion guarantees and similar obligations under any Mining Law or Environmental Law or with respect

 

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to workers’ compensation benefits, in each case entered into in the ordinary course of business, and pledges or deposits made in the ordinary course of business in support of obligations under existing coal sales contracts (and extensions or renewals thereof on similar terms);

(p) any Investments owned by a Person at the time it is acquired by the MLP or a Restricted Subsidiary to the extent not made in contemplation of such acquisition;

(q) (i) Guarantee Obligations issued in accordance with Section 7.2 and (ii) guarantees of performance or other obligations (other than Indebtedness) arising in the ordinary course of business or consistent with past practice;

(r) [reserved];

(s) Investments pursuant to or contemplated by any contractual obligations in respect of the Transaction Documentation as in effect on the Closing Date, and as amended or modified thereafter on terms that are not materially less favorable to the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, considered in the aggregate taking into account all such substantially contemporaneous amendments and modifications of the Transaction Documentation;

(t) [reserved];

(u) any Investment acquired as a capital contribution to the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary, or made in exchange for, or out of the net cash proceeds of, a substantially concurrent offering (with any offering within 45 days deemed as substantially concurrent) of Qualified Capital Stock of the MLP; and

(v) other Investments in an aggregate outstanding amount not to exceed at the time made the greater of (i) $75,000,000 and (ii) 8.5% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets determined at such date so long as: (A) immediately before and after giving Pro Forma Basis effect to any such Investment, no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing and (B) the sum of (1) the aggregate amount of the aggregate Available Revolving Commitments at such time (after giving effect to the making of such Investment and any financing thereof) and (2) the aggregate amount of cash and Cash Equivalents of the Loan Parties (in each case, free and clear of all Liens, other than (i) involuntary or inchoate Liens, (ii) Liens securing the Obligations and (iii) Liens permitted under Section 7.3
(n)
that are unperfected, junior to or pari passu with the Liens securing the Obligations and subject to an intercreditor agreement with the Administrative Agent) included in the consolidated balance sheet of the Loan Parties as of such date shall equal or exceed $50,000,000.

7.9 Modifications of Certain Debt Instruments . Amend, modify, waive or otherwise change in any manner materially adverse to the Lenders any of the terms of any Subordinated Debt (other than intercompany indebtedness) or Indebtedness secured by Liens on the Collateral contractually subordinated to the Transaction Liens without the consent of the Administrative Agent (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed); provided that nothing in this Section 7.9 shall prohibit the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries from consummating a Permitted Refinancing.

 

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7.10 Transactions with Affiliates . Enter into any transaction, including any purchase, sale, lease or exchange of property, the rendering of any service or the payment of any management, advisory or similar fees, with any Affiliate involving aggregate consideration in excess of $5,000,000, unless such transaction is (i) otherwise permitted under this Agreement, and (ii) upon fair and reasonable terms no less favorable to the relevant Group Member than it would obtain in a comparable arm’s length transaction with a Person that is not an Affiliate other than:

(a) transactions among the MLP and the Restricted Subsidiaries;

(b) any Restricted Payment permitted by Section 7.6 and any Investment permitted by Section 7.8 ;

(c) any issuance of Capital Stock (other than Disqualified Capital Stock) of the MLP;

(d) payments or transactions arising under or contemplated by any contract, agreement, instrument or arrangement in effect on the Closing Date (including, without limitation, the Collections Agreements, the Partnership Agreement, and the Transaction Documentation), and as amended or modified thereafter on terms that are not materially less favorable to the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, considered in the aggregate taking into account all such substantially contemporaneous amendments and modifications of the Transaction Documentation;

(e) arrangements with respect to the procurement of services of directors, officers, independent contractors, consultants or employees in the ordinary course of business and the payment of customary compensation (including bonuses) and other benefits (including retirement, health, stock option and other benefit plans) and reasonable reimbursement arrangements in connection therewith;

(f) loans or advances to officers, directors or employees of the General Partner, the MLP or its Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business or consistent with past practice or guarantees in respect thereof or otherwise made on their behalf (including payment on such guarantees);

(g) the payment of fees, expenses and indemnities to directors, officers, consultants and employees of the General Partner, the MLP and the Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business;

(h) the payment of fees and expenses relating to the Transactions on the Closing Date;

(i) transactions with any Affiliate in its capacity as a holder of Indebtedness or Capital Stock of the MLP; provided that such Affiliate is treated the same as other such holders;

(j) transactions for which the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, obtains a favorable written opinion from a nationally recognized investment banking firm as to the fairness of the transaction to the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries from a financial point of view; and

 

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(k) transactions with a Person that is an Affiliate of the MLP solely because the MLP owns, directly or through a Restricted Subsidiary, an Investment in, or controls, such Person.

7.11 Sales and Leasebacks . Enter into any arrangement with any Person providing for the leasing by any Group Member of real or personal property that has been or is to be sold or transferred by such Group Member to such Person or to any other Person to whom funds have been or are to be advanced by such Person on the security of such property or rental obligations of such Group Member except for (a) Sale and Leaseback Transactions permitted by Section 7.2(e) or Section 7.2 (j)(ii) and (b) Sale and Leaseback Transactions between or among Loan Parties or between or among Restricted Subsidiaries that are not Loan Parties.

7.12 Changes in Fiscal Periods . Permit the Fiscal Year to end on a day other than December 31 or change the MLP’s method of determining Fiscal Quarters.

7.13 Restrictive Agreements . Directly or indirectly enter into or permit to exist any agreement or other arrangement that prohibits, restricts or imposes any condition on (1) the ability of any Loan Party to create or permit to exist any Lien on any of its property or (2) the ability of any Restricted Subsidiary to pay dividends or other distributions with respect to any shares of its capital stock or to make or repay loans or advances to the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary; provided that:

(a) the foregoing shall not apply to restrictions and conditions imposed by law, rule, regulation, approval, license, permit, order or by any Loan Document, the Transaction Documentation (as in effect on the Closing Date, and as amended or modified thereafter on terms that are not materially less favorable to the MLP and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, considered in the aggregate taking into account all such substantially contemporaneous amendments and modifications of the Transaction Documentation);

(b) the foregoing shall not apply to restrictions and conditions contained in the Senior Note Indenture, the Senior Notes or any guarantee thereof or any Permitted Refinancing thereof;

(c) the foregoing shall not apply to restrictions and conditions existing on the date hereof, and any amendments, modifications, restatements, extensions, renewals, replacements or refinancings of any of the foregoing; provided that such restrictions or conditions in the amendment, modification, restatement, extension, renewal, replacement or refinancing are, taken as a whole, no less favorable in any material respect to the Credit Parties than the encumbrances or restrictions being amended, modified, restated, extended, renewed, replaced or refinanced (but shall apply to any amendment or modification expanding the scope of), or any extension or renewal of, any such restriction or condition;

(d) the foregoing shall not apply to customary restrictions and conditions contained in agreements relating to the sale of a Restricted Subsidiary or an asset pending such sale, provided that such restrictions and conditions apply only to the Restricted Subsidiary or such asset that is to be sold and such sale is permitted hereunder;

 

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(e) clause (1) of this Section 7.13 shall not apply to restrictions or conditions imposed by any agreement relating to secured Indebtedness (including Capital Lease Obligations) permitted by this Agreement on property securing such Indebtedness;

(f) the foregoing shall not apply to (i) customary provisions in leases or subleases restricting or prohibiting the assignment and subletting thereof or any restrictions imposed pursuant to Mining Leases and (ii) other customary anti- assignment provisions in contracts entered into;

(g) the foregoing shall not apply to restrictions and conditions existing under any agreements or other instruments of, or with respect to:

(i) any Person, or the property or assets of any Person, at the time the Person, or property or assets of any Person, is acquired by the MLP or any Restricted Subsidiary; or

(ii) any Unrestricted Subsidiary at the time it is designated or is deemed to become a Restricted Subsidiary, which encumbrances or restrictions (A) are not applicable to any other Person or the property or assets of any other Person and (B) were not put in place in anticipation of such event and any amendments, modifications, restatements, extensions, renewals replacements or refinancings of any of the foregoing, provided that the encumbrances and restrictions in the amendment, modification, restatement, extension, renewal, replacement or refinancing are, taken as a whole, no less favorable in any material respect to the Credit Parties than the encumbrances or restrictions being amended, modified, restated, extended, renewed, replaced or refinanced;

(h) the foregoing shall not apply to restrictions on cash or other deposits or net worth imposed by customers, lessors, suppliers or required by insurance surety bonding companies, in each case in the ordinary course of business;

(i) the foregoing shall not apply to restrictions and conditions existing pursuant to any Indebtedness incurred by, or other agreement of, a Foreign Subsidiary or Restricted Subsidiary which is not a Loan Party, which restrictions are customary for a financing or agreement of such type;

(j) the foregoing shall not apply to customary provisions in joint venture, operating or similar agreements; and

(k) the foregoing shall not apply to any restriction or condition existing pursuant to any agreement or instrument related to any Indebtedness permitted to be incurred subsequent to the Closing Date under Section 7.2 if (A) the encumbrance and restrictions contained in any such agreement or instrument are, taken as a whole, no less favorable in any material respect to the Credit Parties than the encumbrances and restrictions contained in this Agreement as in effect as of the Closing Date (as determined in good faith by the MLP) or

 

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(B) such encumbrance or restriction is, taken as a whole, no less favorable in any material respect to the Credit Parties than is customary in comparable financings (as determined in good faith by the MLP) and the MLP determines in good faith that such encumbrance or restriction will not materially affect the MLP’s ability to make principal or interest payments on the notes as and when they become due.

7.14 Lines of Business . Enter into any business, either directly or through any Restricted Subsidiary, except for a Permitted Business.

7.15 Amendments to Transaction Documents . (a) Amend, supplement or otherwise modify the terms and conditions of the Transaction Documentation (other than the Omnibus Agreement) or any such other documents except for any such amendment, supplement or modification that (i) becomes effective after the Closing Date and (ii) could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or (b) amend, supplement or otherwise modify Section 8.6 of the Omnibus Agreement.

SECTION 8

EVENTS OF DEFAULT

If any of the following events shall occur and be continuing:

(a) any Borrower shall fail to pay any principal of any Loan or Reimbursement Obligation when due in accordance with the terms hereof, or any Borrower shall fail to pay any interest on any Loan or Reimbursement Obligation, or any other amount payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document, within five days after any such interest or other amount becomes due in accordance with the terms hereof; or

(b) any representation or warranty made or deemed made by any Loan Party herein or in any other Loan Document or that is contained in any certificate, document or financial or other written statement furnished by it at any time under or in connection with this Agreement or any such other Loan Document shall prove to have been inaccurate in any material respect on or as of the date made or deemed made; or

(c) any Loan Party shall default in the observance or performance of any agreement contained in clause (i) of Section 6.4(a)
(with respect to the Borrowers only), Section 6.7(a) or Section 7 of this Agreement; or

(d) any Loan Party shall default in the observance or performance of any other agreement contained in this Agreement or any other Loan Document (other than as provided in paragraphs (a)  through (c)  of this Section 8 ), and such default shall continue unremedied for a period of 30 days after receipt of written notice by the Borrowers’ Agent from the Administrative Agent or the Majority Revolving Lenders thereof; or

(e) any Group Member shall (i) default in making any payment of any principal, interest or other payment of any Material Indebtedness (excluding the Loans) when and as the same shall become due and payable (giving effect to any period of grace), or (ii) any event or condition occurs that results in any Material Indebtedness becoming due prior to its scheduled maturity or the effect of which default or other event or condition is to cause, or to

 

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permit the holder or beneficiary of such Material Indebtedness (or a trustee or agent on behalf of such holder or beneficiary) to cause, with the giving of notice if required, such Material Indebtedness to become due prior to its Stated Maturity or (in the case of any such Indebtedness constituting a Guarantee Obligation) to become payable without such Material Indebtedness having been discharged, or any such default or other event or condition having been cured promptly; provided , that this clause (ii) shall not apply to secured Indebtedness that becomes due as a result of the voluntary sale or transfer of the assets securing such Indebtedness; or

(f) (i) any Group Member (other than an Immaterial Subsidiary) shall commence any case, proceeding or other action (A) under any existing or future law of any jurisdiction, domestic or foreign, relating to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or relief of debtors, seeking to have an order for relief entered with respect to it, or seeking to adjudicate it a bankrupt or insolvent, or seeking reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, winding-up, liquidation, dissolution, composition or other relief with respect to it or its debts generally, or (B) seeking appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian, conservator or other similar official for it or for all or substantially all of its assets; (ii) there shall be commenced against any Group Member (other than an Immaterial Subsidiary) any case, proceeding or other action of a nature referred to in clause (i) above that (A) results in the entry of an order for relief or any such adjudication or appointment or (B) remains undismissed, undischarged or unbonded for a period of 60 days; (iii) there shall be commenced against any Group Member (other than an Immaterial Subsidiary) any case, proceeding or other action seeking issuance of a warrant of attachment, execution, distraint or similar process against all or any substantial part of its assets that results in the entry of an order for any such relief that shall not have been vacated, discharged, or stayed or bonded pending appeal within 60 days from the entry thereof; (iv) any Group Member (other than an Immaterial Subsidiary) shall take any written action in furtherance of, or indicating its consent to, approval of, or acquiescence in, any of the acts set forth in clause (i) , (ii) , or (iii)  above; or (v) any Group Member shall generally not, or shall admit in writing its inability to, pay its debts as they become due; or (vi) or any Group Member shall make a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors; or

(g) (i) an ERISA Event and/or a Foreign Plan Event shall have occurred; (ii) a trustee shall be appointed by a United States district court to administer any Pension Plan; (iii) the PBGC shall institute proceedings to terminate any Pension Plan; or (iv) any Group Member or any ERISA Affiliate shall have been notified by the sponsor of a Multiemployer Plan that it has incurred or will be assessed Withdrawal Liability to such Multiemployer Plan and such Group Member or ERISA Affiliate does not have reasonable grounds for contesting such Withdrawal Liability or is not contesting such Withdrawal Liability in a timely and appropriate manner; and in each case in clauses (i) through (iv) above, such event or condition, together with all other such events or conditions, if any, under this 8.1(g), would reasonably be expected to result in liability of any Group Member in an aggregate amount exceeding $50,000,000; or

(h) one or more final judgments or decrees of a court shall be entered against any Group Member (other than an Immaterial Subsidiary) for the payment of money in an aggregate amount (not paid or adequately covered by insurance as to which the relevant insurance company has acknowledged coverage) of the Threshold Amount or more, and all such judgments or decrees shall not have been vacated, discharged, stayed or bonded pending appeal within 60 days from the entry thereof; or

 

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(i) any Lien purported to be created under any of the Security Documents shall cease to be, for any reason, or shall be asserted by any Loan Party not to be, a valid and perfected Lien on any material Collateral, with the priority required by the applicable Security Document, except (i) as permitted under, or pursuant to the terms of, the Loan Documents or (ii) as a result of the Administrative Agent’s failure to maintain possession of any stock certificate (or other certificated security referred to in the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement), promissory note or other instrument delivered to it under the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement; or

(j) the guarantee contained in Section 2 of the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement shall cease, for any reason, to be in full force and effect or any Loan Party shall so assert, except (i) as permitted under the Loan Documents or (ii) pursuant to the terms of the Loan Documents; or

(k) (i) the direct or indirect sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition (other than by way of merger or consolidation), in one or a series of related transactions, of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of the MLP (including Equity Interests of Restricted Subsidiaries) and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole to any Person (including any “person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act)), (ii) the consummation of any transaction (including, without limitation, any merger or consolidation), the result of which is that any Person (including any “person” (as defined above), other than the Parent, becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of more than 50% of the Voting Stock of the General Partner, measured by voting power rather than number of shares, units or the like, (iii) the failure of the MLP to own, free of all Liens (other than Transaction Liens), directly or indirectly, 65% of the equity interests of Haverhill and Middletown, (iv) the first day on which a majority of the members of the board of directors of the General Partner are not Continuing Directors, (v) the removal of the General Partner by the limited partners in accordance with the Partnership Agreement or (vi) a Specified Change of Control shall occur; or

then, and in any such event, (A) if such event is an Event of Default specified in clause (i) or (ii)  of paragraph (f)  above with respect to any Borrower, automatically the Revolving Commitments shall immediately terminate and the Loans (with accrued interest thereon) and all other amounts owing under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents (including all amounts of L/C Obligations, whether or not the beneficiaries of the then outstanding Letters of Credit shall have presented the documents required thereunder) shall immediately become due and payable, and (B) if such event is any other Event of Default, either or both of the following actions may be taken: (i) with the consent of the Majority Revolving Lenders, the Administrative Agent may, or upon the request of the Majority Revolving Lenders, the Administrative Agent shall, by notice to the Borrowers’ Agent declare the Revolving Commitments to be terminated forthwith, whereupon the Revolving Commitments shall immediately terminate; and (ii) with the consent of the Majority Revolving Lenders, the Administrative Agent may, or upon the request of the Majority Revolving Lenders, the Administrative Agent shall, by notice to the Borrowers’ Agent, declare the Loans (with accrued interest thereon) and all other amounts owing under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents (including all amounts of L/C Obligations, whether or not the beneficiaries of the then outstanding Letters of Credit shall have presented the documents required thereunder) to be due and payable forthwith, whereupon the same shall immediately become due and payable. With respect to all Letters of Credit with respect to which presentment

 

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for honor shall not have occurred at the time of an acceleration pursuant to this paragraph, the Borrowers shall at such time deposit in a cash collateral account opened by the Administrative Agent an amount equal to the aggregate then undrawn and unexpired amount of such Letters of Credit. Amounts held in such cash collateral account shall be applied by the Administrative Agent to the payment of drafts drawn under such Letters of Credit, and the unused portion thereof after all such Letters of Credit shall have expired or been fully drawn upon, if any, shall be applied to repay other obligations of the Borrowers hereunder and under the other Loan Documents. After all such Letters of Credit shall have expired or been fully drawn upon, all Reimbursement Obligations shall have been satisfied and all other obligations of the Borrowers hereunder and under the other Loan Documents shall have been paid in full, the balance, if any, in such cash collateral account shall be returned to the Borrowers’ Agent (or such other Person as may be lawfully entitled thereto). Except as expressly provided above in this Section 8 , presentment, demand, protest and all other notices of any kind are hereby expressly waived by each of the Borrowers.

SECTION 9

THE AGENTS

9.1 Appointment . Each Lender hereby irrevocably designates and appoints the Administrative Agent as the agent of such Lender under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, and each such Lender irrevocably authorizes the Administrative Agent, in such capacity, to take such action on its behalf under the provisions of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents (including the execution of any intercreditor agreements contemplated hereunder) and to exercise such powers and perform such duties as are expressly delegated to the Administrative Agent by the terms of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, together with such other powers as are reasonably incidental thereto. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary elsewhere in this Agreement, the Administrative Agent shall not have any duties or responsibilities, except those expressly set forth herein, or any fiduciary relationship with any Lender, and no implied covenants, functions, responsibilities, duties, obligations or liabilities shall be read into this Agreement or any other Loan Document or otherwise exist against the Administrative Agent.

9.2 Delegation of Duties . The Administrative Agent may execute any of its duties under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents by or through agents or attorneys-in-fact and shall be entitled to advice of counsel concerning all matters pertaining to such duties. The Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for the negligence or misconduct of any agents or attorneys-in-fact selected by it with reasonable care.

9.3 Exculpatory Provisions . Neither any Agent nor any of their respective officers, directors, employees, partners, agents, advisors, attorneys-in-fact or affiliates shall be (i) liable for any action lawfully taken or omitted to be taken by it or such Person under or in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document (except to the extent that any of the foregoing are found by a final and nonappealable decision of a court of competent jurisdiction to have resulted from its or such Person’s own gross negligence or willful misconduct) or (ii) responsible in any manner to any of the Lenders for any recitals, statements, representations or warranties made by any Loan Party or any officer thereof contained in this Agreement or any other Loan Document or in any certificate, report, statement or other document referred to or provided for

 

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in, or received by the Agents under or in connection with, this Agreement or any other Loan Document or for the value, validity, effectiveness, genuineness, enforceability or sufficiency of this Agreement or any other Loan Document or for any failure of any Loan Party a party thereto to perform its obligations hereunder or thereunder. The Agents shall not be under any obligation to any Lender to ascertain or to inquire as to the observance or performance of any of the agreements contained in, or conditions of, this Agreement or any other Loan Document, or to inspect the properties, books or records of any Loan Party.

9.4 Reliance by Administrative Agent . The Administrative Agent shall be entitled to rely, and shall be fully protected in relying, upon any instrument, writing, resolution, notice, consent, certificate, affidavit, letter, telecopy or email message, statement, order or other document or conversation believed by it to be genuine and correct and to have been signed, sent or made by the proper Person or Persons and upon advice and statements of legal counsel (including counsel to the Borrowers’ Agent), independent accountants and other experts selected by the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent may deem and treat the payee of any Note as the owner thereof for all purposes unless a written notice of assignment, negotiation or transfer thereof shall have been filed with the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent shall be fully justified in failing or refusing to take any action under this Agreement or any other Loan Document unless it shall first receive such advice or concurrence of the Majority Revolving Lenders (or, if so specified by this Agreement, all Lenders) as it deems appropriate or it shall first be indemnified to its satisfaction by the Lenders against any and all liability and expense that may be incurred by it by reason of taking or continuing to take any such action. The Administrative Agent shall in all cases be fully protected in acting, or in refraining from acting, under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents in accordance with a request of the Majority Revolving Lenders (or, if so specified by this Agreement, all Lenders), and such request and any action taken or failure to act pursuant thereto shall be binding upon all the Lenders and all future holders of the Loans.

9.5 Notice of Default . The Administrative Agent shall not be deemed to have knowledge or notice of the occurrence of any Default or Event of Default unless the Administrative Agent has received notice from a Lender or the Borrowers’ Agent referring to this Agreement, describing such Default or Event of Default and stating that such notice is a “notice of default”. In the event that the Administrative Agent receives such a notice, the Administrative Agent shall give notice thereof to the Lenders. The Administrative Agent shall take such action with respect to such Default or Event of Default as shall be reasonably directed by the Majority Revolving Lenders (or, if so specified by this Agreement, all Lenders); provided that unless and until the Administrative Agent shall have received such directions, the Administrative Agent may (but shall not be obligated to) take such action, or refrain from taking such action, with respect to such Default or Event of Default as it shall deem advisable in the best interests of the Lenders.

9.6 Non-Reliance on Agents and Other Lenders . Each Lender expressly acknowledges that neither the Agents nor any of their respective officers, directors, employees, partners, agents, advisors, attorneys-in-fact or affiliates have made any representations or warranties to it and that no act by any Agent hereafter taken, including any review of the affairs of a Loan Party or any affiliate of a Loan Party, shall be deemed to constitute any representation or warranty by any Agent to any Lender. Each Lender acknowledges to the Agents that it has,

 

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independently and without reliance upon any Agent or any other Lender, and based on such documents and information as it has deemed appropriate, made its own appraisal of an investigation into the business, operations, property, financial and other condition and creditworthiness of the Loan Parties and their affiliates and made its own decision to make its Loans hereunder and enter into this Agreement. Each Lender also acknowledges that it will, independently and without reliance upon any Agent or any other Lender, and based on such documents and information as it shall deem appropriate at the time, continue to make its own credit analysis, appraisals and decisions in taking or not taking action under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, and to make such investigation as it deems necessary to inform itself as to the business, operations, property, financial and other condition and creditworthiness of the Loan Parties and their affiliates. Except for notices, reports and other documents expressly required to be furnished to the Lenders by the Administrative Agent hereunder, the Administrative Agent shall not have any duty or responsibility to provide any Lender with any credit or other information concerning the business, operations, property, condition (financial or otherwise), prospects or creditworthiness of any Loan Party or any affiliate of a Loan Party that may come into the possession of the Administrative Agent or any of its officers, directors, employees, agents, advisors, attorneys-in-fact or affiliates.

9.7 Indemnification . The Lenders agree to indemnify each Agent and its officers, directors, employees, affiliates, partners, agents, advisors and controlling persons (each, an “ Agent Indemnitee ”) (to the extent not reimbursed by the Borrowers and without limiting the obligation of the Borrowers to do so), ratably according to their respective Revolving Percentages in effect on the date on which indemnification is sought under this Section 9.7 (or, if indemnification is sought after the date upon which the Revolving Commitments shall have terminated and the Loans shall have been paid in full, ratably in accordance with such Revolving Percentages immediately prior to such date), from and against any and all liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, actions, judgments, suits, costs, expenses or disbursements of any kind or nature whatsoever that may at any time (whether before or after the payment of the Loans) be imposed on, incurred by or asserted against such Agent Indemnitee in any way relating to or arising out of, the Revolving Commitments, this Agreement, any of the other Loan Documents or any documents contemplated by or referred to herein or therein or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby or any action taken or omitted by such Agent Indemnitee under or in connection with any of the foregoing and the reasonable fees and expenses of legal counsel in connection with the claims, actions or proceedings by any Agent Indemnitee against any Loan Party under any Loan Document; provided that no Lender shall be liable for the payment of any portion of such liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, actions, judgments, suits, costs, expenses or disbursements that are found by a final and nonappealable decision of a court of competent jurisdiction to have resulted from such Agent Indemnitee’s gross negligence, willful misconduct or breach in bad faith of such Agent Indemnitee, and provided , further , that the above provisions of this Section 9.7 shall not apply with respect to Taxes other than any Taxes that represent losses or damages arising from any non-Tax claim. The agreements in this Section 9.7 shall survive the termination of this Agreement and the payment of the Loans and all other amounts payable hereunder.

9.8 Agent in Its Individual Capacity . Each Agent and its affiliates may make loans to, accept deposits from and generally engage in any kind of business with any Loan Party as though such Agent were not an Agent. With respect to its Loans made or renewed by it and with respect

 

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to any Letter of Credit issued or participated in by it, each Agent shall have the same rights and powers under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents as any Lender and may exercise the same as though it were not an Agent, and the terms “Lender” and “Lenders” shall include each Agent in its individual capacity.

9.9 Successor Administrative Agent . The Administrative Agent may resign as Administrative Agent upon 10 days’ notice to the Lenders and the Borrowers’ Agent. If the Administrative Agent shall resign as Administrative Agent under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, then the Majority Revolving Lenders shall appoint a successor agent for the Lenders, which successor agent shall (unless an Event of Default under Section 8(a) or Section 8(f) with respect to any Borrower shall have occurred and be continuing) be subject to approval by the Borrowers’ Agent (which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed), whereupon such successor agent shall succeed to the rights, powers and duties of the Administrative Agent, and the term “Administrative Agent” shall mean such successor agent effective upon such appointment and approval, and the former Administrative Agent’s rights, powers and duties as Administrative Agent shall be terminated, without any other or further act or deed on the part of such former Administrative Agent or any of the parties to this Agreement or any holders of the Loans. If no successor agent has accepted appointment as Administrative Agent by the date that is 10 days following a retiring Administrative Agent’s notice of resignation, the retiring Administrative Agent’s resignation shall nevertheless thereupon become effective, and the Lenders shall assume and perform all of the duties of the Administrative Agent hereunder until such time, if any, as the Majority Revolving Lenders appoint a successor agent as provided for above. After any retiring Administrative Agent’s resignation as Administrative Agent, the provisions of this Section 9 and of Section 10.5 shall continue to inure to its benefit.

9.10 Joint Lead Arrangers, Co-Documentation Agents and Syndication Agent . None of the Joint Lead Arrangers, the Co-Documentation Agents and the Syndication Agent shall have any duties or responsibilities or any fiduciary relationship with any Lender or any other Person hereunder in their capacity as such.

SECTION 10

MISCELLANEOUS

10.1 Amendments and Waivers . Neither this Agreement, any other Loan Document, nor any terms hereof or thereof may be amended, supplemented or modified except in accordance with the provisions of this Section 10.1 . The Majority Revolving Lenders and each Loan Party party to the relevant Loan Document may, or, with the written consent of the Majority Revolving Lenders, the Administrative Agent and each Loan Party party to the relevant Loan Document may, from time to time, (a) enter into written amendments, supplements or modifications hereto and to the other Loan Documents for the purpose of adding any provisions to this Agreement or the other Loan Documents or changing in any manner the rights of the Lenders or of the Loan Parties hereunder or thereunder or (b) waive, on such terms and conditions as the Majority Revolving Lenders or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be, may specify in such instrument, any of the requirements of this Agreement or the other Loan Documents or any Default or Event of Default and its consequences; provided , however , that no such waiver and no such amendment, supplement or modification shall (i) forgive the principal amount or extend the final scheduled date of maturity of any Loan, reduce the stated rate of any

 

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interest or fee payable hereunder (except (x) in connection with the waiver of applicability of any post-default increase in interest rates (which waiver shall be effective with the consent of the Majority Revolving Lenders) and (y) that any amendment or modification of defined terms used in the financial covenants in this Agreement shall not constitute a reduction in the rate of interest or fees for purposes of this clause (i) ) or extend the scheduled date of any payment thereof, or increase the amount or extend the expiration date of any Lender’s Revolving Commitment, in each case without the written consent of each Lender adversely affected thereby; (ii) eliminate or reduce the voting rights of any Lender under this Section 10.1 without the written consent of such Lender; (iii) reduce any percentage specified in the definition of Majority Revolving Lenders, consent to the assignment or transfer by any Borrower of any of its rights and obligations under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, release all or substantially all of the Collateral or release all or substantially all of the Subsidiary Guarantors from their obligations under the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement, in each case without the written consent of all Lenders; (iv) amend, modify or waive any provision of Section 2.14 without the written consent of all Lenders; (v) reduce the percentage specified in the definition of Majority Revolving Lenders without the written consent of all Lenders; (vi) amend, modify or waive any provision of Section 9 or any other provision of any Loan Document that affects the Administrative Agent without the written consent of the Administrative Agent; (vii) amend, modify or waive any provision of Section 2.3 or 2.4 without the written consent of the Swing line Lender; (viii) amend, modify or waive any provision of Section 3 or the rights or duties hereunder or under any other Loan Document of the Issuing Lenders without the written consent of the Issuing Lenders; or (ix) amend, modify or waive any provision of Section 5.02 of the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement without the written consent of each Lender adversely affected thereby. Any such waiver and any such amendment, supplement or modification shall apply equally to each of the Lenders and shall be binding upon the Loan Parties, the Lenders, the Administrative Agent and all future holders of the Loans. In the case of any waiver, the Loan Parties, the Lenders and the Administrative Agent shall be restored to their former position and rights hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, and any Default or Event of Default waived shall be deemed to be cured and not continuing; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other Default or Event of Default, or impair any right consequent thereon.

Without the consent of any Agent or Lender or the Issuing Lender, the Loan Parties and the Administrative Agent may (in their respective sole discretion, or shall, to the extent required by any Loan Document) enter into any amendment, modification or waiver of any Loan Document, or enter into any new agreement or instrument, to effect the granting, perfection, protection, expansion or enhancement of any security interest in any Collateral or additional property to become Collateral for the benefit of the Secured Parties, or as required by local law to give effect to, or protect any security interest for the benefit of the Secured Parties, in any property or so that the security interests therein comply with applicable law.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, technical and conforming modifications to the Loan Documents may be made with the consent of the Borrowers’ Agent and the Administrative Agent to the extent necessary to integrate any Revolving Commitments obtained or increased pursuant to Section 2.21 on substantially the same basis as the other Revolving Commitments.

 

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10.2 Notices . All notices, requests and demands to or upon the respective parties hereto to be effective shall be in writing (including by telecopy), and, unless otherwise expressly provided herein, shall be deemed to have been duly given or made when delivered, or three Business Days after being deposited in the mail, postage prepaid, or, in the case of telecopy notice, when received, addressed as follows in the case of the Borrowers’ Agent and the Administrative Agent, and as set forth in an administrative questionnaire delivered to the Administrative Agent in the case of the Lenders, or to such other address as may be hereafter notified by the respective parties hereto:

 

Borrowers’ Agent:    1011 Warrenville Road   
   Suite 600   
   Lisle, IL 60532   
   Attention: Mark E. Newman   
   Telecopy: (630) 824-1001   
   Telephone: (630) 824-1934   
  

and

  
   Attention: Denise R. Cade   
   Telecopy: (630) 824-1001   
   Telephone: (630) 824-1906   
Administrative Agent:    500 Stanton Christiana Road, Ops 2, Floor 3   
   Newark, Delaware 19713-2107   
   Attention: Ido Yehuda   
   Telecopy: (302) 634-1417   
   Telephone: (302) 634-1911   
   Email: ido.x.yehuda@jpmorgan.com   
   and   
   383 Madison Avenue, FL 24   
   New York, NY 10179   
   Attention: Peter Predun   
   Telecopy: (212) 270-5100   
   Telephone: (212) 270-7005   

provided that any notice, request or demand to or upon the Administrative Agent or the Lenders shall not be effective until received.

Notices and other communications to the Lenders hereunder may be delivered or furnished by electronic communications pursuant to procedures approved by the Administrative Agent; provided that the foregoing shall not apply to notices pursuant to Section 2 unless otherwise agreed by the Administrative Agent and the applicable Lender. The Administrative Agent or the Borrowers’ Agent may, in its discretion, agree to accept notices and other communications to it hereunder by electronic communications pursuant to procedures approved by it; provided that approval of such procedures may be limited to particular notices or communications.

 

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10.3 No Waiver; Cumulative Remedies . No failure to exercise and no delay in exercising, on the part of the Administrative Agent or any Lender, any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder or under the other Loan Documents shall operate as a waiver thereof; nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, remedy, power or privilege. The rights, remedies, powers and privileges herein provided are cumulative and not exclusive of any rights, remedies, powers and privileges provided by law.

10.4 Survival of Representations and Warranties . All representations and warranties made hereunder, in the other Loan Documents and in any document, certificate or statement delivered pursuant hereto or in connection herewith shall survive the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the making of the Loans and other extensions of credit hereunder.

10.5 Payment of Expenses and Taxes . The Borrowers agree (a) to pay or reimburse the Administrative Agent for all its reasonable and documented out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred in connection with the development, preparation and execution of, and any amendment, supplement or modification to, this Agreement and the other Loan Documents and any other documents prepared in connection herewith or therewith, and the consummation and administration of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, including the reasonable and documented fees and disbursements of counsel to the Administrative Agent and filing and recording fees and expenses, with statements with respect to the foregoing to be submitted to the Borrowers’ Agent prior to the Closing Date (in the case of amounts to be paid on the Closing Date) and from time to time thereafter on a quarterly basis or such other periodic basis as the Administrative Agent shall deem appropriate, (b) to pay or reimburse each Lender and the Administrative Agent for all its documented out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred in connection with the enforcement or preservation of any rights under this Agreement, the other Loan Documents and any such other documents, including the documented fees and disbursements of counsel (including the documented allocated fees and expenses of in-house counsel) to each Lender and of counsel to the Administrative Agent, (c) to pay, indemnify, and hold each Lender and the Administrative Agent harmless from, any and all recording and filing fees and any and all liabilities for Other Taxes, if any, that may be payable or determined to be payable in connection with the execution and delivery of, or consummation or administration of any of the transactions contemplated by, or any amendment, supplement or modification of, or any waiver or consent under or in respect of, this Agreement, the other Loan Documents and any such other documents, and (d) to pay, indemnify, and hold each Lender, each Joint Lead Arranger and each Agent and their respective officers, directors, employees, affiliates, partners, agents, advisors and controlling persons (each, an “ Indemnitee ”) harmless from and against any and all other liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, actions, judgments, suits, costs, expenses or disbursements of any kind or nature whatsoever with respect to the execution, delivery, enforcement, performance and administration of this Agreement, the other Loan Documents and any such other documents, including any of the foregoing relating to the proposed use of proceeds of the Loans or the violation of, noncompliance with or liability under, any Environmental Law applicable to the operations of any Group Member or any of the Properties and the reasonable fees and expenses of legal counsel in connection with claims, actions or proceedings by any Indemnitee against any Loan Party under any Loan Document (all the foregoing in this clause (d) , collectively, the “ Indemnified Liabilities ”), in all cases, whether or not caused by or arising, in whole or in part, out of the negligence of such Indemnitee and regardless of whether such Indemnitee is a party thereto, and whether or not any such claim, litigation, investigation or proceeding is brought by a Borrower, its equity holders, its affiliates,

 

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its creditors or any other Person, provided , that no Borrower shall have any obligation hereunder to any Indemnitee with respect to Indemnified Liabilities to the extent such Indemnified Liabilities are found by a final and nonappealable decision of a court of competent jurisdiction to have resulted from the gross negligence, willful misconduct or breach in bad faith of such Indemnitee, and provided , further , that the above provisions of this Section 10.5(d) shall not apply with respect to Taxes other than any Taxes that represent losses or damages arising from any non-Tax claim. Without limiting the foregoing, and to the extent permitted by applicable law, the Borrowers agree not to assert and to cause its Subsidiaries not to assert, and hereby waives and agrees to cause its Subsidiaries to waive, all rights for contribution or any other rights of recovery with respect to all claims, demands, penalties, fines, liabilities, settlements, damages, costs and expenses of whatever kind or nature, under or related to Environmental Laws, that any of them might have by statute or otherwise against any Indemnitee. All amounts due under this Section 10.5 shall be payable not later than 10 days after written demand therefor. Statements payable by the Borrowers pursuant to this Section 10.5 shall be submitted to Mark E. Newman (Telephone No. (630) 824-1001) (Telecopy No. (630) 824-1934), at the address of the Borrowers’ Agent set forth in Section 10.2 , or to such other Person or address as may be hereafter designated by the Borrowers’ Agent in a written notice to the Administrative Agent. The agreements in this Section 10.5 shall survive the termination of this Agreement and the repayment of the Loans and all other amounts payable hereunder.

10.6 Successors and Assigns; Participations and Assignments . (a) The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby (including any affiliate of the Issuing Lender that issues any Letter of Credit), except that (i) no Borrower may assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of each Lender (and any attempted assignment or transfer by any Borrower without such consent shall be null and void) and (ii) no Lender may assign or otherwise transfer its rights or obligations hereunder except in accordance with this Section 10.6 .

(b) (i) Subject to the conditions set forth in paragraph (b)(ii) below, any Lender may assign to one or more assignees (each, an “ Assignee ”), other than a natural person, to the MLP or any of its Subsidiaries, all or a portion of its rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Revolving Commitments and the Loans at the time owing to it) with the prior written consent of:

(A) the Borrowers’ Agent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed), provided that no consent of the Borrowers’ Agent shall be required for an assignment to a Lender, an affiliate of a Lender, an Approved Fund (as defined below) or, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, any other Person; and provided , further , that the Borrowers’ Agent shall be deemed to have consented to any such assignment unless the Borrowers’ Agent shall object thereto by written notice to the Administrative Agent within five Business Days after having received notice thereof;

(B) each Issuing Lender and the Swing line Lender (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed); and

 

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(C) the Administrative Agent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed), provided that no consent of the Administrative Agent shall be required for an assignment to a Lender, an affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund.

(ii) Assignments shall be subject to the following additional conditions:

(A) except in the case of an assignment to a Lender, an affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund or an assignment of the entire remaining amount of the assigning Lender’s Revolving Commitments or Loans under the Revolving Facility, the amount of the Revolving Commitments or Loans of the assigning Lender subject to each such assignment (determined as of the date the Assignment and Assumption with respect to such assignment is delivered to the Administrative Agent) shall not be less than $5,000,000 unless each of the Borrowers’ Agent and the Administrative Agent otherwise consents, provided that (1) no such consent of the Borrowers’ Agent shall be required if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and (2) such amounts shall be aggregated in respect of each Lender and its affiliates or Approved Funds, if any;

(B) (1) the parties to each assignment shall execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent an Assignment and Assumption, together with a processing and recordation fee of $3,500 and (2) the assigning Lender shall have paid in full any amounts owing by it to the Administrative Agent; and

(C) the Assignee, if it shall not be a Lender, shall deliver to the Administrative Agent an administrative questionnaire in which the Assignee designates one or more credit contacts to whom all syndicate-level information (which may contain material non-public information about the MLP and its Affiliates and their related parties or their respective securities) will be made available and who may receive such information in accordance with the assignee’s compliance procedures and applicable laws, including Federal and state securities laws.

For the purposes of this Section 10.6 , “ Approved Fund ” means any Person (other than a natural person) that is engaged in making, purchasing, holding or investing in bank loans and similar extensions of credit in the ordinary course of its business and that is administered or managed by (1) a Lender, (2) an affiliate of a Lender or (3) an entity or an affiliate of an entity that administers or manages a Lender.

(iii) Subject to acceptance and recording thereof pursuant to paragraph (b)(iv) below, from and after the effective date specified in each Assignment and Assumption, the Assignee thereunder shall be a party hereto and, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, have the rights and obligations of a Lender under this Agreement, and the assigning Lender thereunder shall, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, be released from its obligations under this Agreement (and, in the case of an Assignment and Assumption covering all of the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement, such Lender shall cease

 

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to be a party hereto but shall continue to be entitled to the benefits of Sections 2.15 , 2.16 , 2.17 and 10.5 ). Any assignment or transfer by a Lender of rights or obligations under this Agreement that does not comply with this Section 10.6 shall be treated for purposes of this Agreement as a sale by such Lender of a participation in such rights and obligations in accordance with paragraph (c)  of this Section 10.6 .

(iv) The Administrative Agent, acting for this purpose as an agent of the Borrowers’ Agent, shall maintain at one of its offices a copy of each Assignment and Assumption delivered to it and a register for the recordation of the names and addresses of the Lenders, and the Revolving Commitments of, and principal amount (and stated interest) of the Loans and L/C Obligations owing to, each Lender pursuant to the terms hereof from time to time (the “ Register ”). The entries in the Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and the Borrowers, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Lender and the Lenders shall treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Register pursuant to the terms hereof as a Lender hereunder for all purposes of this Agreement, notwithstanding notice to the contrary. The Register shall be available for inspection by the Borrower’s Agent and any Lender, at any reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior notice.

(v) Upon its receipt of a duly completed Assignment and Assumption executed by an assigning Lender and an Assignee, the Assignee’s completed administrative questionnaire (unless the Assignee shall already be a Lender hereunder), the processing and recordation fee referred to in paragraph (b)  of this Section 10.6 and any written consent to such assignment required by paragraph (b)  of this Section 10.6 , the Administrative Agent shall accept such Assignment and Assumption and record the information contained therein in the Register. No assignment shall be effective for purposes of this Agreement unless it has been recorded in the Register as provided in this paragraph.

(c) Any Lender may, without the consent of the Borrowers’ Agent or the Administrative Agent, sell participations to one or more banks or other entities (a “ Participant ”) in all or a portion of such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Revolving Commitments and the Loans owing to it); provided that (i) such Lender’s obligations under this Agreement shall remain unchanged, (ii) such Lender shall remain solely responsible to the other parties hereto for the performance of such obligations, and (iii) the Borrowers, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Lender and the other Lenders shall continue to deal solely and directly with such Lender in connection with such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement. Any agreement pursuant to which a Lender sells such a participation shall provide that such Lender shall retain the sole right to enforce this Agreement and to approve any amendment, modification or waiver of any provision of this Agreement; provided that such agreement may provide that such Lender will not, without the consent of the Participant, agree to any amendment, modification or waiver that (i) requires the consent of each Lender directly affected thereby pursuant to the proviso to the second sentence of Section 10.1 and (ii) directly affects such Participant. The Borrowers agree that each Participant shall be entitled to the benefits of Sections 2.15 , 2.16 and 2.17 (subject to the requirements and limitations therein, including the requirements under Section 2.16(f) (it being understood that the documentation required under Section 2.16(f) shall be delivered to the participating Lender)) to the same extent

 

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as if it were a Lender and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to paragraph (b)  of this Section 10.6 ; provided that such Participant (i) agrees to be subject to the provisions of Sections 2.15 and 2.16 as if it were an assignee under paragraph (b)  of this Section 10.6 and (ii) shall not be entitled to receive any greater payment under Sections 2.15 or 2.16 , with respect to any participation, than its participating Lender would have been entitled to receive. To the extent permitted by law, each Participant also shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 10.7(b) as though it were a Lender, provided such Participant shall be subject to Section 10.7(a) as though it were a Lender. Each Lender that sells a participation shall, acting solely for this purpose as a non-fiduciary agent of the Borrowers’ Agent, maintain a register on which it enters the name and address of each Participant and the principal amounts (and stated interest) of each Participant’s interest in the Loans or other obligations under this Agreement (the “ Participant Register ”); provided that no Lender shall have any obligation to disclose all or any portion of the Participant Register to any Person (including the identity of any Participant or any information relating to a Participant’s interest in any Revolving Commitments, Loans, Letters of Credit or its other obligations under any Loan Document), except to the extent that such disclosure is necessary to establish that such Commitment, Loan, Letter of Credit or other obligation is in registered form under Section 5f.103-1(c) of the United States Treasury Regulations. The entries in the Participant Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and such Lender shall treat each person whose name is recorded in the Participant Register as the owner of such participation for all purposes of this Agreement notwithstanding any notice to the contrary.

(d) Notwithstanding the foregoing, any Lender may at any time pledge or assign a security interest in all or any portion of its rights under this Agreement to secure obligations of such Lender, including any pledge or assignment to secure obligations to a Federal Reserve Bank or other central banking authority; provided that no such pledge or assignment of a security interest shall release a Lender from any of its obligations hereunder or substitute any such pledgee or Assignee for such Lender as a party hereto.

(e) The Borrowers, upon receipt of written notice from the relevant Lender, agree to issue Notes to any Lender requiring Notes to facilitate transactions of the type described in paragraph (d)  above.

10.7 Adjustments; Set-off . (a) Except to the extent that this Agreement or a court order expressly provides for payments to be allocated to a particular Lender or to the Lenders under the Revolving Facility, if any Lender (a “ Benefitted Lender ”) shall receive any payment in respect of any principal of or interest on any of its Loans or the participations in L/C Obligations or in Swing line Loans held by it (other than in connection with an assignment made pursuant to Section 10.6 ), or receive any collateral in respect thereof (whether voluntarily or involuntarily, by set-off, pursuant to events or proceedings of the nature referred to in Section  8(f) , or otherwise), in a greater proportion than any such payment to or collateral received by any other Lender, if any, in respect of the Loans or participations and accrued interest thereon owing to such other Lender, such Benefitted Lender shall purchase for cash from the other Lenders a participating or subparticipating interest in such portion of the Loans, L/C Obligations and Swing line Loans owing to each such other Lender, or shall provide such other Lenders with the benefits of any such collateral, or make such other adjustments as shall be equitable, as shall be necessary to cause such Benefitted Lender to share the excess payment or benefits of such collateral ratably with each of the Lenders; provided , however , that if all or any portion of such excess payment or benefits is thereafter recovered from such Benefitted Lender, such purchase shall be rescinded, and the purchase price and benefits returned, to the extent of such recovery, but without interest.

 

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(b) In addition to any rights and remedies of the Lenders provided by law, each Lender shall have the right, without notice to any Borrower, any such notice being expressly waived by the Borrowers to the extent permitted by applicable law, upon any Obligations becoming due and payable by any Borrower (whether at the Stated Maturity, by acceleration or otherwise), to apply to the payment of such Obligations, by setoff or otherwise, any and all deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final), in any currency, and any other credits, indebtedness or claims, in any currency, in each case whether direct or indirect, absolute or contingent, matured or unmatured, at any time held or owing by such Lender, any affiliate thereof or any of their respective branches or agencies to or for the credit or the account of the MLP. Each Lender agrees promptly to notify the Borrowers’ Agent and the Administrative Agent after any such application made by such Lender, provided that the failure to give such notice shall not affect the validity of such application.

10.8 Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed by one or more of the parties to this Agreement on any number of separate counterparts, and all of said counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of an executed signature page of this Agreement by email or facsimile transmission shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart hereof. A set of the copies of this Agreement signed by all the parties shall be lodged with the Borrowers’ Agent and the Administrative Agent.

10.9 Severability . Any provision of this Agreement that is prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions hereof, and any such prohibition or unenforceability in any jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction.

10.10 Integration . This Agreement and the other Loan Documents represent the entire agreement of the Borrowers, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof, and there are no promises, undertakings, representations or warranties by the Administrative Agent or any Lender relative to the subject matter hereof not expressly set forth or referred to herein or in the other Loan Documents.

10.11 GOVERNING LAW . THIS AGREEMENT AND THE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE PARTIES UNDER THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED AND INTERPRETED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

10.12 Submission To Jurisdiction; Waivers . Each Borrower hereby irrevocably and unconditionally:

(a) submits for itself and its property in any legal action or proceeding relating to this Agreement and the other Loan Documents to which it is a party, or for recognition and enforcement of any judgment in respect thereof, to the exclusive jurisdiction (or, in the case of

 

101


matters relating to the Security Documents, non-exclusive jurisdiction) of the courts of the State of New York sitting in New York County, the courts of the United States for the Southern District of New York, and appellate courts from any thereof;

(b) consents that any such action or proceeding may be brought in such courts and waives any objection that it may now or hereafter have to the venue of any such action or proceeding in any such court or that such action or proceeding was brought in an inconvenient court and agrees not to plead or claim the same;

(c) agrees that service of process in any such action or proceeding may be effected by mailing a copy thereof by registered or certified mail (or any substantially similar form of mail), postage prepaid, to the Borrowers’ Agent, as the case may be at its address set forth in Section 10.2 or at such other address of which the Administrative Agent shall have been notified pursuant thereto;

(d) agrees that nothing herein shall affect the right to effect service of process in any other manner permitted by law or shall limit the right to sue in any other jurisdiction; and

(e) waives, to the maximum extent not prohibited by law, any right it may have to claim or recover in any legal action or proceeding referred to in this Section 10.12 any special, exemplary, punitive or consequential damages.

10.13 Acknowledgements . Each Borrower hereby acknowledges that:

(a) it has been advised by counsel in the negotiation, execution and delivery of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents;

(b) neither the Administrative Agent nor any Lender has any fiduciary relationship with or duty to any Borrower arising out of or in connection with this Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents, and the relationship between Administrative Agent and Lenders, on one hand, and the Borrowers, on the other hand, in connection herewith or therewith is solely that of debtor and creditor; and

(c) no joint venture is created hereby or by the other Loan Documents or otherwise exists by virtue of the transactions contemplated hereby among the Lenders or among the Borrowers and the Lenders.

10.14 Releases of Guarantees and Liens . (a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein or in any other Loan Document, the Administrative Agent is hereby irrevocably authorized by each Lender (without requirement of notice to or consent of any Lender except as expressly required by Section 10.1 ) to take any action requested by the MLP having the effect of releasing any Collateral or Guarantee Obligations (i) to the extent necessary to permit consummation of any transaction not prohibited by any Loan Document or that has been consented to in accordance with Section 10.1 , (ii) under the circumstances described in paragraph (b) below or (iii) as contemplated by Section 7.15 of the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement.

 

102


(b) At such time as the Loans, the Reimbursement Obligations and the other Obligations under the Loan Documents (other than Obligations under or in respect of Specified Swap Agreements, Specified Cash Management Agreements or unasserted indemnification, tax gross-up, expense reimbursements or yield protection obligations, in each case for which no claim has been made) shall have been paid in full, the Revolving Commitments have been terminated and no Letters of Credit shall be outstanding, the Collateral shall be released from the Liens created by the Security Documents, and the Security Documents and all obligations (other than those contingent obligations expressly stated to survive such termination) of the Administrative Agent and each Loan Party under the Security Documents shall terminate, all without delivery of any instrument or performance of any act by any Person.

10.15 Confidentiality . Each of the Administrative Agent and each Lender agrees to keep confidential all non-public information provided to it by any Loan Party, the Administrative Agent or any Lender pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement that is designated by the provider thereof as confidential; provided that nothing herein shall prevent the Administrative Agent or any Lender from disclosing any such information (a) to the Administrative Agent, any other Lender or any affiliate thereof, (b) subject to an agreement to comply with the provisions of this Section 10.15 , to any actual or prospective Transferee or any direct or indirect counterparty to any Swap Agreement (or any professional advisor to such counterparty), (c) to its employees, directors, agents, attorneys, accountants and other professional advisors or those of any of its affiliates, (d) upon the request or demand of any Governmental Authority, (e) in response to any order of any court or other Governmental Authority or as may otherwise be required pursuant to any Requirement of Law, (f) if requested or required to do so in connection with any litigation or similar proceeding, (g) that has been publicly disclosed, (h) to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners or any similar organization or any nationally recognized rating agency that requires access to information about a Lender’s investment portfolio in connection with ratings issued with respect to such Lender, (i) in connection with the exercise of any remedy hereunder or under any other Loan Document, (j) if agreed by the Borrowers’ Agent in its sole discretion, to any other Person and (k) to the extent that such information (x) becomes publicly available other than as a result of a breach of this Section, or (y) becomes available to the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any of their respective affiliates on a nonconfidential basis from a source other than the MLP or any of its Affiliates.

Each Lender acknowledges that information furnished to it pursuant to this Agreement or the other Loan Documents may include material non-public information concerning the MLP and its Affiliates and their related parties or their respective securities, and confirms that it has developed compliance procedures regarding the use of material non- public information and that it will handle such material non-public information in accordance with those procedures and applicable law, including Federal and state securities laws.

All information, including requests for waivers and amendments, furnished by the MLP or the Administrative Agent pursuant to, or in the course of administering, this Agreement or the other Loan Documents will be syndicate-level information, which may contain material non-public information about the MLP and its Affiliates and their related parties or their respective securities. Accordingly, each Lender acknowledges to the MLP and the Administrative Agent that it has identified in its administrative questionnaire a credit contact who may receive information that may contain material non-public information in accordance with its compliance procedures and applicable law, including Federal and state securities laws.

 

103


10.16 WAIVERS OF JURY TRIAL . THE BORROWERS, THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT AND THE LENDERS HEREBY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVE TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL ACTION OR PROCEEDING RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT AND FOR ANY COUNTERCLAIM THEREIN.

10.17 USA Patriot Act . Each Lender hereby notifies the Borrowers that pursuant to the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)) (the “Patriot Act”), it is required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each Borrower, which information includes the name and address of each Borrower and other information that will allow such Lender to identify such Borrower in accordance with the Patriot Act.

10.18 Joint and Several Liability of the Borrowers .

(a) Each of the Borrowers is accepting joint and several liability hereunder in consideration of the Loans and Letters of Credit to be provided by the Lenders and the Administrative Agent under this Agreement, for the mutual benefit, directly and indirectly, of each of the Borrowers and in consideration of the undertakings of each of the Borrowers to accept joint and several liability for the obligations of each of them with respect to the Obligations.

(b) Each of the Borrowers jointly and severally hereby irrevocably and unconditionally accepts, not merely as a surety but also as a co-debtor, joint and several liability with the other Borrowers, with respect to the payment of all of the Obligations arising under this Agreement, it being the intention of the parties hereto that all the Obligations shall be the joint and several payment obligations of all the Borrowers without preferences or distinction among them.

(c) If and to the extent that any of the Borrowers shall fail to make any payment with respect to any of the Obligations hereunder as and when due, then in each such event the other Borrowers will make such payment with respect to such Obligation.

(d) The obligations of each Borrower under the provisions of this Section 10.18 constitute full recourse obligations of such Borrower enforceable against it to the full extent of its properties and assets, and, to the extent permitted by applicable Legal Requirements, irrespective of the validity, regularity or enforceability of this Agreement or any other circumstance whatsoever.

(e) The provisions of this Section 10.18 are made for the benefit of the Lenders and the Administrative Agent and their successors and permitted assigns, and may be enforced by them in accordance with the terms of this Agreement from time to time against any of the Borrowers as often as occasion therefor may arise and without requirement on the part of the Lenders or the Administrative Agent first to marshall any of their claims or to exercise any of

 

104


their rights against any other Borrower or to exhaust any remedies available to them against any other Borrower or to resort to any other source or means of obtaining payment of any of the obligations hereunder or to elect any other remedy. The provisions of this Section 10.18 shall remain in effect until all the obligations hereunder shall have been paid in full or otherwise fully satisfied. If at any time, any payment, or any part thereof, made in respect of any of the obligations, is rescinded or must otherwise be restored or returned by the Lenders or the Administrative Agent upon the insolvency, bankruptcy or reorganization of the Borrowers, or otherwise, the provisions of this Section 10.18 will forthwith be reinstated in effect, as though such payment had not been made.

10.19 No Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility . In connection with all aspects of each transaction contemplated hereby (including in connection with any amendment, waiver or other modification hereof or of any other Loan Document), each Borrower acknowledges and agrees, and acknowledges its Affiliates’ understanding, that: (a) (i) no fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship between the MLP and its Subsidiaries and any Joint Lead Arranger, any Agent, any Issuing Lender, the Swing line Lender or any Lender is intended to be or has been created in respect of the transactions contemplated hereby or by the other Loan Documents, irrespective of whether any Joint Lead Arranger, any Agent, any Issuing Lender, the Swing line Lender or any Lender has advised or is advising the MLP or any Subsidiary on other matters, (ii) the arranging and other services regarding this Agreement provided by the Joint Lead Arrangers, the Agents, the Issuing Lenders, the Swing line Lender and the Lenders are arm’s-length commercial transactions between the MLP and its Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Joint Lead Arrangers, the Agents, the Issuing Lenders, the Swing line Lender and the Lenders, on the other hand, (iii) the Borrowers have consulted their own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent that they have deemed appropriate and (iv) the Borrowers are capable of evaluating, and understand and accept, the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the other Loan Documents; and (b) (i) the Joint Lead Arrangers, the Agents, the Issuing Lenders, the Swing line Lender and the Lenders each is and has been acting solely as a principal and, except as expressly agreed in writing by the relevant parties, has not been, is not, and will not be acting as an advisor, agent or fiduciary for the MLP or any of its Affiliates, or any other Person; (ii) none of the Joint Lead Arrangers, the Agents, the Issuing Lenders, the Swing line Lender and the Lenders has any obligation to the MLP or any of its Affiliates with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby except those obligations expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents; and (iii) the Joint Lead Arrangers, the Agents, the Issuing Lenders, the Swing line Lender and the Lenders and their respective Affiliates may be engaged, for their own accounts or the accounts of customers, in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the MLP and its Affiliates, and none of the Joint Lead Arrangers, the Agents, the Issuing Lenders, the Swing line Lender and the Lenders has any obligation to disclose any of such interests to the MLP or its Affiliates. To the fullest extent permitted by Law, each of the Borrowers hereby waives and releases any claims that it may have against the Joint Lead Arrangers, the Agents, the Issuing Lenders, the Swing line Lender and the Lenders with respect to any breach or alleged breach of agency or fiduciary duty in connection with any aspect of any transaction contemplated hereby.

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed and delivered by their proper and duly authorized officers as of the day and year first above written.

 

SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P.
By:   SunCoke Energy Partners GP LLC
By:  

/s/ Mark E. Newman

  Name: Mark E. Newman
  Title: Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
HAVERHILL COKE COMPANY LLC
By:  

/s/ Mark E. Newman

  Name: Mark E. Newman
  Title: Treasurer & Chief Financial Officer
MIDDLETOWN COKE COMPANY, LLC
By:  

/s/ Mark E. Newman

  Name: Mark E. Newman
  Title: Treasurer & Chief Financial Officer
HAVERHILL COGENERATION COMPANY LLC
By:  

/s/ Mark E. Newman

  Name: Mark E. Newman
  Title: Treasurer & Chief Financial Officer


MIDDLETOWN COGENERATION COMPANY LLC
By:  

/s/ Mark E. Newman

  Name: Mark E. Newman
  Title: Treasurer & Chief Financial Officer


JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., as

Administrative Agent and as a Lender

By:  

/s/ Peter Predun

  Name: Peter Predun
  Title: Executive Director


BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Jonathan M. Phillips

  Name: Jonathan M. Phillips
  Title: Senior Vice President

 

109


BARCLAYS BANK PLC, as a Lender

By:

 

/s/ Ann E. Sutton

 

Name: Ann E. Sutton

 

Title: Director

 

110


CITIBANK, N.A., as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Raymond G. Dunning

  Name: Raymond G. Dunning
  Title: Vice President

 

111


CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Mikhail Faybusovich

  Name: Mikhail Faybusovich
  Title: Director
By:  

/s/ Wei-Jen Yuan

  Name: Wei-Jen Yuan
  Title: Associate

 

112


ROYAL BANK OF CANADA, as a Lender
By:  

/s/ James Disher

  Name: James Disher
  Title: Authorized Signatory

 

113


THE ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND plc, as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Brian D. Williams

  Name: Brian D. Williams
  Title: Authorised Signatory

 

114


GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA, as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Mark Walton

  Name: Mark Walton
  Title: Authorized Signatory

 

115


BRANCH BANKING AND TRUST COMPANY, as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Eric Searls

  Name: Eric Searls
  Title: Senior Vice President

 

116


Credit Agreement Schedules

SCHEDULES:

 

1.1A    Revolving Commitments
1.1B    Mortgaged Property
4.15    Subsidiaries
7.2(d)    Existing Indebtedness
7.3    Existing Liens
7.8    Existing Investments


SCHEDULE 1.1A

Revolving Commitments

 

JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.

   $ 16,500,000   

Bank of America, N.A.

   $ 16,500,000   

Barclays Bank PLC

   $ 16,500,000   

Citibank, N.A.

   $ 16,500,000   

Credit Suisse AG, Cayman Islands Branch

   $ 10,000,000   

Royal Bank of Canada

   $ 6,000,000   

The Royal Bank of Scotland plc

   $ 6,000,000   

Goldman Sachs Bank USA

   $ 6,000,000   

Branch Banking and Trust Company

   $ 6,000,000   
  

 

 

 

Total

   $ 100,000,000   


SCHEDULE 1.1B

Mortgaged Property

OHIO

 

Owner & Address

 

TAX ID Number

 

County

   

2012 Tax Year

 

2013 Tax Year

   

Middletown Coke Company, LLC

3353 Yankee Road

Middletown, OH 45044

 

Q6542084000002

Q6542084000003

Q6542084000004

Q6542061000025

Q6542061000032

Q6542119000051

Q6542113000011

Q6542084000060

 

Q6542084000002

Q6542084000003

Q6542084000004

Q6542061000025

Q6542084000065

  Butler, OH

Middletown Cogeneration Company LLC

3353 Yankee Road

Middletown, OH 45044

    Q6542084000066   Butler, OH

Haverhill Coke Company LLC

2446 Gallia Pike

Franklin Furnace, OH 45629

 

06.1018.001

06.1057.000

 

06.1018.001

06.1057.000

  Scioto, OH

Haverhill Cogeneration Company LLC

2446 Gallia Pike

Franklin Furnace, OH 45629

    06.1057.002   Scioto, OH


SCHEDULE 4.15

Subsidiaries

 

Subsidiary

  

Jurisdiction of Incorporation

Haverhill Coke Company LLC

   Delaware

Middletown Coke Company, LLC

   Delaware

Haverhill Cogeneration Company LLC

   Delaware

Middletown Cogeneration Company LLC

   Delaware

SunCoke Energy Partners Finance Corp.

   Delaware


SCHEDULE 7.2(d)

Existing Indebtedness

None.


SCHEDULE 7.3

Existing Liens

None.

 

Debtor

 

Secured

Party/Mortgagor

 

Filing

Location

 

Document

 

Filing No. &

Date

 

Collateral Description/Amendment
Description

Haverhill North Coke Company

  Wells Fargo Equipment Finance, Inc.   Delaware SOS   UCC-1   #2011 3222166; 08/18/2011   Equipment lease

Middletown Coke Company, LLC

  General Electric Credit Corporation of Tennessee   Delaware SOS   UCC-1   #2012 1712118; 05/02/2012   Equipment lease


SCHEDULE 7.8

Existing Investments

Equity Interests

None.

Loan

None.

Exhibit 99.1

LOGO

SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P. Prices Senior Notes Offering

LISLE, Ill.—(BUSINESS WIRE)— Jan. 18, 2013— SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the Partnership) (NYSE: SXCP) announced today that the Partnership and its wholly-owned subsidiary, SunCoke Energy Partners Finance Corp. (the co-issuer), has priced an offer to sell $150 million in aggregate principal amount of 7.375% senior unsecured notes due 2020 (the notes) in a private placement to eligible purchasers. The notes offering is expected to close on or about January 24, 2013 in connection with the closing of the Partnership’s initial public offering of common units representing limited partner interests in the Partnership.

Each of the Partnership’s existing subsidiaries (other than the co-issuer) and certain future subsidiaries will guarantee the notes.

The securities to be offered have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “Securities Act”), or any state securities laws, and unless so registered, the securities may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. The Partnership plans to offer and issue the notes only to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act and to persons outside the United States pursuant to Regulation S.

This press release is being issued pursuant to Rule 135c under the Securities Act, and is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy the notes or any other securities and shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a sale of, the notes or any other securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale is unlawful.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Disclosures in this press release contain certain forward-looking statements. Statements that do not relate strictly to historical or current facts are forward-looking. These statements involve risks and uncertainties including, among others, that our business plans may change as circumstances warrant and securities of the Partnership may not ultimately be offered to the public because of general market conditions or other factors.

Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results.

Source: SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P.

Investors:

Ryan Osterholm: 630-824-1987

or

Media:

Anna Rozenich: 630-824-1945

Exhibit 99.2

LOGO

SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P Prices Initial Public Offering

LISLE, Ill.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Jan. 18, 2013— SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the Partnership) (NYSE: SXCP) announced today that it has priced its initial public offering (IPO) of 13,500,000 common units representing limited partner interests at $19.00 per common unit. The common units are expected to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “SXCP” on January 18, 2013. The offering is expected to close on January 24, 2013, subject to customary closing conditions. The Partnership has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 2,025,000 common units to cover over-allotments, if any.

Upon conclusion of the offering, the public ownership will represent a 43.0 percent limited partner interest in the Partnership, or a 49.4 percent limited partner interest if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional common units in full. SunCoke Energy, Inc., through certain of its subsidiaries, will hold a 2.0 percent general partner interest and the remaining limited partner interest in the Partnership.

Barclays Capital Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering. Evercore Group L.L.C., Goldman, Sachs & Co., RBC Capital Markets, LLC and UBS Securities are acting as co-managers for the offering.

The offering of these securities is being made only by means of a prospectus filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A written prospectus, which meets the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, may be obtained from:

 

Barclays

c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions

1155 Long Island Avenue

Edgewood, NY 11717

Telephone: 1-888-603-5847

barclaysprospectus@broadridge.com

  

BofA Merrill Lynch

222 Broadway, 7thFloor

New York, NY 10038

Attention: Prospectus Department dg.prospectus_requests@baml.com

Citigroup

Brooklyn Army Terminal Financial

Attention: Prospectus Dept.

140 58th Street, 8th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11220

Telephone: 1-800-831-9146

batprospectusdept@citi.com

  

Credit Suisse

Attention: Prospectus Department

One Madison Avenue

New York, NY 10010

Telephone: 1-800-221-1037

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

via Broadridge Financial Solutions

1155 Long Island Avenue Edgewood, NY 11717

Telephone: 1-866-803-9204

  

The registration statement may be obtained free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov under the registrant’s name, “SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P.”


IMPORTANT INFORMATION

A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with, and declared effective by, the SEC. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

ABOUT SUNCOKE ENERGY PARTNERS, L.P.

SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: SXCP) is a publicly traded master limited partnership, which manufactures metallurgical coke used in the blast furnace production of steel. Our advanced, heat recovery cokemaking process produces consistently high-quality coke, captures waste heat to generate steam or electricity, and reduces environmental impacts. We are sponsored by SunCoke Energy, Inc. (NYSE: SXC), the largest independent producer of metallurgical coke in the Americas, with more than 50 years of cokemaking experience and an international reputation for leadership, innovation and environmental stewardship in our industry.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Disclosures in this press release contain certain forward-looking statements. Statements that do not relate strictly to historical or current facts are forward-looking. These statements involve risks and uncertainties including, among others, that our business plans may change as circumstances warrant and securities of the Partnership may not ultimately be offered to the public because of general market conditions or other factors.

Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results.

Source: SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P.

Investors:

Ryan Osterholm: 630-824-1987

or

Media:

Anna Rozenich: 630-824-1945