As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 6, 2015

Registration No. 333-198440

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 1

TO

FORM S-4

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

Sanchez Production Partners LP

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   1311   11-3742489

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(Primary Standard Industrial

Classification Code Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

1000 Main Street, Suite 3000

Houston, Texas 77002

(713) 783-8000

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

Stephen R. Brunner

President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer

Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC

1000 Main Street, Suite 3000

Houston, Texas 77002

(713) 783-8000

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code of agent for service)

 

 

Copies to:

G. Michael O’Leary

Scott L. Olson

Andrews Kurth LLP

600 Travis, Suite 4200

Houston, Texas 77002

(713) 220-4200

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale of the securities to the public : Not applicable.

If the securities being registered on this form are being offered in connection with the formation of a holding company and there is compliance with General Instruction G, check the following box.   ¨

If this form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.   ¨

If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.   ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer   ¨    Accelerated filer   ¨
Non-accelerated filer   ¨   (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)    Smaller reporting company   x

If applicable, place an X in the box to designate the appropriate rule provision relied upon in conducting this transaction:

Exchange Act Rule 13e-4(i) (Cross-Border Issuer Tender Offer)   ¨

Exchange Act Rule 14d-1(d) (Cross-Border Third-Party Tender Offer)   ¨

 

 

 


EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-198440) (the “Registration Statement”) is being filed pursuant to Rule 414 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), by Sanchez Production Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“Sanchez LP”), as the successor issuer to Sanchez Production Partners LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Sanchez LLC”), following the statutory conversion of Sanchez LLC from a limited liability company to a limited partnership. Pursuant to the conversion, each common unit of Sanchez LLC was converted into one common unit of Sanchez LP.

Sanchez LP expressly adopts the Registration Statement as its own registration statement for all purposes under the Securities Act and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The securities registered under the Registration Statement may include newly issued securities, securities held in treasury by Sanchez LP or securities held by Sanchez LP’s subsidiaries.

PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

 

Item 20. Indemnification of Directors and Officers

Sanchez LP

Subject to any terms, conditions or restrictions set forth in the agreement of limited partnership of Sanchez LP, Section 17-108 of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act empowers a Delaware limited partnership to indemnify and hold harmless any partner or other person from and against any and all claims and demands whatsoever. Sanchez LP will generally indemnify officers, directors and affiliates of its general partner to the fullest extent permitted by the law against all losses, claims, damages or similar events.

Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC

Subject to any terms, conditions or restrictions set forth in the limited liability company agreement of Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC, Sanchez LP’s general partner, Section 18-108 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act empowers a Delaware limited liability company to indemnify and hold harmless any member or manager or other person from and against any and all claims and demands whatsoever.

Under the limited liability agreement of our general partner, in most circumstances, Sanchez LP’s general partner will indemnify the following persons, to the fullest extent permitted by law, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, joint or several, expenses (including reasonable legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements and other amounts arising from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative:

 

    any person who is or was an affiliate of Sanchez LP’s general partner;

 

    any person who is or was a member, director, officer, fiduciary or trustee of Sanchez LP’s general partner;

 

    any person who is or was an officer, member, partner, director, employee, agent or trustee of Sanchez LP’s general partner or any affiliate of Sanchez LP’s general partner, or any affiliate of any such person;

 

    any person who is or was serving at the request of Sanchez LP’s general partner or any affiliate of Sanchez LP’s general partner as a director, officer, employee, member, partner, agent, fiduciary or trustee of another person (provided, that such person is not providing, on a fee-for-services basis, trustee, fiduciary or custodial services); and

 

    any person designated by Sanchez LP’s general partner.

 

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Sanchez LP’s general partner will purchase insurance covering its officers and directors against liabilities asserted and expenses incurred in connection with their activities as officers and directors of Sanchez LP’s general partner or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, the registrant has been informed that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

 

Item 21. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

 

(a) Exhibits

 

  2.1 Plan of Conversion (incorporated by reference to Annex A to Sanchez Production Partners LLC’s Amendment No. 7 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-198440) filed on January 26, 2015)
  4.1* Certificate of Conversion of Sanchez Production Partners LLC
  4.2* Certificate of Limited Partnership of Sanchez Production Partners LP
  4.3* Agreement of Limited Partnership of Sanchez Production Partners LP
  4.4* Certificate of Formation of Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC
  4.5* Limited Liability Company Agreement of Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC
  4.6* Sanchez Production Partners LP Long-Term Incentive Plan
  5.1 Opinion of Andrews Kurth LLP as to the legality of the securities (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 5.1 to Sanchez Production Partners LLC’s Amendment No. 2 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-198440) filed on September 26, 2014)
  8.1 Tax Opinion of Andrews Kurth LLP (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 8.1 to Sanchez Production Partners LLC’s Amendment No. 2 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-198440) filed on September 26, 2014)
23.1* Consent of KPMG LLP
23.2* Consent of Andrews Kurth LLP (included in opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1)
23.3* Consent of Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc.

 

* Filed herewith

 

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Item 22. Undertakings

 

(1) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes to file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: (i) to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”); (ii) to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement (notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement); and (iii) to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement.

 

(2) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(3) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes to remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

 

(4) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement will be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time will be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(5) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes as follows: that prior to any public reoffering of the securities registered hereunder through use of a proxy statement/prospectus which is a part of this registration statement, by any person or party who is deemed to be an underwriter within the meaning of Rule 145(c), the issuer undertakes that such reoffering proxy statement/prospectus will contain the information called for by the applicable registration form with respect to reofferings by persons who may be deemed underwriters, in addition to the information called for by the other Items of the applicable form.

 

(6) The Registrant undertakes that every prospectus (1) that is filed pursuant to the immediately preceding paragraph, or (2) that purports to meet the requirements of Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act and is used in connection with an offering of securities subject to Rule 415, will be filed as a part of an amendment to the registration statement and will not be used until such amendment is effective, and that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment will be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time will be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(7) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes to respond to requests for information that is incorporated by reference into the proxy statement/prospectus pursuant to Items 4, 10(b), 11 or 13 of this registration statement on Form S-4, within one business day of receipt of such request, and to send the incorporated documents by first class mail or other equally prompt means. This includes information contained in documents filed subsequent to the effective date of the registration statement through the date of responding to the request.

 

(8) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes to supply by means of a post-effective amendment all information concerning a transaction, and the company being acquired involved therein, that was not the subject of and included in the registration statement when it became effective.

 

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(9) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to deliver or cause to be delivered with the prospectus, to each person to whom the prospectus is sent or given, the latest annual report to security holders that is incorporated by reference in the prospectus and furnished pursuant to and meeting the requirements of Rule 14a-3 or Rule 14c-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and, where interim financial information required to be presented by Article 3 of Regulation S-X are not set forth in the prospectus, to deliver, or cause to be delivered to each person to whom the prospectus is sent or given, the latest quarterly report that is specifically incorporated by reference in the prospectus to provide such interim financial information.

 

(10) The registrant undertakes to send to each limited partner at least on an annual basis a detailed statement of any transactions with the General Partner or its affiliates, and of fees, commissions, compensation and other benefits paid, or accrued to the General Partner or its affiliates for the fiscal year completed, showing the amount paid or accrued to each recipient and the services performed.

 

(11) The registrant undertakes to provide to the limited partners the financial statements required by Form 10-K for the first full fiscal year of operations of the partnership.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, the Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Houston, Texas, on the 6th day of March, 2015.

 

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP
By:   Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC,
  its general partner
By:  

/s/ Stephen R. Brunner

Name:   Stephen R. Brunner
Title:   President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and the dates indicated.

 

Signature

  

Title

 

Date

/s/ Stephen R. Brunner

Stephen R. Brunner

  

President, Chief Executive Officer and

Chief Operating Officer

(Principal Executive Officer)

  March 6, 2015

/s/ Charles C. Ward

Charles C. Ward

  

Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and

Secretary

(Principal Financial Officer and

Principal Accounting Officer)

  March 6, 2015

/s/ Alan S. Bigman

Alan S. Bigman

   Director   March 6, 2015

/s/ Richard S. Langdon

Richard S. Langdon

   Director   March 6, 2015

/s/ G. M. Byrd Larberg

G. M. Byrd Larberg

   Director   March 6, 2015

/s/ Antonio R. Sanchez, III

Antonio R. Sanchez, III

   Director   March 6, 2015

/s/ Gerald P. Willinger

Gerald P. Willinger

   Director   March 6, 2015

 

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EXHIBIT INDEX

 

  2.1 Plan of Conversion (incorporated by reference to Annex A to Sanchez Production Partners LLC’s Amendment No. 7 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-198440) filed on January 26, 2015)
  4.1* Certificate of Conversion of Sanchez Production Partners LLC
  4.2* Certificate of Limited Partnership of Sanchez Production Partners LP
  4.3* Agreement of Limited Partnership of Sanchez Production Partners LP
  4.4* Certificate of Formation of Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC
  4.5* Limited Liability Company Agreement of Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC
  4.6* Sanchez Production Partners LP Long-Term Incentive Plan
  5.1 Opinion of Andrews Kurth LLP as to the legality of the securities (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 5.1 to Sanchez Production Partners LLC’s Amendment No. 2 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-198440) filed on September 26, 2014)
  8.1 Tax Opinion of Andrews Kurth LLP (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 8.1 to Sanchez Production Partners LLC’s Amendment No. 2 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-198440) filed on September 26, 2014)
23.1* Consent of KPMG LLP
23.2* Consent of Andrews Kurth LLP (included in opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1)
23.3* Consent of Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc.

 

* Filed herewith

 

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Exhibit 4.1

CERTIFICATE OF CONVERSION

CONVERTING

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LLC

(A Delaware Limited Liability Company)

TO

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP

(A Delaware Limited Partnership)

Pursuant to Section 17-217 of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act,

6 Del.   C. §§ 17-101 et seq. (the “Delaware LP Act”)

This Certificate of Conversion is being filed for the purpose of converting Sanchez Production Partners LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Converting Entity”), to a Delaware limited partnership to be named “Sanchez Production Partners LP” (the “Limited Partnership”).

The undersigned, being an authorized person of the Converting Entity, does hereby certify as follows:

 

1. Date and Jurisdiction of Formation of Converting Entity . The date the Converting Entity was first formed is February 7, 2005, and the jurisdiction where the Converting Entity was first formed, which jurisdiction has not changed, is Delaware.

 

2. Name and Type of Converting Entity . The name of the Converting Entity when first formed is “CBM Equity IV, LLC” and immediately prior to filing this Certificate of Conversion is “Sanchez Production Partners LLC”. The Converting Entity was a Delaware limited liability company immediately prior to filing this Certificate of Conversion.

 

3. Name of Continuing Limited Partnership . The name of the Delaware limited partnership to which the Converting Entity is being converted and the name set forth in the Certificate of Limited Partnership of the Limited Partnership filed in accordance with Section 17-217(b) of the Delaware LP Act is “Sanchez Production Partners LP”.

 

4. Effective Time . This Certificate of Conversion shall become effective on March 6, 2015, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, being an authorized person of the Converting Entity, has duly executed this Certificate of Conversion as of March 6, 2015.

 

/s/ Charles C. Ward

Name:

Title:

Charles C. Ward

Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer & Secretary

Exhibit 4.2

CERTIFICATE OF

LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

OF

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP

This Certificate of Limited Partnership of Sanchez Production Partners LP (the “Partnership”) is being filed pursuant to Section 17-201 of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, 6 Del.   C . §§ 17-101 et seq. , in connection with the conversion of Sanchez Production Partners LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, to a Delaware limited partnership.

The undersigned, being the sole general partner of the Partnership, does hereby certify as follows:

 

  1. The name of the Partnership is: Sanchez Production Partners LP.

 

  2. The address of the Registered Office of the Partnership in Delaware is 2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400, Wilmington, Delaware 19808. The Partnership’s Registered Agent at that address is Corporation Service Company.

 

  3. The name and business address of the sole general partner is:

Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC

1000 Main Street, Suite 3000

Houston, Texas 77002

 

  4. This Certificate shall become effective on March 6, 2015, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

In witness whereof, the undersigned, being the sole general partner of the Partnership, has executed this Certificate of Limited Partnership as of the 6th day of March, 2015.

 

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS GP LLC
By:

/s/ Charles C. Ward

Name: Charles C. Ward
Title: Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer & Secretary

Exhibit 4.3

AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

OF

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

         Page  
ARTICLE I   
DEFINITIONS   

Section 1.1

 

Definitions

     1   

Section 1.2

 

Construction

     21   
ARTICLE II   
ORGANIZATION   

Section 2.1

 

Formation

     22   

Section 2.2

 

Name

     22   

Section 2.3

 

Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices

     22   

Section 2.4

 

Purpose and Business

     22   

Section 2.5

 

Powers

     23   

Section 2.6

 

Term

     23   

Section 2.7

 

Title to Partnership Assets

     23   
ARTICLE III   
RIGHTS OF LIMITED PARTNERS   

Section 3.1

 

Limitation of Liability

     23   

Section 3.2

 

Management of Business

     24   

Section 3.3

 

Outside Activities of the Limited Partners

     24   

Section 3.4

 

Rights of Limited Partners

     24   
ARTICLE IV   
CERTIFICATES; RECORD HOLDERS; TRANSFER OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS; REDEMPTION OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS    

Section 4.1

 

Certificates

     25   

Section 4.2

 

Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates

     25   

Section 4.3

 

Record Holders

     26   

Section 4.4

 

Transfer Generally

     26   

Section 4.5

 

Registration and Transfer of Limited Partner Interests

     27   

Section 4.6

 

Transfer of the General Partner’s General Partner Interest

     28   

Section 4.7

 

Restrictions on Transfers

     28   

Section 4.8

 

Eligibility Certificates; Ineligible Holders

     29   

Section 4.9

 

Redemption of Partnership Interests of Ineligible Holders

     30   
ARTICLE V   
CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND ISSUANCE OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS   

Section 5.1

 

Organizational Contributions

     32   

Section 5.2

 

Interest and Withdrawal

     32   

Section 5.3

 

Capital Accounts

     32   

Section 5.4

 

Issuances of Additional Partnership Interests

     35   

Section 5.5

 

Limited Preemptive Right

     36   

Section 5.6

 

Splits and Combinations

     36   

 

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Section 5.7

Fully Paid and Non-Assessable Nature of Limited Partner Interests

  37   

Section 5.8

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

  37   
ARTICLE VI   
ALLOCATIONS AND DISTRIBUTIONS   

Section 6.1

Allocations for Capital Account Purposes

  39   

Section 6.2

Allocations for Tax Purposes

  47   

Section 6.3

Distributions; Characterization of Distributions; Distributions to Record Holders

  49   

Section 6.4

Distributions from Operating Surplus

  50   

Section 6.5

Distributions from Capital Surplus

  51   

Section 6.6

Adjustment of Target Distribution Levels

  51   

Section 6.7

Special Provisions Relating to the Holders of IDR Reset Common Units

  51   

Section 6.8

Entity-Level Taxation

  51   
ARTICLE VII   
MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF BUSINESS   

Section 7.1

Management

  52   

Section 7.2

Replacement of Fiduciary Duties

  54   

Section 7.3

Certificate of Limited Partnership

  55   

Section 7.4

Restrictions on the General Partner’s Authority

  55   

Section 7.5

Reimbursement of the General Partner

  55   

Section 7.6

Outside Activities

  56   

Section 7.7

Indemnification

  57   

Section 7.8

Liability of Indemnitees

  59   

Section 7.9

Standards of Conduct and Modification of Duties

  60   

Section 7.10

Other Matters Concerning the General Partner and Indemnitees

  63   

Section 7.11

Purchase or Sale of Partnership Interests

  63   

Section 7.12

Registration Rights of the General Partner and its Affiliates

  64   

Section 7.13

Reliance by Third Parties

  66   
ARTICLE VIII   
BOOKS, RECORDS, ACCOUNTING AND REPORTS   

Section 8.1

Records and Accounting

  67   

Section 8.2

Fiscal Year

  67   

Section 8.3

Reports

  67   
ARTICLE IX   
TAX MATTERS   

Section 9.1

Tax Returns and Information

  68   

Section 9.2

Tax Elections

  68   

Section 9.3

Tax Controversies

  68   

Section 9.4

Withholding; Tax Payments

  68   

 

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ARTICLE X   
ADMISSION OF PARTNERS   

Section 10.1

Admission of Limited Partners

  69   

Section 10.2

Admission of Successor General Partner

  69   

Section 10.3

Amendment of Agreement and Certificate of Limited Partnership

  70   
ARTICLE XI   
WITHDRAWAL OR REMOVAL OF PARTNERS   

Section 11.1

Withdrawal of the General Partner

  70   

Section 11.2

Removal of the General Partner

  72   

Section 11.3

Interest of Departing General Partner and Successor General Partner

  72   

Section 11.4

Withdrawal of Limited Partners

  74   
ARTICLE XII   
DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION   

Section 12.1

Dissolution

  74   

Section 12.2

Continuation of the Business of the Partnership After Dissolution

  74   

Section 12.3

Liquidator

  75   

Section 12.4

Liquidation

  76   

Section 12.5

Cancellation of Certificate of Limited Partnership

  76   

Section 12.6

Return of Contributions

  76   

Section 12.7

Waiver of Partition

  76   

Section 12.8

Capital Account Restoration

  76   
ARTICLE XIII   
AMENDMENT OF PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT; MEETINGS; RECORD DATE   

Section 13.1

Amendments to be Adopted Solely by the General Partner

  77   

Section 13.2

Amendment Procedures

  78   

Section 13.3

Amendment Requirements

  79   

Section 13.4

Special Meetings

  80   

Section 13.5

Notice of a Meeting

  80   

Section 13.6

Record Date

  80   

Section 13.7

Adjournment

  80   

Section 13.8

Waiver of Notice; Approval of Meeting; Approval of Minutes

  81   

Section 13.9

Quorum and Voting

  81   

Section 13.10

Conduct of a Meeting

  81   

Section 13.11

Action Without a Meeting

  82   

Section 13.12

Right to Vote and Related Matters

  83   

Section 13.13

Voting of Incentive Distribution Rights

  83   
ARTICLE XIV   
MERGER OR CONSOLIDATION   

Section 14.1

Authority

  84   

Section 14.2

Procedure for Merger or Consolidation

  84   

Section 14.3

Approval by Limited Partners

  85   

Section 14.4

Certificate of Merger

  86   

Section 14.5

Effect of Merger or Consolidation

  86   

 

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ARTICLE XV   
RIGHT TO ACQUIRE LIMITED PARTNER INTERESTS   

Section 15.1

Right to Acquire Limited Partner Interests

  87   
ARTICLE XVI   
GENERAL PROVISIONS   

Section 16.1

Addresses and Notices; Written Communications

  88   

Section 16.2

Further Action

  89   

Section 16.3

Binding Effect

  89   

Section 16.4

Integration

  89   

Section 16.5

Creditors

  89   

Section 16.6

Waiver

  89   

Section 16.7

Third-Party Beneficiaries

  89   

Section 16.8

Counterparts

  90   

Section 16.9

Applicable Law; Forum, Venue and Jurisdiction

  90   

Section 16.10

Invalidity of Provisions

  91   

Section 16.11

Consent of Partners

  91   

Section 16.12

Facsimile and Email Signatures

  91   

 

-iv-


AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP OF

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP

This AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP OF SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP dated as of March 6, 2015, is entered into by and between Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, as the General Partner, and 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

Section 1.1 Definitions . The following definitions shall be for all purposes, unless otherwise clearly indicated to the contrary, applied to the terms used in this Agreement.

Additional Book Basis ” means, with respect to any Adjusted Property, the portion of the Carrying Value of such Adjusted Property that is attributable to positive adjustments made to such Carrying Value as determined in accordance with the provisions set forth below in this definition of Additional Book Basis. For purposes of determining the extent to which 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 , however , 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 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; provided that the provisions of the immediately preceding sentence shall apply to the determination of the Additional Book Basis Derivative Items attributable to Disposed of Adjusted Property.

Adjusted Capital Account ” means, with respect to any Partner, the balance in such Partner’s Capital Account at the end of each taxable period of the Partnership after giving effect to the following adjustments: (a) credit to such Capital Account any amount which such Partner is (i) obligated to restore under the standards set by Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(c) or (ii) deemed obligated to restore pursuant to the penultimate sentences of Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(g)(1) and 1.704-2(i)(5)) and (b) debit to such Capital Account the items described in Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4), 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(5) and 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(6). 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 Property ” means any property the Carrying Value of which has been adjusted pursuant to Section 5.3(d).

Advisers ” is defined in Section 7.10(b).

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 5.8(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 (a) a Contributed Property means the fair market value of such property at the time of contribution and (b) an Adjusted Property means the fair market value of such Adjusted Property on the date of the Revaluation Event, in both cases as determined by the General Partner. The General Partner shall use such method as it determines to be appropriate to allocate the aggregate Agreed Value of Contributed Properties contributed to the Partnership in a single or integrated transaction among each separate property on a basis proportional to the fair market value of each Contributed Property.

Agreement ” means this Agreement of Limited Partnership of Sanchez Production Partners LP, as it may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

 

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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, member, 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.

Available Cash ” means, with respect to any Quarter ending prior to the Liquidation Date:

(a) the sum of:

(i) all cash and cash equivalents of the Partnership Group (or the Partnership’s proportionate share of cash and cash equivalents in the case of Subsidiaries that are not wholly owned) on hand at the end of such Quarter; and

(ii) if the General Partner so determines, all or any portion of additional cash and cash equivalents of the Partnership Group (or the Partnership’s proportionate share of cash and cash equivalents in the case of Subsidiaries that are not wholly owned) on hand on the date of determination of Available Cash with respect to such Quarter resulting from Working Capital Borrowings made subsequent to the end of such Quarter, less;

(b) the amount of any 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:

(i) provide for the proper conduct of the business of the Partnership Group (including cash reserves for future capital expenditures and for anticipated future debt service requirements of the Partnership Group) subsequent to such Quarter;

(ii) comply with applicable law or any loan agreement, security agreement, mortgage, debt instrument or other agreement or obligation to which any Group Member is a party or by which it is bound or its assets are subject; or

(iii) provide funds for distributions under Section 6.4 or Section 6.5 in respect of any one or more of the next four Quarters;

provided, however, that the General Partner may not establish cash reserves pursuant to subclause (iii) above if the effect of such reserves would be that the Partnership is unable to distribute the Minimum Quarterly Distribution on all Common Units with respect to such Quarter; and, provided further , that disbursements made by a Group Member or cash reserves established, increased or reduced after the end of such Quarter but on or before the date of determination of Available Cash with respect to such Quarter shall be deemed to have been made, established, increased or reduced, for purposes of determining Available Cash, within such Quarter if the General Partner so determines.

 

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Notwithstanding the foregoing, “ Available Cash ” with respect to the Quarter in which the Liquidation Date occurs and any subsequent Quarter shall equal zero.

Board of Directors ” means, with respect to the General Partner, its board of directors or managers, as applicable, if a corporation or limited liability company. If any successor General Partner is a limited partnership, and its general partner is a corporation or limited liability company, the “Board of Directors” shall mean the board of directors or board of managers of the general partner 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).

Book-Down Event ” means a Revaluation Event that gives rise to a Net Termination Loss.

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 5.3 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 a Revaluation Event that gives rise to a Net Termination Gain.

Business Day ” means Monday through Friday of each week, except that a legal holiday recognized as such by the government of the United States of America or the States of New York or Texas shall not be regarded as a Business Day.

Capital Account ” means the capital account maintained for a Partner pursuant to Section 5.3. 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 contributed or contributes to the Partnership or that was or 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) replacement, improvement, addition or expansion of capital assets owned by any Group Member, (b) acquisition of existing or new capital assets (through an asset acquisition, merger, stock acquisition or other form of investment) or construction or development of new capital assets by any Group Member, or (c) capital contribution by a Group Member to a Person that is not a Subsidiary in which a Group Member

 

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had or has, or after such capital contribution had or will have, directly or indirectly, an equity interest, to fund such Group Member’s pro rata share of the cost of any replacement, improvement, addition or expansion of capital assets or acquisition of existing or new capital assets or construction or development of new capital assets, by such Person, in each case if and to the extent such replacement, improvement, addition, expansion, acquisition, construction or development is made to increase over the long-term, the operating capacity, operating income or asset base of the Partnership Group, in the case of clauses (a) and (b), or such Person, in the case of clause (c), from the operating capacity, operating income or asset base of the Partnership Group or such Person, as the case may be, existing immediately prior to such replacement, improvement, addition, expansion, acquisition, construction, development or Capital Contribution.

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

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, Simulated Depletion, amortization and other 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 Carrying Value of any property shall be adjusted from time to time in accordance with Section 5.3(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.

Citizenship Eligibility Trigger ” is defined in Section 4.8(a)(ii).

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

Class A Units ” means “Class A Units” as defined in that certain Second Amended and Restated Operating Agreement, dated as of November 20, 2006, as amended, of SPP LLC.

 

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Class Z Units ” means “Class Z Units” as defined in that certain Second Amended and Restated Operating Agreement, dated as of November 20, 2006, as amended, of SPP LLC.

Closing Date ” means November 20, 2006, which is the first date on which SPP LLC issued and delivered Predecessor Units.

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.

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).

Commercial Service Commencement Date ” means the date on which a Capital Improvement or capital asset, as applicable, was or is first put into commercial service by a Group Member following, if applicable, completion of construction, acquisition or development and testing, 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.

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.

 

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Contributed Property ” means each property or other asset, in such form as may be permitted by the Delaware Act, but excluding cash, contributed to the Partnership. Once the Carrying Value of a Contributed Property is adjusted pursuant to Section 5.3(d), such property or other assets shall no longer constitute a Contributed Property, but shall be deemed an Adjusted Property.

Conversion Date ” means the effective date and time of the conversion of SPP LLC from a limited liability company to the Partnership.

Converted Units ” means “Class A Units” as defined in that certain Second Amended and Restated Operating Agreement, dated as of November 20, 2006, as amended, of SPP LLC.

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.

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 Section 11.2.

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

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

Eligibility Certificate ” is defined in Section 4.8(b).

Eligible Holder ” means a Person that satisfies the eligibility requirements established by the General Partner for Partners pursuant to Section 4.8.

Estimated Incremental Quarterly Tax Amount ” is defined in Section 6.8.

Estimated Maintenance Capital Expenditures ” means an estimate made in good faith by the Board of Directors of the average quarterly Maintenance Capital Expenditures that the Partnership will need to incur to maintain, over the long-term, the operating capacity, operating income or asset base of the Partnership Group existing at the time the estimate is made. The Board of Directors 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

 

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likely to result in a material adjustment to the amount of future Estimated Maintenance Capital Expenditures. The Partnership shall disclose to its Partners any change in the amount of Estimated Maintenance Capital Expenditures in its reports made in accordance with Section 8.3 to the extent not previously disclosed. Any adjustments to Estimated Maintenance Capital Expenditures shall be prospective only.

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

Event Issue Value ” means, with respect to any Common Unit as of any date of determination, (i) in the case of a Revaluation Event that includes the issuance of Common Units pursuant to a public offering and solely for cash, the price paid for such Common Units, or (ii) in the case of any other Revaluation Event, the Closing Price of the Common Units on the date of such Revaluation Event or, if the General Partner determines that a value for the Common Unit other than such Closing Price more accurately reflects the Event Issue Value, the value determined by the General Partner.

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 Maintenance Capital Expenditures or Investment 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 entered or enters into a binding obligation to commence construction of a Capital Improvement and ending on the earlier to occur of (i) the Commercial Service Commencement Date for such Capital Improvement 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. If capital expenditures are made in part for Expansion Capital Expenditures and in part for other purposes, the General Partner shall determine the allocation of such capital expenditures between the amounts paid for each.

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

First Target Distribution ” means $0.0575 per Unit per Quarter (or, with respect to periods of more or less than one 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 5.8, Section 6.6 and Section 6.8.

 

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General Partner ” means Sanchez Production 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 non-economic management interest of the General Partner in the Partnership (in its capacity as a general partner and without any 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. The General Partner Interest does not include any rights to ownership or profits or losses or any rights to receive distributions from operations or upon the liquidation or winding-up of the Partnership.

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.

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 5.8(a).

IDR Reset Election ” is defined in Section 5.8(a).

 

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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 6.8.

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” 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.

Ineligible Holder ” is defined in Section 4.8(c).

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

Initial Offering ” means the initial offering and sale of Predecessor Units to the public.

Initial Unit Price ” means (a) with respect to the Common Units, the initial public offering price per Predecessor Unit at which they were sold on the Closing Date 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 and (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.

 

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Investment Capital Expenditures ” means capital expenditures other than Maintenance 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 Person who holds Predecessor Units or Converted Units on the Conversion Date, 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.

Limited Partner Interest ” means the ownership interest of a Limited Partner in the Partnership, which may be evidenced by Common 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 Partnership, as may be amended, or any equity compensation plan successor thereto.

Maintenance Capital Expenditures ” means cash expenditures (including expenditures for the replacement, improvement, addition or expansion of the capital assets owned by any Group Member or for the acquisition of existing or new capital assets or the construction or development of new capital assets) by a Group Member if such expenditures are made to maintain, over the long-term, the operating capacity, operating income or asset base of the Partnership Group.

Member ” means “Member” as defined in that certain Second Amended and Restated Operating Agreement, dated as of November 20, 2006, as amended, of SPP LLC.

Member Interest ” means “Member Interest” as defined in that certain Second Amended and Restated Operating Agreement, dated as of November 20, 2006, as amended, of SPP LLC.

Merger Agreement ” is defined in Section 14.1.

 

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Minimum Quarterly Distribution ” means $0.05 per Unit per Quarter (or with respect to periods of more or 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 5.8, Section 6.6 and Section 6.8.

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 5.3(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.

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 5.3 and shall include Simulated Gain but shall not include any items specially allocated under Section 6.1(d) or Section 6.1(e); provided , that the determination of the items that have been specially allocated under Section 6.1(d) or Section 6.1(e) shall be made without regard to any reversal of such items under Section 6.1(d)(xiii).

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 5.3 and shall include Simulated Gain but shall not include any items specially allocated under Section 6.1(d) or Section 6.1(e); provided , that the determination of the items that have been specially allocated under Section 6.1(d) or Section 6.1(e) shall be made without regard to any reversal of such items under Section 6.1(d)(xiii).

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.

 

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Net Termination Gain ” means, for any taxable period, (a) the sum, if positive, of all items of income, gain, loss or deduction (determined in accordance with Section 5.3) that are recognized by the Partnership (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) the excess, if any, of the aggregate amount of Unrealized Gain over the aggregate amount of Unrealized Loss deemed recognized by the Partnership pursuant to Section 5.3(d) on the date of a Revaluation Event; provided , however , that the items included in the determination of Net Termination Gain shall include Simulated Gain, but shall not include any items of income, gain or loss specially allocated under Section 6.1(d) or Section 6.1(e).

Net Termination Loss ” means, for any taxable period, (a) the sum, if negative, of all items of income, gain, loss or deduction (determined in accordance with Section 5.3) that are recognized by the Partnership (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) the excess, if any, of the aggregate amount of Unrealized Loss over the aggregate amount of Unrealized Gain deemed recognized by the Partnership pursuant to Section 5.3(d) on the date of a Revaluation Event; provided , however , that the items included in the determination of Net Termination Loss shall include Simulated Gain, but shall not include any items of income, gain or loss specially allocated under Section 6.1(d) or Section 6.1(e).

Noncompensatory Option ” has the meaning set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.721-2(f).

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(d) 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), Simulated Depletion or Simulated Loss 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).

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, amounts paid under the Shared Services Agreement, reimbursements of expenses of the General Partner and its Affiliates, payments made in the ordinary course of

 

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business under any Hedge Contracts, Board of Directors, officer and employee compensation, repayment of Working Capital Borrowings, debt service payments and Estimated Maintenance Capital Expenditures, subject to the following:

(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 Maintenance 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) or (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. If capital expenditures are made in part for Maintenance Capital Expenditures and in part for other purposes, the General Partner shall determine the allocation of such capital expenditures 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 its stipulated settlement or termination date shall be amortized 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) $20.0 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, but 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 amortized in equal quarterly installments over what would have been the remaining scheduled term 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, and (iv) the amount of cash distributions paid (including incremental Incentive Distributions) in respect 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 entered or enters into a binding obligation to commence the replacement, improvement, addition, expansion, acquisition, construction or

 

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development of a Capital Improvement and ending on the earlier to occur of the Commercial Service Commencement Date for such Capital Improvement and the date on which such Capital Improvement 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 (including periodic net payments under related interest rate swap agreements), or construction period distributions on equity issued (including incremental Incentive Distributions), to finance the Expansion Capital Expenditures shall also be deemed to be equity issued to finance the replacement, improvement, addition, expansion, acquisition, construction or development of a Capital Improvement for purposes of this clause (iv)); 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 SPP LLC (or the Partnership’s or SPP LLC’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 12 months after having been incurred or repaid within such 12-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.

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.

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 or approved by the Board of Directors), 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)

 

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(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.

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, expenditure (including any expenditure described in Section 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code), Simulated Depletion or Simulated Loss 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 (and, as applicable, the Members prior to the Conversion Date).

Partnership ” means Sanchez Production Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership (and, as applicable, SPP LLC prior to the Conversion Date).

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 (and, as applicable, Member Interests prior to the Conversion Date).

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 as to any Unitholder with respect to Units, the quotient obtained by dividing the number of Units held by such Unitholder, by the total number of Outstanding Units. The Percentage Interest with respect to the General Partner Interest and 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.

 

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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.

Predecessor Units ” means “Common Units” as defined in that certain Second Amended and Restated Operating Agreement, dated as of November 20, 2006, as amended, of SPP LLC.

“Privately Placed Units” means any Common Units issued for cash or property other than pursuant to a public offering.

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 Conversion Date occurs, the portion of such fiscal quarter after the Conversion Date.

Rate Eligibility Trigger ” is defined in Section 4.8(a)(i).

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.

 

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Redeemable Interests ” means any Partnership Interests for which a redemption notice has been given, and has not been withdrawn, pursuant to Section 4.9.

Registration Statement ” means, collectively, the Registration Statements on Form S-4 (Registration Nos. 333-198440 and 333-[            ]) as they may have been or as they may be amended or supplemented from time to time, filed by SPP LLC with the Commission under the Securities Act to register the Common Units issued to the holders of the Predecessor Units and Converted Units in connection with the conversion of the Predecessor Units and Converted Units into Common Units.

Remaining Net Positive Adjustments ” means as of the end of any taxable period, (i) with respect to the Unitholders, the excess of (a) the Net Positive Adjustments of the Unitholders 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, and (ii) 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.

Required Allocations ” means any allocation of an item of income, gain, loss, deduction, Simulated Depletion or Simulated Loss 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), Section 6.1(d)(ix) or Section 6.1(d)(x).

Reset MQD ” is defined in Section 5.8(a).

Reset Notice ” is defined in Section 5.8(b).

Revaluation Event ” means an event that results in adjustment of the Carrying Value of each Partnership property pursuant to Section 5.3(d).

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

Second Target Distribution ” means $0.0625 per Unit per Quarter (or, with respect to periods of more or 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 5.8, Section 6.6 and Section 6.8.

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.

Shared Services Agreement ” means that certain Shared Services Agreement between SP Holdings, LLC and SPP LLC dated May 8, 2014.

 

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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, 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, and (ii) 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 taxable period bears to the Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments as of that time.

Simulated Basis ” means the Carrying Value of any oil and gas property (as defined in Section 614 of the Code).

Simulated Depletion ” means, with respect to an oil and gas property (as defined in Section 614 of the Code), a depletion allowance computed in accordance with federal income tax principles (as if the Simulated Basis of the property were its adjusted tax basis) and in the manner specified in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(k)(2). For purposes of computing Simulated Depletion with respect to any property, the Simulated Basis of such property shall be deemed to be the Carrying Value of such property, and in no event shall such allowance for Simulated Depletion, in the aggregate, exceed such Simulated Basis.

Simulated Gain ” means the excess, if any, of the amount realized from the sale or other disposition of an oil or gas property over the Carrying Value of such property and determined pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(k)(2).

Simulated Loss ” means the excess, if any, of the Carrying Value of an oil or gas property over the amount realized from the sale or other disposition of such property and determined pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(k)(2).

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

SPP LLC ” means Sanchez Production Partners LLC (formerly known as Constellation Energy Partners LLC), a Delaware limited liability company, which is being continued as of the Conversion Date as the Partnership

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.

 

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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 Liquidation Target Amount ” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.1(c)(i)(D).

Third Target Distribution ” means $0.0875 per Unit per Quarter (or, with respect to periods of more or 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 5.8, Section 6.6 and Section 6.8.

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.

Transaction Agreements ” means (i) the Shared Services Agreement, (ii) that certain Contract Operating Agreement, dated May 8, 2014, between SPP LLC and Sanchez Oil & Gas Corporation, (iii) that certain Geophysical Seismic Data Use License Agreement, dated May 8, 2014, between SPP LLC, certain subsidiaries thereof and Sanchez Oil & Gas Corporation, and (iv) that certain Transition and Assistance Agreement, dated May 8, 2014, between SPP LLC, SP Holdings, LLC and Sanchez Oil & Gas Corporation.

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.

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

Unitholders ” means the holders of Units.

Unit Majority ” means at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units and, subject to Section 13.13, the Incentive Distribution Rights together as a single class.

 

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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 5.3(d)) over (b) the Carrying Value of such property as of such date (prior to any adjustment to be made pursuant to Section 5.3(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 5.3(d) as of such date) over (b) the fair market value of such property as of such date (as determined under Section 5.3(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.

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 such borrowings are incurred it is the intent of the borrower to repay such borrowings within 12 months from the date of such borrowings other than from 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. The General Partner has the power to construe and interpret this Agreement and to act upon any such construction or interpretation. Any construction or interpretation of this Agreement and any action taken pursuant thereto and any determination, in each case, made by the General Partner in good faith shall, in each case, be conclusive and binding on any Limited Partner, any Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest and any other Person who is bound by this Agreement.

 

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ARTICLE II

ORGANIZATION

Section 2.1 Formation . On the Conversion Date, SPP LLC converted from a limited liability company to the Partnership, with the Partnership continuing in all of the rights, privileges and powers of SPP LLC. This Agreement shall become effective on the Conversion Date. 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 “Sanchez Production Partners LP”. 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,” “L.P.,” “Ltd.” or similar words or letters shall be included in the Partnership’s name where necessary for the purpose of complying with the laws of any jurisdiction that so requires. The General Partner 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.

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 Service Company, 2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400, Wilmington, Delaware 19808, and the registered agent for service of process on the Partnership in the State of Delaware at such registered office shall be Corporation Service Company. The principal office of the Partnership shall be located at 1000 Main Street, Suite 3000, Houston, Texas 77002, or such other place as the General Partner may from time to time designate by notice to the Limited Partners. The Partnership may maintain offices at such other place or places within or outside the State of Delaware as the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate. The address of the General Partner shall be 1000 Main Street, Suite 3000, Houston, Texas 77002, 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

 

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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 and may, in its sole discretion, decline to so propose or approve free of any duty (fiduciary or otherwise) or obligation whatsoever to the Partnership, any Limited Partner or any Person who acquires an interest in the Partnership or is bound by this Agreement and, in declining to so propose or approve, 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.

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 on the date of formation of SPP LLC in accordance with the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act and shall continue 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 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.

 

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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 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, 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.

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 Securities 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.

 

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(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.

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, Chief Executive Officer, 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. The Transfer Agent may, and is hereby authorized to, effect any countersignature of any Certificate authorized or required by this Agreement either in manual form or by facsimile signature.

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;

 

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(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;

(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

 

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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.

(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 interests, 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) Upon the receipt of proper transfer instructions from the registered owner of uncertificated Common Units, such uncertificated Common Units shall be cancelled, issuance of new equivalent uncertificated Common Units shall be made to the holder of Common Units entitled thereto and the transaction shall be recorded upon the Partnership’s register.

(d) By acceptance of the transfer of any Limited Partner Interests in accordance with this Section 4.5 and except as provided in Section 4.7, 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

 

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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.

(e) Subject to (i) the foregoing provisions of this Section 4.5, (ii) Section 4.4, (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.

(f) The General Partner and its Affiliates shall have the right at any time to transfer their Common Units and the General Partner, its Affiliates and any other holder of Incentive Distribution Rights shall have the right at any time to transfer its Incentive Distribution Rights to one or more Persons without Unitholder approval.

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 Delaware law 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,

 

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(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).

(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 an IDR Reset Common Unit that was issued in connection with an IDR Reset Election pursuant to Section 5.8 shall be subject to the restrictions imposed by Section 6.7.

Section 4.8 Eligibility Certificates; Ineligible Holders.

(a) If at any time the General Partner determines, with the advice of counsel, that:

(i) the Partnership’s status other than as an association taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes or the failure of the Partnership otherwise to be subject to an entity-level tax for U.S. federal, state or local income tax purposes, coupled with the tax status (or lack of proof of the U.S. federal income tax status) of one or more Limited Partners or their beneficial owners has or is reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the rates that can be charged to customers by any Group Member with respect to assets that are subject to regulation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission or similar regulatory body (a “ Rate Eligibility Trigger ”); or

(ii) any Group Member is subject to any federal, state or local law or regulation that would create a substantial risk of cancellation or forfeiture of any property in which the Group Member has an interest based on the nationality, citizenship or other related status of a Limited Partner (a “ Citizenship Eligibility Trigger ”);

then, the General Partner may adopt such amendments to this Agreement as it determines to be necessary or appropriate to (x) in the case of a Rate Eligibility Trigger, obtain such proof of the U.S. federal income tax status of the Limited Partners and, to the extent relevant, their beneficial

 

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owners, as the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate to reduce the risk of the occurrence of a material adverse effect on the rates that can be charged to customers by any Group Member or (y) in the case of a Citizenship Eligibility Trigger, obtain such proof of the nationality, citizenship or other related status of the Limited Partner, and to the extent relevant, their beneficial owners as the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate to eliminate or mitigate a significant risk of cancellation or forfeiture of any properties or interests therein of a Group Member.

(b) Such amendments may include provisions requiring all Limited Partners to certify as to their (and their beneficial owners’) status as Eligible Holders upon demand and on a regular basis, as determined by the General Partner, and may require transferees of Units to so certify prior to being admitted to the Partnership as a Limited Partner (any such required certificate, an “ Eligibility Certificate ”).

(c) Such amendments may provide that any Partner who fails to furnish to the General Partner within a reasonable period requested proof of its (and its beneficial owners’) status as an Eligible Holder or if upon receipt of such Eligibility Certificate or other requested information the General Partner determines that a Limited Partner (or its beneficial owner) is not an Eligible Holder (an “ Ineligible Holder ”), the Limited Partner Interests owned by such Limited Partner shall be subject to redemption in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.9. In addition, the General Partner shall be treated as the owner of all Limited Partner Interests owned by an Ineligible Holder and the Limited Partner with respect thereto.

(d) The General Partner shall, in exercising voting rights in respect of Limited Partner Interests held by it on behalf of Ineligible Holders, cast such votes in the same manner and in the same ratios as the votes of Limited Partners (including the General Partner and its Affiliates) in respect of Limited Partner Interests other than those of Ineligible Holders are cast.

(e) Upon dissolution of the Partnership, an Ineligible Holder shall have no right to receive a distribution in kind pursuant to Section 12.4 but shall be entitled to the cash equivalent thereof, and the Partnership shall provide cash in exchange for an assignment of the Ineligible Holder’s share of any distribution in kind. Such payment and assignment shall be treated for purposes hereof as a purchase by the Partnership from the Ineligible Holder of the portion of his Limited Partner Interest representing his right to receive his share of such distribution in kind.

(f) At any time after he can and does certify that he has become an Eligible Holder, an Ineligible Holder may, upon application to the General Partner, request that with respect to any Limited Partner Interests of such Ineligible Holder not redeemed pursuant to Section 4.9, such Ineligible Holder be admitted as a Limited Partner, and upon approval of the General Partner, such Ineligible Holder shall be admitted as a Partner and shall no longer constitute an Ineligible Holder and the General Partner shall cease to be deemed to be the owner and Limited Partner in respect of such Ineligible Holder’s Limited Partner Interests.

Section 4.9 Redemption of Partnership Interests of Ineligible Holders .

(a) If at any time a Limited Partner fails to furnish an Eligibility Certificate or other information requested within the period of time specified in amendments adopted pursuant to

 

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Section 4.8, or if upon receipt of such Eligibility Certificate or other information the General Partner determines, with the advice of counsel, that a Limited Partner is an Ineligible Holder, the Partnership may, unless the Limited Partner establishes to the satisfaction of the General Partner that such Limited Partner is an Eligible Holder or has transferred his Partnership Interests to a Person who is an Eligible Holder and who furnishes an Eligibility Certificate to the General Partner prior to the date fixed for redemption as provided below, redeem the Limited Partner Interest of such Limited Partner as follows:

(i) The General Partner shall, not later than the 30th day before the date fixed for redemption, give notice of redemption to the Limited Partner, at his last address designated on the records of the Partnership or the Transfer Agent, as applicable, by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid. The notice shall be deemed to have been given when so mailed. The notice shall specify the Redeemable Interests, the date fixed for redemption, the place of payment, that payment of the redemption price will be made upon redemption of the Redeemable Interests (or, if later in the case of Redeemable Interests evidenced by Certificates, upon surrender of the Certificate evidencing the Redeemable Interests) and that on and after the date fixed for redemption no further allocations or distributions to which the Limited Partner would otherwise be entitled in respect of the Redeemable Interests will accrue or be made.

(ii) The aggregate redemption price for Redeemable Interests shall be an amount equal to the Current Market Price (the date of determination of which shall be the date fixed for redemption) of Limited Partner Interests of the class to be so redeemed multiplied by the number of Limited Partner Interests of each such class included among the Redeemable Interests. The redemption price shall be paid, as determined by the General Partner, in cash or by delivery of a promissory note of the Partnership in the principal amount of the redemption price, bearing interest at the rate of 8% annually and payable in three equal annual installments of principal together with accrued interest, commencing one year after the redemption date.

(iii) The Partner or his duly authorized representative shall be entitled to receive the payment for the Redeemable Interests at the place of payment specified in the notice of redemption on the redemption date (or, if later in the case of Redeemable Interests evidenced by Certificates, upon surrender by or on behalf of the Limited Partner at the place specified in the notice of redemption, of the Certificate evidencing the Redeemable Interests, duly endorsed in blank or accompanied by an assignment duly executed in blank).

(iv) After the redemption date, Redeemable Interests shall no longer constitute issued and Outstanding Limited Partner Interests.

(b) The provisions of this Section 4.9 shall also be applicable to Limited Partner Interests held by a Limited Partner as nominee of a Person determined to be an Ineligible Holder.

(c) Nothing in this Section 4.9 shall prevent the recipient of a notice of redemption from transferring his Limited Partner Interest before the redemption date if such transfer is otherwise permitted under this Agreement. Upon receipt of notice of such a transfer, the General

 

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Partner shall withdraw the notice of redemption, provided the transferee of such Limited Partner Interest certifies to the satisfaction of the General Partner that he is an Eligible Holder. If the transferee fails to make such certification, such redemption will be effected from the transferee on the original redemption date.

ARTICLE V

CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND ISSUANCE OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS

Section 5.1 Organizational Contributions . On the Conversion Date, (a) each Predecessor Unit was converted into one Common Unit, (b) the Converted Units were converted into Common Units equal to 2.0% of the outstanding Common Units on the Conversion Date (after giving effect to the conversion of such Converted Units and the conversion of the Predecessor Units), (c) the Class Z Unit of SPP LLC was cancelled, (d) Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, was issued all of the General Partner Interests and (e) the Incentive Distribution Rights were issued to SP Holdings, LLC as contemplated by the Shared Services Agreement.

Section 5.2 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.

Section 5.3 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 Simulated Gain and income and gain exempt from tax) computed in accordance with Section 5.3(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 (including Simulated Depletion and Simulated Loss) computed in accordance with Section 5.3(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, deduction, Simulated Depletion, Simulated Gain or Simulated Loss 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:

 

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(i) Solely for purposes of this Section 5.3, 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, deduction, Simulated Depletion, Simulated Gain and Simulated Loss shall be made without regard to any election under Section 754 of the Code that may be made by the Partnership and, as to those items described in Section 705(a)(1)(B) or 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code, without regard to the fact that such items are not includable in gross income or are neither currently deductible nor capitalized for 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 (including pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.734-2(b)(1)) 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) In the event the Carrying Value of Partnership property is adjusted pursuant to Section 5.3(d), any Unrealized Gain resulting from such adjustment shall be treated as an item of gain, and any Unrealized Loss resulting from such adjustment shall be treated as an item of loss.

(v) Any income, gain, loss, Simulated Gain or Simulated 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.

(vi) Any deductions for depreciation, cost recovery, amortization or Simulated Depletion 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.

 

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(vii) 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 5.3(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 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 Section 5.3(c)(ii) 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) and 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(h)(2), on an issuance of additional Partnership Interests for cash or Contributed Property, the issuance of a Noncompensatory Option, the issuance of Partnership Interests as consideration for the provision of services, the issuance of IDR Reset Common Units pursuant to Section 5.8, 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; provided, however , that in the event of the issuance of a Partnership Interest pursuant to the exercise of a Noncompensatory Option where the right to share in Partnership capital represented by such Partnership Interest differs from the consideration paid to acquire and exercise such option, the Carrying Value of each Partnership property immediately after the issuance of such Partnership Interest shall be adjusted upward or downward to reflect any Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss attributable to such Partnership property and the Capital Accounts of the Partners shall be adjusted in a manner consistent with Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(s); provided, further , that in the event of an issuance of Partnership Interests for a de minimis amount of cash or Contributed Property, in the event of an issuance of a Noncompensatory Option to acquire a de minimis Partnership Interest, 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

 

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cash or cash equivalents) immediately prior to the issuance of additional Partnership Interests (or, in the case of a Revaluation Event resulting from the exercise of a Noncompensatory Option, immediately after the issuance of the Partnership Interest acquired pursuant to the exercise of the Noncompensatory Option) 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 first determine an aggregate value for the assets of the Partnership that takes into account the current trading price of the Common Units, the fair market value of all other Partnership Interests at such time, and the amount of Partnership liabilities. The General Partner may allocate such aggregate value among the individual properties of the Partnership (in such manner as it determines appropriate). Absent a contrary determination by the General Partner, the aggregate fair market value of all Partnership assets (including, without limitation, cash or cash equivalents) immediately prior to a Revaluation Event shall be the value that would result in the Capital Account for each Common Unit that is Outstanding prior to such Revaluation Event being equal to the Event Issue Value.

(ii) In accordance with Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f), immediately prior to any 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, loss, Simulated Gain or Simulated 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 a distribution other than a distribution made pursuant to Section 12.4, be determined in the same manner as that provided in Section 5.3(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 5.4 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 in its sole discretion 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 5.4(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

 

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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.

(c) The General Partner shall take all actions that it determines in its sole discretion 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 5.4, (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 5.8, (iv) reflecting admission of such additional Limited Partners in the books and records of the Partnership as the Record Holders of such Limited Partner Interests 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 in its sole discretion 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 5.5 Limited Preemptive Right . Except 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.

Section 5.6 Splits and Combinations .

(a) Subject to Section 5.6(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 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

 

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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 or uncertificated Partnership Interests 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 5.4(d) and this Section 5.6(d), each fractional Unit shall be rounded to the nearest whole Unit (with fractional Units equal to or greater than 0.5 Unit rounded to the next higher Unit).

Section 5.7 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.

Section 5.8 Issuance of Common Units in Connection with Reset of Incentive Distribution Rights .

(a) Subject to the provisions of this Section 5.8, 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 the Partnership has made a distribution pursuant to Section 6.4(e) 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 5.8(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 in respect of the Incentive Distribution Rights for the two full Quarters immediately preceding the giving of the Reset Notice (as defined in Section 5.8(b)) by (ii) the average of the cash distributions made by the Partnership in respect of each Common Unit during each of the two full 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

 

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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 making of the IDR Reset Election in the manner specified in Section 5.8(b) shall cause the Target Distributions to be reset in accordance with the provisions of Section 5.8(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 5.8(c) unless the IDR Reset Election is rescinded pursuant to Section 5.8(d).

(b) To exercise the right specified in Section 5.8(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.

(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 15th 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 5.8 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 5.8 such that (i) the Minimum

 

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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 175% of the Reset MQD.

(f) Upon the issuance of IDR Reset Common Units pursuant to Section 5.8(a) (or other Partnership Interests as described in Section 5.8(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 5.8(f), the IDR Reset Common Units shall be subject to Section 6.1(d)(x)(A) and Section 6.1(d)(x)(B).

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, deduction, Simulated Depletion, Simulated Gain and Simulated Loss (computed in accordance with Section 5.3(b)) for each taxable period shall be allocated among the Partners as provided herein below.

(a) Net Income . After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 6.1(d) and Section 6.1(e), Net Income for each taxable period and all items of income, gain, loss, deduction and Simulated Gain 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) 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

(ii) The balance, if any, 100% to the Unitholders, Pro Rata.

(b) Net Loss . After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 6.1(d) and Section 6.1(e), Net Loss for each taxable period and all items of income, gain, loss, deduction and Simulated Gain taken into account in computing Net Loss for such taxable period shall be allocated as follows:

(i) First , to 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.

 

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(c) Net Termination Gains and Losses. After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 6.1(d) and Section 6.1(e), Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss (including a pro rata part of each item of income, gain, loss, deduction and Simulated Gain taken into account in computing 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.

(i) Subject to the provisions set forth in the last sentence of this Section 6.1(c)(i), Net Termination Gain (including a pro rata part of each item of income, gain, loss, deduction and Simulated Gain 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) for the current and all previous taxable periods is equal to the aggregate of the Net Termination Loss allocated to the General Partner pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(ii)(B) for all previous taxable periods;

(B) Second , to 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 Minimum Quarterly Distribution for the Quarter during which the Liquidation Date occurs, reduced by any distribution pursuant to Section 6.4(a) with respect to such Common Unit for such Quarter, and (3) the excess of (aa) the First Target Distribution less the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for each Quarter after the Closing Date or the date of the most recent IDR Reset Election, if any, 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(b) for such period (the sum of (1), (2), and (3) is hereinafter referred to as the “ First Liquidation Target Amount ”);

(C) Third , 13% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and 87% to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, 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 after the Closing Date or the date of the most recent IDR Reset Election, if any, 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(c) for such period (the sum of (1) and (2) is hereinafter referred to as the “ Second Liquidation Target Amount ”);

 

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(D) Fourth , 23% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and 77% to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, 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 after the Closing Date or the date of the most recent IDR Reset Election, if any, 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(d) for such period (the sum of (1) and (2) is hereinafter defined as the “ Third Liquidation Target Amount ”); and

(E) Finally , 35.5% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and 64.5% to all Unitholders, Pro Rata.

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions in this Section 6.1(c)(i), the General Partner may adjust the amount of any Net Termination Gain arising in connection with a Revaluation Event that is allocated to the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights in a manner that will result (i) in the Capital Account for each Common Unit that is Outstanding prior to such Revaluation Event being equal to the Event Issue Value and (ii) to the greatest extent possible, the Capital Account with respect to the Incentive Distribution Rights that are Outstanding prior to such Revaluation Event being equal to the amount of Net Termination Gain that would be allocated to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights pursuant to this Section 6.1(c)(i)) if the Capital Accounts with respect to all Partnership Interests that were Outstanding immediately prior to such Revaluation Event and the Carrying Value of each Partnership property were equal to zero.

(ii) Net Termination Loss shall be allocated:

(A) First , to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, until the Adjusted Capital Account in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding has been reduced to zero; and

(B) Second , the balance, if any, 100% to the General Partner.

(d) Special Allocations. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 6.1, the following special allocations shall be made for each taxable period in the following order:

(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, gain and Simulated 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, gain and Simulated 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.

 

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(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, gain and Simulated 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, gain or Simulated 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 respect to a Unit for a taxable period exceeds the amount of cash or the Net Agreed Value of property distributed with respect to another Unit within the same taxable period (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 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.

(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 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.

(iv) Qualified Income Offset . In the event any Partner unexpectedly receives any adjustments, allocations or distributions described in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4), 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(5), or 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(6), items of

 

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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 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, gain and Simulated Gain in the amount of such excess as quickly as possible; provided , that an allocation pursuant to 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 as determined by the General Partner in accordance with any permissible method under Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-3(a)(3).

(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 (including pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.734-2(b)(1)) is required,

 

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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 or Simulated Gain (if the adjustment increases the basis of the asset) or loss or Simulated Loss (if the adjustment decreases such basis) taken into account pursuant to Section 5.3, and such item of gain, loss, Simulated Gain or Simulated 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) With respect to an event triggering an adjustment to the Carrying Value of Partnership property pursuant to Section 5.3(d) during any taxable period of the Partnership ending upon, or after, the issuance of IDR Reset Common Units pursuant to Section 5.8, 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 5.8 equaling the product of (1) the Aggregate Quantity of IDR Reset Common Units and (2) the Per Unit Capital Amount for an Initial Common Unit.

(B) With respect to any taxable period during which an IDR Reset Common 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 Common 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 Common Unit to an amount equal to the Per Unit Capital Amount for an Initial Common Unit.

(C) For the proper administration of the Partnership and for the preservation of uniformity of the Limited Partner Interests (or any class or classes thereof), the General Partner shall (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)(C) only if such conventions, allocations or amendments would not have a material adverse effect on the Partners, the holders of any class or classes of Outstanding Limited Partner Interests or the Partnership.

 

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(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, deduction, Simulated Depletion, Simulated Gain and Simulated Loss 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 and Simulated Depletion and Simulated Loss had been included in the definition of Net Income, Net Loss, Net Termination Gain and Net Termination Loss. 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) Equalization of Capital Accounts With Respect to Privately Placed Units . Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss deemed recognized as a result of a Revaluation Event shall first be allocated to the (A) Unitholders holding Privately Placed Units, Pro Rata, or (B) Unitholders holding Common Units, Pro Rata, as applicable, to the extent necessary to cause the Capital Account in respect of each Privately Placed Unit then Outstanding to equal the Capital Account in respect of each Common Unit (other than Privately Placed Units) then Outstanding.

(xiii) 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:

(A) The General Partner shall allocate Additional Book Basis Derivative Items consisting of depreciation, amortization, Simulated Depletion or any other form of cost recovery (other than Additional Book Basis Derivative Items included in Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) with respect to any Adjusted Property to the Unitholders, Pro Rata, and the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights, all in the same proportion as the Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss resulting from the Revaluation Event that gave rise to such Additional Book Basis Derivative Items was allocated to them pursuant to Section 6.1(c).

 

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(B) If a sale or other taxable disposition of an Adjusted Property (“ Disposed of Adjusted Property ”) occurs other than in connection with an event giving rise to Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss, the General Partner shall allocate (1) items of gross income and gain (aa) away from the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights and (bb) to the Unitholders, or (2) 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 with respect to the Disposed of Adjusted Property (determined in accordance with the last sentence of the definition of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items) treated as having been allocated to the Unitholders pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(xiii)(B) exceed their Share of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items with respect to such Disposed of Adjusted Property. For purposes of this Section 6.1(d)(xiii)(B), the Unitholders shall be treated as having been 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 the Partnership Agreement. Any allocation made pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(xiii)(B) shall be made after all of the other Agreed Allocations have been made as if this Section 6.1(d)(xiii) 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) Net Termination Loss in an amount equal to the lesser of (1) such Net Termination Loss and (2) the Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments shall be allocated in such a manner, as determined by the General Partner, that to the extent possible, the Capital Account balances of the Partners will equal the amount they would have been had no prior Book-Up Events occurred, and any remaining Net Termination Loss shall be allocated pursuant to Section 6.1(c) hereof. In allocating Net Termination Loss pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(xiii)(C), the General Partner shall attempt, to the extent possible, to cause the Capital Accounts of the Unitholders, on the one hand, and holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, on the other hand, to equal the amount they would equal if (i) the Carrying Values of the Partnership’s property had not been previously adjusted in connection with any prior Book-Up Events, (ii) Unrealized Gain and Unrealized Loss (or, in the case of a liquidation, actual gain or loss) with respect to such Partnership Property were determined with respect to such unadjusted Carrying Values, and (iii) any resulting Net Termination Gain had been allocated pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(i) (including, for the avoidance of doubt, taking into account the provisions set forth in the last sentence of Section 6.1(c)(i)).

(D) In making the allocations required under this Section 6.1(d)(xiii), the General Partner may apply whatever conventions or other methodology it determines will satisfy the purpose of this Section 6.1(d)(xiii). Without limiting

 

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the foregoing, if an Adjusted Property is contributed by the Partnership to another entity classified as a partnership for federal income tax purposes (the “ lower tier partnership ”), the General Partner may make allocations similar to those described in Section 6.1(d)(xiii)(A) through Section 6.1(d)(xiii)(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)(xiii).

(e) Simulated Depletion and Simulated Loss .

(i) In accordance with Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(k), Simulated Depletion with respect to each oil and gas property shall be allocated among the Partners, Pro Rata.

(ii) Simulated Loss with respect to the disposition of an oil and gas property shall be allocated among the Partners in proportion to their allocable share of total amount realized from such disposition under Section 6.2(c)(i).

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) The deduction for depletion with respect to each separate oil and gas property (as defined in Section 614 of the Code) shall be computed for U.S. federal income tax purposes separately by the Partners rather than by the Partnership in accordance with Section 613A(c)(7)(D) of the Code. Except as provided in Section 6.2(c)(iii), for purposes of such computation (before taking into account any adjustments resulting from an election made by the Partnership under Section 754 of the Code), the adjusted tax basis of each oil and gas property (as defined in Section 614 of the Code) shall be allocated among the Partners Pro Rata. Each Partner shall separately keep records of his share of the adjusted tax basis in each oil and gas property, allocated as provided above, adjust such share of the adjusted tax basis for any cost or percentage depletion allowable with respect to such property, and use such adjusted tax basis in the computation of its cost depletion or in the computation of his gain or loss on the disposition of such property by the Partnership.

(c) Except as provided in Section 6.2(c)(iii), for the purposes of the separate computation of gain or loss by each Partner on the sale or disposition of each separate oil and gas property (as defined in Section 614 of the Code), the Partnership’s allocable share of the “amount realized” (as such term is defined in Section 1001(b) of the Code) from such sale or disposition shall be allocated for U.S. federal income tax purposes among the Partners as follows:

(i) first, to the extent such amount realized constitutes a recovery of the Simulated Basis of the property, to the Partners in the same proportion as the depletable basis of such property was allocated to the Partners pursuant to Section 6.2(b) (without regard to any special allocation of basis under Section 6.2(c)(iii));

 

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(ii) second, the remainder of such amount realized, if any, to the Partners so that, to the maximum extent possible, the amount realized allocated to each Partner under this Section 6.1(c)(ii) will equal such Partner’s share of the Simulated Gain recognized by the Partnership from such sale or disposition.

(iii) The Partners recognize that with respect to Contributed Property and Adjusted Property there will be a difference between the Carrying Value of such property at the time of contribution or revaluation, as the case may be, and the adjusted tax basis of such property at that time. All items of tax depreciation, cost recovery, amortization, adjusted tax basis of depletable properties, amount realized and gain or loss with respect to such Contributed Property and Adjusted Property shall be allocated among the Partners to take into account the disparities between the Carrying Values and the adjusted tax basis with respect to such properties in accordance with the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-3(d).

(d) In an attempt to eliminate Book-Tax Disparities attributable to a Contributed Property or Adjusted Property, other than oil and gas properties pursuant to Section 6.2(c), 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)(C)); provided , that the General Partner shall apply the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-3(d) in all events.

(e) 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 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.

(f) 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.

 

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(g) 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.

(h) 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 , 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.

(i) 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.

(j) If, as a result of an exercise of a Noncompensatory Option, a Capital Account reallocation is required under Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(s)(3), the General Partner may make corrective allocations pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(4)(x).

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

(a) On or about the last day of each of February, May, August and November following the end of each Quarter, beginning with the Quarter in which the Conversion Date occurs, an amount equal to 100% of Available Cash with respect to such Quarter shall be distributed in accordance with this Article VI by the Partnership to the Partners as of the Record Date selected by the General Partner. All amounts of Available Cash 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

 

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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.

(b) Notwithstanding Section 6.3(a), 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.

(c) The General Partner may treat taxes paid by the Partnership on behalf of, or amounts withheld with respect to, all or less than all of the Partners, as a distribution of Available Cash to such Partners, as determined appropriate under the circumstances by the General Partner.

(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 . Cash and cash equivalents that are 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 5.4(b) in respect of additional Partnership Interests issued pursuant thereto:

(a) First , to 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;

(b) Second , to 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;

(c) Third , (A) 13% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and (B) 87% to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, 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;

(d) Fourth , (A) 23% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and (B) 77% to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, 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

(e) Thereafter , (A) 35.5% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and (B) 64.5% to all Unitholders, Pro Rata;

provided , however , that 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(e).

 

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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; (a)  First , 100% to Unitholders, Pro Rata, until the Minimum Quarterly Distribution has been reduced to zero pursuant to the second sentence of Section 6.6(a) and (b)  Thereafter , all cash and cash equivalents that are distributed shall be distributed as if they were Operating Surplus and shall be distributed in accordance with Section 6.4.

Section 6.6 Adjustment of Target Distribution Levels.

(a) The Target Distributions 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 5.8 and Section 6.8.

Section 6.7 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 5.3(c)(ii).

(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 6.7(b), the General Partner may apply Section 5.3(c)(ii), Section 6.1(d)(x) and Section 6.7(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 6.8 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

 

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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 6.8. 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 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 6.8 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;

 

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(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, grant of a security interest in 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);

(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 the 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;

 

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(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, purchase or other acquisition of options, rights, warrants, appreciation rights, phantom or tracking interests relating to Partnership Interests;

(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, each Transaction Agreement and the other agreements described in or filed as exhibits to 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 or assume 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 an interest in a Partnership Interest and the Persons who are otherwise bound by this Agreement; and (iii) agrees that the execution, delivery, performance or assumption 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 an interest in a Partnership Interest or the Persons who are otherwise bound by this Agreement.

Section 7.2 Replacement of Fiduciary Duties .

(a) Each Limited Partner and any other Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest or any other Person who is bound by this Agreement, hereby agrees that (i) all fiduciary duties that would or could otherwise be owed to such Persons or to the Partnership by the General Partner, any of its Affiliates or by any Indemnitee under the Delaware Act or any other applicable law are hereby eliminated and (ii) the only duties owed by the General Partner, any of its Affiliates or any Indemnitee to the Partnership, the Limited Partners, any other Person who acquires an interest in any Partnership Interest or any other Person who is bound by this Agreement shall be the duties expressly provided under this Agreement and any duties provided under the Delaware Act or other applicable law that cannot be eliminated by agreement.

 

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(b) 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, restriction or elimination, 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 shall use all reasonable efforts to cause to be filed such 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, encumber, 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 and its Affiliates, without duplication, 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, including the fees and expenses payable by the Partnership pursuant to the Transaction Agreements), 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

 

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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.

(b) The General Partner, without the approval of the Limited Partners (who shall have no right to vote in respect thereof except and to the extent required under the rules of a National Securities Exchange to which the Partnership or its securities are subject), may propose and adopt on behalf of the Partnership benefit plans, programs and practices (including the LTIP 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 LTIP) 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 acquisition, ownership or disposition 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.

 

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(b) 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.

(c) Subject to the terms of Section 7.6(a) and Section 7.6(b), but otherwise notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, (i) the engaging in competitive activities by any Unrestricted Person (other than the General Partner) in accordance with the provisions of this Section 7.6 is hereby approved by the Partnership and all Partners, (ii) it shall be deemed not to be a breach of any fiduciary or any other duty existing at law, in equity or otherwise, or obligation of any type whatsoever of the General Partner or any other Unrestricted Person for the Unrestricted Persons (other than the General Partner) to engage in such business interests and activities in preference to or to the exclusion of the Partnership and (iii) the Unrestricted Persons shall have no obligation hereunder or as a result of any duty otherwise existing at law, in equity or otherwise, to present business opportunities to the Partnership. 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). 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 an interest in 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, or obligation of any type whatsoever 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 or before the Conversion 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

 

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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 pursuant to this Agreement 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.

(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, or 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.

 

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(f) In no event may an Indemnitee subject the Limited Partners to personal liability by reason of the indemnification provisions set forth in this Agreement.

(g) An Indemnitee shall not be denied indemnification in whole or in part under this Section 7.7 because the Indemnitee had an interest in the transaction with respect to which the indemnification applies if the transaction was otherwise permitted by the terms of this Agreement.

(h) The provisions of this Section 7.7 are for the benefit of the Indemnitees 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.

 

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(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.

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; provided , that if the Board of Directors of the General Partner is making a determination or taking or declining to take an action pursuant to clause (iii) or clause (iv) of the first sentence of Section 7.9(c), then in lieu thereof, such determination or other action or inaction will be deemed to be in good faith for all purposes of this Agreement unless the Board of Directors of the General Partner believed such determination, other action or inaction did not meet the standard set forth in clause (iii) or (iv) of the first sentence of Section 7.9(c), as applicable; provided , further , that if the Board of Directors of the General Partner is making a determination that a director satisfies the eligibility requirements to be a member of a Conflicts Committee, then in lieu thereof, such determination will be deemed to be in good faith for all purposes of this Agreement unless the Board of Directors of the General Partner believed that the director did not satisfy the eligibility requirements to be a member of the Conflicts Committee. 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 duty (fiduciary or

 

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otherwise) hereunder or 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) Unless otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement or any Group Member Agreement, 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 who is bound by this Agreement on the other hand, any resolution or course of action by the General Partner or its Affiliates in respect of such conflict of interest shall be permitted and deemed approved by all Partners, and shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement, of any Group Member Agreement, of any agreement contemplated herein or therein, or of any duty stated or implied by law or equity, if the resolution or course of action in respect of such conflict of interest is (i) approved by Special Approval, (ii) approved by the vote of the holders of a majority of the Outstanding Common Units (excluding Common Units owned by the General Partner and its Affiliates), (iii) determined by the Board of Directors of the General Partner to be on terms no less favorable to the Partnership than those generally being provided to or available from unrelated third parties or (iv) determined by the Board of Directors of the General Partner to be fair and reasonable to the Partnership, taking into account the totality of the relationships between the parties involved (including other transactions that may be particularly favorable or advantageous to the Partnership). The General Partner shall be authorized but not required in connection with its resolution of such conflict of interest to seek Special Approval or Unitholder approval of such resolution, and the General Partner may also adopt a resolution or course of action that has not received Special Approval or Unitholder approval. Unless otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement or any Group Member Agreement, whenever the General Partner makes a determination to refer any potential conflict of interest to the Conflicts Committee for Special Approval, seek Unitholder Approval or adopt a resolution or course of action that has not received Special Approval or Unitholder Approval, then the General Partner shall be 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 duty or obligation whatsoever to the Partnership or any Limited Partner, and the General Partner 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, any Group Member Agreement, any other agreement contemplated hereby or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity, and the General Partner in making such determination or taking or declining to take such other action shall be permitted to do so in its sole discretion. If Special Approval is sought, then it shall be presumed that, in making its decision, the Conflicts Committee acted in good faith, and if the Board of Directors of the General Partner determines that the resolution or course of action taken with respect to a conflict of interest satisfies either of

 

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the standards set forth in clauses (iii) or (iv) above, then it shall be presumed that, in making its decision, the Board of Directors of the General Partner acted in good faith. In any proceeding brought by any Limited Partner or by or on behalf of such Limited Partner or any other Limited Partner or the Partnership challenging any action by the Conflicts Committee with respect to any matter referred to the Conflicts Committee for Special Approval by the General Partner, any action by the Board of Directors of the General Partner in determining whether the resolution or course of action taken with respect to a conflict of interest satisfies either of the standards set forth in clauses (iii) or (iv) above or whether a director satisfies the eligibility requirements to be a member of the Conflicts Committee, the Person bringing or prosecuting such proceeding shall have the burden of overcoming the presumption that the Conflicts Committee or the Board of Directors of the General Partner, as applicable, acted in good faith; in all cases subject to the provisions for conclusive determination in Section 7.10(b). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement or any duty otherwise existing at law or equity, the existence of the conflicts of interest described in the Registration Statement are hereby approved by all Partners and shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement or of any duty hereunder or existing at law, in equity or otherwise.

(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.

(f) For the avoidance of doubt, whenever the Board of Directors, any committee of the Board of Directors (including the Conflicts Committee), the officers of the General Partner or any Affiliates of the General Partner make a determination on behalf of the General Partner, or cause the General Partner to take or omit to take any action, whether in the General Partner’s capacity as the General Partner or in its individual capacity, the standards of care applicable to the General Partner shall apply to such Persons, and such Persons shall be entitled to all benefits and rights of the General Partner hereunder, including waivers and modifications of duties, protections and presumptions, as if such Persons were the General Partner hereunder.

(g) The Limited Partners expressly acknowledge and agree that none of the General Partner, the Board of Directors or any committee thereof is under any obligation to consider the separate interests of the Limited Partners (including, without limitation, the tax consequences to Limited Partners) in deciding whether to cause the Partnership to take (or decline to take) any actions, and that none of the General Partner or any other Indemnitee shall be liable to the Limited Partners for monetary damages or equitable relief or losses sustained, liabilities incurred or benefits not derived by Limited Partners in connection with such decisions.

 

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Section 7.10 Other Matters Concerning the General Partner and Indemnitees.

(a) The General Partner, the Board of Directors (or any committee thereof) and any other Indemnitee may rely upon, and shall be protected from liability to the Partnership, any Partner, any Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest, and any other Person bound by this Agreement 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, the Board of Directors (or any committee thereof) and any other Indemnitee may consult with legal counsel, accountants, appraisers, management consultants, investment bankers and other consultants and advisers (collectively, “ 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 or such Indemnitee 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. In furtherance of the foregoing, the Partners, each Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest or is otherwise bound by this Agreement, hereby agrees that so long as the advice or opinion (including an Opinion of Counsel) referenced above is of an Adviser as to matters that the General Partner reasonably believes to be within such Person’s professional or expert competence, the conclusive good faith presumption will apply irrespective of the matters included in or omitted from any 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.

Section 7.11 Purchase or Sale of Partnership Interests . The General Partner may cause the Partnership to purchase or otherwise acquire Partnership Interests or options, rights, warrants, appreciation rights, phantom or tracking interests relating to 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 Article IV and Article X. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement or otherwise applicable provision of law or equity, any Partnership Interests or options, rights, warrants, appreciation rights, phantom or tracking interests relating to Partnership Interests that are purchased or otherwise acquired by the Partnership or any Group Member may, in the sole discretion of the General Partner, be canceled or held by the Partnership in treasury and, if so held in treasury, shall no longer be deemed to be Outstanding for any purpose. For the avoidance of doubt, Partnership Interests or Derivative Instruments that are canceled or held by the Partnership in treasury (a) shall not be allocated Net Income (Loss) pursuant to Article VI, (b) shall not be entitled to distributions pursuant to Article VI, and (c) shall neither be entitled to vote nor be counted for quorum purposes.

 

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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); provided, further , 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.

(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 , however, 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

 

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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. During the two-year period set forth in Section 7.12(d), the Partnership shall not grant to any other Person registration rights similar to the rights set forth in this Section 7.12(b) that are superior to such rights without the consent of the General Partner (and any of its Affiliates) that holds rights pursuant to this Section 7.12(b).

(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 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 after such two-year period 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.

 

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(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.

(g) The Partnership may enter into separate registration rights agreements with the General Partner or any of its Affiliates.

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 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.

 

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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, 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.

(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.

 

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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; provided that, if the 90 th day is not a Business Day, then the 90 th day shall be deemed to be the next Business Day. 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(h) without regard to the actual price paid by such transferee.

(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.

 

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(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 such Person is reflected in the books and records of the Partnership as the Record Holder of such Limited Partner Interest. The rights and obligations of a Person who is an Ineligible Holder shall be determined in accordance with Section 4.8. Upon the conversion of Predecessor Units and Converted Units into Common Units on the Conversion Date as described in Article V, the holders thereof will be automatically admitted to the Partnership as Limited Partners in respect of the Common Units 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(a).

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

 

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immediately prior to the withdrawal or removal of the predecessor or transferring General Partner, pursuant to Section 11.1 or Section 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 ”);

(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) if 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

 

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General Partner of revocation of its charter without a reinstatement of its charter, under the laws of its state of incorporation; (B) if the General Partner is a partnership or a limited liability company, the dissolution and commencement of winding up of the General Partner; (C) if the General Partner is acting in such capacity by virtue of being a trustee of a trust, the termination of the trust; (D) if the General Partner is a natural person, his death or adjudication of incompetency; and (E) otherwise upon the termination of the General Partner.

If an Event of Withdrawal specified in Section 11.1(a)(iv), Section 11.1(a)(v), Section 11.1(a)(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 Eastern Standard Time, on September 30, 2024, 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 (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 Eastern Standard Time, on September 30, 2024, 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, and is hereby authorized to carry on the business of the Partnership and the other Group Members. 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

 

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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 10.2.

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 a Unit Majority (including Common 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 Group Members of which the General Partner is a general partner or a managing member, and is hereby authorized to carry on the business of the Partnership and the other Group Members. 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

 

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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 (which shall, for the avoidance of doubt, include a value for the non-economic General Partner 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 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 and taking into account both the value of the Incentive Distribution Rights and the non-economic General Partner Interest. 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

 

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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 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, Section 11.2 or Section 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;

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

(e) any other dissolution event as required by 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 Section 11.1(a)(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 thereafter, or (b) an event constituting an Event of Withdrawal as defined in Section 11.1(a)(iv), Section 11.1(a)(v) or Section 11.1(a)(vi), then, to the maximum extent permitted by law, within 180 days thereafter, a Unit Majority may elect to continue the business of the Partnership on the same terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement by appointing as

 

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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 a Unit Majority. 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 a Unit Majority. 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 a Unit Majority. The right to approve a successor or substitute Liquidator in the manner provided herein shall be deemed to refer also to any such successor or substitute Liquidator approved in the manner herein provided. Except as expressly provided in this Article XII, the Liquidator approved in the manner provided herein shall have and may exercise, without further authorization or consent of any of the parties hereto, all of the powers conferred upon the General Partner under the terms of this Agreement (but subject to all of the applicable limitations, contractual and otherwise, upon the exercise of such powers, other than the limitation on sale set forth in Section 7.4) 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.

 

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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.

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

 

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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 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 5.6 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,

 

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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 or options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to the Partnership Interests pursuant to Section 5.4;

(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 Section 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 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 Section 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. In proposing or approving any amendment that requires a vote of the Unitholders hereunder, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the General Partner may propose and approve any such amendment in its sole discretion and 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. The General Partner shall be deemed to

 

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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 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 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 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, the approval of Limited Partners (including the General Partner and its Affiliates) holding at least 75% of the Percentage Interests of all Limited Partners shall be required to alter, amend or adopt any provision inconsistent with or repeal this Section 13.3, Section 13.4, Section 13.5, Section 13.9 and Section 13.11.

 

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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.

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 . Any meeting may be adjourned by the chairman of the meeting one or more times for any reason, including the failure of a quorum to be present at the meeting with respect to any proposal or the failure of any proposal to receive sufficient votes for

 

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approval. No Limited Partner vote shall be required for any adjournment. A meeting may be adjourned by the chairman of the meeting as to one or more proposals regardless of whether action has been taken on other matters. If a quorum is present with respect to any one or more proposals, the chairman of the meeting may, but shall not be required to, cause a vote to be taken with respect to any such proposal or proposals which vote can be certified as final and effective notwithstanding the adjournment of the meeting with respect to any other proposal or proposals. 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 sufficiency of notice, in which case, if notice to such Limited Partner is not in compliance with this Agreement, then attendance by such Limited Partner shall not constitute waiver of notice.

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. The Limited Partners holding Outstanding Common Units shall be entitled to one vote per Unit on all matters submitted to the Limited Partners for approval. At any meeting of the Partners 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 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.

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

 

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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. A proxy purporting to be executed by or on behalf of a Limited Partner shall be deemed valid unless challenged at or prior to its exercise, and the burden of proving invalidity shall rest on the challenger. Subject to the provisions of the Delaware Act or this Agreement, the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware relating to proxies, and judicial interpretations thereunder, shall govern all matters concerning the giving, voting or validity of proxies, as if the Partnership were a Delaware corporation and the Limited Partners were stockholders of a Delaware corporation.

Section 13.11 Action Without a Meeting . 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 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.

 

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Section 13.12 Right to Vote and Related Matters .

(a) 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.

(b) 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 13.12(b) (as well as all other provisions of this Agreement) are subject to the provisions of Section 4.3.

Section 13.13 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) Notwithstanding anything set forth in this Agreement to the contrary, 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 the holders of Common Units, other than amendments and other matters that the General 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 Common Units 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 Common Units 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 Common Units 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.

 

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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 ”) or plan of conversion 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 duty (fiduciary or otherwise) 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.

(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,

 

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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.

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 Section 14.3(d) and Section 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 Section 14.3(d) and Section 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

 

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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 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;

 

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(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.

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 controlled 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 controlled 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 controlled 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 controlled 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 or any controlled Affiliate of the General Partner 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 or its controlled Affiliate, 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

 

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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 or its controlled Affiliate, as the case may be, shall deposit with the Transfer Agent cash in an amount sufficient to pay the aggregate purchase price of all of such Limited Partner Interests to be purchased in accordance with this Section 15.1. If the Notice of Election to Purchase shall have been duly given as aforesaid at least 10 days prior to the Purchase Date, and if on or prior to the Purchase Date the deposit described in the preceding sentence has been made for the benefit of the holders of Limited Partner Interests subject to purchase as provided herein, then from and after the Purchase Date, notwithstanding that any Certificate shall not have been surrendered for purchase, all rights of the holders of such Limited Partner Interests 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 or its controlled Affiliate, as the case may be, on the record books of the Transfer Agent and the General Partner or its controlled Affiliate, 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 or any method approved by the National Securities Exchange on which the Partnership Interests are listed. 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,

 

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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 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):

(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;

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

 

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(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;

(vi) IRREVOCABLY WAIVES THE RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY SUCH CLAIM, SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING; and

(vii) agrees that if such Partner or Person does not obtain a judgment on the merits that substantially achieves, in substance and amount, the full remedy sought in any such claim, suit, action or proceeding, then such Partner or Person shall be obligated to reimburse the Partnership and its Affiliates for all fees, costs and expenses of every kind and description, including but not limited to all reasonable attorneys’ fees and other litigation expenses, that the parties may incur in connection with such claim, suit, action or proceeding.

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 and Email Signatures . The use of facsimile signatures and signatures delivered by email in portable document format (.pdf) 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 have duly executed this Agreement on the date first set forth above.

 

GENERAL PARTNER:
SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS GP LLC
By:

/s/ Stephen R. Brunner

Name: Stephen R. Brunner
Title: President, Chief Executive Officer & Chief Operating Officer
LIMITED PARTNERS:
All Limited Partners now and hereafter admitted as Limited Partners of the Partnership, pursuant to powers of attorney now and hereafter executed in favor of, and granted and delivered to, the General Partner.
SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS GP LLC, as general partner
By:

/s/ Stephen R. Brunner

Name: Stephen R. Brunner
Title: President, Chief Executive Officer & Chief Operating Officer
HOLDER OF INCENTIVE DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS:
SP HOLDINGS, LLC
By: SP Capital Holdings, LLC, its manager
By:

/s/ Antonio R. Sanchez, III

Name: Antonio R. Sanchez, III
Title: Manager

Signature Page to the

Agreement of Limited Partnership

of

Sanchez Production Partners LP


EXHIBIT A

to the Agreement of Limited Partnership of

Sanchez Production Partners LP

Certificate Evidencing Common Units

Representing Limited Partner Interests in

Sanchez Production Partners LP

 

No.                                         Common Units

In accordance with Section 4.1 of the Agreement of Limited Partnership of Sanchez Production Partners LP, as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time (the “ Partnership Agreement ”), Sanchez Production Partners LP, 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 1000 Main Street, Suite 3000, Houston, Texas 77002. 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 SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP 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 SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE, OR (C) CAUSE SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP 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). SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS GP LLC, THE GENERAL PARTNER OF SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP, MAY IMPOSE ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS ON THE TRANSFER OF THIS SECURITY IF IT DETERMINES, WITH THE ADVICE OF COUNSEL, THAT SUCH RESTRICTIONS ARE NECESSARY OR ADVISABLE (i) TO AVOID A SIGNIFICANT RISK OF SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP BECOMING TAXABLE AS A CORPORATION OR OTHERWISE BECOMING TAXABLE AS AN ENTITY FOR U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX PURPOSES OR (ii) TO PRESERVE THE ECONOMIC UNIFORMITY OF THE LIMITED PARTNER INTERESTS (OR ANY CLASS OR CLASSES THEREOF). THE RESTRICTIONS SET FORTH ABOVE SHALL NOT PRECLUDE THE SETTLEMENT OF ANY TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING THIS SECURITY ENTERED INTO THROUGH THE FACILITIES OF ANY

 

A-1


NATIONAL SECURITIES EXCHANGE ON WHICH THIS SECURITY IS LISTED OR ADMITTED TO TRADING.

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:                     Sanchez Production Partners LP
Countersigned and Registered by: By:

Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC,

its General Partner

Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

As Transfer Agent and Registrar

By:

 

Name:

 

Title:

 

By:

 

Name:

 

Title:

 

 

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 UNIF GIFT/TRANSFERS MIN ACT
TEN ENT - as tenants by the entireties                     Custodian                     
JT TEN - as joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as tenants in common

(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

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP

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 Sanchez Production Partners LP.

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, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM), PURSUANT TO S.E.C. RULE 17Ad-15

 

(Signature)

 

 

 

 

(Signature)

 

A-3

Exhibit 4.4

CERTIFICATE OF FORMATION

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS GP LLC

This Certificate of Formation, dated February 10, 2015, has been duly executed and is filed pursuant to Section 18-201 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act (the “ Act ”) to form a limited liability company (the “ Company ”) under the Act.

1. Name. The name of the Company is: “Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC”.

2. Registered Office; Registered Agent. The address of the registered office required to be maintained by Section 18-104 of the Act is:

2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400

Wilmington, Delaware 19808.

The name and the address of the registered agent for service of process required to be maintained by Section 18-104 of the Act are:

Corporation Service Company

2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400

Wilmington, Delaware 19808.

EXECUTED as of the date written first above.

 

/s/ Kay Piccolo

Kay Piccolo

Exhibit 4.5

LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT

OF

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS GP LLC,

A DELAWARE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY,

DATED AS OF

MARCH 2, 2015


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

         Page  

ARTICLE 1 DEFINITIONS

     1   

1.1

 

Definitions

     1   

1.2

 

Construction

     5   

ARTICLE 2 ORGANIZATION

     5   

2.1

 

Formation

     5   

2.2

 

Name

     6   

2.3

 

Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices

     6   

2.4

 

Purpose

     6   

2.5

 

Foreign Qualification

     6   

2.6

 

Term

     6   

2.7

 

Powers

     6   

2.8

 

No State-Law Partnership; Withdrawal

     6   

2.9

 

Title to Company Property

     7   

ARTICLE 3 MATTERS RELATING TO MEMBERS

     7   

3.1

 

Membership Interests

     7   

3.2

 

Creation of Additional Membership Interests

     7   

3.3

 

Liability to Third Parties; Duties and Obligations

     7   

3.4

 

Meetings of the Members

     8   

3.5

 

Quorum

     8   

3.6

 

Action Without a Meeting

     8   

3.7

 

Denial of Appraisal Rights

     8   

ARTICLE 4 CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND CAPITAL ACCOUNTS

     9   

4.1

 

Capital Contributions

     9   

4.2

 

Loans

     9   

4.3

 

Return of Contributions

     9   

ARTICLE 5 DISTRIBUTIONS AND ALLOCATIONS

     9   

5.1

 

Distributions

     9   

5.2

 

Disregarded Entity

     9   

ARTICLE 6 MANAGEMENT

     10   

6.1

 

Management

     10   

6.2

 

Board of Directors

     12   

6.3

 

Officers.

     14   

6.4

 

Compensation of Directors

     17   

6.5

 

Indemnification

     17   

6.6

 

Exculpation

     19   

6.7

 

Amendment and Vesting of Rights

     20   

6.8

 

Severability

     21   

6.9

 

Other Business Ventures

     21   

6.10

 

Resolution of Conflicts of Interest; Standard of Conduct and Modification of Duties

     22   

 

i


ARTICLE 7 TAX MATTERS

  22   

ARTICLE 8 BOOKS, RECORDS, REPORTS, AND BANK ACCOUNTS

  22   

8.1

Maintenance of Books

  22   

8.2

Reports

  22   

8.3

Bank Accounts

  23   

8.4

Fiscal Year

  23   

ARTICLE 9 DISSOLUTION, WINDING-UP AND TERMINATION

  23   

9.1

Dissolution

  23   

9.2

Winding-Up and Termination.

  23   

ARTICLE 10 TRANSFERS

  24   

10.1

Permitted Transfers

  24   

10.2

Conditions to Permitted Transfers

  24   

10.3

Prohibited Transfers

  25   

10.4

Rights of Unadmitted Assignees

  25   

10.5

Admission of Substituted Members

  25   

ARTICLE 11 GENERAL PROVISIONS

  26   

11.1

Notices

  26   

11.2

Entire Agreement; Superseding Effect

  26   

11.3

Effect of Waiver or Consent

  26   

11.4

Amendment

  26   

11.5

Binding Effect

  26   

11.6

Governing Law

  27   

11.7

Jurisdiction

  27   

11.8

Further Assurances

  27   

11.9

Offset

  27   

11.10

Counterparts

  27   

 

ii


LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT

OF

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS GP LLC

This Limited Liability Company Agreement (as amended, restated, supplemented and otherwise modified from time to time, this “ Agreement ”) of Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “ Company ”), is made and entered into as of March 2, 2015, by SP Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Holdings ”), as the sole Member (defined below) of the Company. The parties hereto may be referenced individually as a “ Party ” and collectively as “ Parties .”

RECITALS

WHEREAS , the Company was originally formed as a limited liability company pursuant to the Delaware LLC Act by the filing of the Organizational Certificate with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on February 10, 2015 (the “ Original Filing Date ”);

WHEREAS , on August 25, 2014, the board of managers of Sanchez Production Partners LLC (f/k/a Constellation Energy Partners LLC) (“ SPP LLC ”) approved a Plan of Conversion dated as of August 25, 2014 (the “ Plan of Conversion ”) providing for the conversion of SPP LLC from a limited liability company formed under the laws of the State of Delaware to a limited partnership named Sanchez Production Partners LP (the “ Partnership ”) formed under the laws of the State of Delaware, subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions (the “ Conversion ”);

WHEREAS , pursuant to the Plan of Conversion, at the effective time of the Conversion (the “ Effective Time ”), the Partnership will issue a non-economic general partner interest to the Company; and

WHEREAS , in accordance with the foregoing, Holdings, as the sole Member of the Company, desires to execute and deliver this Agreement.

NOW, THEREFORE, for and in consideration of the premises, the covenants and agreements set forth herein and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, Holdings, as the sole Member of the Company, hereby enters into this Agreement in its entirety as follows:

ARTICLE 1

DEFINITIONS

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

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.


Agreement ” is defined in the preamble.

Bankruptcy ” means, with respect to any Person, (a) such Person (i) makes a general assignment for the benefit of creditors; (ii) files a voluntary bankruptcy petition; (iii) becomes the subject of an order for relief or is declared insolvent in any federal or state bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings; (iv) files a petition or answer seeking for such Person a reorganization, arrangement, composition, readjustment, liquidation, dissolution, or similar relief under any Law; (v) files an answer or other pleading admitting or failing to contest the material allegations of a petition filed against such Person in a proceeding of the type described in subclauses (i) through (iv) of this clause (a); or (vi) seeks, consents to, or acquiesces in the appointment of a trustee, receiver, or liquidator of such Person or of all or any substantial part of such Person’s properties; or (b) a proceeding against such Person seeking reorganization, arrangement, composition, readjustment, liquidation, dissolution, or similar relief under any Law has been commenced and 120 days have expired without dismissal thereof or with respect to which, without such Person’s consent or acquiescence, a trustee, receiver, or liquidator of such Person or of all or any substantial part of such Person’s properties has been appointed and 90 days have expired without the appointment having been vacated or stayed, or 90 days have expired after the date of expiration of a stay, if the appointment has not previously been vacated. The foregoing definition of “Bankruptcy” is intended to replace and shall supersede and replace the definition of “Bankruptcy” set forth in the Delaware LLC Act.

Board of Directors ” or “ Board ” is defined in Section 6.1 .

Business Day ” means Monday through Friday of each week, except that a legal holiday recognized as such by the government of the United States of America or the states of New York or Texas shall not be regarded as a Business Day.

Capital Contribution ” is defined in Section 4.1(b) .

Company ” is defined in the preamble.

Conversion ” is defined in the recitals.

Delaware LLC Act ” means the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act and any successor statute, as amended, supplemented or restated and in effect from time to time. All references in this Agreement to provisions in the Delaware LLC Act shall be deemed to refer, if applicable, to their successor statutory provisions to the extent appropriate in light of the context in which such references are used in this Agreement.

Director ” means a member of the Board of Directors.

Dissolution Event ” is defined in Section 9.1(a) .

Effective Time ” is defined in the recitals.

 

2


Governmental Authority ” means a federal, state, local or foreign governmental authority; a state, province, commonwealth, territory or district thereof; a county or parish; a city, town, township, village or other municipality; a district, ward or other subdivision of any of the foregoing; any executive, legislative or other governing body of any of the foregoing; any agency, authority, board, department, system, service, office, commission, committee, council or other administrative body of any of the foregoing, including any National Securities Exchange or SEC-recognized trading market on which the securities issued by the Partnership are listed or quoted; any court or other judicial body; and any officer, official or other representative of any of the foregoing.

Holdings ” is defined in the preamble.

Indemnitee ” means each of (a) any Person who is or was an Affiliate of the Company, (b) any Person who is or was a member, director, officer, fiduciary or trustee of the Company, (c) any Person who is or was an officer, member, partner, director, employee, agent or trustee of the Company or any Affiliate of the Company, or any Affiliate of any such Person, (d) any Person who is or was serving at the request of the Company or any such Affiliate as a director, officer, employee, member, partner, agent, fiduciary or trustee of another Person ( provided , that a Person shall not be an Indemnitee by reason of providing, on a fee-for-services basis, trustee, fiduciary or custodial services) and (e) any Person the Company designates as an “Indemnitee” for purposes of this Agreement.

Independent Director ” means a Director who meets the independence qualification and experience standards required of 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 SEC thereunder and by the principal National Securities Exchange on which the securities of the Partnership are listed.

Law ” means any applicable (a) constitutional provision, statute, act, code, law, regulation, rule, ordinance, order, decree, ruling, proclamation, resolution, judgment, decision, declaration or interpretative or advisory opinion or letter of a Governmental Authority having valid jurisdiction and (b) rule or listing requirement of any applicable National Securities Exchange or SEC-recognized trading market on which securities issued by the Partnership are listed or quoted.

Liability ” means any liability or obligation, whether known or unknown, asserted or unasserted, absolute or contingent, matured or unmatured, conditional or unconditional, latent or patent, accrued or unaccrued, liquidated or unliquidated, or due or to become due.

Member ” means any Person executing this Agreement as of the date of this Agreement as a member or hereafter admitted to the Company as a member as provided in this Agreement, but such term does not include any Person who has ceased to be a member in the Company.

Member Approval ” means the approval of the Members holding more than 50% of the outstanding Membership Interests.

Membership Interest ” means, with respect to any Member and constituting that Member’s limited liability company interest as defined in the Delaware LLC Act, (i) that

 

3


Member’s status as a holder of the applicable class of limited liability company interests; (ii) that Member’s share of the income, gain, loss, deduction and credits of, and the right to receive distributions from, the Company as a holder of the applicable class of limited liability company interests; (iii) all other rights, benefits and privileges enjoyed by that Member (under the Delaware LLC Act, this Agreement or otherwise) in its capacity as a Member holding the applicable class of limited liability company interests; and (iv) all obligations, duties and liabilities imposed on that Member (under the Delaware LLC Act, this Agreement or otherwise) in its capacity as a Member holding the applicable class of limited liability company interests.

National Securities Exchange ” means an exchange registered with the SEC 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 SEC under Section 6(a) (or successor to such Section) of the Securities Exchange Act) that the Company shall designate as a National Securities Exchange for purposes of the Partnership Agreement.

Officers ” is defined in Section 6.3(a) .

Organizational Certificate ” means the Certificate of Formation of the Company originally filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on February 10, 2015, as such Certificate of Formation may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

Original Filing Date ” is defined in the recitals.

Other Enterprise ” includes any other limited liability company, limited partnership, partnership, corporation, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other entity, in which a Person is serving at the request of the Company.

Partnership ” is defined in the recitals.

Partnership Agreement ” means the Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Partnership, as it may be amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.

Party ” and “ Parties ” are defined in the preamble.

Permitted Transfer ” is defined in Section 10.1 .

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

Plan of Conversion ” is defined in the recitals.

Property ” means all real and personal property contributed to or otherwise acquired by the Company and any improvements on such real or personal property, and shall include both tangible and intangible property.

SEC ” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

4


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

SPP LLC ” is defined in the recitals.

Term ” is defined in Section 2.6 .

Transfer ” when used in this Agreement with respect to a Membership Interest, shall be deemed to refer to a transaction by which a Member assigns its Membership Interest to another Person, and includes a sale, assignment, gift, conveyance, encumbrance, hypothecation, mortgage, exchange, or any other disposition by Law or otherwise; provided, however, that a “Transfer” shall not include a pledge of a Membership Interest to any lender to, or in connection with any financing of, the Company or any subsidiary of the Company, and the pledge or hypothecation of, or the granting of any security interest or other lien or encumbrance against, all or part of a Membership Interest will not cause the withdrawal of the Member from the Company; provided, further , that, for the avoidance of doubt, a “Transfer” shall not include a merger involving the Company or a transaction in which a Member undergoes a change of control.

Withdraw ,” “ Withdrawing ” and “ Withdrawal ” means the withdrawal, resignation or retirement of a Member from the Company as a Member. Such terms shall not include any Transfers of Membership Interests (which are governed by Article 10 ), even though the Member making a Transfer may cease to be a Member as a result of such Transfer.

1.2 Construction . Unless the context requires otherwise: (a) any pronoun used in this Agreement shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine or neuter forms, and the singular form of nouns, pronouns and verbs shall include the plural and vice versa; (b) references to Articles and Sections refer to Articles and Sections of this Agreement; (c) the terms “include,” “includes,” “including” or words of like import shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation”; and (d) the terms “hereof,” “herein” or “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 2

ORGANIZATION

2.1 Formation . The Company was formed on the Original Filing Date pursuant to the filing of the Organizational Certificate with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware pursuant to the Delaware LLC Act. Holdings, as the sole Member of the Company, ratifies the organization and formation of the Company and continues the Company pursuant to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. Except as expressly provided to the contrary in this Agreement, the rights, duties (including fiduciary duties), liabilities and obligations of the Members and the administration, dissolution and termination of the Company shall be governed by the Delaware LLC Act.

 

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2.2 Name . The name of the Company is and shall continue to be “Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC” and all Company business must be conducted in that name or such other names that comply with Law as the Board of Directors or the Members may select.

2.3 Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices . The registered office of the Company required by the Delaware LLC Act to be maintained in the State of Delaware shall be the office of the initial registered agent for service of process named in the Organizational Certificate or such other office (which need not be a place of business of the Company) as the Board may designate in the manner provided by Law. The registered agent for service of process of the Company in the State of Delaware shall be the initial registered agent for service of process named in the Organizational Certificate or such other Person or Persons as the Board may designate in the manner provided by Law. The principal office of the Company in the United States shall be at such a place as the Board may from time to time designate, which need not be in the State of Delaware, and the Company shall maintain records there. The Company may have such other offices as the Board of Directors may designate.

2.4 Purpose . The purposes of the Company shall be to (a) act as the general partner of the Partnership as described in the Partnership Agreement (and acquire, hold and dispose of partnership interests and related rights in the Partnership) and only undertake activities that are ancillary or related thereto, (b) provide services to the Partnership and its subsidiaries and/or Affiliates of the Partnership and (c) in connection with acting in such capacity and providing such services, carry on any lawful business or activity permitted by the Delaware LLC Act and other Law.

2.5 Foreign Qualification . Prior to the Company’s conducting business in any jurisdiction other than the State of Delaware, the Board shall cause the Company to comply, to the extent procedures are available and those matters are reasonably within the control of the Board, with all requirements necessary to qualify the Company as a foreign limited liability company in that jurisdiction. At the request of the Board, the Members shall execute, acknowledge, swear to and deliver all certificates and other instruments conforming with this Agreement that are necessary or appropriate to qualify, continue and terminate the Company as a foreign limited liability company in all such jurisdictions in which the Company may conduct or cease to conduct business.

2.6 Term . The period of existence of the Company (the “ Term ”) commenced on the Original Filing Date and shall end at such time as a certificate of cancellation with respect to the Company is filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware in accordance with Section 9.2(c) .

2.7 Powers . The Company is 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 Company.

2.8 No State-Law Partnership; Withdrawal . It is the intent that the Company shall be a limited liability company formed under the Laws of the State of Delaware and shall not be a partnership (whether general, limited or other) or joint venture, and that no Member shall be a

 

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partner or joint venturer of any other Party for any purposes other than (if the Company has more than one Member) federal and state income tax purposes, and this Agreement shall not be construed or interpreted to suggest otherwise. A Member does not have the right to Withdraw from the Company; provided, however , that a Member shall have the power to Withdraw at any time in violation of this Agreement. If a Member exercises such power in violation of this Agreement, (a) such Member shall be liable to the Company and its Affiliates for all monetary damages suffered by them as a result of such Withdrawal and (b) such Member shall not have any rights under Section 18-604 of the Delaware LLC Act. In no event shall the Company have the right, through specific performance or otherwise, to prevent a Member from Withdrawing in violation of this Agreement.

2.9 Title to Company Property . All property owned by the Company, whether real or personal, tangible or intangible, shall be deemed to be owned by the Company as an entity, and no Member, individually, shall have any ownership of such property. The Company may hold its property in its own name or in the name of a nominee which may be the Board or any of its Affiliates or any trustee or agent designated by it.

ARTICLE 3

MATTERS RELATING TO MEMBERS

3.1 Membership Interests . As of the date hereof, Holdings is the sole Member of the Company as reflected in Exhibit A .

3.2 Creation of Additional Membership Interests . The Board may cause the Company to issue additional Membership Interests in the Company and additional Persons receiving such additional Membership Interests may be admitted to the Company as Members pursuant to this Section 3.2 with, in each case, Member Approval. The terms of admission or issuance may provide for the creation of different classes or groups of Members having different rights, powers, and duties. The creation of any new class or group of Membership Interests or Members in accordance with this Section 3.2 may be reflected in an amendment to this Agreement executed in accordance with Section 11.4 indicating the different rights, powers, and duties thereof. Any such admission is effective only after the new Member has executed and delivered to the Company an instrument containing the notice address of the new Member and the new Member’s ratification of this Agreement and agreement to be bound by it.

3.3 Liability to Third Parties; Duties and Obligations .

(a) Except as may be expressly provided in another separate, written guaranty or other agreement executed by a Member or as required by the Delaware LLC Act, no Member shall be liable for the Liabilities of the Company, including under a judgment, decree or order of a court, solely by reason of being a Member of the Company. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, no Member has the authority or power to act for or on behalf of or bind the Company or to incur any expenditures on behalf of the Company.

(b) The Company and the Members agree that the rights, duties and obligations of the Members in their capacity as members of the Company are only as set forth in this Agreement and, except to the extent this Agreement provides otherwise, under the Delaware

 

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LLC Act. Each Member and its Affiliates may engage, directly or indirectly, without the consent or approval of the other Members or the Company, in the businesses conducted by such Member and its Affiliates as of the Effective Time and in any other business opportunities, transactions, ventures or other arrangements of any nature or description, independently or with others, including business of a nature which may be competitive with or the same as or similar to the business of the Company and/or the Partnership, regardless of the geographic location of such business, and without any duty or obligation to account to the other Members or the Company in connection therewith. Nothing herein is intended to create a partnership, joint venture, agency or other relationship creating fiduciary or quasi-fiduciary duties or similar duties and obligations or subject the Members to joint and several or vicarious liability or to impose any duty, obligation or liability that would arise therefrom with respect to any or all of the Members or the Company. To the extent that, at law or in equity, a Member has any fiduciary duty to the Company or any other Member pursuant to this Agreement, such duty is hereby eliminated pursuant to Section 18-1101(c) of the Act; provided, however , that the foregoing does not eliminate the implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing. Furthermore, to the fullest extent permitted by Law, the Members agree that the existence of any rights of a Member, or the exercise or forbearance from exercise of any such rights, shall not create any duties or obligations of the Members in their capacities as members of the Company, nor shall such rights be construed to enlarge or otherwise alter in any manner the duties and obligations of the Members.

(c) In addition to the powers and authorities expressly conferred on the Board by this Agreement, the Board may exercise all such powers of the Company and do all such acts and things as are not restricted by this Agreement, the Delaware LLC Act or other Law.

3.4 Meetings of the Members . A meeting may be called at any time at the request of any Member. Any Member may participate in a meeting of the Members by means of conference telephone or similar communication equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other, and such participation in a meeting shall constitute presence in person at such meeting.

3.5 Quorum . The presence, in person or by proxy, of the Members holding more than 50% of the outstanding Membership Interests will constitute a quorum for the transaction of business by the Members. If, at any meeting of the Members there shall be less than a quorum present, a majority of the Members present may adjourn the meeting from time to time without further notice. The Members present at a duly organized meeting may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough Members to leave less than a quorum.

3.6 Action Without a Meeting . Any action that is required to or may be taken at a meeting of the Members may be taken without a meeting if consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, are signed by the holder(s) of the Membership Interests entitled to vote on such matter. Such consents will have the same force and effect as a vote at a meeting duly held.

3.7 Denial of Appraisal Rights . No Member will have any appraisal rights or dissenters’ rights with respect to any merger, consolidation, conversion or dissolution of the Company, any sale of assets by the Company or any amendment to this Agreement, the Members’ rights with respect to such matters being limited to those rights, if any, expressly set forth in this Agreement.

 

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ARTICLE 4

CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND CAPITAL ACCOUNTS

4.1 Capital Contributions .

(a) As the initial or organizational Member of the Company, Holdings made the Capital Contribution set forth on Exhibit A at the time of the formation of the Company. No Member shall be obligated to make any additional Capital Contributions to the Company.

(b) The amount of money and the fair market value (less the amount of any liabilities of the Member assumed by the Company or that are secured by any Property contributed by such Member to the Company) as of the date of contribution of any Property (other than money) contributed to the Company by a Member in respect of the issuance of a Membership Interest to such Member shall constitute a “ Capital Contribution .” Any reference in this Agreement to the Capital Contribution of a Member shall include any Capital Contribution of its predecessor(s) in interest.

4.2 Loans . If the Company does not have sufficient cash to pay its obligations, any Member that may agree to do so with the consent of the Board may advance all or part of the needed funds for such obligation to or on behalf of the Company. An advance described in this Section 4.2 will constitute a loan from the Member to the Company, may bear interest at a rate not greater than the rate the Company could obtain from third parties, and will not be a Capital Contribution.

4.3 Return of Contributions . A Member is not entitled to the return of any part of its Capital Contributions or to be paid interest in respect of its Capital Account or Capital Contributions. An unrepaid Capital Contribution is not a liability of the Company or of any Member. No Member will be required to contribute or to lend any cash or property to the Company to enable the Company to return any Member’s Capital Contributions.

ARTICLE 5

DISTRIBUTIONS AND ALLOCATIONS

5.1 Distributions . All distributions shall be made to the Members at such times and from time to time as approved by Member Approval.

5.2 Disregarded Entity . The Company will be an entity disregarded from its owner for federal income tax purposes as long as all of the Membership Interests in the Company are owned by one Member. Therefore, all of the items of income, gain, loss and expense of the Company shall flow through to the sole Member.

 

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ARTICLE 6

MANAGEMENT

6.1 Management .

(a) Management of the Partnership . Subject to Article 3 and Section 6.1(c) and (d) , all management powers over the business and affairs of the Company, including the management and control of the Partnership (in the Company’s capacity as general partner of the Partnership), shall be exclusively vested in a Board of Directors (“ Board of Directors ” or “ Board ”) and, subject to the direction of the Board of Directors, the Officers. Each Director shall constitute a “manager” of the Company within the meaning of the Delaware LLC Act. Except as otherwise specifically provided in this Agreement, no Member, by virtue of having the status of a Member, shall have or attempt to exercise or assert any management power over the business and affairs of the Company or shall have or attempt to exercise or assert actual or apparent authority to enter into contracts on behalf of, or otherwise bind, the Company. In addition to the powers that now or hereafter can be granted to managers under the Act and to all other powers granted under any other provision of this Agreement, the Board shall have full power and authority to do, and to direct the Officers to do, all things on such terms as it determines to be necessary or appropriate to conduct the business of the Company, subject to Article 3 and Sections 6.1(c) and (d) . The Officers shall be vested with such powers and duties as are set forth in this Article 6 and as are specified by the Board from time to time. Accordingly, except as otherwise specifically provided in this Agreement, the business and affairs of the Company shall be managed under the direction of the Board of Directors, and the day-to-day activities of the Company shall be conducted on the Company’s behalf by the Officers, who shall be agents of the Company.

(b) Additional Authority . In addition to the powers and authority expressly conferred on the Board by this Agreement, the Board may exercise all such powers of the Company and do all such acts and things as are not restricted by this Agreement, the Partnership Agreement, the Delaware LLC Act or other Law.

(c) Certain Company Matters Requiring Member Approval. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, without Member Approval the Company shall not, and shall not take any action to cause either the Company or the Partnership or any of their respective subsidiaries, as applicable, to:

(i) make or consent to a general assignment for the benefit of its respective creditors;

(ii) file or consent to the filing of any bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization petition for relief under the United States Bankruptcy Code naming the Company or the Partnership or any of their respective subsidiaries, as applicable, or otherwise seek, with respect to the Company or the Partnership or any of their respective subsidiaries, relief from debts or protection from creditors generally;

 

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(iii) file or consent to the filing of a petition or answer seeking for the Company or the Partnership or any of their respective subsidiaries, as applicable, a liquidation, dissolution, arrangement, or similar relief under any Law;

(iv) file an answer or other pleading admitting or failing to contest the material allegations of a petition filed against the Company or the Partnership or any of their respective subsidiaries, as applicable, in a proceeding of the type described in any of clauses (i) - (iii) of this Section 6.1(c) ;

(v) seek, consent to or acquiesce in the appointment of a receiver, liquidator, conservator, assignee, trustee, sequestrator, custodian or any similar official for the Company or the Partnership or any of their respective subsidiaries, as applicable, or for all or any substantial portion of any such entity’s properties;

(vi) sell all or substantially all of the assets of the Company or the Partnership;

(vii) dissolve or liquidate, except in the case of the Partnership, in accordance with Article XII of the Partnership Agreement;

(viii) merge or consolidate;

(ix) amend the Partnership Agreement;

(x) declare any distributions to be paid by the Company;

(xi) issue or repurchase any equity interests in the Company;

(xii) settle any claim made directly against the Company;

(xiii) sell, convey, transfer or pledge any asset of the Company (including the non-economic general partner interest in the Partnership and any other securities of the Partnership held by the Company);

(xiv) amend, modify or waive any rights relating to the assets of the Company; or

(xv) enter into any agreement to incur an obligation of the Company other than an agreement entered into for and on behalf of the Partnership for which the Company is liable exclusively by virtue of the Company’s capacity as general partner of the Partnership or of any of its subsidiaries.

(d) Certain Other Matters Requiring Member Approval . Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company shall not, without Member Approval, exercise the rights of the Company, as general partner of the Partnership (or those exercisable after the Company ceases to be the general partner of the Partnership), pursuant to the following provisions of the Partnership Agreement:

(i) Section 2.4 (“ Purpose and Business ”), with respect to decisions to propose or approve the conduct by the Partnership of any business other than that in which the Partnership is engaged at the Effective Time.

 

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(ii) Section 5.5 (“ Limited Preemptive Right ”);

(iii) Section 7.7 (“ Indemnification ”), solely with respect to any decision by the Company to exercise its rights as an “Indemnitee”;

(iv) Section 7.11 (“ Purchase and Sale of Partnership Interests ”), solely with respect to decisions by the Company to purchase or otherwise acquire and sell Partnership Interests (as such term is defined in the Partnership Agreement) for its own account;

(v) Section 7.12 (“ Registration Rights of the General Partner and its Affiliates ”), solely with respect to any decision by the Company to exercise registration rights and to take actions in connection therewith;

(vi) Section 11.1 (“ Withdrawal of the General Partner ”), solely with respect to the decision by the Company to withdraw as general partner of the Partnership and to giving notices required thereunder;

(vii) Sections 11.3(a) and (b) (“ Interest of Departing General Partner and Successor General Partner ”); and

(viii) Section 15.1 (“ Right to Acquire Limited Partner Interests ”).

6.2 Board of Directors .

(a) Generally . Subject to Section 6.2(a)(ii) , the Board of Directors shall consist of not less than five or more than nine natural Persons (each a “ Director ” and collectively, the “ Directors ”), unless otherwise fixed from time to time pursuant to a resolution adopted by Member Approval. A Director need not be a Member.

(i) The Members shall appoint all of the Directors of the Board. The Directors as of the date of this Agreement are set forth on Exhibit B .

(ii) Unless permitted otherwise pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder and by the principal National Securities Exchange on which the securities of the Partnership are listed, the Board shall have at least three Independent Directors; provided, however , that if at any time there shall be less than the required number of Independent Directors, the Board shall still have all powers and authority granted to it hereunder, provided that the Members shall endeavor to appoint additional Independent Directors as soon as reasonably practicable to comply with this Section 6.2(a) .

(iii) The Board may elect a chairman (the “ Chairman ”) of the Board. The Chairman of the Board, if elected, shall be a member of the Board and shall preside

 

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at all meetings of the Board and of the partners of the Partnership, if any. The Chairman of the Board shall not be an Officer by virtue of being the Chairman of the Board but may otherwise be an Officer. The Chairman of the Board may be removed either with or without cause at any time by the affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the Board. No removal or resignation as Chairman of the Board shall necessarily affect such Chairman’s status as a Director. As of the Effective Time, the Chairman of the Board is and shall remain Richard S. Langdon.

(iv) Any action required or permitted to be taken by the Board may be taken without a meeting if such action is evidenced in writing and signed by all of the members of the Board.

(b) Term; Resignation; Vacancies; Removal . Each Director shall hold office until his death or incapacity or until his successor is appointed and qualified or until his earlier resignation or removal. Any Director may resign at any time upon written notice to the Board or to the President. Such resignation shall take effect at the time specified therein, and unless otherwise specified therein no acceptance of such resignation shall be necessary to make it effective. Vacancies and newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the authorized number of Directors or from any other cause shall be filled by the Members; and any Director so chosen shall hold office until the next annual election, if any, and until his successor shall be duly appointed and shall qualify, unless sooner displaced. Any Director may be removed, with or without cause, by the Members.

(c) Voting; Quorum; Required Vote for Action . Unless otherwise required by the Delaware LLC Act, other Law or the provisions hereof,

(i) each member of the Board of Directors shall have one vote;

(ii) the presence at a meeting of a majority of the members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum at any such meeting for the transaction of business; and

(iii) the act of a majority of the members of the Board of Directors present at a meeting duly called in accordance with Section 6.2(e) at which a quorum is present shall be deemed to constitute the act of the Board of Directors.

(d) Committees . The Board may at any time and from time to time establish committees of the Board and may delegate any of its responsibilities to such committees. Upon the Effective Time, the Board shall have:

(i) a conflicts committee (which shall conform to the requirements of the Partnership Agreement);

(ii) an audit committee comprised of at least three Independent Directors with a written audit committee charter in accordance with the rules of the principal National Securities Exchange on which a class of securities of the Partnership are listed or admitted to trading, as amended from time to time;

 

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(iii) a compensation committee comprised of at least three Independent Directors with a written compensation committee charter in accordance with the rules of the principal National Securities Exchange on which a class of securities of the Partnership are listed or admitted to trading, as amended from time to time; and

(iv) a corporate governance committee comprised of at least three Independent Directors with a written corporate governance committee charter in accordance with the rules of the principal National Securities Exchange on which a class of securities of the Partnership are listed or admitted to trading, as amended from time to time.

The membership composition of each committee at the Effective Time is set forth on Exhibit B .

(e) Meetings . The Board (or any committee of the Board) shall meet at such time and at such place as the Chairman of the Board (or the chairman of such committee) may designate. Written notice of all regular meetings of the Board (or any committee of the Board) must be given to all Directors (or all members of such committee) at least two days prior to the regular meeting of the Board (or such committee). Special meetings of the Board (or any committee of the Board) shall be held at the request of the Chairman or a majority of the Directors (or a majority of the members of such committee) upon at least two days (if the meeting is to be held in person) or twenty-four hours (if the meeting is to be held telephonically) oral or written notice to the Directors (or the members of such committee) or upon such shorter notice as may be approved by the Directors (or the members of such committee), which approval may be given before or after the relevant meeting to which the notice relates. All notices and other communications to be given to Directors (or members of a committee) shall be sufficiently given for all purposes hereunder if in writing and delivered by hand, courier or overnight delivery service or three days after being mailed by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, with appropriate postage prepaid, or when received in the form of a telegram, as an attachment to an electronic mail message or facsimile, and shall be directed to the address, electronic mail address or facsimile number as such Director (or member of such committee) shall designate by notice to the Company. Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any regular or special meeting of the Board (or committee) need be specified in the notice of such meeting. Any Director (or member of such committee) may waive the requirement of such notice as to such Director (or member of such committee).

6.3 Officers.

(a) Generally . The Board shall appoint agents of the Company, referred to as “ Officers ” of the Company as described in this Section 6.3 , who shall be responsible for the day-to-day business affairs of the Company, subject to the overall direction and control of the Board. The names and titles of the Officers of the Company in office as of the date of this Agreement are set forth on Exhibit C . Unless provided otherwise by the Board, the Officers shall have the titles, power, authority and duties described below in this Section 6.3 .

(b) Titles and Number . The Officers shall be one or more Presidents, any and all Vice Presidents (including Executive and/or Senior Vice Presidents, as applicable), the Secretary and any and all Assistant Secretaries and any Treasurer and any and all Assistant

 

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Treasurers and any other Officers appointed pursuant to this Section 6.3 . There shall be appointed from time to time, in accordance with this Section 6.3 , such Vice Presidents, Secretaries, Assistant Secretaries, Treasurers and Assistant Treasurers as the Board may desire. Any person may hold two or more offices.

(c) Chief Executive Officer . The Board shall elect an individual to serve as Chief Executive Officer. In general, the Chief Executive Officer, subject to the direction and control of the Board, shall have general and active supervision, management and control of the properties, business and operations of the Company and the Partnership and its subsidiaries, and its officers, agents and employees, and shall have such powers and perform such duties as may be incident to the office and such other duties as may be assigned from time to time by the Board. The Chief Executive Officer may employ and discharge Officers, employees and agents of the Company, except such as shall be appointed by the Board, and he may delegate these powers. The Chief Executive Officer shall have the nonexclusive authority to execute and acknowledge in the name of and on behalf of the Company any deeds, leases, bonds, notes, mortgages, evidences of indebtedness, certificates, contracts or other instruments, except when the execution or acknowledgment thereof shall be expressly delegated to some other Officer or agent of the Company by the Board or shall be required by Law to be otherwise executed or acknowledged and, unless otherwise provided by Law or by the Board, may delegate to any Officer, employee or agent of the Company authority to execute and acknowledge in his place and stead all such documents and instruments.

(d) President . If the Board designates a President, such Officer shall have such powers and perform such duties as may be assigned from time to time by the Board, the Chairman of the Board or the Chief Executive Officer. Subject to the foregoing, the President shall have direct management responsibility for the general business and affairs of the Company and the Partnership and its subsidiaries, and over all subordinate officers, employees and agents of the Company, and he shall have such powers and perform such duties as may be incident to the office and such other duties assigned to him by other provisions of this Agreement, including the nonexclusive authority to execute and acknowledge in the name of and on behalf of the Company any deeds, leases, bonds, notes, mortgages, evidences of indebtedness, certificates, contracts or other instruments, except when the execution or acknowledgment thereof shall be expressly delegated to some other Officer or agent of the Company by the Board, the Chairman of the Board or the Chief Executive Officer or shall be required by Law to be otherwise executed or acknowledged and, unless otherwise provided by Law or by the Board, may delegate to any Officer, employee or agent of the Company authority to execute and acknowledge in his place and stead all such documents and instruments.

(e) Chief Operating Officer . If the Board designates a Chief Operating Officer, such Officer shall have such powers and perform such duties as may be assigned from time to time by the Board, the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer or the President. Subject to the foregoing, the Chief Operating Officer shall have direct management responsibility for the general business operations of the Company and the Partnership and its subsidiaries, and he shall have such powers and perform such duties as may be incident to the office and those duties assigned to him by other provisions of this Agreement. Subject to delegations by the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Operating Officer may execute and acknowledge, in the name of and on behalf the Company, deeds, leases, bonds, notes, mortgages,

 

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evidences of indebtedness, certificates, contracts or other instruments, except when the execution or acknowledgment thereof shall be expressly delegated to some other Officer or agent of the Company by the Board, the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer or the President or shall be required by Law to be otherwise executed or acknowledged and, unless otherwise provided by Law or by the Board, may delegate to any Officer, employee or agent of the Company authority to execute and acknowledge in his place and stead all such documents and instruments.

(f) Chief Financial Officer . If the Board designates a Chief Financial Officer, such Officer shall keep and maintain, or cause to be kept and maintained, adequate and correct books and records of account of the Company, the Partnership and its subsidiaries. He shall receive and deposit all moneys and other valuables belonging to the Company in the name and to the credit of the Company and shall disburse the same and only in such manner as the Board or the appropriate Officer of the Company may from time to time determine. He shall receive and deposit all moneys and other valuables belonging to the Partnership in the name and to the credit of the Partnership and shall disburse the same and only in such manner as the Board or the Chief Executive Officer may require. He shall render to the Board and the Chief Executive Officer, whenever any of them request it, an account of all his transactions as Chief Financial Officer and of the financial condition of the Company or the Partnership and its Subsidiaries, and shall perform such further duties as the Board or the Chief Executive Officer may require.

(g) Vice Presidents . The Board, in its discretion, may elect one or more Vice Presidents (including any Executive and/or Senior Vice Presidents). A Vice President shall exercise such powers and duties as may be assigned to such person as determined by the Board.

(h) Secretary and Assistant Secretaries . The Board, in its discretion, may elect a Secretary and one or more Assistant Secretaries. The Secretary shall record or cause to be recorded in books provided for that purpose the minutes of the meetings or actions of the Board, the Members and of the partners of the Partnership, shall see that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement and as required by Law, shall be custodian of all records (other than financial), shall see that the books, reports, statements, certificates and all other documents and records required by Law are properly kept and filed, and, in general, shall perform such duties as may be incident to the office and such other duties as may be assigned from time to time by this Agreement, the Board or the President. The Assistant Secretaries shall exercise the powers of the Secretary during that Officer’s absence or inability or refusal to act.

(i) Treasurer and Assistant Treasurers . The Board, in its discretion, may elect a Treasurer and one or more Assistant Treasurers. The Treasurer shall keep or cause to be kept the books of account of the Company and shall render statements of the financial affairs of the Company in such form and as often as required by this Agreement, the Board or the Chief Financial Officer. The Treasurer, subject to the order of the Board, shall have the custody of all funds and securities of the Company and the Partnership. The Treasurer shall perform such other duties as may be incident to the office and as may be assigned from time to time by this Agreement, the Board or the Chief Financial Officer. The Assistant Treasurers shall exercise the power of the Treasurer during that Officer’s absence or inability or refusal to act. Each of the Assistant Treasurers shall possess the same power as the Treasurer to sign all certificates, contracts, obligations and other instruments of the Company. If no Treasurer or Assistant

 

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Treasurer is appointed and serving or in the absence of the appointed Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer, the Chief Financial Officer or such other Officer as the Board shall select, shall have the powers and duties conferred upon the Treasurer.

(j) Other Officers and Agents . The Board may appoint such other Officers and agents as may from time to time appear to be necessary or advisable in the conduct of the affairs of the Company, who shall hold their offices for such terms and shall exercise such powers and perform such duties as shall be determined from time to time by the Board.

(k) Appointment and Term of Office . The Officers shall be appointed by the Board at such time and for such terms as the Board shall determine. Any Officer may be removed, with or without cause, only by the Board. Vacancies in any office may be filled only by the Board.

(l) Powers of Attorney . The Board may grant powers of attorney or other authority as appropriate to establish and evidence the authority of the Officers and other Persons.

(m) Officers’ Delegation of Authority . Unless otherwise provided by resolution of the Board, no Officer shall have the power or authority to delegate to any Person such Officer’s rights and powers as an Officer to manage the business and affairs of the Company.

6.4 Compensation of Directors . The members of the Board who are not Officers of the Company may, subject to the discretion and approval of the Board, receive compensation as directors and committee members, and members of the Board shall be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attending meetings of the Board or committees thereof.

6.5 Indemnification .

(a) To the fullest extent permitted by Law but subject to the limitations expressly provided in this Agreement, each Indemnitee shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Company from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, joint or several, expenses (including reasonable legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements and other amounts arising from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, in which any such Indemnitee may be involved, or is threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, by reason of such person’s status as an Indemnitee; provided, however , 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 Section 6.5 , the Indemnitee acted in bad faith or engaged in fraud, willful misconduct, or in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or upon a plea of nolo contendere, or its equivalent, shall not create a presumption that the Indemnitee acted in a manner contrary to that specified above. Any indemnification pursuant to this Section 6.5 shall be made only out of assets of the Company, it being agreed that a Member shall not be personally liable for such

 

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indemnification and shall have no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Company to enable it to effectuate such indemnification.

(i) To the fullest extent permitted by Law, expenses (including reasonable legal fees and expenses) incurred by an Indemnitee who is indemnified pursuant to Section 6.5(a) in defending any claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding shall, from time to time, be advanced by the Company prior to the final disposition of such claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding upon receipt by the Company of an undertaking by or on behalf of the Indemnitee to repay such amount if it shall be determined that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified as authorized in this Section 6.5 .

(ii) The Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted under the Delaware LLC Act, pay or reimburse expenses incurred by an Indemnitee in connection with the Indemnitee’s appearance as a witness or other participation in a proceeding involving or affecting the Company at a time when the Indemnitee is not a named defendant or respondent in the proceeding.

(b) The indemnification provided by this Section 6.5 shall be in addition to any other rights to which an Indemnitee may be entitled under any agreement, as a matter of Law or otherwise, both as to actions in the Indemnitee’s capacity as an Indemnitee and as to actions in any other capacity, 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; provided, however , that the indemnification provided by this Section 6.5 shall be, after any indemnification provided pursuant to the Partnership Agreement, the primary source of indemnification with respect to the matters addressed herein, without regard to other potential sources of indemnification, reimbursement or contribution (subject to applicable express provisions of any insurance policy to which the Company is a party).

(c) The Company shall purchase and maintain insurance, on behalf of the members of the Board of Directors, the Officers and such other Persons as the Board of Directors shall determine, against any liability that may be asserted against or expense that may be incurred by such Person in connection with the Company’s activities or such Person’s activities on behalf of the Company, regardless of whether the Company would have the power to indemnify such Person against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement; provided, however, that the Company will have no obligation to obtain or maintain the insurance contemplated by this Section 6.5(c) if the Board reasonably determines in good faith that such insurance is not reasonably available.

(d) For purposes of this Section 6.5 , the Company shall be deemed to have requested an Indemnitee to serve as fiduciary of an employee benefit plan whenever the performance by the Indemnitee of such Indemnitee’s duties to the Company also imposes duties on, or otherwise involves services by, the Indemnitee 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 Law shall constitute “fines” within the meaning of Section 6.5(a) ; and action taken or omitted by the Indemnitee with respect to an employee benefit plan in the performance of such Indemnitee’s duties for a purpose reasonably believed by such Indemnitee to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of the plan shall be deemed to be for a purpose which is in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Company.

 

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(e) An Indemnitee shall not be denied indemnification in whole or in part under this Section 6.5 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.

(f) The provisions of this Section 6.5 are for the benefit of the Indemnitees, their heirs, successors, assigns and administrators and shall not be deemed to create any rights for the benefit of any other Persons.

(g) No amendment, modification or repeal of this Section 6.5 or any provision hereof shall in any manner terminate, reduce or impair either the right of any past, present or future Indemnitee to be indemnified by the Company or the obligation of the Company to indemnify any such Indemnitee under and in accordance with the provisions of this Section 6.5 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, provided such Person became an Indemnitee hereunder prior to such amendment, modification or repeal.

(h) Any act or omission performed or omitted by an Indemnitee on advice of legal counsel or an independent consultant who has been employed or retained by the Company shall be presumed to have been performed or omitted in good faith without gross negligence or willful misconduct.

(i) THE PROVISIONS OF THE INDEMNIFICATION PROVIDED IN THIS SECTION 6.5 ARE INTENDED BY THE PARTIES TO APPLY EVEN IF SUCH PROVISIONS HAVE THE EFFECT OF EXCULPATING THE INDEMNITEE FROM LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CONSEQUENCES OF SUCH PERSON’S NEGLIGENCE, FAULT OR OTHER CONDUCT .

6.6 Exculpation.

(a) Subject to any restrictions imposed by Law, no Indemnitee shall be liable, in damages or otherwise, to the Company, any Member or any of their Affiliates for any act or omission performed or omitted by any of them (including any act or omission performed or omitted by any of them in reliance upon and in accordance with the opinion or advice of experts, including of legal counsel as to matters of Law, of accountants as to matters of accounting, or of investment bankers or appraisers as to matters of valuation), unless a court of competent jurisdiction has issued a final and non-appealable decision or judgment that such Indemnitee acted in bad faith or was grossly negligent or engaged in willful misconduct or fraud or, in the case of a criminal matter, acted with the knowledge that such Indemnitee’s conduct was criminal. No Member shall be liable to the Company or any Member for any action taken by any other Member.

(b) An Indemnitee shall incur no liability in acting in good faith upon any signature or writing believed by such Indemnitee to be genuine, may rely on a certificate signed

 

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by an executive officer of any Person in order to ascertain any fact with respect to such Person or within such Person’s knowledge, and may rely on an opinion of counsel selected by such Indemnitee with respect to legal matters. Each Indemnitee may act directly or through such Indemnitee’s agents or attorneys. Each Indemnitee may consult with counsel, appraisers, engineers, accountants and other skilled Persons selected by such Indemnitee, and shall not be liable for anything done, suffered or omitted in good faith in reliance upon the advice of any of such Persons. No Indemnitee shall be liable to the Company or any Member for any error of judgment made in good faith by a responsible officer or employee of such Indemnitee or such Indemnitee’s Affiliate. Except as otherwise provided in this Section 6.6 , no Indemnitee shall be liable to the Company or any Member for any mistake of fact or judgment by such Indemnitee in conducting the affairs of the Company or otherwise acting in respect of and within the scope of this Agreement.

(c) Except as otherwise provided herein, no Indemnitee shall be liable for the return of the Capital Contributions or Capital Account of any Member, and such return shall be made solely from available assets of the Company, if any, and each Member hereby waives any and all claims that it may have against such Indemnitee in this regard.

(d) The provisions of this Agreement, to the extent that they expressly restrict or eliminate the duties (including fiduciary duties) and liabilities of an Indemnitee otherwise existing at law or in equity, are agreed by the Members to replace such other duties and liabilities of such Indemnitee. In causing the Company to make a determination or take or decline to take any action, unless another express standard is provided for in this Agreement, an Indemnitee shall act in good faith and shall not be subject to any other or different standards imposed by this Agreement, any other agreement contemplated hereby or under the Delaware LLC Act or any other Law, or in equity. In order for a determination or other action affecting the Company to be in “good faith” for purposes of this Agreement, an Indemnitee must believe that the determination or other action is in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Company.

(e) Subject to its obligations and duties as set forth in this Article 6 , the Board of Directors and any committee thereof 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 the Company’s Officers or agents, and neither the Board of Directors nor any committee thereof shall be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any such Officer or agent appointed by the Board of Directors or any committee thereof in good faith.

(f) Any amendment, modification or repeal of this Section 6.6 or any provision hereof shall be prospective only and shall not in any way affect the limitations on liability under this Section 6.6 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 be asserted.

6.7 Amendment and Vesting of Rights . The rights granted or created hereby will be vested in each Person entitled to indemnification hereunder as a bargained-for, contractual condition of such Person’s being or serving or having served as a Director, Officer or representative of the Company or serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer or

 

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in any other comparable position of any Other Enterprise and, while this Article 6 may be amended or repealed, no such amendment or repeal will release, terminate or adversely affect the rights of such Person under this Article 6 with respect to any (a) act taken or the failure to take any act by such Person prior to such amendment or repeal or (b) action, suit or proceeding concerning such act or failure to act filed after such amendment or repeal.

6.8 Severability . If any provision of this Article 6 or the application of any such provision to any Person or circumstance is held invalid, illegal or unenforceable for any reason whatsoever, the remaining provisions of this Article 6 and the application of such provision to other Persons or circumstances will not be affected thereby and, to the fullest extent possible, the court finding such provision invalid, illegal or unenforceable must modify and construe the provision so as to render it valid and enforceable as against all Persons and to give the maximum possible protection to Persons subject to indemnification hereby within the bounds of validity, legality and enforceability. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, if any Member, Director, Officer or representative of the Company or any Person who is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer or in any other comparable position of any Other Enterprise, is entitled under any provision of this Article 6 to indemnification by the Company for some or a portion of the judgments, amounts paid in settlement, attorneys’ fees, penalties, ERISA excise taxes, fines or other expenses actually and reasonably incurred by any such Person in connection with any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (including the investigation, defense, settlement or appeal of such action, suit or proceeding), whether civil, criminal, administrative, investigative or appellate, but not, however, for all of the total amount thereof, the Company will nevertheless indemnify such Person for the portion thereof to which such Person is entitled.

6.9 Other Business Ventures .

(a) Any Member, Director or Officer shall have the right to engage in, or possess an interest in, other business ventures of every nature and description, independently or with others, whether or not similar or identical to the businesses engaged in or anticipated to be engaged in by the Company or the Partnership, including business interests and activities in direct competition with the business and activities of the Company, the Partnership or its subsidiaries, and none of the same shall constitute a breach of this Agreement or any duty expressed or implied by law or equity to the Company or its subsidiaries or any Member. Neither the Company, its subsidiaries nor any Member, Director or Officer will have any right by virtue of this Agreement in or to such other business ventures or to the income or profits derived therefrom.

(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, but subject to the terms of any other agreement to which a Party may be subject, the doctrine of corporate opportunity, or any analogous doctrine, shall not apply to any Member, Director or Officer. No Member, Director or Officer who acquires knowledge of a potential transaction, agreement, arrangement or other matter that may be an opportunity for the Company or its subsidiaries shall have any duty to communicate or offer such opportunity to the Company or its subsidiaries, and such Member, Director or Officer shall not be liable to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, any other Member or any other Person for breach of any fiduciary or other duty by reason of the fact that such Member, Director or Officer pursues or acquires for itself, directs such opportunity

 

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to another Person or does not communicate such opportunity or information to the Company or its subsidiaries; provided, however , that such Member, Director or Officer does not engage in such business or activity as a result of or using confidential or proprietary information provided by or on behalf of the Company or its subsidiaries to such Person.

(c) The Members and their representatives, including the Officers, are not required to devote all of their time or business efforts to the affairs of the Company, but will devote so much of their time and attention to the Company as is reasonably necessary and advisable to manage the affairs of the Company to the best advantage of the Company.

(d) The foregoing will not supersede any employment, confidentiality, noncompetition or other specific agreement that may exist between the Company (or an Affiliate of the Company) and any Member (or an Affiliate of any Member) or Officer.

6.10 Resolution of Conflicts of Interest; Standard of Conduct and Modification of Duties . Any conflicts of interest among the Company, the Partnership, the Members, the Directors, the Officers or any of their Affiliates shall be resolved in accordance with Section 7.9 of the Partnership Agreement.

ARTICLE 7

TAX MATTERS

The sole Member shall prepare and timely file, on behalf of the Company, all state and local tax returns, if any, required to be filed by the Company. The Company will be an entity disregarded from its owner for federal income tax purposes as long as all of the Membership Interests in the Company are owned by one Member.

ARTICLE 8

BOOKS, RECORDS, REPORTS, AND BANK ACCOUNTS

8.1 Maintenance of Books.

(a) The Board of Directors shall keep or cause to be kept at the principal office of the Company or at such other location approved by the Board of Directors complete and accurate books and records of the Company, supporting documentation of the transactions with respect to the conduct of the Company’s business and minutes of the proceedings of the Board of Directors and any other books and records as may be necessary for the proper conduct of the business of the Company.

(b) The books of account of the Company shall be (i) maintained on the basis of a fiscal year that is the calendar year and (ii) maintained on an accrual basis in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, consistently applied.

8.2 Reports . With respect to each fiscal year, the Board shall prepare, or cause to be prepared, and deliver, or cause to be delivered, to each Member, within 90 days after the end of such fiscal year, a profit and loss statement and a statement of cash flows for such fiscal year, and a balance sheet as of the end of such fiscal year, together with a report thereon of the certified public accountants of the Company selected by the Board.

 

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8.3 Bank Accounts . Funds of the Company shall be deposited in such banks or other depositories as shall be designated from time to time by the Board of Directors. All withdrawals from any such depository shall be made only as authorized by the Board of Directors and shall be made only by check, wire transfer, debit memorandum or other written instruction.

8.4 Fiscal Year . For financial accounting purposes, the fiscal year of the Company will end on December 31 of each year unless a different year is adopted by the Board.

ARTICLE 9

DISSOLUTION, WINDING-UP AND TERMINATION

9.1 Dissolution.

(a) The Company shall dissolve and its affairs shall be wound up on the first to occur of the following events (each a “ Dissolution Event ”):

(i) the joint decision of the Members by unanimous consent and the Board of Directors;

(ii) the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Company under Section 18-802 of the Delaware LLC Act; and

(iii) at any time there are no Members of the Company, unless the Company is continued in accordance with the Delaware LLC Act or this Agreement.

(b) No other event shall cause a dissolution of the Company.

(c) Upon the occurrence of any event that causes there to be no Members of the Company, to the fullest extent permitted by Law, the personal representative of the last remaining Member is hereby authorized to, and shall, within 90 days after the occurrence of the event that terminated the continued membership of such Member in the Company, agree in writing (i) to continue the Company and (ii) to the admission of the personal representative or its nominee or designee, as the case may be, as a substitute Member of the Company, effective as of the occurrence of the event that terminated the continued membership of such Member in the Company.

(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Bankruptcy of a Member shall not cause such Member to cease to be a member of the Company and, upon the occurrence of such an event, the Company shall continue without dissolution.

9.2 Winding-Up and Termination.

(a) On the occurrence of a Dissolution Event, the Board of Directors shall select one or more Persons to act as liquidator. The liquidator shall proceed diligently to wind up the affairs of the Company and make final distributions as provided herein and in the Delaware LLC Act.

 

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The costs of winding up shall be borne as a Company expense. Until final distribution, the liquidator shall continue to operate the Company properties with all of the power and authority of the Board of Directors. The steps to be accomplished by the liquidator are as follows:

(i) as promptly as possible after dissolution and again after final winding up, the liquidator shall cause a proper accounting to be made by a recognized firm of certified public accountants of the Company’s assets, liabilities, and operations through the last calendar day of the month in which the dissolution occurs or the final winding up is completed, as applicable;

(ii) the liquidator shall discharge from Company funds all of the debts, liabilities and obligations of the Company (including all expenses incurred in winding up) or otherwise make adequate provision for payment and discharge thereof (including the establishment of a cash escrow fund for contingent conditional or unmatured liabilities in such amount and for such term as the liquidator may reasonably determine);

(iii) the liquidator may sell any or all Company property (except cash), including to Members; and

(iv) all remaining assets of the Company (including cash) shall be distributed to the Members.

(b) The distribution of cash or property to a Member in accordance with the provisions of this Section 9.2 constitutes a complete return to the Member of its Capital Contributions and a complete distribution to the Member of its Membership Interest and its share of all the Company’s property and constitutes a compromise to which all Members have consented within the meaning of Section 18-502(b) of the Delaware LLC Act. No Member shall be required to make any Capital Contribution to the Company to enable the Company to make the distributions described in this Section 9.2 . To the extent that a Member returns funds to the Company, it has no claim against any other Member for those funds.

(c) On completion of such final distribution, the liquidator shall file a certificate of cancellation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware and take such other actions as may be necessary to terminate the existence of the Company. Upon the filing of such certificate of cancellation, the existence of the Company shall terminate (and the Term shall end), except as may be otherwise provided by Law.

ARTICLE 10

TRANSFERS

10.1 Permitted Transfers . Subject to the conditions and restrictions set forth in Section 10.2 , a Member may at any time Transfer all or any portion of its Membership Interest (a “ Permitted Transfer ”).

10.2 Conditions to Permitted Transfers . A Transfer shall not be treated as a Permitted Transfer under Section 10.1 unless and until the following conditions are satisfied:

(a) The transferor and transferee shall execute and deliver to the Company such documents and instruments of conveyance as may be necessary or appropriate to effectuate such Transfer and to confirm the agreement of the transferee to be bound by the provisions of this Agreement.

 

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(b) Such Transfer will be exempt from all applicable registration requirements and will not violate any Laws regulating the Transfer of securities.

(c) Such Transfer will not cause the Company to be deemed to be an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

(d) The transferor and its transferee shall pay, or reimburse the Company for, all reasonable costs and expenses incurred by the Company in connection with the Transfer and the admission of the transferee as a Member, including the legal fees, if any, incurred in connection with any legal opinion(s) rendered pursuant to Section 10.2 .

10.3 Prohibited Transfers.

(a) Any purported Transfer of a Membership Interest that is not a Permitted Transfer shall, to the fullest extent permitted by Law, be null and void and of no force or effect whatever; provided, however , that, if the Company is required to recognize a Transfer that is not a Permitted Transfer, the rights with respect to the Transferred Membership Interest shall be strictly limited to the transferor’s rights to allocations and distributions as provided by this Agreement with respect to the Transferred Membership Interest, which allocations and distributions may be applied (without limiting any other legal or equitable rights of the Company) to satisfy any debts, obligations, or Liabilities for damages that the transferor or transferee of such Membership Interest may have to the Company.

(b) In the case of a Transfer or attempted Transfer of a Membership Interest that is not a Permitted Transfer, the parties engaging or attempting to engage in such Transfer shall be liable to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and the other Members from all Liability and damages that the Company or any of such indemnified Members may incur (including incremental tax liabilities, lawyers’ fees and expenses) as a result of such Transfer or attempted Transfer and efforts to enforce the indemnity granted hereby.

10.4 Rights of Unadmitted Assignees . A Person who acquires a Membership Interest but who is not admitted as a substituted Member pursuant to Section 10.5 shall be entitled only to allocations and distributions with respect to such Membership Interest in accordance with this Agreement, and, to the fullest extent permitted by Law, shall have no right to any information or accounting of the affairs of the Company, shall not be entitled to inspect the books or records of the Company, and shall not have any of the rights of a Member under the Delaware LLC Act or this Agreement.

10.5 Admission of Substituted Members . Subject to the other provisions of this Article 10 , a transferee of a Membership Interest may be admitted to the Company as a substituted Member only upon satisfaction of the conditions set forth in this Section 10.5 .

(a) The Membership Interest with respect to which the transferee is being admitted was acquired by means of a Permitted Transfer; and

 

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(b) The transferee of a Membership Interest (other than, with respect to clauses (i) and (ii) below, a transferee that was a Member prior to the Transfer) shall, by written instrument, (i) accept and adopt the terms and provisions of this Agreement, including this Article 10 and (ii) assume the obligations of the transferor Member under this Agreement with respect to the Transferred Membership Interest. The transferor Member shall be released from all such assumed obligations except (x) those obligations or Liabilities of the transferor Member arising out of a breach of this Agreement by the transferor Member and (y) in the case of a Transfer to any Person other than a Member, those obligations or Liabilities of the transferor Member based on events occurring, arising, or maturing prior to the date of Transfer.

ARTICLE 11

GENERAL PROVISIONS

11.1 Notices . Except as expressly set forth to the contrary in this Agreement, all notices, requests or consents provided for or permitted to be given under this Agreement must be in writing and must be delivered to the recipient in person, by reputable air courier service with charges prepaid or mail or by facsimile or other electronic transmission and a notice, request or consent given under this Agreement is effective on receipt by the Person to receive it; provided, however , that a facsimile or other electronic transmission that is transmitted after the normal business hours of the recipient shall be deemed effective on the next Business Day. All notices, requests and consents to be sent to a Member must be sent to or made at the addresses set forth on Exhibit A , or to such other address given for that Member as that Member may specify by notice to the Company and each other Member. Whenever any notice is required to be given by Law, the Organizational Certificate or this Agreement, a written waiver thereof, signed by the Person entitled to notice, whether before or after the time stated therein, shall be deemed equivalent to the giving of such notice.

11.2 Entire Agreement; Superseding Effect . This Agreement together with Exhibits hereto, shall constitute the entire agreement of the Members and their respective Affiliates relating to the subject matter hereof and shall supersede all prior contracts or agreements with respect to such subject matter, whether oral or written.

11.3 Effect of Waiver or Consent . Except as provided in this Agreement, a waiver or consent, express or implied, to or of any breach or default by any Person in the performance by that Person of its obligations with respect to the Company is not a consent or waiver to or of any other breach or default in the performance by that Person of the same or any other obligations of that Person with respect to the Company. Except as provided in this Agreement, failure on the part of a Person to complain of any act of any Person or to declare any Person in default with respect to the Company, irrespective of how long that failure continues, does not constitute a waiver by that Person of its rights with respect to that default until the applicable statute of limitations period has run.

11.4 Amendment . Subject to Section 3.2 , this Agreement may be amended only by a written instrument executed by all Members.

11.5 Binding Effect . This Agreement is binding on and shall inure to the benefit of the Members and their respective heirs, legal representatives, successors and assigns.

 

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11.6 Governing Law . This agreement is governed by and shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware without regard to the principles of conflicts of law.

11.7 Jurisdiction . Any and all claims arising out of, in connection with or in relation to (i) the interpretation, performance or breach of this Agreement, or (ii) any relationship before, at the time of entering into, during the term of, or upon or after expiration or termination of this Agreement, between the Parties hereto, shall be brought in any court of competent jurisdiction in the State of Delaware. Each Party hereto unconditionally and irrevocably consents to the jurisdiction of any such court over any claims and waives any objection that such party may have to the laying of venue of any claims in any such court.

11.8 Further Assurances . In connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, each Member shall execute and deliver any additional documents and instruments and perform any additional acts that may be necessary or appropriate to effectuate and perform the provisions of this Agreement and those transactions.

11.9 Offset . Whenever the Company is to pay any sum to any Member, any amounts that a Member owes the Company may be deducted from that sum before payment.

11.10 Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts with the same effect as if all signing parties had signed the same document. All counterparts shall be construed together and constitute the same instrument.

[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the Member has executed this Agreement as of the date first set forth above.

 

MEMBER:
SP HOLDINGS, LLC
By: SP Capital Holdings, LLC, its manager
By:

/s/ Antonio R. Sanchez, III

Name: Antonio R. Sanchez, III
Title: Manager


EXHIBIT A

 

Member

   Membership
Interest
 

SP Holdings, LLC

     100

1000 Main Street, Suite 3000

  

Houston, Texas 77002

email: tony@sanchezog.com

facsimile: (713) 783-0915

  

Capital Contribution: $100

  

Total:

     100

 

EXHIBIT A


EXHIBIT B

Directors

 

Richard S. Langdon 1,2,3,4 Chairman of the Board (Chairman of the Compensation Committee)
Antonio R. Sanchez, III Director
Gerald F. Willinger Director
Alan S. Bigman 1,2,3,4 Director (Chairman of the Audit Committee)
G.M. Byrd Larberg 1,2,3,4 Director (Chairman of the Conflicts Committee and the Corporate Governance Committee)

 

1   Member of the Conflicts Committee
2   Member of the Audit Committee
3   Member of the Compensation Committee
4   Member of the Corporate Governance Committee

 

EXHIBIT B


EXHIBIT C

Officers

 

Stephen R. Brunner President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer
Charles C. Ward Chief Financial Officer, Principal Accounting Officer, Treasurer and Secretary

 

EXHIBIT C

Exhibit 4.6

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP

LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN

 

1. Introduction.

(a) Purpose of Plan . This Sanchez Production Partners LP Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “ Plan ”) is intended to promote the interests of Sanchez Production Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the “ Partnership ”) by providing directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Partnership, of Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “ General Partner ”) and of their Affiliates, who provide services to the Partnership, a means to develop a sense of ownership and personal involvement in the development and financial success of the Partnership, and to encourage them to remain with and devote their best efforts to the business of the Partnership and, in doing so, advance the interests of the Partnership and its unitholders. The Plan is also contemplated to enhance the ability of the General Partner, the Partnership and their respective Affiliates to attract and retain the services of individuals who are essential for the growth and profitability of the Partnership.

The Plan is an amendment and restatement of the Constellation Energy Partners LLC 2009 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan (the “ Prior Plan ”), which resulted in the name of the Prior Plan being changed to the Sanchez Production Partners LP Long-Term Incentive Plan. As part of this amendment and restatement, the Constellation Energy Partners LLC Long-Term Incentive Plan, as amended, is merged into the Plan.

(b) Effective Date . This amendment and restatement of the Plan (and the merger into the Plan of the Constellation Energy Partners LLC Long-Term Incentive Plan) shall become effective upon both (i) approval of the amendment and restatement by the unitholders of Sanchez Production Partners LLC (predecessor-in-interest to the Partnership) and (b) the effectiveness of the conversion of Sanchez Production Partners LLC (f/k/a Constellation Energy Partners LLC) from a limited liability company into a limited partnership, with the date that both such conditions being satisfied referred to herein as the “ Effective Date .” Except to the extent an Award is to be settled in cash according to its terms, no Award granted hereunder shall be effective unless and until such approval of the Plan occurs; provided , however , that outstanding Awards granted under the Prior Plan and the Constellation Energy Partners LLC Long-Term Incentive Plan shall continue to be effective regardless of whether such approval occurs.

 

2. Construction.

(a) Definitions .

As used in the Plan, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:

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. For purposes of the Plan, Sanchez Oil & Gas Corporation, SP Holdings, LLC and their Affiliates shall be deemed to be an Affiliate of both the General Partner and the Partnership.

Award ” means an Option, Restricted Unit, Unit Grant, Notional Unit, Unit Appreciation Right, Performance Award or Other Unit-Based Award granted under the Plan, and shall include tandem any DERs granted with respect to a Notional Unit.

Award Agreement ” means the written agreement by which an Award shall be evidenced.

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

 

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Change in Control ” means the occurrence of any of the following events:

(i) any “person” or “group” within the meaning of those terms as used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act, other than the General Partner, the Partnership or an Affiliate of either of the foregoing, shall become the beneficial owner, by way of merger, consolidation, recapitalization, reorganization or otherwise, of 50% or more of the combined voting power of the equity interests in the Partnership;

(ii) the equity holders of the Partnership approve, in one or a series of transactions, a program of complete liquidation of the Partnership, respectively;

(iii) the sale or other disposition by the Partnership of all or substantially all of the Partnership’s assets in one or more transactions to any Person other than the General Partner or an Affiliate thereof; or

(iv) a transaction resulting in a Person other than the General Partner or an Affiliate of the General Partner or of the Partnership being the general partner of the Partnership.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, in any circumstance or transaction in which compensation payable pursuant to this Plan or an Award Agreement would be subject to the income tax under the Section 409A Rules if the foregoing definition of “Change in Control” were to apply, but would not be so subject if the term “Change in Control” were defined herein to mean a “change in control event” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation § 1.409A-3(i)(5), then “Change in Control” means, but only to the extent necessary to prevent such compensation from becoming subject to the income tax under the Section 409A Rules, a transaction or circumstance that satisfies the requirements of both (1) a Change in Control under the applicable clause (i) through (iv) above, and (2) a “change in control event” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation § 1.409A-3(i)(5).

Code ” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the regulations and administrative guidance promulgated thereunder.

Committee ” means the Board or such committee of the Board as may be appointed by the Board to administer the Plan.

Consultant ” means a Person, other than an Employee or a Director, providing bona fide services to the Partnership or any of its subsidiaries as a consultant or advisor, as applicable.

DER ” or “ Distribution Equivalent Right ” means a contingent right, granted in tandem with a specific Notional Unit or Restricted Unit, to receive an amount in cash or Units, as determined by the Committee, which cash or Units shall have a value equal to the cash distributions made by the Partnership with respect to a Unit during the period such tandem Award is outstanding.

Director ” means a member of the Board who is not an Employee.

Disability ” means that a Participant has been determined to be “disabled” under the General Partner’s or the Partnership’s long-term disability plan, as applicable, in effect at the time the Participant ceases to be an Officer, Employee, Consultant or Director, as applicable; provided , however , in any circumstance in which compensation payable pursuant to this Plan or an Award Agreement would be subject to the income tax under the Section 409A Rules if the foregoing definition of “Disability” were to apply, but would not be so subject if the term “Disability” were defined herein to mean a “disability” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation § 1.409A-3(i)(4), then “Disability” means, but only to the extent necessary to prevent such compensation from becoming subject to the income tax under the Section 409A Rules, a “disability” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation § 1.409A-3(i)(4).

Eligible Person ” means any Officer, Employee, Consultant or Director of the Partnership or the general partner of the Partnership or any of their Affiliates, and any other Person selected by the Committee (including Sanchez Oil & Gas Corporation and SP Holdings, LLC), performing bona fide services for the Partnership or any of its subsidiaries.

 

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Employee ” means any employee of the General Partner, the Partnership or an Affiliate of either of the foregoing.

Exchange Act ” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Fair Market Value ” means the closing sales price of a Unit on the applicable date (or if there is no trading in the Units on such date, on the next preceding date on which there was trading) as reported in The Wall Street Journal (or other reporting service approved by the Committee). In the event Units are not publicly traded at the time a determination of fair market value is required to be made hereunder, the determination of Fair Market Value shall be made in good faith by the Committee using a “reasonable application of a reasonable valuation method” within the meaning of the Section 409A Rules.

Notional Unit ” means a notional Unit granted under the Plan that, upon vesting, entitles the Participant to receive a Unit or an amount of cash equal to the Fair Market Value of a Unit. Whether cash or Units are received for Notional Units shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Committee and shall be set forth in the Award Agreement.

Officer ” means any Employee who is or other individual who is an officer of the General Partner, the Partnership or an Affiliate of either of the foregoing.

Option ” means an option to purchase Units granted under the Plan.

Other Unit-Based Award ” means an Award granted pursuant to Section 6(f)(iii) of the Plan that is not otherwise specifically provided for in another paragraph of Section 6 .

Participant ” means any Eligible Person (or former Eligible Person) who holds an outstanding Award under the Plan.

Performance Award ” means an Award granted under the Plan that, if earned, shall be payable in cash, Units, or any combination thereof as determined by the Committee.

Performance Goal ” means one or more targeted levels of performance for a performance period based on one or more Performance Metrics.

Performance Metric ” means one or more of the following criteria: (a) total unitholder return; (b) return on assets, return on equity, or return on capital employed; (c) measures of profitability such as earnings per unit, corporate or business-unit net income, net income before extraordinary or one-time items, earnings before interest and taxes, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization; (d) cash flow from operations; (e) gross or net margins; (f) levels of operating expense or other expense items; (g) annual or multi-year operating plan; (h) safety; (i) annual or multi-year average production growth; (j) efficiency or productivity measures such as annual or multi-year absolute or per-unit operating and maintenance costs; (k) satisfactory completion of a major project or organizational initiative with specific criteria set in advance by the Committee; (l) specific performance goals for a particular job; (m) debt ratios or other measures of credit quality or liquidity; (n) strategic asset sales or acquisitions in compliance with specific criteria set in advance by the Committee; (o) distribution growth; (p) efficiencies and results of field operations or drilling programs, including total wells/recompletions drilled, cost of wells, lease operating expenses, cycle time to hook up wells to flow and infrastructure improvements; and (q) any other measure deemed appropriate by the Committee.

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

Plan ” means the Sanchez Production Partners LP Long-Term Incentive Plan (formerly known as the Constellation Energy Partners LLC 2009 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan).

Prior Plan ” means the Constellation Energy Partners LLC 2009 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan.

 

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Restricted Period ” means the period established by the Committee with respect to an Award during which the Award is not transferable, remains subject to forfeiture or is not exercisable by the Participant.

Restricted Unit ” means a Unit granted under the Plan that is subject to a Restricted Period.

Retirement ” means retirement on or after the earliest retirement date permissible under the employee pension benefit plan or plans (as defined in Section 3(2) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended) that are (i) sponsored or maintained by the Partnership and (ii) intended to qualify for favorable federal income tax treatment under Section 401(a) of the Code.

Rule 16b-3 ” means Rule 16b-3 promulgated by the SEC under the Exchange Act, or any successor rule or regulation thereto as in effect from time to time.

SEC ” means the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any successor thereto.

Section 409A Rules ” means Section 409A of the Code and the Treasury Regulations and administrative guidance promulgated thereunder.

UAR ” or “ Unit Appreciation Right ” means an Award that, upon exercise, entitles the holder to receive the excess of the Fair Market Value of a Unit on the exercise date over the exercise price established for such Unit Appreciation Right. Such excess may be paid in cash and/or in Units as determined in the sole discretion of the Committee and set forth in the Award Agreement.

UDR ” or “ Unit Distribution Right ” means a distribution made by the Partnership with respect to a Restricted Unit.

Unit ” means a common unit representing a limited partner interest of the Partnership.

Unit Grant ” means an Award of an unrestricted Unit.

(b) Construction . In this Plan, unless a clear contrary intention appears, (a) the words “herein,” “hereof” and “hereunder” and other words of similar import refer to this Plan as a whole and not to any particular section or other subdivision, (b) reference to any section means such section hereof and (c) the words “including” (and with correlative meaning “include”) means including, without limiting the generality of any description preceding such term.

 

3. Administration.

The Plan shall be administered by the Committee. A majority of the Committee shall constitute a quorum, and the acts of the members of the Committee who are present at any meeting thereof at which a quorum is present, or acts unanimously approved by the members of the Committee in writing, shall be the acts of the Committee. Subject to the terms of the Plan and applicable law, and in addition to other express powers and authorizations conferred on the Committee by the Plan, the Committee shall have full power and authority to: (i) determine who is an Eligible Person; (ii) designate Participants; (iii) determine the type or types of Awards to be granted to a Participant; (iv) determine the number of Units to be covered by Awards; (v) determine the terms and conditions of any Award (including performance requirements for such Award); (vi) determine whether, to what extent and under what circumstances Awards may be settled, exercised, canceled or forfeited; (vii) interpret and administer the Plan and any instrument or agreement relating to an Award made under the Plan; (viii) establish, amend, suspend or waive such rules and regulations and appoint such agents as it shall deem appropriate for the proper administration of the Plan; and (ix) make any other determination and take any other action that the Committee deems necessary or desirable for the administration of the Plan. Unless otherwise expressly provided in the Plan, all designations, determinations, interpretations and other decisions under or with respect to the Plan or any Award shall be within the sole discretion of the Committee, may be made at any time and shall be final, conclusive and binding upon all Persons, including the Partnership, any Affiliate of the Partnership, any Participant and any beneficiary of any Award.

 

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4. Units.

(a) Limits on Units Deliverable . Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 4(c) , the maximum number of Units that may be delivered or reserved for delivery with respect to the Plan or underlying any Award is fifteen percent (15%) of the aggregate number of issued and outstanding Units as of the date of adoption of the Plan plus, upon the issuance of additional Units from time to time, an automatic increase equal to the lesser of (i) fifteen percent (15%) of such additional Units or (ii) such lesser number of Units as determined by the Committee. If any Award to be settled in Units according to its terms expires, is canceled, exercised, paid or otherwise terminates without the delivery of Units (including Units withheld pursuant to Section8(b)(ii) ), then the Units covered by such Award, to the extent of such expiration, cancellation, exercise, payment or termination, shall again be Units with respect to which Awards may be granted. Units that cease to be subject to an Award because of the exercise of the Award, or the vesting of Restricted Units or similar Awards, shall no longer be subject to or available for any further grant under this Plan. Notwithstanding the foregoing, there shall not be any limitation on the number of Awards that are to be settled solely in cash according to the terms of the Award.

(b) Sources of Units Deliverable Under Awards . Any Units delivered pursuant to an Award shall consist, in whole or in part, of Units (i) acquired in the open market or (ii) from the General Partner, the Partnership, any Affiliate of either of the foregoing or any other Person, or any combination of the foregoing as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion.

(c) Adjustments . In the event that any distribution (whether in the form of cash, Units, other securities, or other property), recapitalization, split, reverse split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, repurchase, or exchange of Units or other securities of the Partnership, issuance of warrants or other rights to purchase Units or other securities of the Partnership, or other similar transaction or event affects the Units, then the Committee shall, in such manner as it may deem equitable, adjust any or all of (i) the number and type of Units (or other securities or property) with respect to which Awards may be granted, (ii) the number and type of Units (or other securities or property) subject to outstanding Awards, and (iii) the grant or exercise price with respect to any Award or make provision for a cash payment to the holder of an outstanding Award; provided , however , that the number of Units subject to any Award shall always be a whole number; provided, further , that the Committee shall not take any action otherwise authorized under this subparagraph (c) to the extent that such action would, except as permitted in Section 7(c) , materially reduce the benefit to the Participant without the consent of the Participant.

 

5. Eligibility.

Any Eligible Persons shall be eligible to be designated a Participant by the Committee and receive Awards under the Plan.

 

6. Awards.

(a) Options . The Committee shall have the authority to determine the Eligible Persons to whom Options shall be granted, the number of Units to be covered by each Option, the purchase price therefor and the conditions and limitations applicable to the exercise of the Option, including the following terms and conditions and such additional terms and conditions, as the Committee shall determine, that are not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan.

Exercise Price . The purchase price per Unit purchasable under an Option shall be determined by the Committee at the time the Option is granted; provided , however , that such purchase price per Unit may not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a Unit as of the date of grant.

(iii) Time and Method of Exercise . The Committee shall determine the time or times at which an Option may be exercised in whole or in part, which may include accelerated vesting upon the achievement of specified performance goals, and the method or methods by which payment of the exercise price with respect thereto may be made or deemed to have been made, which may include cash, check acceptable to the General Partner or the Partnership, as applicable, a “cashless-broker” exercise through procedures approved by the Committee, with the consent of the Committee, the withholding of Units that

 

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would otherwise be delivered to the Participant upon the exercise of the Option, other securities or other property, or any combination thereof, having a fair market value (as determined by the Committee) on the exercise date equal to the relevant exercise price.

(iv) Forfeiture . Except as otherwise provided in the terms of the Award Agreement, upon a Participant ceasing to be an Officer, Employee, Consultant or Director, as applicable and as determined by the Committee, for any reason prior to the date an Option becomes vested, all unvested Options shall automatically be forfeited by the Participant for no consideration on such date. Except as otherwise provided in the terms of the Award Agreement, if the Participant ceases to be an Officer, Employee, Consultant or Director prior to the expiration of the Option, the Option will be forfeited or expire, as applicable, as follows:

(A) Termination Not For Retirement, Disability or Death – any unvested Option will be forfeited on the date the Participant ceases to be an Officer, Employee, Consultant or Director for reasons other than the Participant’s Retirement, Disability or death and any vested Option will expire on the earlier of (i) the date that is 90 days after the effective date of such termination or (ii) the last day of the term of the Option; or

(B) Termination For Retirement, Disability or Death – any unvested Option will be forfeited on the date the Participant ceases to be an Officer, Employee, Consultant or Director due to the Participant’s Retirement, Disability or death and any vested Option will expire on the earlier of (i) the date that is 60 months after the effective date of such termination or (ii) the last day of the term of the Option.

The Committee may, in its discretion, waive in whole or in part such forfeiture with respect to a Participant’s Options.

(v) Restrictions on Option Grants . The Committee may grant Options that are intended to comply with Treasury Regulation § 1.409A-l(b)(5)(i)(A) only to Officers, Employees, Consultants and Directors performing direct services for the Partnership or a corporation or other type of entity in a chain of corporations or other entities in which each corporation or other entity has a “controlling interest” in another corporation or entity in the chain, starting with the Partnership and ending with the corporation or other entity for which the Officer, Employee, Consultant or Director performs direct services. For purposes of this Section 6(a) , “controlling interest” means (1) in the case of a corporation, ownership of stock possessing at least 50% of total combined voting power of all classes of stock of such corporation entitled to vote or at least 50% of the total value of shares of all classes of stock of such corporation; (2) in the case of a partnership, ownership of at least 50% of the profits interest or capital interest of such partnership; (3) in the case of a sole proprietorship, ownership of the sole proprietorship; or (4) in the case of a trust or estate, ownership of an actuarial interest (as defined in Treasury Regulation § 1.414(c)-2(b)(2)(ii)) of at least 50% of such trust or estate. The Committee may grant Options that are otherwise exempt from or compliant with the Section 409A Rules to any Eligible Person.

(b) Restricted Units . The Committee shall have the authority to determine the Eligible Persons to whom Restricted Units shall be granted, the number of Restricted Units to be granted to each such Participant, the Restricted Period relating thereto, the conditions under which the Restricted Units may become vested or forfeited, and such other terms and conditions as the Committee may establish with respect to such Awards.

(i) UDRs . To the extent provided by the Committee, in its discretion, a grant of Restricted Units may provide that (A) no UDRs are to be earned or paid with respect to such Restricted Units or (B) distributions made by the Partnership with respect to the Restricted Units shall be subject to the same forfeiture and other restrictions as the Restricted Unit and, if restricted, such distributions shall be held, without interest, until the Restricted Unit vests or is forfeited with the UDR being paid or forfeited at the same time, as the case may be. Absent such a restriction on the UDRs in the grant agreement, UDRs shall be paid to the holder of the Restricted Unit without restriction.

 

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(ii) DERs . To the extent provided by the Committee, in its discretion, a grant of Restricted Units may include a tandem DER grant, which may provide that such DERs shall be credited to a bookkeeping account (with or without interest in the discretion of the Committee) subject to the same forfeiture and other restrictions as the tandem Award, or be subject to such other provisions or restrictions as determined by the Committee in its discretion.

(iii) Forfeitures . Except as otherwise provided in the terms of the Award Agreement, upon the Participant ceasing to be an Officer, Employee, Consultant or Director, as applicable and as determined by the Committee, for any reason during the applicable Restricted Period, all outstanding Restricted Units (and any associated UDRs and DERs and amounts accumulated with respect thereto) awarded the Participant shall be automatically forfeited for no consideration on such termination. The Committee may, in its discretion, waive in whole or in part such forfeiture with respect to a Participant’s Restricted Units (and any associated UDRs and DERs and amounts accumulated with respect thereto).

(iv) Lapse of Restrictions . Upon or as soon as reasonably practical following the vesting of each Restricted Unit, subject to the provisions of Section 8(b) , the Participant shall have the restrictions removed from his or her Unit certificate so that the Participant then holds an unrestricted Unit. In addition, settlement shall be made in a single lump sum with respect to UDRs and DERs associated with such Units no later than the fifteenth (15th) day of the third (3rd) month following the date on which vesting occurs and the restrictions lapse. Upon vesting of a Restricted Unit, other than with respect to accumulated amounts to be paid up through the date of such vesting, all UDRs and DERs associated with such Restricted Unit shall automatically expire for no consideration.

(c) Unit Grants . The Committee shall have the authority to make Unit Grants to Eligible Persons. Each Unit Grant shall constitute a transfer of a Unit without other payment therefor and that is not subject to transfer restriction or risk of forfeiture hereunder.

(d) Notional Units . The Committee shall have the authority to determine the Eligible Persons to whom Notional Units shall be granted, the number of Notional Units to be granted to each such Eligible Person, the Restricted Period, the time or conditions under which the Notional Units may become vested or forfeited, which may include the accelerated vesting upon the achievement of specified performance goals, and such other terms and conditions as the Committee may establish with respect to such Awards, including whether DERs are granted with respect to such Notional Units.

(i) DERs . To the extent provided by the Committee, in its discretion, a grant of Notional Units may include a tandem DER grant, which may provide that such DERs shall be credited to a bookkeeping account (with or without interest in the discretion of the Committee), be subject to the same forfeiture and other restrictions as the tandem Award, or be subject to such other provisions or restrictions or no provisions or restrictions, as determined by the Committee in its discretion.

(ii) Forfeitures . Except as otherwise provided in the terms of the Award Agreement, upon a Participant ceasing to be an Officer, Employee, Consultant or Director, as applicable and as determined by the Committee, for any reason during the applicable Restricted Period, all unvested outstanding Notional Units (and any associated DERs and amounts accumulated with respect thereto) awarded the Participant shall be automatically forfeited for no consideration on such termination. The Committee may, in its discretion, waive in whole or in part such forfeiture with respect to a Participant’s Notional Units (and any associated DERs and amounts accumulated with respect thereto).

(iii) Lapse of Restrictions . Upon or as soon as reasonably practical following the vesting of each Notional Unit, subject to the provisions of Section 8(b) , the Participant shall be entitled to receive from the Partnership one Unit or cash equal to the Fair Market Value of a Unit, as determined by the Committee, in its discretion, along with accumulated DERs with respect thereto. Unless provided otherwise in the Award Agreement, settlement shall be made in a single lump sum no later than the fifteenth (15th) day of the third (3rd) month following the date on which vesting occurs and the restrictions lapse. Upon vesting of a Notional Unit, other than with respect to accumulated amounts to be paid up through the date of such vesting, all DERs associated with such Notional Unit shall automatically expire for no consideration. Should the Participant die before receiving all vested amounts payable hereunder, the balance shall be paid to the Participant’s estate by such date.

 

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(e) Unit Appreciation Rights . The Committee shall have the authority to determine the Eligible Persons to whom Unit Appreciation Rights shall be granted, the number of Units to be covered by each grant and the conditions and limitations applicable to the exercise of the Unit Appreciation Right, including the following terms and conditions and such additional terms and conditions, as the Committee shall determine, that are not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan.

(i) Exercise Price . The exercise price per Unit Appreciation Right shall be not less than 100% of Fair Market Value of a Unit as of the date of grant.

(ii) Vesting/Time of Payment . The Committee shall determine the time or times at which a Unit Appreciation Right shall become vested and exercisable and the time or times at which a Unit Appreciation Right shall be paid in whole or in part.

(iii) Forfeitures . Except as otherwise provided in the terms of the Award Agreement, upon the Participant ceasing to be an Officer, Employee, Consultant or Director, as applicable and as determined by the Committee, for any reason prior to vesting, all unvested Unit Appreciation Rights awarded the Participant shall be automatically forfeited for no consideration on such termination. The Committee may, in its discretion, waive in whole or in part such forfeiture with respect to a Participant’s Unit Appreciation Rights, in which case, such Unit Appreciation Rights shall be deemed vested upon termination of employment or service and paid as soon as administratively practical thereafter.

(iv) Restrictions on UAR Grants . The Committee may grant UARs that are intended to comply with Treasury Regulation § 1.409A-l(b)(5)(i)(A) only to Officers, Employees, Consultants and Directors performing direct services for the Partnership or a corporation or other type of entity in a chain of corporations or other entities in which each corporation or other entity has a “controlling interest” in another corporation or entity in the chain, starting with the Partnership and ending with the corporation or other entity for which the Officer, Employee, Consultant or Director performs direct services. For purposes of this  Section 6(e) , “controlling interest” shall mean “controlling interest” as defined in Section 6(a) . The Committee may grant UARs that are otherwise exempt from or compliant with the Section 409A Rules to any Eligible Person.

(f) Performance Awards . The Committee shall have the authority to determine the Eligible Persons to whom Performance Awards shall be granted and the conditions and limitations applicable to the Performance Award, including the following terms and conditions and such additional terms and conditions, as the Committee shall determine, that are not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan.

(i) Terms and Conditions . Subject to the terms of the Plan and any applicable Award Agreement, the Committee shall determine the Performance Metrics and related Performance Goals to be achieved (on an absolute or relative basis) during any performance period, the length of any performance period, the vesting criteria, the amount of any Performance Award and the amount of any payment to be made pursuant to any Performance Award. Which factor or factors are to be used with respect to any grant, and the weight to be accorded thereto if more than one factor is used, shall be determined by the Committee, in its sole discretion, at the time of grant. Performance Metrics and related Performance Goals need not be the same for all Participants, and Performance Metrics and related Performance Goals may be based on one or more of the business criteria enumerated in the definition of Performance Metrics as determined by the Committee.

(ii) Payment of Performance Awards . Performance Awards that become vested shall, unless provided otherwise in the Award Agreement, be paid in a single lump sum no later than the fifteenth (15th) day of the third (3rd) month following the date on which vesting occurs and the restrictions lapse. Such payment(s) may be made in cash or Units as determined by the Committee.

 

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(iii) Forfeiture . Except as otherwise determined by the Committee, upon a Participant ceasing to be an Officer, Employee, Consultant or Director, as applicable and as determined by the Committee, for any reason prior to vesting, all unvested Performance Awards awarded the Participant shall be automatically forfeited for no consideration on such termination. The Committee may, in its discretion, waive in whole or in part such forfeiture with respect to a Participant’s Performance Awards, in which case, a prorated portion of such Performance Awards shall be deemed vested upon termination of employment or service and paid in accordance with the provisions of Section 6(f)(ii) above.

(g) Other Unit-Based Awards . The Committee may grant to Eligible Persons Other Unit-Based Awards, which shall consist of an Award denominated or payable in, valued in whole or in part by references to or otherwise based on or related to, Units, in each case as deemed by the Committee to be consistent with the purpose of the Plan. Subject to the terms of the Plan, the Committee shall determine the terms and conditions of any such Other Unit-Based Award. An Other Unit-Based Award may be paid in cash, Units or any combination thereof as determined by the Committee.

(h) General .

(i) Awards May Be Granted Separately or Together . Awards may, in the discretion of the Committee, be granted to Eligible Persons either alone or in addition to, in tandem with, or in substitution for any other Award granted under the Plan or any award granted under any other plan of the General Partner, the Partnership or any Affiliate of either of the foregoing. No Award shall be issued in tandem with another Award if the tandem Awards would result in adverse tax consequences under the Section 409A Rules. Awards granted in addition to or in tandem with other Awards or awards granted under any other plan of the General Partner, the Partnership or any Affiliate of either of the foregoing may be granted either at the same time as or at a different time from the grant of such other Awards or awards.

(ii) Limits on Transfer of Awards .

(A) Except as provided in Section 6(h)(ii)(C) below, each Award shall be exercisable by or payable to only the Participant during the Participant’s lifetime, or to the person to whom the Participant’s rights shall pass by will or the laws of descent and distribution.

(B) Except as provided in Section 6(h)(ii)(C) below, no Award and no right under any such Award may be assigned, alienated, pledged, attached, sold or otherwise transferred or encumbered by a Participant, and any such purported assignment, alienation, pledge, attachment, sale, transfer or encumbrance shall be void and unenforceable against the General Partner, the Partnership or any Affiliate of either of the foregoing.

(C) To the extent specifically provided by the Committee with respect to an Award, an Award may be transferred by a Participant without consideration to immediate family members or related family trusts, limited partnerships or similar entities or on such terms and conditions as the Committee may from time to time establish.

(iii) Term of Awards . The term of each Award shall be for such period as may be determined by the Committee, but shall not exceed 10 years. Unless the Award Agreement provides otherwise, the term of an Award shall be 10 years. If upon the expiration of the term of an outstanding Award such Award has not either vested or been exercised (if exercisable), then such Award shall immediately expire for no consideration.

(iv) Unit Certificates . All certificates for Units or other securities of the Partnership delivered under the Plan pursuant to any Award or the exercise thereof shall be subject to such stop transfer orders and other restrictions as the Committee may deem advisable under the Plan or the rules, regulations and other requirements of the SEC, any stock exchange upon which such Units or other securities are then listed, and any applicable federal or state laws; the Committee may cause a legend or legends to be put on any such certificates to make appropriate reference to such restrictions.

 

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(v) Consideration for Grants . Awards may be granted for such consideration, including services, as the Committee determines.

(vi) Delivery of Units or other Securities and Payment by Participant of Consideration . Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any Award Agreement to the contrary, delivery of Units pursuant to the exercise or vesting of an Award may be deferred for any period during which, in the good faith determination of the Committee, the Partnership is not reasonably able to obtain Units to deliver pursuant to such Award without violating the rules or regulations of any applicable law or securities exchange. No Units or other securities shall be delivered pursuant to any Award until payment in full of any amount required to be paid pursuant to the Plan or the applicable Award Agreement (including any exercise price or tax withholding) is received by the Partnership.

(vii) Change in Control .

(A) Unless specifically provided otherwise in the Award Agreement, upon a Change in Control or such time prior thereto as established by the Committee, to the extent that (1) the Partnership does not survive as an independent organization and (2) any surviving or successor organization or any of its affiliates does not assume or continue the Awards substantially on the same terms, then, immediately prior to the Change in Control (or any earlier date related to the Change in Control and established by the Committee) all outstanding Awards shall automatically vest or become exercisable in full, as the case may be. In this regard, all Restricted Periods shall terminate and all performance criteria, if any, shall be deemed to have been achieved at the target level.

(B) The Committee shall have the discretion to vary the definition of Change in Control in any Award Agreement.

(C) Except as otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, any positive “spread” (determined based on the Fair Market Value of Units on the payment date) on an Option or UAR that is or becomes fully vested and exercisable as of the date of a Change in Control (or any earlier date related to the Change in Control and established by the Committee) shall be paid in a single payment in Units, or cash or other property, or any combination of Units and cash and other property, as determined by the Committee. Except as otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, any Award of time-based Notional Units or Restricted Units that pursuant to this Section 6(h)(viii) are deemed to have the applicable Restriction Period lapse as of the date of a Change in Control (or any earlier date related to the Change in Control and established by the Committee), shall be settled by (i) issuance of unrestricted Units based on the number of Units that were subject to the Award on the date of grant of the Award or (ii) payment of cash and/or other property equal to the Fair Market Value of a Unit on the payout date for each Notional Unit or Restricted Unit or (iii) any combination of payouts under clauses (i) and (ii) of this sentence, as determined by the Committee. Except as otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, any Award of performance-based Notional Units or Restricted Units that pursuant to this Section 6(h)(vii) are deemed to have the applicable Restriction Period lapse and to have all applicable performance criteria achieved at the target level as of the date of a Change in Control (or any earlier date related to the Change in Control and established by the Committee), shall be settled by (i) issuance of unrestricted Units based on the number of Units that were subject to the Award as established on the date of grant of the Award, prorated based on the number of complete months of the Restricted Period that have elapsed as of the payment date, and assuming that target performance was achieved or (ii) payment of cash and/or other property equal to the Fair Market Value of a Unit on the payout date for each Notional Unit or Restricted Unit that is payable under clause (i) of this sentence or (iii) any combination of payouts under clauses (i) and (ii) of this sentence, as determined by the Committee. Except as otherwise provided in the Award Agreement or determined by the Committee, any Performance Award that pursuant to this Section 6(h)(vii) is deemed to have all applicable performance criteria achieved at the target level as of the date of a Change in Control (or any earlier date related to the Change in Control and established by the Committee), shall be paid in cash, prorated based on the number of complete months of the performance period that

 

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have elapsed as of the payment date, and assuming that target-level performance was achieved. Any accelerated payout pursuant to this Section 6(h)(vii) shall be made in a single payment within 30 days after the date of the Change in Control.

To the extent an Option or UAR is not vested or exercisable, or a Notional Unit or Restricted Unit does not vest, pursuant to the preceding provisions of this Section 6(h)(vii) or the Award Agreement therefor upon the Change in Control, the Committee may, in its discretion, cancel such Award or provide for an assumption of such Award or a replacement grant on substantially the same terms; provided , however , that upon any cancellation of an Option or UAR that has a positive “spread” or a Notional Unit or Restricted Unit, the holder shall be paid an amount in Units or cash and/or other property or any combination of cash and other property, as determined by the Committee, equal to (1) such “spread” if an Option or UAR or (2) the Fair Market Value of a Unit, if a Notional Unit or Restricted Unit. Such payment shall be made within 30 days after the date of the Change in Control.

(viii) Payment of DERs and UDRs . Except as otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, DERs and UDRs that are not subject to any restrictions shall be currently paid to the Participant at the time the distribution is made to unitholders. Except as otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, to the extent DERs or UDRs are subject to any restrictions, such amounts shall be paid to the Participant in a single lump sum no later than the fifteenth (15th) day of the third (3rd) month following the date on which vesting occurs and the restrictions lapse. Should the Participant die before receiving all vested amounts hereunder, the balance shall be paid to the Participant’s estate by such date.

(ix) Section 409A Rules . This Plan, the Awards and all Award Agreements are intended to either comply with or be exempt from the Section 409A Rules, and ambiguous provisions hereof, if any, shall be construed and interpreted in a manner consistent with such intent. The General Partner, the Partnership and their respective Affiliates make no representations that the Plan, the administration of the Plan, or the Awards, Award Agreements or amounts payable hereunder comply with, or are exempt from, the Section 409A Rules, and undertake no obligation to ensure such compliance or exemption. For purposes of the Section 409A Rules, each payment or amount due under this Plan shall be considered a separate payment, and a Participant’s entitlement to a series of payments under this Plan shall be treated as an entitlement to a series of separate payments. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan or an Award Agreement to the contrary, if a Participant is a “specified employee” under the Section 409A Rules, except to the extent permitted under the Section 409A Rules, no benefit or payment that is not otherwise exempt from the Section 409A Rules (after taking into account all applicable exceptions to the Section 409A Rules, including to the exceptions for short-term deferrals and for “separation pay only upon an involuntary separation from service”) shall be made to that Participant under the Plan or the affected Award granted thereunder on account of the Participant’s “separation from service,” as defined in the Section 409A Rules, until the later of the date prescribed for payment in the Plan or the affected Award granted thereunder and the first (1st) day of the seventh (7th) calendar month that begins after the date of the Participant’s separation from service (or, if earlier, the date of death of the Participant). Unless otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, any amount that is otherwise payable within the delay period described in the immediately preceding sentence will be aggregated and paid in a lump sum without interest.

 

7. Amendment and Termination.

Except to the extent prohibited by applicable law:

(a) Amendments to the Plan . Except as required by the rules of the principal securities exchange on which the Units are traded and subject to Section 7(b) below, the Board may amend, alter, suspend, discontinue or terminate the Plan in any manner, including increasing the number of Units available for Awards under the Plan, without the consent of any partner, Participant, other holder or beneficiary of an Award, or other Person.

(b) Amendments to Awards Subject to Section 7(a) . The Committee may waive any conditions or rights under, amend any terms of, or alter any Award theretofore granted or Award Agreement related thereto; provided , however , that no change, other than pursuant to Section 7(c) , in any Award or Award Agreement related thereto shall materially reduce the benefit to a Participant without the consent of such Participant.

 

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(c) Adjustment of Awards Upon the Occurrence of Certain Unusual or Nonrecurring Events . The Committee is hereby authorized to make adjustments in the terms and conditions of, and the criteria included in, Awards in recognition of unusual or nonrecurring events (including the events described in Section 4(c) of the Plan) affecting the Partnership or the financial statements of the Partnership, or of changes in applicable laws, regulations or accounting principles, whenever the Committee determines that such adjustments are appropriate in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available to Participants under the Plan or such Award.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) with respect to an above event that is an “equity restructuring” event that would be subject to a compensation expense pursuant to ASC Topic 718, or any successor accounting standard, the provisions in Section 4(c) shall control to the extent they are in conflict with the discretionary provisions of this Section 7(c) ; provided , however , that nothing in this Section 7(c) or Section 4(c) shall be construed as providing any Participant or any beneficiary any rights with respect to the “time value,” “economic opportunity” or “intrinsic value” of an Award or limiting in any manner the Committee’s actions that may be taken with respect to an Award as set forth above or in Section 4(c) ; and (ii) no action shall be taken under this Section 7(c) which shall cause an Award to fail to comply with the Section 409A Rules, to the extent the Section 409A Rules are applicable to such Award.

 

8. General Provisions.

(a) No Rights to Award . No Person shall have any right or claim to be granted any Award under the Plan, and there is no obligation for uniformity of treatment of Participants. The terms and conditions of Awards need not be the same with respect to each recipient.

(b) Tax Withholding .

(i) The General Partner, the Partnership and Affiliates of either of the foregoing are authorized (1) to withhold from any Award, from any payment due or transfer made under any Award or from any compensation or other amount owing to a Participant the amount (in cash, Units, other securities, Units that would otherwise be issued pursuant to such Award or other property) of any applicable taxes payable in respect of the grant of an Award, its exercise, the lapse of restrictions thereon or any payment or transfer under an Award or under the Plan and (2) to take such other action as may be necessary in the opinion of the Partnership to satisfy applicable withholding obligations for the payment of such taxes.

(ii) Unless otherwise provided to the contrary in an Award Agreement, all Units to be issued under an Award shall be net of tax withholding, such that the tax withholding obligation of the Participant in respect of such Units is satisfied through the retention by the General Partner or by the Partnership of such number of Units with a Fair Market Value equal to the tax withholding obligation.

(c) No Right to Employment or Services . The grant of an Award shall not be construed as giving a Participant the right to be retained as an Officer, Employee, Consultant or Director, as applicable, or to otherwise continue to provide services to the General Partner, the Partnership or any Affiliate of either of the foregoing. Furthermore, the General Partner, the Partnership or an Affiliate of either of the foregoing, as applicable, may at any time dismiss a Participant from employment or terminate a consulting or other service relationship, free from any liability or any claim under the Plan, unless otherwise expressly provided in the Plan, any Award Agreement or any other agreement.

(d) Governing Law . The validity, construction and effect of the Plan and any rules and regulations relating to the Plan shall be determined in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware without regard to its conflict of laws principles.

 

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(e) Severability . If any provision of the Plan or any Award is or becomes or is deemed to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction or as to any Person or Award, or would disqualify the Plan or any Award under any law deemed applicable by the Committee, such provision shall be construed or deemed amended to conform to the applicable laws, or if it cannot be construed or deemed amended without, in the determination of the Committee, materially altering the intent of the Plan or the Award, such provision shall be stricken as to such jurisdiction, Person or Award and the remainder of the Plan and any such Award shall remain in full force and effect.

(f) Other Laws . The Committee may refuse to issue or transfer any Units or other consideration under an Award if, in its sole discretion, it determines that the issuance or transfer of such Units or such other consideration might violate any applicable law or regulation, the rules of the principal securities exchange on which the Units are then traded, or entitle the General Partner, the Partnership or an Affiliate of either of the foregoing to recover the same under Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act, and any payment tendered to the General Partner or to the Partnership by a Participant, other holder or beneficiary in connection with the exercise of such Award shall be promptly refunded to the relevant Participant, holder or beneficiary.

(g) No Trust or Fund Created . Neither the Plan nor any Award shall create or be construed to create a trust or separate fund of any kind or a fiduciary relationship between the General Partner, the Partnership or any Affiliate of either of the foregoing and a Participant or any other Person. To the extent that any Person acquires a right to receive payments from the General Partner, the Partnership or any Affiliate of either of the foregoing pursuant to an Award, such right shall be no greater than the right of any general unsecured creditor of the General Partner, the Partnership or any Affiliate of either of the foregoing.

(h) No Fractional Units . No fractional Units shall be issued or delivered pursuant to the Plan or any Award, and the Committee shall determine whether cash, other securities, or other property shall be paid or transferred in lieu of any fractional Units or whether such fractional Units or any rights thereto shall be canceled, terminated or otherwise eliminated.

(i) Headings . Headings are given to the Sections and subsections of the Plan solely as a convenience to facilitate reference. Such headings shall not be deemed in any way material or relevant to the construction or interpretation of the Plan or any provision thereof.

(j) Facility Payment . Any amounts payable hereunder to any person under legal disability or who, in the judgment of the Committee, is unable to properly manage his financial affairs, may be paid to the legal representative of such person, or may be applied for the benefit of such person in any manner that the Committee may select, and the General Partner, the Partnership and Affiliates of either of the foregoing shall be relieved of any further liability for payment of such amounts.

(k) Participation by Affiliates . In making Awards to Consultants engaged by and Employees employed by an Affiliate of either the General Partner or of the Partnership, the Committee shall be acting on behalf of such Affiliate, and to the extent the General Partner or the Partnership has an obligation to reimburse such Affiliate for compensation paid to Consultants and Employees for services rendered for the benefit of the Partnership, such payments or reimbursement payments may be made by the General Partner or by the Partnership directly to the Affiliate.

(l) Gender and Number . Words in the masculine gender shall include the feminine gender, the plural shall include the singular and the singular shall include the plural.

(m) No Guarantee of Tax Consequences . None of the Board, the General Partner, the Partnership or the Committee makes any commitment or guarantee that any federal, state, local or other tax treatment will (or will not) apply or be available to any person participating or eligible to participate hereunder or to any person claiming through or on behalf of any such person.

(n) Claw-back Policy . All Awards (including any proceeds, gains or other economic benefit actually or constructively received by the Participant upon any receipt or exercise of any Award or upon the receipt or resale

 

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of any Units underlying the Award) shall be subject to the provisions of any claw-back policy implemented by, as applicable, the General Partner, the Partnership or any Affiliate of either of the foregoing, including, without limitation, any claw-back policy adopted to comply with the requirements of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and any rules or regulations promulgated thereunder, to the extent set forth in such claw-back policy and/or in the applicable Award Agreement.

 

9. Term of the Plan.

Once effective pursuant to Section 1(b) , the Plan shall remain effective until the tenth (10th) anniversary of the Effective Date. However, unless otherwise expressly provided in the Plan or in an applicable Award Agreement, any Award granted prior to such termination, and the authority of the Board or the Committee to amend, alter, adjust, suspend, discontinue or terminate any such Award or to waive any conditions or rights under such Award, shall extend beyond such termination date.

Effective Date: March 6, 2015

 

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Exhibit 23.1

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Unitholders of Sanchez Production Partners LP and Board of Directors of Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC:

We consent to the use of our report dated March 5, 2015, with respect to the consolidated balance sheet of Sanchez Production Partners LLC (formerly Constellation Energy Partners LLC) as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in members’ equity, and cash flows for the years then, incorporated herein by reference and to the reference to our firm under the heading “Experts” in the prospectus.

/s/ KPMG LLP

Houston, Texas

March 6, 2015

Exhibit 23.3

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT PETROLEUM ENGINEERS AND GEOLOGISTS

As independent petroleum engineers, we hereby consent to the incorporation by reference of our report dated February 3, 2015, included as part of the consolidated financial statements of Sanchez Production Partners LLC as of December 31, 2014, which are incorporated by reference into the Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-198440) of Sanchez Production Partners LP.

 

NETHERLAND, SEWELL & ASSOCIATES, INC.
By:

/s/ Danny D. Simmons

Danny D. Simmons
President and Chief Operating Officer

Houston, Texas

March 6, 2015